Day by Day

This weekend my new roommates and I moved into our house! Hip hip hooray! Well, really they moved into the new house, and I brought some of my stuff and put it in my closet. I slept on our couch Saturday night because my room currently has no furniture. That's coming...later.

In my life, I haven't ever truly moved, that I remember. When I was about 2, my parents moved out of our condo in Boston into my great-grandmother's house, so they could help take care of her. I don't remember that, though. Since then, I grew up packing to go to Maine every summer, but that's not really moving. I've done a lot of traveling and lived in a lot of different places (especially over the last four years), but I haven't ever totally moved out of one place into another. I still won't really be able to say that I have done that even after this move, since my bed is coming from one place, my dresser is coming from another, and I am coming from a third (with my clothes). Eventually we'll all be together. Happily ever after.

I did learn, however, that moving mostly involves a lot of cleaning. Cleaning the old place. Cleaning the new place. So much dirt and mold. Yuck. And lots of phone calls to take care of so many details. Being an American adult means keeping track of lots of random pieces of life, most of which involve a bill of some kind.

Once I'm all moved, I'll share some pictures of my place. For now, you can enjoy this view. It's the one I see behind my office building. I don't usually get this fish-eye perspective, though. That's thanks to the panorama photo-taking abilities of my iPhone 5.

My coworkers and I have many wonderful ideas of ways to make good use of this body of water. We would love a combination of the following:

• Slip-n-slide
• Sunfish
• Paddle boat

We'll just avoid upsetting the alligator who calls Lake Tyndale home.

Loony, I've a feeling we're not in New England anymore

You might think moving from Massachusetts to Florida wouldn't involve much culture shock because they are both part of the United States. Mostly this line of thinking is correct, but there have definitely been moments when I've thought to myself, "Oh Bethany, you are not in the Northeast anymore."

Here are some of the sights and experiences that have brought on these moments:

• Spanish Moss and Palm Trees are everywhere.
• Bird of Paradise grows right outside my front door.
• Roadkill I've seen several times is...an armadillo.
• When driving, watch out for the Sandhill Cranes, not moose.
• The ocean water is warm! Quite pleasant, but the natives think it is quite cold.
• U-turns are common - on major roads. People make u-turns all the time. We just don't drive that way in Massachusetts.
• Stores and malls are everywhere. The number of stores and restaurants I drive past every day is positively overwhelming. Especially after spending several years at Houghton College.
• There's a Christian music radio station. Oh wait, there are two! (Shhhh, don't overwhelm the girl by telling her that there are even more...)

So, I'm adjusting.

I spent the weekend with a Houghton friend and her family. They just moved down here last month from Pennsylvania, so we were able to compare notes. Among other fun-ness, we created this gem:

Chickens, beware!

America, Spread Your Golden Wings

I don't know about you, but my 4th of July ended with a bang. St. Cloud, a city south of Orlando, had quite an impressive fireworks display over East Lake Tohopekaliga (try saying that 10 times fast). I had a great view of it all from a camping chair on the beach.

It's interesting, though, because fireworks now seem a pretty normal part of life. Down here in Florida we love our fireworks - or maybe it would be more honest to say that our tourists love our fireworks. In the past month, I already saw fireworks three times over at Disney World. Both Magic Kingdom's Wishes and Epcot's IllumiNations shows have fireworks every night. That is a lot of fireworks!

Epcot IllumiNations June 2013

When I think of July 4th, I think of time with family, burgers and hot dogs on the grill, and lake boat rides. Despite having moved about thirteen states south of the 4th of July location of my youth, I was able to have all of these in Florida. Although I am usually quite quiet and reserved, I do know how to speak up. This year I used that ability to get invited to spend the 4th with a family I met when I moved down. The husband and wife work at Wycliffe, and I got in touch with them because the husband's sister and her family are long-time friends from MA. My new friends were so welcoming and encouraging as I transitioned to living in Florida. I had a great time getting to know them better last Thursday. It certainly helped that they had a pontoon boat to take out on the Florida lakes. Never mind that we got caught out in one of this season's daily afternoon rain storms. :-)

Saturday I learned an important lesson: the Florida summer sun is powerful. I went to the beach with the young adults group at my church and despite reapplying sunscreen multiple times and sitting under a towel whenever I wasn't in the water, I still managed to get a sunburn on my shoulders. Lesson learned.

Work is going well. Today I learned that I successfully completed a crucial step in the first big project given to me when I started. Wycliffe has several representatives attending a large conference in Texas this coming week, and several weeks ago I was given the task of pulling together materials for them to use at their booth, setting up the booth in the office and taking photographs, and then mailing all the supplies and emailing instructions to Texas. I heard today that the boxes of supplies arrived in Texas. Success.

P.S. The title of this post, for those of you who don't know, is from a song played during the show in the United States at Epcot's World Showcase. The music is quite majestic...and definitely emotionally manipulative.

Florida or bust!

It's about time for a post! I am in the middle of week three of working at Wycliffe Bible Translators and week four of living in Florida. So here's an update (and a goal of posting each Tuesday).

I could start way back at the beginning but that would take quite a long time. Instead I'll start now-ish and give you flashbacks later.

This past weekend I took advantage of my Disney World Florida resident annual pass to go visit Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom with some friends visiting from Massachusetts. We visited with Nemo and Dori, escaped trolls in Norway, and learned how to be pirates from Captain Jack Sparrow!

In line behind us at the Peter Pan ride was the cutest family - their oldest daughter (about 8) was dressed as Wendy, their son was Peter Pan, and their toddler daughter was Tinkerbell. That' s the way to do it: Leave behind the poorly-designed, hideously-colored, strangely-punny Disney family vacation t-shirts. Pick a story and dress up as the characters!

As for work, I'm quite happy to have joined the Wycliffe team. I'm learning the ropes of being marketing coordinator for the integrated marketing communications department. There's so much newness - at this point I'm in sponge-mode.

I Like Old People, Don't You!

Today is the end of my fifth week of living with my grandparents - three weeks in Florida with my mother's parents and two weeks in North Carolina with my dad's parents. While talking with my paternal grandmother and one of her friends during choir rehearsal on Wednesday night, I was reminded of one of my favorite cassette tapes growing up. Mommy, Gimme a Drinka Water by Danny Kaye contains a delightful selection of songs sung from the perspective of a small child. Thanks to Spotify I was able to find and re-listen to all of these songs yesterday - and I found my theme song for this period of my life: "I Like Old People, Don't You!"

I like old people, don't you? 
They never tell you what you shouldn't do 
They buy you toys and candy 
And extra toys are dandy 
And Nanny's always baking something new 
I like old people, I like them 
Don't you? 
They're nice, old people, they're nice 
They tell you funny stories once and twice 
Cause they're never in a hurry 
And they don't have to worry 
That there's a zillion things you have to do 
I like old people, I like old people, I like them 
Don't you?

Some Thoughts

"The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say."
("The Old Walking Song")

Thank you, Tolkien and Bilbo, for giving me such wonderful words to consider as I head out into the world at the end of my college experience. My journey is not ending now, it is only beginning. I am most certainly ready for an adventure.

This semester I have been thinking a lot about the end of Isaiah 40:

"To whom will you compare me?
   Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
   Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
   and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
   not one of them is missing.

Why do you complain, Jacob?
   Why do you say, Israel,
"My way is hidden from the Lord;
   my cause is disregarded by my God"?
Do you not know?
   Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
   and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary,
   and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.

The song based on this passage was always one of my favorite camp songs. Although I know in my head that these words are all true, it often takes more than just my own understanding to allow my heart to acknowledge this truth.

As I've walked through some tough emotions this semester, I've come out on the other end reminded more than ever that my way will never be hidden from the Lord and my cause will never be disregarded by my God. He and I are in this together for the long haul.

A Letter to Parents from a College Freshman

I was recently looking through all my old documents on my computer and came across the following letter. I wrote this 2.5 years ago, right after my freshman year of college. 

To any parents who are still in the thick of raising their kids:

Dear Mom and Dad,

I just finished my freshman year of college at Houghton College, a small liberal arts college in western New York state. This school year was amazing—new friends, encouragement and challenges from fellow Christians, committed professors, so much to learn, see, and do. I can honestly say that I have thrived at college. Throughout the year, though, I have contemplated the reasons why I was well prepared to enter this new environment and do well in Houghton’s rigorous academic setting. I want to share some discoveries I have made with you in order to encourage you in your parenting journey.

I know there are lots of other parents who have reminded you how childhood goes by so quickly and encouraged you as you work hard to raise your children well. You probably also have memories of your own childhood—the good times and the bad—and have thought about how that foundation molded you into the person you are today. We each have experiences from the past from which we want to protect our loved ones. Right now I want to encourage you in the work you have already done. Keep going! You can do it! With Christ all things are possible.

Before school started last fall, I went with fifty other Houghton freshmen on a two week wilderness adventure trip in the Adirondacks. One of our activities was a two night solo in the woods. I loved this time to contemplate and journal. Since I only had a notebook, a Bible, and a pen to keep me company, I decided to write letters to my parents and my sisters. As I was writing to my mom and dad, I started to cry—partly out of joy and partly because of sadness. I thanked them for the time and effort they spent raising me and teaching me the right way to go. I know my parents aren’t perfect and that’s OK with me, but I also think they did so many things right in partnering with God to help me navigate the first 20 years of my life. I am so thankful God decided to place me in the family of Gerry and Lorraine Stobbe. I cried, though, because for me this act of going off to college meant the end of my childhood. I would always be their daughter, but never again would I be a child. I have watched so many of my friends grow up and leave home to start their new life as adults, but now it was happening to me and I couldn’t believe it. Part of me didn’t want to believe it. I just wanted to be the little girl sitting on a chair in the upstairs hallway while Daddy blow dried my hair at the Little Girl Beauty Parlor. I didn’t want to acknowledge the end of those days when Mommy, Lillian, Charlotte, and I sat on the couch to read picture books.

Sure, I’ve been alive 19 years, but it really doesn’t feel like that. The other day I was babysitting two young children for a few hours. I encouraged the four-year-old while he climbed the hill to the park, I followed the 18-month-old while she toddled around the front yard, and I watched and smiled while the boy pushed his sister around in her walker as she laughed joyfully. I thought about the box of family photos my grandmother had just taken out of her closet. Most of them were of me, the oldest child, and then came Bethany and Lillian photos, and then Charlotte appeared. One of my favorites is a before-Charlotte photo: in our living room Lillian and I have set up a car by lining up chairs. I am driving with Dolly-with-a-Body beside me, a blue bear and cabbage patch doll ride in the middle row, and Lillian sits proudly in a rocking chair in the third row. Big sister takes the lead!

So, from a 19-year-old working on both treasuring and letting go of her childhood: please treasure these days! You will be tired…you probably are right now. Your children will frustrate you to no end…I did my share. You will be clueless and confused…for some reason we often enjoy pushing our parents to that state. Your children want and need your love, and they will remember it always. May your children rise up and call you blessed.

Whether you homeschool (like my parents did) or not, remember that you are your child’s most important teacher. Mom and Dad, we want to be just like you! We’re watching you to see how you react under stress, how you help those in need, how you care for each other. Your interests will often become our interests. This past semester while I was in Europe I had the chance to see numerous Impressionist paintings in London, Rome, Paris, and Edinburgh, and I loved (almost) every one. I have to believe that this is because my mother loves the Impressionist painters and introduced me to them early in life. We studied Degas and his ballerinas, discussed Renoirs, copied Monets. All those trips to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts that I complained about when I was younger formed a foundation for my understanding and appreciation of fine art that helped me to appreciate the works of art I saw in the National Gallery and Tate Britain in London.

My mother also loves nature and the outdoors. Throughout my childhood our family vacations consisted of traveling from one national park to another. Despite my constant complaints about the heat, she continued to take me, however unwillingly, to see birds, bison, and beekeepers. Now I work at a summer camp and teach Outdoor Living Skills.

Just one more example—my mother loves history, especially hands-on history and museums. As a homeschool family, we had many opportunities for field trips to avoid learning from textbooks. Again, family vacation meant museum hopping all around the United States and Canada. I must confess that although I did appreciate these museums some of the time, most of the time I just did not understand what a wonderful education I was receiving. And now, guess what? I just chose to go on a three week vacation with my roommate, Jenn, that was all about the museums and historic sites of Rome, Paris, Edinburgh, and eastern Massachusetts…and I loved it. Going back to Old Sturbridge Village with Jenn reminded me of all the times the Stobbe School went on a historical trip back to the 1830s. I remembered my favorite places to go and asked all the right questions so that Jenn could get the full experience. After I took her to Plimoth Plantation, I found family photos (again from my grandmother’s box) of the Stobbe School visiting the Mayflower. My recent visit was different since the captain talked hypothetically about marrying me to his son, but that same feeling of awe I must have felt 14 years ago when I traveled back almost 400 years met me this time as I learned about the Pilgrims and their experiences. You may think all those art galleries, nature walks, museums, and historical villages are going right over your children’s heads, but believe me, they are not. Take advantage of those opportunities to learn and discover together.

Pretend for a moment that I am your family’s babysitter. Picture me saying goodbye when you return from an evening out. Don’t worry, I took good care of your kids…I fed them macaroni and cheese for dinner, we played hide and seek, I read them a few chapters of Mr. Popper’s Penguins, and then I put them to bed. Now you are back after a refreshing evening out, but you know that tomorrow morning (or, oh please no, maybe even sooner) it’s all going to start over again. Feeding, teaching, disciplining must go on. Playing games, reading books, driving to activities happens too.

God has given you these children. Mom and Dad, we need you. We love you so much! We don’t always understand why you do what you do, but somewhere deep down we know that you have our best interests in mind. Please take good care of us. We are so proud of you when you do a good job. J We are praying for you. We notice and think about a lot more than you might think we do. We aren’t telling you this to scare you but to help you be aware and challenge you to do your job to the best of your ability. There are so many people out there who want to help encourage and support you. Just remember that this time isn’t going to last forever. Someday your son or daughter is going to be heading off to college or out into the big world. Hopefully they’ll have the time and thoughtfulness to sit down by the edge of a lake and write,

Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank you so much for raising me and helping me to grow into the person I am today…