And just where did the summer go?

So... we have had a full, fun summer. Rich and full. Lots and lots of work, but in between we've squeezed in lots and lots travel, lots of reconnecting, lots of time spent in our faithful old Honda Odyssey (let's hear it for Honda!!). We've been to Michigan twice, Chicago, St. Louis, Cleveland, Florida. Let's see.. Where do I start? Do I go chronologically? or do I highlight different aspects of summer and go from there? And, I don't have many pictures. I am uploading them as I speak, but I've had a blog rolling around in my head for a while--so I'd best get it out.

Two disclaimers before I begin:
1) John and I both work really hard, full time. In between the paragraphs below are long, LONG days of work for both of us, lest anyone think all we do is travel indiscriminantly.

2) We installed a DVD player in the car... and let me say: LIFESAVER!!!!

Ok, I vote for chronological:
Mid April: I flew to Minneapolis for Annie's wedding (a dear friend from undergrad) where I was honored to read Scripture. I rearranged work days, left before dawn, reconnected with dear friends (all from Truman--Amanda and Jenika), and flew for a quick 24 hr trip into MN--and at first, the pastor skipped right over me and my grand debut! He stopped midway through his sermon, where he was referencing the scripture that I should have already read and said, "Uh, wait--we didn't hear the Scripture yet, did we?" So, I proudly got up and read my pieces of Scripture that Annie had chosen. I dared Annie that I'd strip a piece of clothing with each scripture passage--but alas, I didn't. :) Lovely trip, and lovely reconnection with 3 dear, dear friends. I felt so rich as I flew out of Minnesota.

End April: We packed up the van, loaded down with bikes, toys, swimsuits, towels, luggage and, of course, the bird, and left for Sanibel Island, Florida. We had a blast! We were gathered there, all 23? 24? of us for my dad's 60th birthday celebration. It was complete with laughter, tears, ice cream, lighthouses, and a boat ride with dolphins swimming along side. What a wonderful time! I also got a chance to reconnect with Meaghan, a dear friend from Truman.

Early June: I ran my fifth marathon. Lovely time. Hot humid race. Didn't qualify. But had a great time with great friends nonetheless.

Mid June: the boys and I packed up and took off to St. Louis for 3 days. We visited my dad, my brother, my aunt, my dear friend Heather, and of course: the Tellis Park sprayground and Ted Drewes. It was a fun, quick trip. I hauled back from St. Louis to begin working the night shift that night for the next 4 nights.. Let's just say that it was not a fun week in the Scheusner home.

Also mid June: John and I celebrated SEVEN years of marriage! We celebrated with a good steak dinner in Dayton, then left for Cincinnati and had creme brulee in a beautiful restaurant, complete with a panoramic view overlooking downtown Cincinnati and the bridges that criss-cross the Ohio river. We watched the lights twinkle on and off in the city as we savored our creme brulee and relished in each other, and in our 7 years of marriage.

Early July: We packed up the car again and drove to Chicago for a quick 24 hours over the 4th. We watched fireworks, I ran along the Michigan coast with Matthew early the next morning, and we rented a quadricycle and John and I peddled along, with the boys strapped to the front, for an hour, toodling around the city. That quick 24 hr trip produced lots of laughter, and lots of fun memories, and one sad scratch in the paint along the side of the van.

Mid July: We packed up the car again and headed it towards Cleveland for a quick 24 hrs. We got to reconnect with our dear friends Blake and Lydia.

End July: We packed the car again, and this time, pointed it towards Grand Haven, MI. My aunt and uncle live there, and we played on the beach, rode bikes, took walks, and just generally enjoyed each other's company. The water was great for the boys--shallow, the perfect temp, and not too choppy.

Mid August: Once again, we packed up the car, and once again, pointed it towards Michigan. This time, it was just the four of us, and we stayed in Traverse City, MI. It was stinkin' lovely. We had a blast, just chilling on the beach (once again, the water was lovely!!), bike riding, exploring the nearby wineries and small towns. Oh my goodness, we simply enjoyed being with each other, enjoyed the sun, and enjoyed the beach. We found Arcadia, MI, where John's grandfather, George, was a pastor at a Lutheran church, which is still active and going strong. The current pastor there remember George as his pastor when he was a young man! That was a cool connection for John, and the town was neat for us to explore. Quick story: the boys were splashing each other on the beach, and Matthew was trying spray Caleb with a cup of water. Caleb, who of course is a little bigger and a little faster, could easily outrun Matthew, but I heard Matthew, cup of water in hand, chasing him, threatening, "Take a baff, Caweb! Take a baff!" (his way of saying, "I'm going to splash you!") :)

So-- with all this travel comes transition. John has been pursuing ordination in the lutheran church for about 15 yrs now (no exaggeration!), and his last hurdle to jump through is a year long internship. He recently resigned his full time job at Epiphany Lutheran Church, where he's been the music director for the past five years. It was the job that brought us out to Ohio so many moons ago. He had 2 wks off, and now starts his internship at another, smaller lutheran church in Dayton, where he'll be for a year. (the boys and I'll be in-between for a year, straddling churches, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. But we'll make it). After that, he'll be eligible for his first call as a pastor.

But a few weeks ago, we said our goodbyes to his church. The service, which is usually held outside, got rained out at the last minute, so John got to spend his last sunday, inside, playing the Steinway (which is a big deal to a musician, which I am most definitely not. I just happen to sleep with one.) with his praise band. I'm a smidge biased, but I thought they rocked. Absolutely no job is perfect, and no church is perfect (not by any means) but this has been a good fit for John, musically and professionally for the past 5 yrs.

And my baby, Caleb, just turned five last friday. I can hardly believe it. We had a Thomas the train party, and a bunch of dear friends came to help us celebrate. It was lovely. He'd been asking for a year when he was going to turn five ("am I five yet? Am I a big guy? Am I awesome yet?" I'm not sure where he got that being 5= being awesome, but..) As we sang to him, his eyes twinkled, and he began to pound in rhythm on the table out of sheer glory. :) He is so happy to be five. One of the drummers from church (who Caleb simply idolizes) also came, which made Caleb's night. Or year. We'll see. At any rate, he's still talking about it. :)

Matthew remains a healthy, stocky little man, aka a tornado, who turns into a thumb-sucking-cuddle-bug with the above mentioned stuffed bird in hand (see the paragraph about Florida). At one point, we had a rash of misplacing the bird (and yes, we have a back-up bird, but Maff can tell the difference and promptly ejects back-up bird from his crib once he feels the difference between the two), and I was at work, discussing where the bird might be, in between patient care, and my attending looked at me with a wry smile and said, "You spend more time talking about that bird..." :) (You know it's bad when your co-workers know about the bird!)

I'm sure I have more to say. There always is. Enough for now.