In Michigan for Thanksgiving 2013

Dear Child of Mine, 

You have a wonderful family - both mine and your dad's - that will absolutely adore you when you make your way into our lives. We were able to spend time with both the Eccles and the Fishes over Thanksgiving (I never knew how to make my last name Fish plural).

Just hours after disembarking our Carnival Cruise your dad and I met my mom (your GRANDMA!) at Olive Garden in Buffalo. We enjoyed a nice meal together and then mom took me back to Ashtabula where I would spend the next two nights before heading with Kevin to Michigan. I had a great time with Mom and Dad, Grams and Chuck, and Gramma Mary. I baked an apple pie and chocolate chip cookies because it's what I love to do (and, if I'm completely honest, the raving compliments they gush onto me, don't hurt.)

Before I knew it, we were back on the road for Southern Michigan! Kevin and I, along with your Uncle Brian and his girlfriend Beth, were busy little bees working alongside Mom E. Just in time for dinner, the rest of the crew began arriving. And what a fun, rowdy, completely new group it was! I had been the only "outsider" in the Eccles/Arvidson family for many years, but now Elise has been married to Matt for 2 years, Marlene is engaged to be married to Daniel in 2014, and Brian is dating a fantastic girl, Beth.

Left to Right: Beth & Brian, Daniel & Marlene, Elise & Matthew, Melanie* & Kevin

*please note the water bottle/cup at Mel's feet. She never goes anywhere without it. It might as well be an appendage. 

The 8 of us had a blast together - the additional significant others really adds an entertaining dimension to our group dynamic. "What's that, new people to get to know? to tease mercilessly? to find topics to debate? to play ridiculous games with? Oh this is going to be good."

And just think, little one, as each of our generation adds children to the mix, the volume will increase, the entertainment ratings will SPIKE, and the love will multiply. Come quickly, child. You're delaying the fun!

The average age around the dinner table was now much lower than ever before! I'm the oldest in our generation, at 28, Beth is 18, and David (Kevin's youngest cousin) is 13. You should have heard the conversations flying around that beautiful Amish-made dining room table. I sat at Dad E's left (as I have for the past 9 years), and he, Mom, Grandma, and Grandpa and I couldn't even carry on a conversation over the volume. (Your dad and your Uncle Brian are both quite loud when then get to telling a good story. It's quite entertaining, really!)

Let's just pause for a moment and admire the spread my mother-in-law put out for all of us. Beautiful heirloom China and a fantastic pot roast dinner (just as delicious as your dad remembers it!) And this was the night before Thanksgiving! AKA Prelude to Thanksgiving as I like to call it.

Matthew and Elise (Arvidson) Schnaars
Daniel Globig and Marlene Arvidson (soon to be Globig)
Larry and Ruth (Ruiz) Arvidson
David Arvidson
Gordon and Linda (Arvidson) Eccles
Kevin and Melanie (Fish) Eccles
Brian Eccles
Mert Arvidson and Wanda (Walton) Arvidson
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Thursday, November 28th, we all indulged in a wonderful Thanksgiving feast, took some family portraits, played a rousing rendition of Quelf, watched the Lions beat the Packers, pieced together a puzzle, took turns napping, and shot a few gourds with a 9mm handgun. All in all, exactly what Thanksgiving should be.

Yes, that *IS* your mother shooting a gun.
Yes, she was a pretty good shot, if she does say so herself.

The day AFTER Thanksgiving was significantly more quiet and subdued, aside from this little gem:


Ok, that wasn't the only "rowdy" moment of the day. You can't me quiet during a game of bowling after all. The first round would have made my dad hang his head in shame, but the second game was decent. A few strikes, spares, and *almost* the top score. My darn husband *would* beat me in the last frame. Of course that *may* have had something to do with the fact that I took down ONE pin. (Did you know, dear one, that your Papa Fish and Great Grandpa Nick were extremely talented bowlers? There may or may not be trophies and plaques and Hall of Fames involved.)



The 6 of us, Mom & Dad, Kevin & Mel, Brian & Beth, went to Kohl's around 10am, waited in a crazy long line, ate an awesome lunch at Bone Island Grill, shopped at one of our favorite stores (SAM'S CLUB. woot!), and retired for an evening of Hallmark movies.

We love spending time with family and only wish we weren't quite so far away. In a perfect world, you'll get to see your grandparents and aunts and uncles every week or two, because we'll live just down the street. :) But even if our world isn't perfect we'll be sure to give you lots of time with this great family of yours!

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Spring Dust Bunnies

It's been a Spring Cleaning kind of week. 

the cat loved the new box

I finally got around to purchasing the printer/copier for the piano studio. (Thank you, Sam's Club for saving me $30 off of the Walmart/Amazon price.) 

That, of course, led to rearranging book shelves, which led to dusting, which led to sorting out necessary versus unnecessary items. 

This sorting process somehow managed to get me into our bedroom closets which was a much dirtier experience than I care to admit. Nearly two year's worth of dust bunnies, dirt and cat hair make a gross hour. BUT I finally conquered the luggage-storage and shoe problem we'd been having, so yay. Plus, Samantha (my American Girl doll) and Sally (my 22? year old, well-loved doll), their accessories, and a tea set have also found a new and improved home. Rather than being stored in a very un-sturdy cardboard box, they now have a safe place in that un-used extra-large luggage. There they shall wait for my own little girls. (Yes, prayerfully.) 

While going through our extensive 1990s/early-2000s Christian music cd collection, we decided to purchase a 128 Capacity CD Wallet.< src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ado0a-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004Q88TE6" /> We have all of our music on both of our computers, plus on an external hard drive so we almost got rid of all 120 of our cds. But this case will allow us to save space by getting rid of the cd cases (don't hate us, please) AND use the cds in a (future) vehicle that will (hopefully) have a cd player. (Our poor Civic is awesome, but has not one "luxury.")

In the midst of this media organization it occurred to me to perform a similar operation on my workout dvd collection. I extracted all 6 Jillian Michaels, 4 Bob Harper, 2 Holy Yoga, and 3 - 10 Minute Solution workout dvds and transferred them to a now-unused cd case. This is very exciting to me for 3 reasons:

1. I don't have to be slightly embarrassed to have guests see the large collection of fitness videos I own. 
2. Our tv stand is now much less cluttered.
3. Whenever I go on a trip, instead of choosing one or two workouts to bring along, I can grab the whole collection.

Last night at 9:00pm (super late for me to be starting a project), I decided it was time to make one of my visions a reality. Ever since our visit to Chris & Katie's Chicago home in December I had been wanting to emulate the way Katie had their board games stacked on a bookshelf right by their dining room table. Perhaps my beloved, but unused set of bookshelves could be re-purposed into a board game display. Besides a moment of exuding extremely poor judgment,* my plan worked out wonderfully. I am thrilled to have our games out in the open for guests to see and use, rather than digging through a very high closet shelf. Plus, my favorite bookshelves get to be utilized again! (Thanks again, mom and dad, for the thrifting find five years ago!)

*I realized, yet again, how much I am becoming my mother and my grandmother, as I attempted to carry a terribly heavy set of bookshelves up the basement stairs by myself. (I can't tell you how many times I've "gotten after" them for trying to move or carry a piece of furniture without help.) To top it off, I didn't even bother to clear the clutter from the staircase. Brilliant, Mel. 

The spare bedroom is now becoming the pre-yard-sale sorting ground. We'll see what comes of that. Now that I don't have to downsize for the foreseeable future, I won't be needing to have the Mother of All Yard Sales.

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An Eccles Easter

We were so blessed to have our Eccles Family with us for this holy weekend. They arrived in time for the Good Friday service (which was a wonderful time of remembrance and solemnity with our Ecumenical brothers and sisters), and we still had plenty of time for a late stew dinner and good conversation before bed. There really is nothing quite as lovely as conversation with our parents. 

Saturday was a simply gorgeous spring day and we ventured out of the confines of our cozy home many times. We took a walk around the village while the Sour Cream Pound Cake was baking, admiring homes and wishing the canal was filled with its gentle waters rather than revealing the contents of its belly. 

After enjoying a light snack of Pacific Beach Peanut Butter (which I reviewed in yesterday's post) and homemade crackers, we opted for an exploratory walk through the locally acclaimed Mount Albion Cemetery. It might sound strange to enjoy a cemetery so much, but you would not believe the beauty contained in this sprawling, terraced, park-like grounds. Not only is it intriguing and emotionally riveting to read the various epitaphs and calculate lifespans, but the walking path is just incredible (not to mention extremely aerobic.) 

By the time our walk was over, it was time to head to Medina for an tasty tour of Della's Chocolates (we came home with Dark Chocolate Toffee & Coconut Clusters and Dark Chocolate Peanut & Raisin Clusters - a grown up kind of Easter treat!) and Rosenkrans Pharmacy and Gift Shop (where I couldn't resist buying 2 bags of Easter M&Ms on sale for $1.99 each!) Finally we were more than ready for a sit down, early dinner at Avanti's! (They don't open until 3:30 on Saturdays, 4:00 on weekdays.) The boys split some spicy Buffalo wings and a Cheese Steak Hoagie Pizza. I ordered a delicious salad with apples, walnuts and crumbled Bleu cheese (my dad would be impressed with my love of that stinky cheese), and mom enjoyed an amazing-looking burger and fries. (I shared a few of her fries and a Buffalo wing, so don't think I was too ultra healthy. :))

Sunday morning we enjoyed a celebratory worship service together at AFMC and rounded our time out with another filling meal. I opted to stray from the traditional ham or turkey dinner and made a pot roast with carrots, mashed sweet potatoes, biscuits, green beans, and that delectable sour cream pound cake with ice cream and strawberries for dessert. Yes, we were full! 

As we waved goodbye to our dear family, we opened the windows for a bit of fresh, 60 degree air and settled in to enjoy a true Sabbath Sunday together. 

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Pinning in Spring

As much as I love winter, and I loved the chilly run I got to go one today, it's March, friends, and I'm ready for warmer weather and bluer skies. In tribute to my happy thoughts, here are some Favorite Finds and Pretty Pins.

Lisa Leonard's new hope[full] line of jewelry and scarves, with proceeds benefiting Jungle Kids organization in Ecuador.
pinned onto Femine Style Lover. 

PEEPS S'mores! pinned onto Baker of Sweets.

Best Peanut Butter Cookies!
(seriously, I made them already!) 
Pinned on Baker of Sweets

I would LOVE to wear this dress.
Pinned onto Feminine Style Lover. 

these Apple Bars are so stinking delicious and super easy!written on my blog

And a little reminder for Today.
pinned onto Lover of Words

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Dare2Share 2013 | the Follow Tour

In April 2009, I co-lead my first youth group trip (ever) to Dare2Share along with Pastor Dale. We took 7 kids all the way to Chicago. 

February 2010, Kevin and I lead our second group to D2S, this time in Columbus, OH. 

And in February 2011, we took our largest group ever (21 teens and 6 adults) to the Columbus conference.

Last year was our first at a new church and we took the teens to a local snow camp that they had attended in the past. Kevin and I knew it would be a challenge to get a group on board with the idea of a teen gospel conference when none of the students could share stories from how awesome this weekend can be. But we spent the next many months talking it up, playing Greg Stier videos, telling parents about the life changing purpose of the event, and convincing 12 students that this was going to be an EPIC weekend to remember.  

back - Kirsten, Laurel, Pastor Kevin, Olivia, Logan
middle - Matilda, Alyson, McKenzie, Calandra
front - Melanie, Catherine, Riley, Elliot, Nate

I have to confess, this was the first time I have ever NOT been in a tizzy the morning (or even the week of) the big event. I never felt sick to my stomach with nerves. I didn't get stressed out. I never once cried. Kevin and I didn't even argue! 

PRAISE THE GOOD LORD. a serious miracle. 

It also has a lot to do with the fact that my husband, the official pastor, did 99.9% of the work preparing for this trip. He talked to parents, hunted down paperwork, found replacements for all 7 of the students who backed out for various reasons, bought the tickets, organized payments, talked with the pastor of the church we were staying at, orchestrated the use of two different families' vans for the weekend. I was just along for the ride drive. It was a beautiful thing. 

girls goofing off during some Saturday down time. 

I drove one van filled with 6 lovely high school girls. Our ride was generally quiet, aside from a few sing-a-longs and an outburst of giggling here or there. Kirsten (my co-pilot, a senior, and a dear girl) and I had some really awesome conversation between the two 6 hour drives. She was a great help, texting people for me, pulling up the right songs on my iPod, passing the toll booth money to make, gently pointing out when the light was "green." 

Kevin's car, on the other hand, was a loud, crazy conglomeration of 7th and 8th graders. When my 6 girls were conked out during the first 2 hours of our return drive, his kids were playing a rowdy game of "telephone" and making "snowmen" out of the Oreo's cream filling. God bless him. (I think I found a few extra gray hairs on his head this morning. *wink*)

a little "dance party" action as we waited for the final session/concert to begin

You can't fully prepare your students for the intensity of an event like this. The music is phenomenal (and LOUD), the worship is powerful and they may feel uninhibited for the first time; the skits and speakers are hysterical and engaging, yet profound and soul-stirring. These students were challenged to really KNOW the message of the gospel, the good news about salvation through Jesus Christ, and then tell their friends about what they're learning.

They spent a few hours on Saturday afternoon writing out their testimonies (see below)--the personal, undisputed story of what God has done to change their lives from what it used to be or what it could have been. And they practiced hearing one another's stories and engaging in active listening. 

Catherine, Matilda and Calandra work on their testimonies
Kirsten and Riley are in the back doing the same. 

Laurel and Aly write their testimonies 

My girl, Kirsten, and I

We were so thrilled that the students LOVED the headlining band Everfound so much. In fact, they were so pumped about the final session that they waited in lines for the doors to open AN HOUR before the doors were going to open (an HOUR before the session would start). That's a really good sign! Sure enough, they secured us 3rd row seats to the big concert and the closing session for the weekend. (Holy moly it's LOUD to sit right in front of the sub woofers. yow!)

I can't believe I caught this sweet jump on film!

Worship with Everfound was excellent. Fantastic song choices, excellent musicality 

Zane Black was everyone's favorite. He's a surfer dude with a sweet lingo, ridiculous stories, and a love for Jesus. 

Our girl Logan (third from the left) got to go up on stage along with the all of the RED shoe folk.
Greg Stier used his Red Converse to symbolize going all in for the gospel of Christ. 

For the first time in our history with Dare2Share we were smart enough to spend a SECOND night rather than trying to drive home after the final song of the night (at 9pm). Fighting traffic out of the convention center and driving many hours past my bedtime, combined with the typical snow storm was never a good thing. But praise God for wising up.

Staying Saturday night meant we could linger after the event, the students could purchase last minute tshirts and posters, wait in long lines to get the handsome dudes' (of Everfound) signatures, and then hang out back at the church for a couple hours before hitting the sack. It was WELL worth the extra night.

Matilda was literally freaking out with excitement to meet the guys of Everfound

Before heading down to join them, I got this great over-head group photo

Two of our students made life changing commitments to follow Jesus, and each one of them professed to deep encounters with Christ through worship or conviction to share their faith. And simply spending that TIME together is life changing in an of itself. What a great weekend! I am praying the Lord continues to produce fruit in their softened hearts and that Kevin and I would be faithful to water the seeds planted there. 

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Sister Shoot | Sammie & Allie

One of my hopes for the time I had in Florida watching my cousins (for some reason, I keep wanting to call them my nieces), was a photo shoot. I love any opportunity to practice my photography skills and I think it's fun to work with low-key family shoots like this one would be. While I know I don't possess the photography knowledge of a professional, I believe I have a special gift of working with my subjects, bringing out their personalities and having true fun together (no staunch, stuffy photo ops with me.) 

On our last morning together, though the skies were cloudy and rain was imminent, we dolled up the girls; I did their hair, they did their makeup (a new interest for Sammie and a bit of an obsession for Miss Allie ;)), and we accessorized. I loved how they opted to wear matching boots. So cute. 

The backyard offered plenty of great photo backgrounds, so off we went! I have to say, this was one of the most successful shoots I've done --the largest number of good looking photos straight out of the camera! I had good subjects (and a new lens!) 

These two have a special friendship, sisterhood. 

On the boat dock. Love those lily pads. 

Sammie really came into her own during this shoot.
I loved watching her blossom.

And a few shots of my girls and me.
The oldest cousin of twelve with the youngest two.
I am 27, they're 12. 

I love these girls and I am thankful for the relationships we developed during our time together. I look forward to being an influential part of their lives as they grow into godly women.

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Florida Instagrams

If you were following me on Instagram last week, you may have noticed I most definitely was not in Western New York. There was no snow to be found and temperatures dipped only as low as 65 degrees. Yes, my friends, I was in sunny Orlando, Florida! It wasn't quite a vacation, but it certainly was fun! My Aunt Wendy and Uncle Steve asked Kevin and me if we would consider traveling to Florida to spend a week in the warmth while staying with (feeding, occupying, chauffeuring, home schooling, and occasionally disciplining) their 12 year old daughters while mom and dad set sail to Cozumel. Kevin wasn't able to get away from work for this particular week, but my mom stepped up and met in Florida to help out and keep me company. 

My flight out of Niagara was a bit treacherous. A commendable snow storm hit the area a few hours before take out and though I boarded on time, we sat at the gate for over two hours ensuring the runways were clear, the wings were de-iced and the plane could get enough traction to be pushed away from the gate. It was slightly frustrating, but I was glad they were taking precautions. I arrived in Florida a few minutes before my mom at 10:15pm, and we met my Aunt and headed home. 

I have lots of fun pictures to share from the semi-professional photoshoot I did with the girls, but for now, my week in Instagram (Thanks, but no thanks to my poorly pixelated iPod). 

"Tweet tweet," says Uncle Steve in our game of Settlers. It's getting intense and it's mom's first time.

*I would just like to say I beat my Uncle by one point on the last turn, thanks to Sammie trading me all of my resource cards for her Victory Point. Not sure that's legal, but I'll take it. ;)

How I spent my afternoon, sunning myself in Florida. Yes, it's a welcome reprieve from winter.

My lovely momma harkening back 15 years to the days of our schoolwork, as she teaches Allie exponents. #homeschool

No, we weren't homeschooled, but she certainly spent HOURS each week helping us with our homework.

Teaching the girls to make Alfredo sauce from scratch. That along with chicken, pasta, and broccoli was a winning dinner.

I made up the actual recipe on the spot, but it's similar to this dish from my recipe blog.

Sammie wanted to paint my fingernails! Ok! 

I made the girls heart shaped pancakes for Valentine's Day!

Since I wasn't with my Valentine for our annual pizza date, I taught my 12 year old cousins to make pizza dough from scratch. Tasty success!

I have never enjoyed puzzles but this intense 1000 pc with no frame really converted me.
Sammie and I had a blast tag-teaming it!

Waiting to board for home, prepared for the cold weather in my new ankle boots.

My husband showed me his love with a gorgeous bouquet of "our mix" (alstroemerias & roses) in the front seat in our way to our annual VDay pizza date.

I was so excited to see his face waiting for me at the airport! On the front seat of the car, he had a beautiful bouquet waiting for me - a real, truly thoughtful treat. Then, we headed to a fantastic pizza & wings dinner at a nearby bistro. The perfect postponed Valentine's Day.*

*It has become our tradition, to hunt down a new pizza joint every year on Valentine's - something fun and yet low-key to celebrate!


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Ice Cream Date with a 6 Year Old

And now for something completely different....

As a fun change of pace from the past few posts full of difficulty and challenge, I wanted to share with you the fun evening I had with a very special 6 year old.  Miss Madison and I used to spend a lot of time together when she was still a preschooler last year. Her mommy (aka my bff, Sheryl) and I would go grocery shopping together or spend a morning talking, but I always made sure to make time for Maddie. We would play Barbies or a game of Hi Ho Cherrio and have a grand old time together. 

Well, nowadays, Maddie (who has decided she wants to be called "Madison") is halfway through her year in kindergarten, and she's always mentioning how she misses spending time with me. I've even heard her say, "But Jillian [her 3 year old sister] gets to spend all the time with Melanie!" 

This sets the stage for Madison's 6th birthday party. I was the one "friend" she was inviting to her party in addition to her family, and Madison called me a couple hours before the big evening to ask me to come over early and play with her. How sweet! We had just enough time for her to beat in me in a round of "Spot It" AND half a game of Phase 10. (no joke!) 

I knew there were many gifts I could buy Maddie that would make her very happy, but I decided to be different this time. I wrote out a gift certificate that said: 

This gift card is presented to Madison and is good for one ice cream date with Melanie. 

She was THRILLED! 

A few days later I picked her up and we headed to Coldstone together. 

check out the perfect height of that "Peek Thru" window! 

Madison picked out the peanut butter cup creation--sweet cream ice cream with real peanut butter, peanut butter cups and fudge mixed in! (that's my first favorite choice at Coldstone!)

happy girls

I decided to get the dark chocolate peppermint ice cream with brownies and fudge. Yes, it was delicious!

As we talked, we got on the subject of American Girl dolls. I told her all about my Samantha doll and I could tell she was eager to meet this special doll. I brought her back to my house and pulled the box from the back of the closet. Madison's eyes lit up when she saw how pretty Samantha was and quickly went to work deciding which outfit she should change into. 

I told Madison how I hoped to give my doll (whom I've had for 16 years now!) to my daughter one day, and she conveniently slipped this gem of a comment in the conversation. "Well, if you ever decide to give her away, you could give her me." Ok, Maddie, I'll remember that. :) 

Maddie was really enjoying her ice cream!

I'm glad the two of us had this special time together. I think these memories are something that will stick with us both. (Unlike that ice cream. Except maybe that's what I'm seeing on my hips....)