The Fourth of July

After our long car trips from New Mexico and to/from Illinois, I thought we were crazy to get back in the car for seven hours to drive to the North Carolina coast.  But spending the Fourth of July at Figure 8 Island with Jonathan's family was just too tempting...so back in the car we went (and I'm glad we did!)

Beach conditions were great, especially since a big tide pool formed each morning: perfect for Benji to splash around in without worrying about the big waves (which fascinated him but also terrified him!)  I loved the tide pool, too--a wonderful spot for my 36-week-pregnant self to cool off and feel weightless for a while!

We had a good time with Jonathan's parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins.  Benji warmed up to them VERY quickly and was our main source of entertainment, as usual!

And then there were the Fourth of July festivities: the annual island parade, snacks and games at noon and a big picnic dinner in the evening, followed by the fireworks. 

Another fun Fourth at Figure 8!  Now we're back home, and most of my focus has turned to the upcoming arrival of Baby Newman #2...The due date is Aug. 1st, but it really could be any day now!  :D

Kentucky Reunion 2016

As you can see, the blog has a new title and a new look to fit our new home!  While we no longer live in the "Land of Enchantment", we find our new home quite enchanting in its own way...so that part of the blog title remains.

The past three weeks have been filled with tears, adjustments, and many, many, MANY miles of travel.  We drove three days across the country to North Carolina, where we stayed with Jonathan's parents for a few nights before driving the remaining 6 miles north to Maryland (and here I must pause for a few adorable photos of Benji and his cousin Knox...)

After four days of furious unpacking and trying to settle into our new house, we were back on the road again, heading to the Chicago area for the wedding of Michael and Laura Ippel and the 2016 gathering of the Kentucky Reunion.

The KY Reunion group keeps growing every year!

Mom, Dad, niece Caroline and nephew Andrew were our travel buddies out to Illinois.  We spent one night along the way in the Amish country of Indiana, at a cool hotel called the Blue Gate Garden Inn.  Benji's favorite part was the pool...Mine was the amazing breakfast!

The wedding was beautiful in every way--we love Michael and Laura and who they are as a couple!  My favorite part of the ceremony was the foot-washing that they did for each other.  The reception took place at Abbey Farms in a big barn-style building (Benji was a huge fan of the tractor parked outside!)

From the wedding location, our Kentucky group drove a few hours to Camp Mennohaven in southwestern Illinois.  It was a beautiful spot, with wooded trails and even a little lake.

 Some of the most memorable moments of the reunion week included:

- A hayrack ride that was more exciting than originally planned (the tractor took a wrong turn and the men had to unhitch the wagon and turn it around in the middle of the woods!)

- A trip to town to watch Finding Dory in our own private movie theater

Photo credit to Jessica Bender!

- Fun afternoons down at the pool

Photo credit to Jessica again!

- Playing lots and lots of games

- Watching the skies during a tornado warning!

- Benji's discovery of Play-doh, thanks to Aunt Emily

- Creating the annual adventure race around camp

Overall, it was a wonderful week, even though we were pretty travel-weary by the time we got back home.  And call us crazy, but we're hoping to drive down to Figure 8 Island for the Fourth of July next weekend!  Maybe one day all of these boxes will be unpacked...Until then, we're learning to live with a little more chaos than usual  :)

Benji has become a big fan of Cracker Barrel in all of his cross-country travels!

Moving Day

Our house is empty, the truck is full, and many painful goodbyes have been said.  Tomorrow is the day we will begin our cross-country move from Rehoboth, NM to Walkersville, MD.

Benji and Hanwi love the moving truck (thanks for this photo, Deanna!)

There are so many thoughts going through my mind right now, it's hard to even begin this post.  Mostly today I've felt a deep sadness for leaving New Mexico...but there is some excitement, too, for our new home.  Maybe it will be best just to give a list of what I'll miss most about the Land of Enchantment and what I am looking forward to about Maryland.

What we will miss (in no particular order):

-Green Chili (especially on pizza!)
-The big, big blue sky...
-The way the light changes on the Hogbacks and the Red Rocks, from sunrise to sunset

-Walks and jogs around campus (and Jonathan being able to walk to work!)
-Traveling to amazing places--my favorite spot is the San Juan mountains of southern Colorado
-Watching Benji play with his little friends

-Our amazing church
-The smell of sagebrush
-Late summer wildflowers

-Hot air balloons
-Lots and lots of sunshine
-And, most of all, the people we've met here...such dear friends that we call them family...we have felt so embraced and supported, and words cannot express how much we will miss them.

(In fact, there are just a few things about New Mexico I will NOT miss: the sticky red mud that entrapped our car several times; Wal-Mart on the first weekend of the month; and, most of all, the spring winds that leave sand in your ears, up your skirt, and everywhere in between!!)

I feel like I am in a bit of a time warp because we are moving back to the house I grew up in, on a small farm near Frederick, MD.  Benji will play in yard as I did about 25 years ago; our new baby will sleep in the same room, in the same crib, that I did as a baby!  I am stuck between fears that I will feel like I have never grown up, and excitement that my children will enjoy this place that I have loved so much my entire life.  I think the latter emotions are beginning to triumph!

The Farm

The reasons for our move are complex but the main motivation is to be closer to both of our families.  My parents are planning to build their own little place right on the farm so they will literally be next door!  We are so excited for Benji and Baby to grow up in daily contact with their Nonnie and Papa.  I have many other relatives in town, and much of the rest of our families live in the corridor from MD to NC (about 6 hours away).

We can't wait to be able to attend more of the "little" family events and celebrations with both the Newman and Nicodemus clans.  I also hope I can reconnect with old friends and also make lots of new friends in my new life stage of motherhood. And then there are all the little traditions I am excited to share with my children: picking blueberries, going to the Frederick Fair, hunting for shark teeth at the Bay, eating produce from our own garden, even just sitting on the front stoop watching the cars and trucks go by...It was a wonderful place to grow up, and I think Benji and whoever else comes into our family will be blessed growing up on the farm, too.

Still, I have New Mexico in my blood now.  This is where we feel like we really became a family and we have too many memories here for Rehoboth to ever cease being our second home.  We hope to visit again soon, and visit often!!

Senior Trip to Lake Powell

This past weekend, we had a big adventure joining about 20 Senior students on their class trip to Lake Powell, AZ.  Lake Powell was formed when the Glen Canyon Dam was built on the Colorado River; it is an otherworldly place of water in the desert--stark red and white rock canyon walls rising from beautiful blue water.

I am far from an experienced camper, and so this trip was a stretch for me.  We spent three nights camping: the first and last at the Wahweap campgroup, and the second night we took two motor boats out to an empty stretch of beach for some rustic camping.  As we unloaded the boats onto the sand I felt like a contestant on Survivor, or like one of the pilgrims to the New World!

Benji at the Campground

This scene looks so peaceful...but just an hour earlier, 50 yards down the beach, our tent blew over in the wind!

Dinner over the campfire

This was a truly gorgeous spot, but the weather did not totally cooperate.  Between 30 mph wind gusts and the hot sun (with no shade), there were some tense and uncomfortable moments.  Benji did amazingly well for all of that.  He enjoyed riding on the motor boat, digging in the sand, and getting lots of attention from all of the students.  Plus, he got to sleep in the same "cave" (aka tent) as Mommy and Daddy and woke up next to us each morning: what fun!

"Trucks and cars" was the game of choice each  morning

Showing Baa-Baa the amazing view outside of our tent

On the last day we also go to visit a spot I've always wanted to see: Horseshoe Bend, which I hear is the official starting point of the Grand Canyon. What an amazing sight!  It was just a little nerve-wracking to have students sitting so close to the edge with no railings, but thankfully we all made it back safely.

There were a few smaller casualties on the trip:
1. A big crack down the screen of my new smart phone, incurred (ironically) not while camping, boating, or hiking, but while shopping for supplies at Wal-Mart.  Go figure!
2. Several tent stakes, buried somewhere in the sand on Wahweap Bay, after our tent got blown over..
3. My lower back, temporarily wounded by sleeping on the ground while 7 months pregnant, now (thankfully) restored to full service!

But there were also some highlights:
1. Becoming a more experienced camper...after three times tearing down and setting up camp, I finally put up our tent all by myself!  I consider this a major accomplishment!
2. The view outside our tent each morning.
3. Spending time with some of the students who were in my first 8th grade class.  They were great kids then, and are amazing young adults now!  It was awesome to see how they have matured and yet have still kept their wonderful personalities.  Can you imagine they graduate from High School on Saturday!?

May 2012--8th Grade Class Trip

May 2016--Senior Class Trip