Fourth Fun

We have had so much fun celebrating the birth of our nation in Talkeetna, Alaska. We attended the small-town parade and then grabbed some grub at Twister Creek Restaurant/Denali Brewing Company. After lunch, we walked the few blocks through town to the Susitna River, and the boys jumped into a soccer game with some other kiddos. Then we walked back to our RV park on the other end of town and spent the rest of the afternoon reading, napping, and playing at the playground. Later, we grilled salmon and did poppers and small fireworks while it was still bright daylight outside (at 10 pm), because the sun doesn't set here at this time of year until around midnight. The boys were in favor of waiting until 2:00 am for a little more darkness, but since we need to leave early tomorrow morning, we vetoed that idea.

Go Kiss a Moose

Cute little sled dog team

Waiting for the parade to begin

Flags and Antlers

Patriotic Boys

A sight we've never seen in a 4th of July parade

Balloons and buggies

My favorite parade sign

"Moose on Parade"
Mooski Brewski was our favorite!

Susitna River

Horsing around

Salmon dinner

Poppers at 10 pm

Feel Good Friday: An Irish Blessing

Feel Good Friday: Choose the light

More times than I can count over the course of the last 14 years--my parenting years--I have heard words coming out of my mouth, directed at one kid or another, meant to correct inappropriate behavior and develop deeper character. And, sometimes, I'm quite shocked that the words I'm saying might be better directed inward than outward. Being a parent makes me acutely aware of my own character flaws and shortcomings. I see my hypocrisies and failings as if under a magnifying glass. And, so often, when I am correcting one of the kids, my words ricochet and strike me right in the heart, and I realize something in me needs to change, particularly if I want to see that change in one of them.

This happened today. I was reminding one of my dear offspring that every moment we have a choice about the kind of person we are going to be. Are we going to be rude or kind? Happy or sad? Engaged or disengaged? Respectful or disrespectful? Positive or negative? Helpers or hurters? Workers or slackers? We can't control everything that happens in life, but we can control how we respond. We always have a choice. 

The truth is, I have been pretty depressed since our RTW trip ended. I have been resentful of my stationary situation and have flatly refused (both subconsciously and consciously) to be happy in this place. Of course I've had moments of happiness and things certainly haven't been all bad. But, in my heart, I know I haven't really been trying that hard to make the choice to be happy. 

And, today, as I spoke to my child about choices, some lightbulb suddenly reignited inside my brain, and I realized that I can change my choice. That, in fact, I must change my choice, because I do not want to go through my days unhappy. I can and will choose to change my inner dialogue. I can and will choose happiness, regardless of my situation.

"We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on." --J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

As for me, in this rare and beautiful moment of clarity, I will choose the light.

(For more of my ramblings on choosing happiness, check out this post.)

Feel Good Friday: I believe in you

"They'll say you're too little...that you're from nowhere, that you shouldn't dream big. But I believe in you. I think you'll do something great."

~ Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See

Feel Good Friday: The less exhausting path

"Oh, but my treasure, it is so much less exhausting. You only have to forgive once. To resent, you have to do it all day, every day. You have to keep remembering all the bad things."         

~M.L. Stedman, The Light Between Oceans

Feel Good Friday: Doing Good

attributed to Jana Stanfield

Feel Good Friday: On a Saturday

What are you waiting for?!

Feel Good Friday: The Most Important Thing

Pure Poetry

So much in homeschooling, as in life, is trial and error. We try something, and if it doesn't work, we try something else. And, we keep on doing that with every kid, until we hit upon something that works, which may not be the thing that worked for another kid. My kids are all brilliant (of course!) but sometimes, I will admit, I do feel like I am beating my head against a wall, trying to put knowledge into their heads. Last week, Weston got into the poetry lessons in his Grammar book, and I can tell you there were real tears as we tried to work through the lessons in the book. It wasn't pretty. And, I knew that game plan wasn't going to work. I was wishing (but not really) that he was old enough to relate to the scene in Dead Poets Society, where Robin William's character proclaims that "Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women - and, in that endeavor, laziness will not do..." But, then I realized, that, though Weston may not be old enough to care about wooing women yet, there is another love in his life that I might be able to use to the same end: sports. So, I tracked down a copy of "Casey at the Bat." With all my hopes of teaching rhythm and rhyme resting on this one tool, I stepped up to the plate. The subject matter was instantly tantalizing to my sports-minded student, and by the time we were done with class, he was begging me to let him read it "one more time" and to rewrite the ending to make it "better." Truly, it felt like a homeschool home run. It doesn't happen every day, but I'll take my victories where I can get them.

One Week

Tonight is our last night in our house. The house we built, and have loved, and have created so many memories in. We will spend the next few days with family and wrap up a bit of unfinished business. And, then, one week from today, we will turn the page on a new chapter of our lives. I'm not going to lie, change is hard, and leaving a world full of mostly knowns for a world full of mostly unknowns is a great challenge. It has already been a tearful week, as we've said good-bye to some amazing friends and neighbors, activities, possessions, and the here and now, and as we've looked forward to an uncertain future. There are so many emotions: fear, excitement, nervousness, elation, sadness, curiosity, et cetera, et cetera. And, so many questions: Have we truly prepared well? Do we have everything we need? Do we have more than we need? What if...? What if...? What if...?

As we've shared our travel news in the preceding months, we've heard that we're brave, that we're adventurous, that we're crazy, that we're ALL GONNA DIE! (People haven't come out and said that last one in words, but sometimes it's not hard to read between the lines.) The truth is, we are a little brave and a little adventurous and a little crazy. But, isn't everyone? Just to face each new day, with whatever personal challenges it holds for us, we all have to possess some quantity of each of those qualities. Your brave and my brave may not look exactly alike, but it is brave just the same. And, sometimes, the line between brave and crazy really is a bit blurred. The Watts aren't completely brave or completely adventurous or completely crazy, but we do have just enough of each of those qualities to face what's next for us. Just like you. Here's to the future! Let's do this!

You know what's better than scowling?

From time to time, someone around here gets knotted up and a scowl appears on that person's face. The other day, Weston was the one bent out of shape, and Jeff asked him why he was scowling. From across the room, and completely out of the blue, Clay responded, "Scallops are better than scowling!" The entire household erupted in laughter, including the scowler. Since then, any time someone puts on a grumpy face, someone else will say, "You know what's better than scowling?" It is then very, very difficult for the grump to maintain his or her grumpiness. If you don't believe me, give it a try the next time you're around someone who can't seem to put on a happy face.

Words, wonderful words

Here are some of the beautiful words from some of the character-building books I've read this year:

The Phantom Tollbooth--Norton Juster

• "...since you got here by not thinking, it seems reasonable to expect that, in order to get out, you must start thinking."
• "...the way you see things depends a great deal on where you look at them from."
• "...for one of the nicest things about mathematics, or anything else you might care to learn, is that many of the things which can never be, often are."
• "...just because you can never reach it doesn't mean that it's not worth looking for."
• "You must never feel badly about making mistakes," explained Reason quietly, "as long as you take the trouble to learn from them. For you often learn more by being wrong for the right reasons than you do by being right for the wrong reasons...it's not just learning things that's important. It's learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learn things at all that matters."
• "...many places you would like to see are just off the map and many things you want to know are just out of sight or a little beyond your reach. But someday you'll reach them all, for what you learn today, for no reason at all, will help you discover all the wonderful secrets of tomorrow."
• "...you had the courage to try; and what you can do is often simply a matter of what you will do."
• "...many things are possible just as long as you don't know they're impossible."

Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart--Gordon Livingston M.D.

• "The three components of happiness are something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to. "
• "When we think about loss of freedom, we seldom focus on the ways in which we voluntarily impose constraints upon our lives."
• "...we often do not do what is necessary to become the people we want to be."
• "People mistake thoughts, wishes and intentions for actual change."
• "The process of building has always been slower and more complicated than that of destruction."
• "Though a straight line appears to be the shortest distance between two points, life has a way of confounding geometry. Often it is the dalliances and the detours that define us."
• "The process of learning consists not so much in accumulating answers as in figuring out how to formulate the right questions."
• "We routinely invoke theories of accident, coincidence and forgetfulness to explain behaviors that we do not wish to examine closely."
• "To imagine that we are solely, or even primarily, responsible for the successes and failure of our children is a narcissistic myth."

The Traveler's Gift--Andy Andrews

• "...we are all in situations of our own choosing. Our thinking creates a pathway to success or failure. By disclaiming responsibility for our present, we crush the prospect of an incredible future that might have been ours. "
• "...outside influences are not responsible for where you are mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally. or financially. You have chosen the pathway to your present destination. The responsibility for your situation is yours. 
• "Until a person takes responsibility for where he is, there is no basis for moving on."
• "The past will never change, but you can change the future by changing your actions today."
• "It is never the duty of a leader to struggle for someone else; a leader must encourage others to struggle and assure them that the struggles are worthwhile."
• "Truth is never dependent upon consensus of opinion."
• "Most people fail at whatever they attempt because of an undecided heart...success requires the emotional balance of a committed heart. When confronted with a challenge, the committed heart will search for a solution. The undecided heart searches for an escape."
• "...life itself is a privilege, but to live life to its fullest--well, that is a choice."
• "You will never please everyone, nor should pleasing everyone be your goal."
• "Sooner or later, every man of character will have his character questioned. Every man of honor and courage will be faced with unjust criticism, but never forget that unjust criticism has no impact whatsoever upon the truth. And the only sure way to avoid criticism is to do nothing and be nothing!"
• "...while public opinion might sway back and forth, right and wrong do not."
• "When I give forgiveness, I free my own spirit to release the anger and hatred harbored in my heart. By granting forgiveness, I free my spirit to pursue my future happily and unencumbered by the anchors of my past. And forgiveness, when granted to others becomes a gift to myself."
• "The only limit to your realization of tomorrow is the doubt to which you hold fast today."
• "Circumstances are rulers of the weak, but they are weapons of the wise."
• "A person who is depressed is spending too much time thinking about the way things are now and not enough time thinking about how he wants things to be."
• "Average people compare themselves with other people. That is why they are average. I compare myself to my potential."

The Noticer--Andy Andrews

• "Think. Learn. Pray. Plan. Dream. For soon...you will become."
• "A grateful perspective brings happiness and abundance into a person's life."
• "It's amazing that a person could lose everything, chasing nothing."
• "Worry...fear...is just a misuse of the creative imagination that has been placed in each of us."
• "The seeds of depression cannot take root in a grateful heart."
• "Many of life's treasures remain hidden from us simply because we never search for them...we are so caught up in fear and regret, that hope seems a foolish endeavor."
• "Most people think it takes a long time to change. It doesn't...It may take a long time to decide to change...but change happens in a heartbeat."
• "There is no difference in the person who intends to do things differently and the one who never thinks about it in the first place. 

The Diary of a Young Girl--Anne Frank

• "I don't want followers, but friends, admirers who fall not for a flattering smile but for what one does and for one's character."
• "...when I lie in bed and end my prayers with the words, 'I thank you, God, for all that is good and dear and beautiful,' I am filled with joy...I don't think then of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains."
• "And whoever is happy will make others happy, too. He who has courage and faith will never perish in misery!
• "I can shake off everything if I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn."
• "If the truth is told, things are just as bad as you yourself care to make them."
• "There's one golden rule to keep before you: laugh about everything and don't bother yourself about the others!"
• "I can't imagine how anyone can say: 'I'm weak' and then remain so. After all, if you know it, why not fight against it, why not try to train your character? The answer was: 'Because it's so much easier not to!"
• "Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction.
• "A quiet conscience makes one strong."
• "Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands."

It's today!

For the last several weeks, Clay has been coming into our bedroom, early in the morning, and announcing with a great deal of enthusiasm: "It's today!" I'm not usually much of a morning person, especially before the sun is up, but with a greeting like that, it's pretty easy to face the new day. Yesterday, though, he took it to the next level. "It's today!" he squealed, "Do you want to see?!" And, then in a quiet, awe-struck voice, he added, "It's kind of awesome!"

Some mornings, I feel like I just need a few more minutes of shut-eye. And, some mornings, I feel like if I can just stumble my way to the shower and then the coffee pot, I'll be o.k. But, those things aren't the answers to starting the day on the right foot or getting through it without just getting through it. You see, the thing I often overlook is the spirit of that last part: "It's kind of awesome!" My kids teach me lessons all the time, but this is one I need to really let sink in.

Each day is an awesome gift, filled with new and awesome possibilities. It's not the burden I sometimes imagine it to be. It's kind of awesome that I woke up this morning. This is the only today I'm guaranteed, so I want to embrace it wholeheartedly.

It's today, friends! Do you want to see? It's kind of awesome.

Inconceivable

All date nights around here are eagerly anticipated and much appreciated, but last night's date may just take the cake. Jeff and I had tickets to a quote-along viewing of The Princess Bride. And, as if that wasn't perfect enough, Cary Elwes (Wesley) was in attendance to talk about his new book As You Wish, which explores what it was like to work on this epic movie. And, if THAT wasn't enough, we were given props for the quote-along, as well as copies of the book and commemorative pint glasses to take home! It was a hilarious and inconceivable night!

(Sorry for the poor quality of the photos. It was dark, and we were far from the stage, and I was snapping with my cell phone. But, this is for posterity's sake, so the pictures must be included.)

Twu Wuv

It is absolutely, totally, and in all other ways inconceivable
that they misspelled "inconceivable" on this slide!

Oh, my sweet Westley!
(Cary Elwes)

The take-home goodies

"I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list"--Susan Sontag

If you've been following this blog for any length of time, you have probably realized that our little family has serious nomadic tendencies. We absolutely love to travel. To go and do. To see and experience. It's kind of what makes us tick. We get a little restless when we are settled in one place for too long, knowing there are so many places out there we haven't been yet. And, we believe there is an education inherent to travel that is unequalled in any other arena. That's why, after much discussion, we have decided to take this show on the road. This next adventure is a big one and will take us around the world and back again. We plan to visit Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia (and New Zealand) and some of the parts of North America we have less experience with. We will take a leisurely pace, so as to make the most of the experience, and we will make up some of the itinerary as we go. The plane leaves on May 5, 2015, but the adventure begins now, with piles of research on every topic you can imagine (and maybe some you can't imagine)! We are so thankful for and excited about this opportunity! We hope you'll stick around for the journey. Please feel free to share ideas with us about places to visit or tips from your own adventures. Let's do this!

The Cure

I can't tell you all the ways my soul is being restored as I listen to the waves crash outside our condo or walk on the beach, collecting "treasures." Sitting on a beach blanket, watching my kids frolic, or lounging by the pool with a book in my hand, as the background music of splashing and laughing wash over me, are also abundantly therapeutic. Even with Jeff working in Raleigh this week, life doesn't seem chaotic. This is exactly what I hoped this vacation would be, exactly what I needed it to be. I can feel the knots untangling and a deep, even breathing taking over in place of the months of what felt like holding my breath, just trying to stay afloat. I perceive similar effects on the whole family. Peace and joy and well-being abound here. I'm so thankful we have this opportunity for renewal and rest, and I fully intend to make the very most of it!

Some thoughts about money and the government from Ayn Rand in honor of Tax Day

• The money will go into channels that will carry it, not to the most productive, but to the most corrupt. By the standards of our time, the man who has the least to offer is the man who wins. 

• Therefore, we must control men in order to force them to be free. 

• If people are in need, we've got to seize the things first and talk about it afterwards. 

• You want me to provide the jobs, and you want to make it impossible for me to have any jobs to provide.

• Money is made--before it can me looted or mooched--made by the effort of every honest man, each to the extent of his ability. An honest man is one who knows that he can't consume more than he has produced. 

• …the man who damns money has obtained it dishonorably; the man who respects it has earned it.

• Men who have no courage, pride or self-esteem, men who have no moral sense of their right to their money and are not willing to defend it as they defend their life, men who apologize for being rich--will not be rich long.

• Such looters believe it safe to rob defenseless men, once they have passed a law to disarm them.

• Money is the barometer of a society's virtue. When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion--when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing--when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors--when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don't protect you against them, but protect them against you--when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice--you may know that your society is doomed.

• There is no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for me to live without breaking laws…But, just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted--and you create a nation of lawbreakers--and then you cash in on guilt.

• The public may curtail my profits any time it wishes--by refusing to buy my product…Any other method of curtailing profits is the method of looters--and I recognize it as such.

• When robbery is done in open daylight by sanction of the law, as it is done today, then any act of honor or restitution has to be hidden underground.

• After all, it doesn't make any difference to the poor whether their livelihood is at the mercy of an industrialist or a bureaucrat.

• Who are you to stand against the government? Who are you, you miserable little office rat, to judge national policies and hold opinions of your own? Do you think the country has time to bother about your opinions, your wishes or your precious little conscience?

• Our modern laws are elastic and open to interpretation according to…circumstances.

• There's no surer way to destroy a man than to force him into a spot where he has to aim at not doing his best, where he has to struggle to do a bad job, day after day. That will finish him quicker than drink or idleness or pulling stick-ups for a living.

• …money inside a man's pocket had the power to turn into confidence inside his mind.

• Are you thinking that death and taxes are our only certainty, Mr. Readen? Well, there's nothing I can do about the first, but if I lift the burden of the second, men might learn to see the connection between the two and what a longer, happier life they have the power to achieve. They might learn to hold, not death and taxes, but life and production as their two absolutes and as the base of their moral code.