The Carolina Coles

A month later bday tradition

2012-01-31T11:56:00.000-05:00

My sister's bday is in December and mine is in May. Both months are usually a little overwhelming with the holidays and end of the schoolyear wrap-up (which in this season of life includes graduations)! So, for the past few years, we have taken each other out to lunch a month later in the slower months of January and June. It's been a great tradition to catch-up with life and slow down and celebrate each other's lives! Last week for my older sis's 44th birthday, we enjoyed these entrees together at one of our favorite Japanese restaurants, New Zealand Cafe...

January wrap-up

2012-01-30T09:44:00.000-05:00

Here we are at the end of the January already. How can this be? The New Year just started. And yet, life goes on in all its hustle and bustle. At least that is what it feels like over here in our little corner of the world. We are thankful for our Sundays... a day to slow down, rest and be with the people of God!

As this month reaches its end, we could use your prayers.

Taryn has been back at school now for a week. She found a very part-time job in the dishroom, knows what it is like to have five class periods in one day, and called home with exciting news! She may have a ride back home for Easter Break. It isn't 100% yet as there is still a possibility her ride may have other plans but for now, she has a spot reserved in his car if indeed he does come home to Matthews, where he lives too! Also, pray that she gets an interview for her Mount Hermon day camp counselor position she is hoping for. All her references are in and now she is in waiting mode.

Steve had an interview last week with the MAC Senior level 3 (Senior 1 being the highest swim level) year-round swim coach in regards to him joining the team this upcoming fall. The outcome of the interview was positive. Based on his current swim times and the short interview, I think he has a spot on the team. With the help of some fellow MAC employees, they are hoping to find a way financially for him to swim with this team sooner (like asap) instead of in August when the new season begins. Please pray they find a way otherwise he will be training on his own for awhile and I know he prefers to train with others and be pushed to grow.

Paige is never home. Between school, work and nightly theatre rehearsals (as the opening of her musical is next weekend), she is using any discretionary time to study, sing, study and sing. There has been a virus going around in the cast and one of the main lead actors is pretty sick so we are praying for a quick recovery for him and that Paige doesn't get sick. She also has three exams and a paper due this week as well so pray that she manages her time well and trusts in the Lord when she is feeling overwhelmed or anxious.

Chris and Sam are both swimming again for MAC training for their upcoming Spring swim season with the YMCA swim team. They too have unit exams tomorrow for history and literature and are studying hard. Pray they will be able to remember and recall and apply all the information as they take their tests.

Chris has been putting in extra hours of swim practice with his brother Steve and his dad on top of his MAC swim hours pushing himself to improve since he will be bumped up to the higher age bracket of competition (13-14yr-olds) with bigger and older guys this Spring. Pray that he continues to grow taller and hits his growth spurt soon. He did grow 2 inches in three months so we are hopeful this growth trend will continue!

Samuel is working hard to memorize his many monologues and lines. He is off book next week meaning no script allowed during rehearsals. This is his last week to commit all his parts to memory so if you could shoot up a prayer for him that he would not only memorize his lines in time but that he would be able to recall them while acting.

We look forward to a new month of February and the outcome of many of the prayers above. Thank you to those of you who take an interest in our family and pray for us as the Lord leads. We couldn't do this journey without you!

Kingdom Quests Continue...

2012-01-26T20:13:00.000-05:00

It's been 9 months since Steve started his Senior Gateway of Kingdom Quests. He has risen to the challenge with all the goals and expectations we set for him with school, work, and church. Three more months and he will be a highschool graduate! This year certainly flew by faster than expected. We are so proud of the man Steve is becoming, his teachability with the numerous mentors he has interacted with, and his desire to be and do the best he can with whatever God brings his way.

Shortly after Steve graduates, Paige will be entering her senior year. Just when one is finished, another one follows. It's time to start thinking about the best ways to grow and challenge Paige as she enters her last year of highschool. May will be here before I know it!

Children of Eden and Treasure Island

2012-01-23T13:21:00.000-05:00

Two kids... two different performances. One is a musical, one is a play! If you want to get out of the house this winter season, come see one or both of these performances at Matthews Playhouse.

Children of Eden (LOOSELY based on the Genesis account and I mean loosely) and Paige is part of a six-person snake (that is Satan) and the ensemble cast.

Treasure Island, a play based on Robert Louis Stevenson's book, has two weekend showings and Sam's debut as an actor in a major role of Jim Hawkins!

Call for tix to bypass online convenience fees: Box office # 704-846-8343

Back to her other reality...

2012-01-22T08:32:00.001-05:00

Taryn left EARLY this morning for snowy and cold Pennsylvania, refreshed and renewed, I hope, to her life as full-time student at GCC. We were glad to have her home for longer than a month to build and share new memories. Last night being her last, we enjoyed a competitive game of Bible Trivia/Guesstures/Pictionary(Howard's version), ooey-gooey cake (compliments of our resident guest) and tried to finish off the 850-page Inheritance novel we have faithfully been reading through while she was home. We almost did it but ended up 100 pages shy. We so hope she finds a ride home for Easter early April, otherwise, it will be a long four months before we see her again.

Last Thursday, Taryn and Paige went to the student opera showing of Madame Butterfly ($5 each, what a deal!) in the city with Paige's friends from school. It was an extra credit assignment for her aesthetics class. Although they hit a few obstacles on the way due to faulty GPS instructions, they managed to get there just in time for the show!

The Gate

2012-01-21T16:09:00.001-05:00

There is a local, small, used-to-be Baptist private college called Wingate University or "The Gate" by its students nearby. It's twenty-five minutes without traffic and green lights on a good day. Today, Howard and I took Steve to watch a swim meet there and tour the school as yet another possibility for him (we had a great tour guide btw, a Wingate alumnus). They have an amazing swim team and a quaint but good-sized campus. I think this may be in his top three of nearby, smaller student body with a swim team schools ranking up there with Grove City College and Gardner-Webb U. We have one LAST college to visit this fall, Lenoir-Rhyne, about an hour and a half away. And then, he will have to take these four schools, pray hard about swimming recruitment and scholarships and see where the Lord directs. Personally, his dad and I are pulling for Grove City (so he could be with his sister) OR Wingate (so he could be near home). But, of course, it is all in God's hands and Stephen's preference and which college offers him the best deal when the time comes. Thankfully, he has another year to pray and think about this next step as he enters his gap year of intense swim training and mostly full-time work.

Tying the knot!

2012-01-19T10:49:00.003-05:00

Tammy, our German-adopted daughter called this morning and is now engaged! Yay, she is getting married this summer in Illinois to a wonderful guy named Dan. I'm looking forward to hearing the complete story. I also hope I can find the funds to fly or drive to Illinois in June to watch her get married and meet her man. I have enjoyed watching Tammy grow up since she first arrived in the States as a sixteen year old young lady to come live with us back in the year 2000. Her broken English, bright smile and servant spirit captivated our whole family from the start. To see her grow in her walk with the Lord over the years and trust Him has been a privilege indeed. Congratulations Tammy and Dan!

Central America - Belize

2012-01-16T10:30:00.000-05:00

As a senior in highschool, Taryn participated on a mission trip to Monterrey, Mexico and Stephen to Togo, West Africa. Now it's Paige's turn. Yesterday, she attended an interest meeting for a Youth international mission trip to Belize, Central America! She has been on a team to Friends of Refugees in Georgia as a 10th grader, to the Cherokee Indian Reservation as a rising 11th grader and this summer, her hope is to be on the team headed out of the country as a highschool senior to Corozal, Belize. This will be the first time out of the country for her. She wishes it could be London or Paris but those travel destinations will have to wait. In the meantime, her journey towards international travel is just beginning.

Dirt-bikin'...

2012-01-15T17:51:00.002-05:00

...a month later, Sam and Howard finally finished off Sam's TforT adventure dirt-bikin' in the country. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Mild Winter Weather

2012-01-14T16:42:00.001-05:00

...means a walk at the park without jackets and street hockey with Dad. I think outside play had a bit more to do with Howard having a Saturday off rather than the sunny weather. He hasn't had a genuine Saturday off from work(unless we were on vacation) for five years. Starting today, he will be working every other Friday and every other Saturday. We are so excited for this change because it means a little more time with dad on a slower paced day for the rest of us.

Mount Hermon Dream

2012-01-11T08:11:00.000-05:00

After attending 9 summer family camps at Mt. Hermon Christian Conference Center in Santa Cruz, CA and spending six years as a day camper, Taryn's dream summer job would be to land a job as day camp counselor. She would love to give back a little of what the counselors poured into her when she was a kid. Applications for this summer's positions just came out yesterday and Taryn took the first step toward this dream by submitting her application last night! If you are reading this, could you pray that her submitted app would shine apart from the others and they would see her desire to serve the kids at day camp? Another step needed for this job is to take a CPR/First Aid class. Without knowing whether she will get the job or not, she has decided since she has the time and the class is being offered this Saturday, she is going to take this six-hour course. Either way, it is an opportunity to grow her skills and if she happens to get the job, she will be prepared!

Approved!

2012-01-08T22:18:00.001-05:00

Chris was approved for entrance by the GCA board this past Saturday! At the rate life seems to be whizzing by, the fall will be here in a flash. I can't believe child number four will be entering highschool this coming schoolyear.

Sammy got the lead!

2012-01-08T20:13:00.001-05:00

After a two-hour long audition Saturday morning and a very LONG day waiting to hear if he was cast in any part of Treasure Island, he finally did get called! Of course, Sam wasn't home to take it so I was the receiver of this great news and he was offered the part of Jim Hawkins, the lead! Taryn and I were more anxious about it for him all day than he was. He has his work cut out for him because this main character has quite a load of monologues and lines to memorize! This next month of rehearsals will certainly be filled with its challenges. For those locally, Treasure Island will be playing at Matthews Playhouse from February 24th to March 4th. Come and watch Sam act for his very first time!

Sammy auditioning for a part in Treasure Island!

Epiphany... 20+C+M+B+12

2012-01-06T15:21:00.003-05:00

20 and the 12 represents the year. CMB stands for "Christus Mansionem Benedicat" which means "May Christ bless this dwelling!" It is a traditional home liturgy to chalk the door on Epiphany.

We reflected as a family the many people that crossed over the threshold of our home this past year and we are thankful for them and the numerous interactions we have all had because of God's gift of this home.

Will Chris make the cut?

2012-01-06T15:00:00.000-05:00

Chris had his personal interview yesterday with the headmaster of GCA. This August, if he is approved by the board this Saturday, he will be a freshman in highschool at Greyfriars Classical Academy and his sister will be in the first Senior graduating class. Will he make the cut? We are hoping he does! With high expectations of Paige passing her driver's exam this June, she will have the privilege of driving herself and her brother to school. If this is the case, that will just leave me at home with Sam finishing up his last year of homeschool/Bridge Tutorials as an 8th grader. Boy, time is fleeting! I am still in shock that 2012 is here.

Sammy's big day!

2012-01-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

Samuel auditioned Tuesday night for a part in Treasure Island at the local playhouse. Yesterday, he waited all day for that much-anticipated callback or not. At 5:40 in the evening, he received the call! And, this Saturday morning at 10a.m., he will be reading again to determine if he makes the final cut and gets to actually be in the play. His little short stint as Young Scrooge in Paige's school play last month gave him the itch to "act" again!

For about a year now ever since his dad took him to the Guitar Center in town and Sammy picked up a Baby Taylor and heard its beautiful sound, he has been wanting a Taylor of his own. Sam did some research this past week on Craig's List and found one listed for a very decent price. He emailed and the lady selling explained that there was already another customer interested and that she would get back to him if the deal fell through. She called yesterday and he was able to go and check out the guitar in person. Sam was a savvy negotiator as he refused to pay the original price and bargained the final amount to $35 under her asking price. He also requested that she include a guitar strap along with the guitar and the case! As I type, Sam is strumming some beautiful music.

Surprise!

2012-01-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

Paige had 11 girls (12 including herself) over last night for a surprise party for one of her fellow classmates. From idea, to evite, party theme, food and games, she planned it all along with her friend's younger sister. It is such a joy to watch and hear them interact! A dozen girls can get awfully loud! (I did get manage to get the boys out of the house for most of the night :o). I'm so glad Paige decided to attend school her junior year and meet some really fabulous young ladies! It's been an exciting ride for her so far.

Paige with most of the tenth and eleventh grade gals from her school and long-time bestie, Amanda!

Youth Band On Stage

2012-01-01T19:29:00.003-05:00

What a way to ring in the New Year! Howard and the youth band... all of them being youth with the exception of my hubby helped lead our church congregation with singing today. All the youth did an exceptional job with Kiko on the jimbay drum, Caleb on the base, Svetlana on the keyboard, Courtney (melody) and Paige (on alto) as back-up vocals, Steve and Howard on guitar and Howard as lead vocals. It was exciting to see the youth up there using their gifts to the glory of God this morning.

Goodbye 2011...

2011-12-31T21:00:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR...Looking forward to another year of adventure in 2012...
some last few shots of our last week of 2011!

The Whole "DeGuzman" (CoLee) annual family shot for Pa and Lola's New Year photocard!

WITH both sets of grandparents... a rare photo-op opportunity!

Rolling Lumpia(Bottom LH corner), Frying lumpia and simmering Sinigang(above), Both Grandma's opening identical Christmas presents!

20 words!

2011-12-28T22:51:00.001-05:00

Our mini-break to Asheville for our 20th described in 20 words!

Relaxing, Starbucks, yummy restaurants, reading, Mission Impossible, Biltmore, unhurried, future vision dreaming, chocolate mousse, in-depth conversations, interruption-free, best friend, Wonderful!

20 wonderful years!

2011-12-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

BEFORE... December 28th, 1991

It's been an incredible journey with my best friend these past two decades. We hope God allows us at least another 20 years. We praise Him for keeping us covenanted together through the peaks and the valleys. By His grace, we press on into the future!

AFTER ... November 2011

Have we changed that much in 20 years? Inside, it certainly doesn't feel like it!

More BB photos finally

2011-12-25T22:21:00.000-05:00

Howard leading worship for Beach Blast with the Redeemer Youth Band(Steve on guitar and Paige doing vocals)

Paige with Courtney and Svet doing their talent show dance routine to Hoedown Throwdown!

Redeemer Youth with 3 other sister churches in the area!

Steve and Kiko performin as the duo called Plaid on Plaid ...

Our baby is 12!

2011-12-23T06:29:00.000-05:00

We can't believe our last child is 12 today and already at the threshold of early adulthood... (or in our culture, the teen years!) At 4'9", he may be little but he has a big personality! Here are 12 interesting things about Sam.

He loves to sing. He sings all day long sometimes.
He is interested in acting. He may take the brave step this coming fall and join the local playhouse.
He has read Harry Potter 1-5 at least a dozen times each and cannot wait to enjoy #6 this summer.
He is starting to enjoy football since his closest buds cannot stop talking about it all the time.
He enjoys swimming, frisbees, airsoft wars and throwing the football.
He has a natural rhythm with guitar strumming.
He cares about his appearance and style.
He is a great bird caretaker.
He wants a dog desperately.
He writes very insightful journal entries.
He delights in writing stories and songs.
He has the perfect temperment as the last child and puts up with all that goes with being the youngest in the household.

We can't picture our family without the presence of Samuel! We thank God that He chose to give us the gift of Sam even when we thought our family was complete. We couldn't have asked for a better surprise. Having Sam in our family brings us so much joy, laughter and love!

Happy 12th birthday to the best 3rd son in the world!

Yesterday, unfortunately for Sam, he got rained out of the outside tracks at the Speedway but they were able to get in numerous laps around the 2-story indoor track and a few games of laser tag. The good news is that they secured rain checks for the outdoor tracks for another day. Weather pending, perhaps I can take Sam tomorrow as the sun is forecasted to return for a short stint! I love riding go-karts. Part Two of Sam's T for T is scheduled for this afternoon. We hope that it stays clear and dry for the 2nd half of his adventure on wheels.

Our last T for T kid!

2011-12-22T09:30:00.000-05:00

Samuel is the last child to go through the "Training for Twelve" gateway ritual in our family! For more about what that means, click here. Howard thinks of a creative theme, a special outing and spends the whole day discipling the particular child with truths and Scripture centering on the unique theme. He has so much fun inventing, fashioning and imparting all his ideas on this memorable day.

If I remember correctly Taryn delighted in a scavenger motorcyle-themed day, Steve enjoyed rifles, shooting and targets, Paige reveled in horse-riding and grooming, Chris relished outdoor adventure at the National Whitewater Center and finally today Sam is on his escapade experiencing the Nascar Speedway in Concord and if the weather holds out for him tomorrow afternoon, another adventure on a different set of wheels! Since rain keeps sneaking into the forecast, we had to split his TforT day into two separate occasions. No complaints from Sam. Hanging with Dad is always a welcome activity!

(Pics of their adventures to come!)

A snake!

2011-12-19T21:02:00.000-05:00

Paige did it. Last Tuesday, she auditioned for a specific part in her upcoming production of the Children of Eden that will run in February 2012 at the local playhouse. Most of the girl roles were soprano parts and she is an alto so she didn't have many options to audition for. She found out today that she won the role she tried out for, one part of the snake! (It is a harmony role so several gals will be singing and acting the part of the snake together). And along with this role, she is part of the chorus. She thinks she may possibly have a solo part as well. These are exciting times in the Cole household; first Taryn finds out about her major role in her college play and now Paige in her highschool musical! We have a bunch of thespian gals in this house. But, they do not get it from me. I am definitely a behind-the-scenes type of gal. They certainly inherit all the performance genes from their dad! She is looking forward to the next few months as she learns new songs and choreographed dances too.

Christmas Newsletter 2011

2011-12-16T07:45:00.000-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR IN 2012!

May Christ fill your home with His joy and peace...

All Our Love,

A Christmas Carol

2011-12-13T14:41:00.001-05:00

Paige's 11th grade class performed a production of the Christmas Carol last night! Paige was cast as the Ghost of Christmas Present and in a short dancing ditty. Her whole junior class did a spectacular job with the little amount of practice they were able to put together in two afternoons. Sorry the photos are dark... the Iphone in the dark doesn't make for great pictures.

GCA junior class introducing Dicken's, A Christmas Carol

Samuel as a guest actor playing YOUNG SCROOGE!

Sam and Paige in full costume!

Paige in her dramatic performance as the Ghost of Christmas Present

Paige also had a small dance and song role singing with her Senior Musical Theatre Co. this same weekend as the opening act for Babes In Toyland, a production of Matthews Playhouse, that unfortunately we weren't able to get on video! But, she had a blast performing with her MP friends.

Here's one of Paige and her MP friends!

17!

2011-12-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

We have a 17 year old son today! I usually post tons of pics on birthdays but I just did that a few weeks ago when his sis took his senior photos. Instead I'll just list 17 things that are unique about Stephen, our oldest boy. Ultimately, he is a child of God, redeemed and perfected in him. If he didn't portray any of the traits and actions below, we would still love him more than he can ever imagine.

I am thankful for his birth experience. Due to the perfect amount of drugs with my epidural, my L&D was just right at under 8 hours. He came into this world 12 days earlier than his due date and he was the tiniest of all five kids at just 6lbs. 2oz. You wouldn't know it now though since he is actually taller than his dad.
Stephen is athletic and loves to swim, bike and run
a hard-worker
is beast at drawing
can rock some music on his electric guitar
plays some beautiful acoustic guitar with his picking talents
a servant
knows how to push all his sibling's buttons, especially his younger brothers
has initiative
pushes himself to achieve personal goals like the 100 mile bike ride in the mountains and a far away trip to Africa
self-directed
often does his best no matter what the task
an amazing swim coach and instructor
likes to finish what he starts
a quiet leader
very observant
a genuinely thankful person

Steve is a joy to know and we are thankful to God for another year of life for him. Happy Birthday Stephen Howard Cole! We love you immensely.

A major role!

2011-12-08T10:49:00.001-05:00

After many auditions for different characters in the past 2+ years, Taryn finally did it! She has gotten many minor roles and one lead role in a indie movie but this is her first big stage part. She has been cast in a major role in her college Spring play called the Pitman Painters. It's a fairly new production released in 2010 in various venues such as Broadway and West End. There is a very limited cast who are mostly men but of the two women parts, she is one of them. She is cast for the role of Susan Parks! We are so excited for her and proud of her determination to chase after her dreams. This is when we wished we lived closer to her college because the distance is sure going to prevent us from bringing the family to watch her perform. But, there is always video. We really hope they decide to capture the play on video! Here are a few pictures of past professional productions. Hopefully in the Spring, we will have pictures of her with her costume here in the role of Susan Parks!

Enjoying the Switch!

2011-12-06T07:02:00.001-05:00

No complaints this year about St. Nicholas Day and stockings. It's the 3rd year since the switch (from stockings on Dec 25 to Dec 6). The kids were very hesitant in Year 1, half-hearted in Year 2 but have fully embraced this new tradition in Year 3. They love it now and probably wouldn't want to go back. They look forward to kicking off the season early in December and still have that wide-eyed wonder at what is in the stocking this time?? With a limited budget, it is difficult to put creative and personal items in their stockings but thankfully, my kids are easy to please! It was the first time I had to send Taryn's stash in a package. She had to keep explaining to all her friends what St. Nick's day is all about as she walked around campus with her festively wrapped present. I think she appreciated getting her parcel in the mail while her stocking at home remained empty. It will be good to have her home in 15 days as we continue on with our Christmas celebrations and lucky us, she will be home for five whole weeks!

Orchesis Dance Troupe

2011-12-03T23:03:00.001-05:00

Taryn in her first two college performances as part of Orchesis Dance Troupe at Grove City College! They are both very fun selections but widely different in style; one is Bollywood and the other Irish.

Beginning of Christmas Traditions!

2011-12-01T21:29:00.001-05:00

We missed the first Sunday of Advent. Somehow, it just slipped right on by so I'm going to try to get my act together and whip together a much better advent wreath with the right color candles this year though late! I seem to be on a trend of starting things late this year. Somehow in the midst of our busy schedules, the holidays crept up on us. We were thankful Howard did NOT get called in to work tonight which allowed us to make our annual trip to Lowe's to buy our inexpensive 9 ft tree. It's TREE DAY. But, the finding of the tree, honestly, is never a fun trek for me. The kids complain about every tree. And, every year they beg to get the 12ft tree which happens to be $20 more and they always know I won't agree to do. But, they do it anyway. Add to this the intensity of the cold weather (picture me in 5 layers with my oversized gloves, scarf and uggish boots shivering) while we analyze each tree for longer than we should (that's the reality folks). Of course, Howard is always the optimist and manages a joyful spirit amidst the complaints on this kick-off-find-a-real-tree adventure (his family tradition passed into ours). His over-the-top enthusiasm keeps us on task and we finally agree on the same tree! Of course, I take pictures of it all and pic text Taryn to keep her in the loop in between her two dance numbers on the opening night of her Orchesis Dance performance! I'll post links to her performances soon... stay tuned! The part I love best is the time after we get the tree home.... warm drinks, Christmas music, watching the kids decorate the house and falling asleep to flickering lights all around the house! Ah, it is sinking in... December is here.

Looking for just the right tree.....

Being Cheesy to say hi to Taryn through pic text!

Um..... tada our tree

My Iphone doesn't take great pictures in the dark at all so you don't get quite the full effect here but it'll do :o)

Twice in one month!

2011-11-29T08:30:00.000-05:00

This past month, Howard has been able to preach twice. Many of you know he has the gift of gab, which could be a negative trait when it comes to preaching. Keeping his sermons short and to the point yet gospel-centered and practical is especially difficult when he has an overabundance of words overflowing in his heart that he wants to share. This last Sunday, I was really proud of him for doing just that. He normally preaches well but I think he stepped it up just a bit this time around and for those time-keepers like myself, he accomplished it in 31 minutes including the reading of the text. If any of you have time and missed it and would like to hear more about Othniel and Judges 3 (yes, a very rare text to preach on), here's a direct link to it:

Crying for a Savior

Sam up on stage while Howard was doing his sound check!

(for other sermons, there is a link on the left sidebar of this blog)

Our upcoming 8th grade graduate!

2011-11-27T15:15:00.000-05:00

We have another one in his last year of middle-school and on the brink of his highschool career! Since Taryn took some photos of her brother Steve for his senior pics, she was kind enough to take a few of Chris for his upcoming 8th grade announcements too. They didn't get to use the fancy camera but the few she took with her point and shoot digital camera turned out great (and kudos to her fantastic editing as well).

Steve's Senior Photo Shoot

2011-11-26T07:20:00.001-05:00

A shout out to my sister for letting Taryn borrow her camera since she left hers at college and to Taryn for her talent and time! We can't believe we have another progeny in his last year of highschool. What does that imply? It signifies that his highschool graduation is just beyond the next bend in the road. Oh no! Here are my favorite pictures of his senior photo shoot: (and a link at the bottom to the rest of the photos)

And for the other 20 or so creative shots you can click here:

Steve's Senior Photo Shoot!

Maybe next year?

2011-11-25T13:48:00.001-05:00

All these years and I have yet to do the wee early Black Friday shopping. I just don't have the stamina to stay up till midnight and do the extreme shopping. I do think that is strangely uncharacteristic of my personality since I LIVE for great deals and ultra-steals... (bargain-hunting, thrift-store finds, etc.) Maybe someday I will get up that desire to go for it. Maybe next year? This morning though, me and four of my five kids did go out and find a few bargains. We didn't find anything extraordinary since there weren't any over the top big ticket items we really needed. But, the time together and the memories made was worth the crowded stores and busy streets. My favorite memory of the day was finally singing Christmas songs in the car on the radio since it's finally the right time to listen to them (acc to our family tradition which is the day after TG...Feliz Navidad and Rocking Round the Christmas Tree!

My crazy fab four having lunch at Chik-Fil-A (my other fab fifth kid was off spending a special Daddy day; editing his research paper, swimming at the Y and watching a movie at the cheap theatres. I'm sure they had a great time!)

Satiated!

2011-11-24T22:56:00.001-05:00

From a friendly cousin pre-dinner BB game, to delicious food and after-dinner badminton match, we had a lovely Thanksgiving with the Lee Family and Uncle Gary today! We are truly blessed!

Pre-TG

2011-11-24T08:34:00.001-05:00

The Eve before Thanksgiving, we ate some of our favorite foods for TG since everyone knows you can't quite eat all your faves in one meal on TG day. Day #1 of satisfied stomachs! The Castaneda beach cousins came by on their way to Great-Grandma's and we spent a delightful afternoon hanging out which made the holiday feel like one with the presence of extended family getting together.

Castaneda Family time = a good old-fashioned four square competition that even Tar got into the action during her week home!

It was quite freezing outside but you wouldn't know it with the way these peeps are dressed!

BB 2011 through Paige's eyes

2011-11-22T19:57:00.001-05:00

Beach Blast from Paige's perspective... hopefully some photos of the guys coming soon...

She's home!

2011-11-19T19:44:00.001-05:00

The Bookends... Tar and Sam re-united!

What an Actress!

2011-11-17T09:13:00.000-05:00

Paige participated in a mock trial for her history/english classes at her school. Her team chose her to play the part of the Monster in the famous Frankenstein novel and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a philosopher. From her recollections of the experience, she garnered a lot of laughter from classmates with her French accent and her overall dramatic interpretations of each character. She said her costume as the philosopher was her favorite but unfortunately, I was only able to get a picture of her as the monster! She had an excellent experience being a witness as two different characters and enjoyed watching her classmates examine and cross-examine her and other witnesses during the mock trial!

Jimbay completes youth band

2011-11-15T11:02:00.001-05:00

Howard is leading worship for Beach Blast this weekend with the Redeemer Youth band. They have been playing for small group youth nights since August which consists of Svetlana on keyboard, Steve on acoustic guitar, Caleb on electric base guitar, and Paige on vocals. But, after Kiko returned from Africa with his jimbay drum, he was immediately urged to join in the practice session this past Sunday afternoon. Wow, Kiko is a naturally talented young man in rhythm and beat and picked up every song quickly! The youth band is now complete! They sound pretty amazing after only a few practice sessions. Beach Blast this weekend will be one of the biggest gatherings since its inception with over 130 in attendance. Please pray for them this weekend if you have the time and inclination to do so. They have a tough job of preparing the hearts of the youth and lead them into worship and the hearing of the Word. Pray that many would respond to God's truth and grow in their commitment to Christ and the gospel in their lives.

Redeemer youth band practice in our living room for Beach Blast worship...

Steve's Togo Experience

2011-11-12T19:10:00.001-05:00

CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER TOGO TEAM OCT/NOV 2012

Wow the trip to Togo West Africa was AMAZING! I thank God that He gave me the opportunity to go. I thank all of you for your contributions towards this trip. I couldn’t have done it without you; especially your prayers. The flight there and back and the time spent in Togo went so smoothly. Your prayers were answered in full. We were all safe and healthy, we all had an amazing time, and we all saw God in new and big ways. I can say personally that it was the best trip I have ever experienced. The new culture, people, and places blew me away. I enjoyed drinking coconut milk straight from a coconut to seeing all the little children smile when we gave them a piece of candy. I was only in Togo for a week but in that short time I could see God working. I saw him in the worship and the happiness the people there displayed. I saw him in the hard work everyone put into building the foundation of a new chapel building. I saw him in the great food we ate and the fellowship we had with believers of another country and culture. The trip was awesome; period. Whether it was mixing concrete for hours or learning break dance moves from the youth there I enjoyed every minute of it. I can’t thank any of you enough for helping me go and praying for me, our team, and the people of Togo. So THANK YOU. Or in the language of Togo AKPE KA KA KA (thank you very very very much).

Stephen Cole

Everyone praying out loud together simultaneously...

Kiko with many of his dad's relatives! Two of his cousins have recently professed Christianity this past year!

Giving out flip-flops and candy to the village people

Building the foundation of the new chapel for the Kpalime congregation...

Needing to stamp down the mud so Steve hops on Kiko's back to add more weight...

Eating a pork knuckle

The whole team sweaty and tired from laboring... the last full work day at the work site

Exploring native tree leaves...Kiko could not pull one off the tree

Line dancing....

Arm wrestling with local youth,Steve was pretty happy he won this match but it was a long, drawn-out one! It was no easy task!

SOCCER!!! the universal sport... otherwise known as Futbol

Passing along endless buckets of concrete for the foundation

Behind-the-Scenes

2011-11-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

Although Taryn did not get to be in the musical at GCC this fall, she has had a hand with many behind-the-scene efforts as stage crew, costume help, make-up and last night, she dressed up in a beautiful costume (of which I don't have a pic unfortunately) and sat in a theatre box set making her first ever cameo appearance on stage! How thrilling that she can be part of the musical in these small yet still fun ways. She loves all the activity and excitement of theatre life.

See the 4 theatre boxes on the set... that is where Tar made her cameo appearance!

Surprising News!

2011-11-10T21:58:00.001-05:00

Steve came home from the Grace Academy Fall Banquet tonight with a surprise in hand! For the third time in his highschool career, he received a Lionheart Award. This time it wasn't for swimming but for his first and only year as a Cross-Country runner. We are so proud of our young man for displaying a courageous attitude as part of this team and being recognized for his determination, perseverance and servant spirit.

What I'm Re-learning

2011-11-08T12:25:00.001-05:00

I'm reading a book with a friend and I am inspired by so much of it in the few chapters I've read that I had to write the quotes down somewhere. They are way tooo long to put as FB statuses but profound enough to jot down and to share.

Quotes from Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul David Tripp:

"The good news of the kingdom is not freedom from hardship, suffering and loss. It is the news of a Redeemer who has come to rescue me from myself. His rescue produces change that fundamentally alters my response to these inescapable realities. The Redeemer turns rebels into disciples, fools into humble listeners. He makes cripples walk again. In him we can face life and respond with faith, love, and hope. And as he changes us, he allows us to be part of what he is doing in the lives of others. As you respond to the Redeemer's work in your life, you can learn to be an instrument in his hands."

"God uses ordinary people to do EXTRAordinary things in the lives of others."

"Each of us has been gifted, called, and positioned to do our part in God's kingdom work. Our histories, personalities, abilities and maturity levels differ, which is how the Redeemer intends it. He is sovereign over it all."

"The central work of God's kingdom is change. God accomplishes this work as the Holy Spirit empowers people to bring his Word to others. We bring more than solutions, strategies, principles and commands. We bring the greatest story every told, the story of the Redeemer. Our goal is to help one another live with a "God's story" mentality. Our mission is to teach, admonish, and encourage one another to rest in his sovereignty, rather than establishing our own; to rely on his grace rather than performing on our own; and to submit to his glory rather than seeking our own. This is the work of the kingdom of God: people in the hands of the Redeemer, daily functioning as his tools of lasting change."

It's sold!

2011-11-07T12:14:00.000-05:00

Our precious BMW (Big Mama Wagon) is now officially sold! Our attempts to simplify life, at least in regards to vehicles, has moved forward in the right direction. One less car to register, one less car to insure and one less car to maintain. A little bit sure goes a long way! I hope we remain simple in regards to vehicles for a long period of time but with another teen driver right around the corner(next June if things go her way), shuffling three cars amidst five drivers (when Taryn happens to be home) will take some precise coordination but I think it will be worth it in the long run financially until Steve or Paige decide to buy a car of their own. I hope that won't be for a long time yet. At least a few years? Lord, have mercy!

Return and Debut

2011-11-06T22:09:00.000-05:00

Steve flew in from his trip to Togo, West Africa tonight! He came home wearing a full-on Togolese soccer outfit, a necklace that each team member received as a gift and grew some facial hair too. After he gets some rest and eases back into school, job, and American life, he will write up a few paragraphs about his experience on another continent and we will post it here along with some borrowed photos from others on the trip(and links to over 1300 total photos for those of you patient enough to look through them all). But for now, here he is at the airport! We were glad to have him home!!

Descending the stairs to baggage claim. The girls trying to avoid me taking their photo!

And, since Stephen was not home to help his dad lead worship at youth group tonight, Sam made his debut on the guitar playing alongside his dad! He is gearing up to take over someday in the near future since his brother will soon be exiting youth group in another year or so....

He decided he did not want to smile for this photo although he was deep down excited to be playing with his dad tonight!

One Sonogram

2011-11-04T08:26:00.000-04:00

Want to know why stopping abortion is one of my daughter's passions? Here's her comment on the One Sonogram facebook page, a place where you can donate $ so that woman faced with this difficult decision can see their baby in their womb before making that final choice!

Taryn Cole

Women are far less likely to murder their own child when they have seen it and cleared away the fog of lies in their minds telling them that abortion is the best and only way. "One Sonogram" will help them really see their growing children. Sonograms are far better than they were when I was born: doctors told my parents I was going to be deformed and mentally challenged. They said no - and I was born without a defect; I am a survivor. With such technology available now, it should always be available for any expecting mothers, so that they can really know and relate to the baby in their wombs, the people, the live souls that they are carrying.

It's true... after our regular ultrasound, we were sent to a Southern California University Hospital to get a Level 2 ultrasound because they saw an abnormality in Taryn's brain. They confirmed this with the more specialized sonogram and strongly encouraged abortion even though they were not 100% sure this would be true. There was only a 50-50 chance. She was supposed to be born with Trisomy 18. As you can tell, she wasn't born with this unfortunate chromosomal defect and we are glad we listened to the Spirit living within us and kept our precious little girl!
What Is Trisomy 18?

Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards syndrome, is a condition which is caused by a chromosomal defect. It occurs in about 1 out of every 3000 live births. The numbers increase significantly when early pregnancy losses are factored in that occur in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy.

Unlike Down syndrome, which also is caused by a chromosomal defect, the developmental issues caused by Trisomy 18 are associated with medical complications that are more potentially life-threatening in the early months and years of life. 50% of babies who are carried to term will be stillborn, with baby boys having higher stillbirth rate than baby girls.

At birth, intensive care admissions in Neonatal units are most common for infants with Trisomy 18. Again, baby boys will experience higher mortality rates in this neonatal period than baby girls, although those with higher birth weights do better across all categories.

Some children will be able to be discharged from the hospital with home nursing support for their families. And although less than 10 percent survive to their first birthdays, some children with Trisomy 18 can enjoy many years of life with their families, reaching milestones and being involved with their community. A small number of adults (usually girls) with Trisomy 18 have and are living into their twenties and thirties, although with significant developmental delays that do not allow them to live independantly without assisted caregiving.

Paige, Sam and Taryn as....

2011-11-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

.... a Hogwarts Gryffindor student at school with friends Lydia and Hannah... and they didn't even break the school dress code! Yay!

.... Queen Lucy from the Narnia series with church/youth group buddies, Courtney, Svetlana and Amanda!

Sam went as a hooded dude in a black cape with his friends Jonathan and Strider as seen below! He is not wearing his full costume. He is missing his black cover on his face?

Howard worked, as usual and Christopher chose to take his Mom on a dinner celebration outing for Reformation Day since she has a conscience issue with Halloween still and can't celebrate it. He didn't want her to be alone since his dad had to work and they couldn't go on their usual date. But, not only did he get a scrumptious dinner but he also received discounted candy(50% day after ... so lots of it) from his mom as reward for hanging out with her! Win-win for all on Oct 31st night.

And 500 miles away, Taryn dressed up as River Tam from Firefly, the TV show series...

Unrelated Thoughts

2011-11-01T05:27:00.000-04:00

Changing a tire!

We had another one of those..... "please Mom, I don't want to do this" moments. When Steve was thirteen he started helping out at Car Care Saturdays, a ministry of our church to battered women in our county where they help women fix their cars. Because Steve is in Africa and this is the first time Chris has been able to go since turning thirteen, he was pretty hesitant about going by himself. I received a little push back last minute but finally, he went with a somewhat good attitude and as always I uttered my famous words of..."trust me, you will like it!" Two hours later, he comes out beaming and incessantly talking about how much he learned, had fun and of course, like any teenage boy, bragged about the heaps of food he was able to eat! I asked him if he would go next time without being pushed and he said, "Oh, yes, willingly!"

On an entirely different topic, I am not a very crafty individual which makes for an uncreative mom. When the kids were younger, I did not do a lot of artsy activities or create things from scratch. It is just not my thing and I am always excited when others include my children when they undertake crafty type projects. I'm learning now though that even if I deprived them of a lot of it when they were younger, if a child wants to do a project when they are older, they will, without my help! And, I am really okay with that. Here is Paige's latest project with her friends. Not only did I NOT help, but they drove to the store together to buy the things they needed, she paid for her own supplies and they made these shirts from beginning to end on their own! Just the way I like it.

Paige's priority destination as an adult someday! They had to create the design with a special substance, let it dry overnight and then dye over it so the writing and picture could pop out like it does! Pretty cool... Turned out super!

A small glimpse...

2011-10-30T08:30:00.000-04:00

From 5 to 4 and now down to 3 kids at home. At least for ten days. Taryn's been gone for over 9 weeks now and Steve for three days. With him being gone, it is giving us a small glimpse of how life will be like when Steve pursues his next season of life away from home. Thankfully, that time is still a little under two years from now. I'm not liking it very much. It is so unfamiliar and strange. The dynamics in the household change dramatically when one or more of your family members that are usually around are missing. Bittersweet. It's ironic how much I LOVE this season of parenthood because of the depth of relationship we have with our kids at these ages but I dislike strongly the reality that they are becoming or are adults now and need to live their own lives and it's time to let go. Change is always so hard but good.

Getting our pumpkin off the side of the road on the way home from church but missing two kiddos :o(

Togo-bound

2011-10-27T18:45:00.002-04:00

They are off on the first leg of their trip from Charlotte to Atlanta... then to Paris and finally to Togo! Steve said he may get to fly on a double-decker jumbo jet. He will soon find out. Keep praying for them please!

We left for the airport at 3p.m. to meet up with the rest of the team at 4p.m. at the airport terminal.
Picture above: Steve loading his baggage...acting like its horrendously heavy but I told him it was probably only 28lbs.

Checking-in the baggage! I was close in my guesstimate. His luggage was 33lbs. He was a little worried it would go over the 50lb weight requirement.

The other three youth on the team... Mackenzie, Kiko and Bethany!

Thankful...

2011-10-26T21:15:00.000-04:00

My lovely Macbook and 2nd letter from Taryn! She even wrote all her siblings too ... so sweet!

...for facebook, snail-mail letters, texting, phone calls, chat and skype...all forms of communication I have come to depend on more than ever to stay connected to my oldest child/daughter. She doesn't feel so far away because of it but I still can't wait till she comes home in 3 weeks and see, touch, smell and hear her in person. Nothing can top face-to-face communication... Can you imagine what it will be like to see Jesus in person someday?

Abundantly Blessed

2011-10-24T08:40:00.000-04:00

It was one of those weekends where God allowed us as parents to see tangible fruit in each of our kid's lives in their specific season of life. It is always a delight to observe the Spirit working in our children but when we see glimpses of it in not just one of them but all five of them in a short time span, we feel abundantly blessed. How can a sinners like us be used of God to produce such glorious creatures. Certainly it is nothing in and of ourselves for without the grace of God, we would have no hope apart from Christ. But, I want to remember this weekend where the Lord showed us that He is indeed working in our children's lives to glorify Him and those around them despite our inadequate and often times selfish parenting.

We were blessed this weekend too with church family worshipping in a tent on our church property where someday we hope more than a tent will be standing there!

Taryn in front of Lake Erie during Fall Break. So blessed that she has friends to be with her as she is away from home!

Really messy ...

2011-10-22T19:04:00.000-04:00

but fun for the kids. None of us moms would ever try paper mache art on our own. Well, a few of us might but most of us wouldn't. But, doing it together makes for something so messy worth doing. I missed a few of the kids unfortunately but these were a good number of them.

Panda Hat Craze

2011-10-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

My once introvert turned extrovert oldest child Taryn is obsessed with Panda Hats. She perused website after website looking for THE perfect one with just the right price. When she finally found the one she wanted, (under $12 including shipping...ah a girl after my own heart), I was urged to quickly purchase it for her and have it mailed to her college post box! Here she is posing with her latest preoccupation. What a fun way to kick off her fall break on campus!

Togo, Africa... he's coming soon

2011-10-20T07:32:00.002-04:00

In one week exactly(October 27), Steve will be getting on a plane heading to Togo, Africa, via Atlanta and Paris on AirFRANCE! He had his final team meeting last night pouring over trip details and travel itinerary. Besides packing, he is 95% ready materially and logistically but he still needs your prayers for all the other aspects of this trip such as getting along with members of the team, staying healthy, listening to the Spirit as He leads, and so on and so forth. Too many to list here. It is by the prayers of God's people that everything God wants accomplished on this trip will come to pass! We covet your intercessions to our Lord beginning now and up until he returns home on November 5th. You are an important part of this whole adventure. Thank you ahead of time for your continual prayers for Steve and the other 11 team members these next few weeks! Pray most of all that many hearts would be softened to the gospel and hear their deep need for Jesus. May God be glorified through it all.

Cruisin' along

2011-10-18T16:06:00.000-04:00

Fall break couldn't have come at a better time. We don't usually take a fall break but this schoolyear both Paige's school and the boys' tutorials did which allowed us to de-compress from the steep learning curve we have all had this new schoolyear. I'm happy to report that we are finally coasting at cruising speed where we just made it to the top of that vast mountain and we can see what lies in front of us. We can also look back and see how far we've climbed! Not saying that it is all downhill from here. I'm pretty sure there will still be some smaller hills to climb but it just doesn't seem all that insurmountable and much more reachable. We have a rhythm that works for us and gets the work done. I wish I could say there was no nagging on my part and the constant need for me to motivate the boys. Honestly, I do that a lot and hope it becomes less as the year progresses. Sam and Chris are getting the hang of using their planners to make their weeks doable by splitting up their work into bite-size pieces and even following through with all their assignments, at least most of the time.

Paige is doing well with her full-load of junior classes and is NOT failing as she predicted. In fact, I believe she is performing well beyond her expectations and gaining confidence with each assignment and exam. There are certain subjects that are more demanding than others but she is holding her own!

I've loved watching Steve maneuver his schedule with the classes he takes at Grace and the ones he takes at home and balancing that with his crazy swim workouts (sometimes twice in a day for hours at a time) and work at MAC. Having the use of his sister's car is giving him the freedom he needs. It is good timing that he will be off to Africa next week so he can have a short break from his hectic schedule.

Finally, my other daughter who really did think she would fail out of college this first semester is also excelling in all her classes. I'm proud of how hard she is working on her studies and developing friendships at GCC. As a typical first-born, Taryn would probably like to be doing even better than she already is but we are certainly pleased with her hard work so far. She is being changed and stretched in so many ways to be the person Christ wants her to be and that is far more important than the actual grade. However, she being the first one at college and surviving does give me a sense of peace knowing that we didn't totally screw her up by teaching her at home!

We made it!

2011-10-15T09:21:00.001-04:00

This was a full rainbow but I couldn't capture both ends on camera.

After 4 autumns of trying, we finally made it to Grandfather Mountain. Everytime we tried in the past, the weather was bad. This time around, rain or shine, we decided we would go. It was raining for most of our first day but we enjoyed the campground with our friends despite the weather, making hobo packs and smores over the fire (thanks T). The next day, high winds of 80mph prevented us from getting to the top of GFM to the mile-high swinging bridge but for half the price we were able to enjoy the sights, scenery, animals, museum and a leisurely walk in the woods with the gusty winds.

What vibrant colors at this autumnal time of year!

We're just a BIT windblown and cold in the gusty winds at this high elevation.

3rd one down!

2011-10-11T17:30:00.000-04:00

Howard has successfully trained and participated in a Take Flight Triathlon with each son! With Stephen at age 13, with Chris at age 12 and this weekend with Sam at age 11! Someday, maybe in a couple of years, they want to all four do it together and compete individually for their BEST TIME! But, for now, Howard raced WITH each son motivating them on to finish each section of the triathlon to the best of their ability and to endure when they felt like they couldn't go on any longer!

At the finish with his 3rd and last son, Samuel at age 11! They finished with a time of 1 hr and 22 minutes...

Number #15...

2011-10-10T12:30:00.000-04:00

It was a nice short drive to Gardner Webb University. We enjoyed the campus, learned a lot about the two majors that Steve and Paige are interested in and watched half of a football game against Liberty U. We weren't too impressed by the college's claims of Christianity. The school's motto is Faith, Service, Leadership. The college president quickly jumped over faith and spoke more about service and leadership. What a shame. It's definitely a little too liberal theologically but apart from that, both kids liked the size of the school, the distance away from home, their choice of academic major, and beauty of the campus. They will both have to find a genuine campus ministry/church to join and prepare to be discerning in their choice of friends. We are thankful though that the dorms are not co-ed and that there are limited visitation hours unlike many of the public ones we've looked into. After this visit, GWU has risen to the top of both their lists. Now, will we be able to afford for them both to attend college here?! With three in college at the same time, we are hoping financial aid will kick in enough for them both to attend this institution at the same time Taryn continues at GCC. Now, which college will we be looking at next? Yes, this journey as been quite the adventure and I actually have a few more on the list.....

See Paige's BEAT Liberty U shirt!

Ah, a funnel cake... only place to enjoy such a treat.. a live football game! GWU lost, btw...

SAMMY and friends!

2011-10-09T12:16:00.002-04:00

While the rest of us went to visit yet another college, Sam rode spinny rides, slid down slides and ate some Mango Italian ice. What an exciting fall morning with his buddies.

Samuel, Jonathan and Strider at Lake Park Fall Fair!

Paige GCA Fall Fest

2011-10-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

Paige had fun going on a hay ride, through a corn maze team race, field games and bonfire with her GCA school buddies!

Should I be surprised?

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

Brighton University

Kingston Unversity London

Both my girls have grown up reading novels written by Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, and J.K. Rowling, watching films based on all their books, and any show worth our time created by the BBC that we could get through Netflix such as Robinhood and MI-5. Is it any wonder why both of them have this overwhelming desire to visit England? Guess what Taryn has collected this past week? In her room sits endless brochures of international studies abroad programs and more specifically in England. I think her dream would be to study at Oxford but there is a cost factor so this may not be a reachable goal. For now, she has her eye on Kingston University London or Brighton University! I can't wait to get my hands on those brochures when she comes home in six weeks and look at all the details and crunch the numbers and see if this dream could become a reality! There are also faculty-led two weeks trips to England that she could take part of during January or May intersession breaks. Though she may not be able to go this schoolyear, there is a much higher possibility during her sophomore year. A lot more research and time will tell... Let's see what the Lord has in store for her in the near future.

Meet our adopted WU student

2011-10-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

By permission, I downloaded a few pics from FB of our adopted student to post on this blog! Meet our Wingate adopted student, Michaela. It has been only a few weeks, but it has been a joy already to get to know her through FB and texting and glimpses at church. We hope that we will get to know her a little more as the year progresses and if she chooses to stay at WU, through the years beyond that.

Community

2011-10-03T10:07:00.001-04:00

We started a new lifegroup this past month. It's been a wonderful surprise who God put together in this group. Many different individuals from very different backgrounds and it has been a blessing. We are excited to see where God takes this group in the next few months and Lord willing, years to come.

But, we couldn't have done life in all its ups and downs without another group we meet with that we affectionately call TFC... (the initials of the four family's surnames). We have been meeting monthly now for over three and a half years and grown together in a very meaningful way. Lest you think we are always so serious when we meet, think again! We do get serious but mostly, I think we help bear one another's burdens through encouragement combined with fun. The next two photos capture what this group has meant to us through the years.

How many men does it take to lift a television into it's proper cubbyhole? 4??

UMMM, not quite, it took 5 able-bodied grown men!!!
A great picture of helping to bear one another's burdens (in this case physically speaking as the men use their manly-man super strength to heave this TV into its home)

Rejoicing in God's Provision

2011-10-01T08:10:00.000-04:00

Back in April, Steve sent out support letters to raise money for his international missions trip to Togo, Africa. The generosity of his initial givers came in quickly and within four months, he reached full-funding! Then, just a few weeks ago, due to the dramatic rise in air-fare and an additional night needed in lodging, he needed further funding on top of what God already supplied and it was not a small amount. Instead of snail mail letters, Steve sent out some emails praying for more of God's financial provision. Just a few days ago, we learned that not only did enough money come in to bridge the gap of what he was lacking but the Lord provided above and beyond the needed amount. He is overwhelmed with the love and support of all who gave and what is even more exciting is that anything he raised above his needed goal will be allocated to the other members of the group who are still in the midst of raising their support. Thank you to all of you (45 contributors from ten different states from California to the midwest, the East Coast, Texas and esp. in North Carolina locally) who gave so generously and willingly to support Steve on this adventure. He is looking forward to this journey and leaving in exactly 26 days! Please continue to keep all twelve team members in your prayers between October 27 to November 5. When he returns, he will be sure to update you all on his travels and experiences and how God was working in and through this team.

Fall Art Project

2011-09-28T11:32:00.001-04:00

With 20 kids in our little co-op this fall, ages 4 to 13, you can imagine the energy and excitement that went on at my house last Friday for our first co-op meeting of the semester. And, since it was also the first day of fall, the art project was a perfect fit(see last photo below). Given the sheer number of little ones present, we had no mishaps or even any accidents to report, instead you could hear lots of joyful chatter and laughter all around. What a great way to kick-off the autumn season! We are so thankful to our in-house hands-on art instructor, Angela for her hard work and creativity. I am always so appreciative of the giftedness of others where I know I surely lack.

Paige's pastimes

2011-09-25T18:12:00.001-04:00

A few Fridays ago, Paige attended a Wingate Volleyball game with her youth leaders, Leyila and Melissa and YG gals. It was apparently a very exciting and close match!

This past weekend another youth leader just returned from a trip to Paris and London and because of all Paige's questions about the trip, she invited her to spend the night to look at pictures and hear details. LeighAnn(and Lucas) cooked up some French crepes for her to enjoy that evening. Paige was inspired by this and made some for her family this morning and they tasted spectacularly wonderful! Thanks Chamberlaynes!!!

Nutella Crepe

End of an Era... downsizing!

2011-09-23T16:43:00.002-04:00

We are definitely in a new season of life. With three older kids driving now, we don't usually drive together as a family of seven very often. We are taking the leap and selling our BIG family van. We still have our 19yr old minivan(a generous gift from my parents) which fits our whole family when we do happen to need to ride together. I think it will last a few more years. I am hopeful it has at least 5 more years of life. We worked the numbers and realized that with where we are in life, it was time to unload a few things and simplify. It is a little sad though since we bought that van right before Christopher was born, a week before his birth, in fact and he is now 13 years old. It served us well and we are thankful we had one last hurrah in it when we dropped Taryn off at college. Bittersweet. Howard left just now to drop it off at the auto consignment shop nearby! I hope we get its full value. With all these kids soon to be in college, we can use every penny we can get.

And, it 's a good thing I never put this up on the big van ... i guess deep down I knew it would go away sooner rather than later. I just didn't think it was this soon. The Coles in Cali have this on their maxi-van so when we were in Cali this summer, we had one made too! It looks just as good on our minivan. I love it.

Epitome of College Living

2011-09-22T08:37:00.000-04:00

As of today, it's been one month since we dropped Taryn off at her new college community! She's already hit the homesick stage which I keep telling her is very normal. She has had a rollercoaster of a ride acclimating to her new life as she navigates the ins and outs of studying, exams and papers. But, she is making friends, lots of them, loves her roomies, and is trying to stay on top of things and not procrastinate. She found a church right across the street from the college which just happens to be an ARP (Associate Reformed Presbyterian - which is similar in beliefs to what she has grown up with) church plant consisting of many college students. She has already signed up to help with children's ministries. There is only two more months until we see her again. Until then, she still has so much more to learn about herself and how to really turn to Christ in the dark times as she continues to adjust to college living.

Gotta decorate that laptop!

STICKY NOTES!

Cramming study sessions...

Crazy friends to help get you through the stress...

Long poems written by a brother that misses her and that you post up so you can be reminded that you are loved and missed!

and it wouldn't be complete without junk food for those late study nights towards the unwanted Freshman 15!

Maliit Kuan

2011-09-21T07:33:00.000-04:00

It's been a few months since Sam's yellow bird Pudgie died. We finally found a moment to get him to a pet store to pick out a new one! Meet Maliit Kuan (Little Thing in Tagalog/Bisaya dialect). Sometimes just Mali or Kuan depending on who is referring to him. He is a quiet little thing still working up the courage to sing and Sam is daily training to tame Maaliit to play with him and trust him.

One more visit...

2011-09-20T21:16:00.001-04:00

I am so colleged-out that I can't believe that we are going to visit yet one more university! Yes, you heard it right. After Steve's decision to attend a smaller, private college, Liberty U didn't quite fit the bill for him with it being 30,000 people and no swim team. And, with his desire to be closer to home, Grove City may not be quite the fit for him even though it is at the top of his list. But, I didn't go searching for this one. This one found me. I was glancing at my daughter's FB page and just happened to see that her friend was accepted at Gardner-Webb University so I thought I would just take a quick peep at their website. I didn't know this college existed since I'm not originally from around here and I don't know how I didn't come across it before. I usually also avoid any colleges over $20K unless they have really promising financial scholarships that are reachable for my children which this one appears to have (the affordability program). It will also work towards our advantage when their time comes that all three older children will be in college at the same time. The more kids, the higher amounts of financial aid that will be coming our way for these next two in line which wasn't the case for Taryn, being the first. It has Steve's probable major too. Gardner-Webb U is a private Christian college, only 2800 students, in-state, and has a swim team. All the criteria he was looking for in a university. And, this school also has exactly the degree Paige wants to major in, an Associates Degree of Nursing instead of the Bachelor's Degree. This means she only has to attend college for two years rather than four which is better for the pocketbook overall and she will still get her desire to live in the dorms away from home, but only an hour and a half away! Well, this all looks good in theory and on the website so the only way to confirm what we hope will be a good fit for them both is to actually visit it which is what we hope to do next month. We'll see how it goes... It may not be what I/they envision or then again, it might!

Adopted!

2011-09-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday at church we had an Adopt-a-Student luncheon. Our church partners with Campus Outreach at Wingate University and there are many college students that are living far from home that need a family to pray for them and develop a connection to them in some small way. We picked and met her! Naturally, I asked for a freshman girl thinking that since Taryn is away, I would want someone from her church to adopt her. Her name is Michaela and she is from Minnesota, so she is really far from home. She plays soccer and has a sweet spirit and a beautiful smile. That's about all we know about her right now but we look forward to getting to know her better through the next four years as she attends Redeemer. Someday I'll get a picture of her with our family!

Also, Paige received the long-awaited email last Friday confirming her spot in the Senior Musical Theatre Company which was her preference over the Intermediate group! Tonight is her first rehearsal and she is looking forward to making many new friends.

Last night, as a senior and student leader in youth group, Steve shared his testimony to the youth. I wish I could have been there to hear it but Paige and Chris both came home raving about it. I'm so thankful for a youth group that pushes the kids to learn how to express their faith to others and teach them how to grow and mature in their walk with Christ.

And, if you think of our oldest, please pray for her as she continues to experience homesickness. Pray specifically that God would use it to draw her closer to Him in a new and fresh way and that she would learn more and more how to depend on Christ to meet her in the tough times.

Quarter of a Century

2011-09-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Kelly turns 25 today! She has been a wonderful part of our family over the years since meeting her 12 years ago when I volunteered as a youth leader at our then current church family. She was a great older sister/babysitter to our then very young children often coming over just to hang out three to four times a week. She was always into music and playing guitar. And, this past month she's been working hard on her new CD. She is having her CD release party tonight on her birthday back in California. We wish we could be there but she knows we are with her in spirit and are so proud of her. You can go to the sidebar and click on her album cover to buy the MP3 of her song if you want to support a new up and coming artist!

Kingdom Quests ... Mentors

2011-09-17T09:51:00.000-04:00

Last night, Steve (with Howard) were able to meet with Mentor #4 on a very manly-man issue. This marks the halfway point of mentor meetings we've scheduled into Steve's Kingdom Quest year. Our plan for him is to have him hang out with eight different men in his senior year with diverse backgrounds to share their wisdom from their past struggles and successes. Through them, we hope that he can learn from their experiences as well as see the redemption in their lives as he enters manhood and life after highschool! It is exciting to us that all the men we've asked were/are so willing to be open and transparent to this young man. We are truly blessed by these men as we continue to parent our Steve in his later teenage years. We know we can never truly parent well without the help of others!

Better and clearer shot of Steve before his Century Bike Race!

Training for Twelve with a TRI-athlon

2011-09-15T08:09:00.000-04:00

In less than a month, Samuel will participate in his first official tri, Take Flight Triathlon, with his Dad at the same course that Stephen (2008) and Christopher (2010) took part of with Howard. This is another X off our checklist of Training for Twelve goals that we have for him. In preparation for this 250m swim, 10-mile bike ride and 5k, Sam has been running, biking or swimming almost daily amidst his pile of homework. Some days he tries to do a brick, two events back-to-back. Everyday he trains, he gets little faster and develops more endurance!

Our 7th grader Training for Twelve!!!

Dorm-Living

2011-09-13T08:02:00.000-04:00

Taryn finally posted some pictures of her roommates and dorm-living!

Taryn's little corner make-up station!

Girl's community bathroom....Wow look at all that stuff!

Their dorm door!

Taryn's section/desk/bottombunk wall area!

And here are signs Taryn made for her community bathroom stalls to make things more interesting. You have to be a Narnia/LOTR/Harry Potter fan to "get it."

It only took 5 years...

2011-09-12T11:30:00.000-04:00

When we left Cali almost five years ago, one item we had to leave behind was our outdoor bbq grill. It didn't fit in the pods that we used to move cross-country. We don't grill very often but we have missed it a little bit. We always intended to get another one but other expenses continually pushed our ability to buy one, like braces, activities, sports, more groceries, and now school tuition on every level, etc. We asked around a bit and lo and behold, someone was willing to give away a gas grill of theirs to us for free! All we had to do was provide the propane tank, which we had in the garage and the fuel for it. And, last week we enjoyed a luscious BBQ grillin' taste of spareribs, my second favorite food of all time.

The boys working together to grill our ribs to delectable perfection and they were delicious!

Kingdom Quests... A Century

2011-09-10T16:20:00.000-04:00

One of our goals during Steve's Kingdom Quest year is for him to attempt several diverse objectives that are over-the-top and out of his comfort zone . He will be experiencing this culturally and spiritually in less than two months when he heads out of the country to another continent to Togo, Africa on a missions adventure. But, in the meantime, last night, Steve headed out of town with Mr. Timberlake to the Asheville mountains to bike in this race....the Villainous Viper....100 miles of hilly terrain starting at 7a.m. in the morning. These photos were taken by Darol Timberlake during Steve's last 10 miles as he finished a few hours earlier and went to cheer our son on to the finish line!

Steve at Mile 94, the last climb before the glorious downhill descent!

5 more miles....going downhill now!

DONE! FINITO! FINISHED with the hardest thing he has ever done in his life so far!

At 4:15p.m., we received a call from Steve saying that he did indeed make it and finished! We are soooo uberly proud of our young man for sticking it through even when he said he felt like he wasn't going to due to some major leg cramps and an earlier fall with some scrapes. Even if he didn't finish, what an fantastic feat it was for him to undertake this mountain for his first major bike race. Wow!!! I am blown away at his incredible stamina. Many of you were praying for him and I know it was your prayers that helped him through when he was ready and close to giving up. Thank you for praying! Watching him train and then endure this race was faith-building for him and for us.

Taryn did indeed get a spot in two dance performances she auditioned for with the Orchesis dance troupe at GCC. She is really excited about this opportunity!

Paige waited and waited all day yesterday but this morning she received an email telling her to come back Monday night for callbacks for the dance portion. This will determine which group she will be in, Intermediate or Senior. Since she has never taken any sort of dance instruction, all she can do is her best! She is nervous but excited for Monday night.

Snapshots of College Life

2011-09-09T08:30:00.000-04:00

One beneficial aspect about FB is finding gems like this photo off of my daughter's wall. Since she is too busy studying and socializing, she hasn't been posting many pictures of her life at GCC. This photo was taken during orientation week with her two roommates, Kimberly and Rebekah, and a guy friend, Nate, whom everyone on campus thinks is her twin brother and they are having fun NOT denying the accusations. (he too is a half/half mix of asian/causcasian).

Taryn, with supposed twin brother Nate, ?, Rebekah and Kimberly

See Tar somewhere in the middle of the mix near the four balloons!

Auditions Times Two

2011-09-07T08:25:00.001-04:00

Taryn had dance practice for auditions last night. She is going out for the Orchesis Dance Troupe at GCC. She said rehearsals were from 530p to 11...that's an awfully long time. She then auditions for the troupe tomorrow night. But, in the meantime, I think she may be auditioning tonight for the school's play and/or musical if she decides to gather her courage and go for it. Details are sketchy on my end since she is so busy with school, her social life and auditioning that communication isn't quite as frequent as her first week. She is finding her groove and that is a good thing. Whether she gets into any of these groups is definitely out of her control but it is exciting to see her trying to be a part of something she loves.

Paige also had auditions last night for the local town's theatre company. She will find out before Sunday whether she gets into the Intermediate or the Senior company. Either way, she made it through the grueling, nerve-wracking two-hour auditions. She had to sing, perform a monologue and learn a quick dance routine.

Paige with her sheet music ... "On My Own" from Les Miserables

A small town tradition

2011-09-06T05:00:00.000-04:00

We've been here in NC now for five years (almost) and I have only gone to the Labor Day weekend festivities called Matthews Alive twice. It seems like every year it is super hot and humid that I have no desire to walk in the heat and shop for overpriced items. But, the older kids love going there to meet up with friends or family!

Paige with Maddie downtown!

Matching henna tattos... "love"

Snack Shack and Co-op

2011-09-04T17:42:00.000-04:00

In an effort to foster relationship between the students, every other Friday, some of us moms will be bringing the GCA kids over to Sweet Frog/Starbucks to hang out together. There are 30 kids at GCA so a 50% turn out wasn't too bad for the first one of the schoolyear. Some of the kids left before we realized we forgot to take a picture of all of them together. Hopefully next time I will and maybe more than half will come!

This is also my last semester over a period of 15 years leading a homeschool co-op. To kick off our fall session to also cultivate friendships, we headed to Plaza Fiesta next to Carowinds and let the kids play at the very high tube/slide playground! My boys were skeptical about this place when I explained the field trip thinking they were "too old" for such things. They pictured a Mcdonald's playland. It was MUCH bigger than that. But after the first thirty minutes, they weren't scoffing any longer and were having a blast with all their friends. They certainly were sweaty and tired after two hours and asked to come back again sometime soon.

Diversity in Education in one household

2011-09-03T12:03:00.000-04:00

I have five kids. And, they attend 4 different schools between them. Here's a glimpse of our world in regards to education.

We are adjusting to our oldest being away at Grove City College and not part of our day-to-day existence. We feel blessed to live in our current world of technology with text, skype, email, cell phones and facebook. All of them woven together create a sense of nearness with our daughter Taryn that would not have been possible just a decade ago! She is trying to find balance in her life of academics and the many social aspects available. She has a new sense of the word "stress!" But, I did ask her last night whether she would rather be there tackling the mountain of schoolwork and juggling her schedule or be home working her three jobs again. Guess what her answer was?

Stephen cannot believe he is a senior. We can't believe he is a senior. But, he told me yesterday that he decided that he does indeed desire to take a gap year to work, mature and improve areas in his life before thinking about leaving home. Whew! That's a relief. For a few months, he was seriously considering going straight to a state school since it's significantly cheaper and he wouldn't have to save up as much. But, now, his focus is to attend a smaller private college which does mean he will need to work and save up some cashflow. Currently, he's taking Chemistry and Advanced Writing at Grace Academy twice a week, Adv Math and Omnibus 3/4 (History, Theology and Literature combined) and prepping again to take the SAT in October at home. Simultaneously, he has a part-time swim instructor job and continues to run, bike and swim whenever he can. He is one busy guy and thankfully, since Taryn left her car behind for the year, he has transportation! Less shuttling around for me!

Paige is loving her new school, friends and academic challenge at Greyfriars Classical Academy. Going to school three times a week is a great rhythm for her. We are so proud of the way she is taking charge of her studies and staying on top of her schoolwork without much prodding on our part. She even did some catch-up work after missing the first week of school for our trip to PA in record time. She has auditions for Senior Musical Theatre company next week so you can frequently hear her singing her song and practicing her monologue to break-up the monotony of homework. Next week, she has the privilege of watching her two favorite toddlers on her two off days for the afternoons which is building up her own savings towards her college endeavors! Her challenge for this year on top of all this is to become a good driver. She doesn't let one day pass without driving somewhere!

Chris and Sam continue to be the sandpaper in my life. Schooling them together this year around the curriculum that Bridge Tutorials has set up means hours of reading, tutoring and training me in patience. Courses in Latin, Writing, and Tapestry of Grace's History/Worldview/Geography and Literature is stretching us in many ways. They attend class all day once-a-week which does give me one open morning to focus on any tutoring help my older two need in math. The house is SO quiet when they are both gone for the day. On top of these classes, they also have to study math and science at home. We have loads of work ahead of us but thankful we can tackle this endeavor together!

It's a pair!...and cross-country

2011-09-01T06:50:00.000-04:00

Howard's ring finally came in the mail so now we match! We are both very happy with our 20yr. wedding bands.

And, this week, Grace Academy cross-country meets started. I never thought any of my children would run on a team 'for fun.' But, Steve has friends who begged him to run for the team since they were in need of more male runners. I am very proud of him for finding a way to run on the team without any expense to the family since it was a last minute decision and for working it out with his job so that he could continue to work and compete. Incidentally, he is also training to ride in a Century bike race next weekend with a family friend. He'll be biking 100 miles in the Asheville mountains in an event called the Villanous Viper. Doesn't that sound intimidating?

Steve with his cross-country team minus 1. There are seven peeps on the team!

Redeemer Youth Kick-off 2011

2011-08-30T20:31:00.001-04:00

All our kids are in youth group now ranging from 7th to 12th! Steve and Paige, who were 12 and 10 when they first started are now five years later, student leaders! And, Chris and Sam are just at the beginning. It's been a joy to see how the youth have grown-up through the years and how our numbers have doubled as well.

First Family team game! Sam's turn...

Youth Game out on the front highschool steps... you can see 3.5 of the Cole kids!

Paige actively participating in some toilet paper game that I did not see as I was inside listening to the parent portion of the Family Night Kick-off!

Future Nursing Student?

2011-08-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

After seeing the excitement and energy at Grove City, Paige really wants to dorm it on a campus and not stay home when it comes her turn for higher education. But, GCC doesn't have a nursing major unfortunately. She liked UNC Charlotte but she loved Liberty University which DOES have her major and is only 200 miles away not 500! This means she could drive home more often. That's a plus for her and for us. The major downside to LU is the size which is equal to UNCC... over 12,000 residential students but 30,000 locally. But, as far as the overall feel of the place, for her, it was a thumbs-up. Then, after a little more research, she noticed that LU also has a gymnastics club team. That is her dream sport and they take gymnasts at every level. She took gymnastics as a girl as far up as she could go without being on the competitive team and then had to stop. Too much time and money.

At the top of Paige's list; Liberty U with UNCC coming in second. In October during her fall break, we shall see if the local nursing school of Carolina College of Health sciences will even make it on her list as we plan to visit it then! But, today, she is experiencing her first FULL day of classes at Greyfriars Classical Academy as a junior. She had tons of make-up work to do over the weekend to prepare for this week but she is excited for this new opportunity!

Paige standing on the steps of LU's bookstore! Class of 2018? She'll need to take a gap year and save up some $$$ if she wants to go to this school, but it will be worth all the work!

OFF his short list...

2011-08-28T13:13:00.000-04:00

On the way to GCC, we stopped by briefly at UNC - Greensboro, a few hours northeast of us! It was a Sunday and there was construction everywhere on campus. Needless to say, this didn't quite make a positive impression on Steve! Bottom line: ~~UNCG is crossed off his short list of colleges!~~ And, after that visit, there are no more campuses to see. Top of his very short list so far - Grove City College because of it's atmosphere, student body size, swim team and certainly not for its weather and UNCC for price, intramural swim club and weather. Both have his major...at least what he thinks he wants to study! Ah, this journey of colleges has been quite the adventure and now that we have dropped one off, his time to go will be here sooner than we like or are ready for. Thankfully, he is also thinking of taking a gap year to work, work, work and work some more to help pay for college which means we get to keep him home an extra year too!

4 teens - 18, 16, 15 and now Chris is 13!

2011-08-27T20:33:00.002-04:00

Chris enjoyed his breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express. He didn't mind so much since he enjoyed one of his favorite desserts, CINNAMON ROLLS! If you've never had a H.I.E. cinnamon roll, you are missing out because they are famous for it. He wasn't too excited about being on the road for most of his special day but overall he was a great sport about it. After unpacking and catching up on some much-needed schoolwork, his dad and I took him out to dinner at Tony Roma's for ribs and pasta (buy one, get one free, of course) and a complimentary mini-dessert(which wasn't really mini!).

Happy birthday Chris! We are thankful for all the spice you add to the Coleclan9!

Goodbye for now...

2011-08-26T19:42:00.000-04:00

Taryn in front of her dorm room at Grove City College. She wouldn't let me take a picture of her inside because they were still in the process of "moving in." We will miss her but she'll be back in 3 months! November 19th countdown begins....

Almost 20 years...

2011-08-24T19:28:00.001-04:00

Two years ago, I lost my wedding ring. It was devastating! But, I have a very gracious husband. Howard is still hopeful we will find it in some remote corner of our house someday. I bought an inexpensive temporary set knowing that in a few years we would hit the big 20. And, it is sneaking up on us. It's right around the corner. Instead of buying a ring for just me, we thought it would be special to buy matching wedding bands. His gold ring is getting thin, dated and loose since losing his 20lbs. Today while walking the little resort area, we found bands we both loved in a shop named Fire and Ice. It has a filigree rope design which signifies oneness and commitment to marriage. Just perfect. The best thing about it all is that Howard found it. They didn't have his size in-store but it will be waiting for us when we finally get home from vacation. I can't believe we will be celebrating 20 years of marriage this December!

It's a lot shinier than this pic! I love it..

Earthquake drama on the East Coast!

2011-08-23T20:39:00.001-04:00

Being a native Californian and growing up with regular earthquake drills in school, I would never have imagined that I would experience a 5.8 quake on the East Coast, in the middle of visiting the Smithsonian and other D.C. sites. Of course, because of this rumble, all the museums were evacuated and there was a mass exodus out of the city. We were thankful to get out of Chinatown where we were at during all the shaking. We had to transfer lines to get to the green line at L'Enfant station and we were packed like sardines waiting to push our way into a train. Due to the thousands trying to get on at the same time and trains running at only 15mph for safety concerns, we stood in the hot crowds for almost an hour inching our way closer to the train doors. Every train that came by though had about 10 people getting off with hundreds trying to get in. Needless to say, we tried and failed to get on several times. When we finally made it to the front and at this point, irritated, tired and sweaty, hundreds cheered loudly when an empty train came our way. (it had been about an hour of waiting) Upon the doors opening, we were pushed into the train like nothing I've ever experienced before. I was holding Sam and Chris's hands so we wouldn't get separated and we all charged into the train like a herd of buffalo. What a sense of relief finally getting somewhere! Every car was packed to the full all through the end of the line where we parked. On our ride back, there was a news reporter from the Washington Post interviewing a lady next to us from the Pentagon sent home early. After he finished with her, he asked me if I was at least 18 years old so he could interview me. I'll find out tomorrow if he decided to quote me in the paper. It was a great experience to see the press in action in the midst of a crisis. Although we didn't get to see the Library of Congress and the other point of interests on our agenda, we will at least have these interesting memories connected to our trip to D.C. Wow, what a day! We are all back in our rooms now just chilling and thankful not to be standing around anymore.

National Harbor, MD & Alexandria, VA

2011-08-22T20:07:00.003-04:00

At the top of a huge knee

Some "footage" of Howard

Ready to take our 4 mile walk to Alexandria over the Potomac River

Too tired to walk back...taking the water taxi on the Potomac River back to National Harbor, Maryland

Fountain Sitting...we did this in Central Park, NY, Virginia Beach, VA(Regent U) and now Alexandria VA

The best thing about our little trip to the Washington D.C. area is that we are staying at a posh resort for free for all 4 nights...then we listened to a presentation and earned a $100 American Express card that we used to ride the water taxi across the Potomac and to give the kids $10 each to spend on their heart's desire. But, for sure, nothing beats the memories we are building together before Taryn leaves the nest, family quality/quantity time (including extra conflict resolution) and 3 unlimited Cable tv watching on flat screens (which we don't have at home and makes us feel extra-spoiled!)

Unsearchable Premiere

2011-08-20T11:29:00.004-04:00

HarperCyrier Films did an excellent job with their nine-month long independent post-apocalyptic flick! Taryn had a much larger role than I expected and did a great job acting. I can't wait for it to come out on DVD so we can share it with family and friends. For those locally, you can go online to Unsearchablemovie.com and purchase tickets for next weekend's two public showings!

The guys ready to go and protect the women...

All the gals ready to go...

In the Big Mama Wagon heading to Theatre Charlotte!

Displaying the ticket!

Me with my littlest son!

Our Mockingjay is flying the nest

2011-08-20T00:47:00.000-04:00

Today is Taryn's 18th bday. I never thought this day would come. She is not only a legal adult today but it is also her last full day home as we leave in the morning to drive her up to her new community, Grove City College.

This summer, the girls and I read the Hunger Games series and the main character, Katniss, reminded us a lot of Taryn. She adopted this character's identity during Mt. Hermon's day camp when she spent a few nights helping out as a volunteer counselor and all the campers called her Katniss! In the book, the MockingJay was the symbol connected to this main character. I tell you all this because Stephen drew the following for Taryn's 18thbday/going-away present, the Mockingjay, by her request, of course! She is our little mockingjay on the edge of the nest ready to take flight.

The Mockingjay...drawn by Steve Cole

Happy 18th birthday Taryn! We are going to miss you immensely. WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

On the news!

2011-08-19T12:02:00.001-04:00

Early this morning Taryn was on the news... Click and see!

The Festivities begin...

2011-08-18T20:56:00.000-04:00

Since her dad works on her actual birthday this Saturday and the Unsearchable Movie Premiere is tomorrow night, today was the kick-off of Taryn's 18th birthday celebrations. Wednesday afternoon we went to pick up her birthday cupcakes, Irish Creme and Peanut Butter from SAS cupcakes! Don't they look luscious? They are delectable and melt in your mouth. They are so rich and sweet, half of a cupcake is sufficient for one sitting.

Today, she shared these creative creations with her family and the Fernandez girls during their movie outing/sleepover/hot tub girl night! But before these sweet treats, Howard and I took Tayrn to her favorite restaurant, Carrabba's Grill, like we've done the past three or maybe four years now. She always picks the same place every time and we order exactly the same thing; Sirloin Marsala and Pasta Weesie!

Me with my almost 18 year old daughter and firstborn!

How can anyone resist bread and spices at Carrabba's?

Tomorrow, we celebrate all the August birthdays on the Coles side: Grandma Wendy, Uncle Gary, Taryn and Christopher with a morning brunch! And, we end the evening by attending the premiere of Unsearchable Movie in formal attire. Wow, I think this will be the first time all the guys will be wearing more than just a polo shirt in a very long time. We'll post pics this weekend!

New Experiences

2011-08-17T07:45:00.001-04:00

To name a few...

Steve hasn't had a SHORT haircut for over two years and yesterday he got it ALL chopped off back to being able to spike his hair on top. It's lovely to see his whole face again even though long hair on him looked great. But, he looks a bit older and tougher now.

Taryn has always wanted to participate in a flash mob frozen scene since seeing the one on youtube at Grand Central Station in New York. Yesterday, she and Steve and some friends took part of one at Carolina Place Mall where apparently thousands joined in. Here's some footage of her and her little gang. It's a longer video, forward the footage at about two mintues in where you can find Taryn in grey and Steve in brown and they are panned at around three times.

Paige has spent some chunks of her time this week hanging out with girls from her new school; shopping, sleepovers and Carowinds. Since she's missing out on her first week of classes to take a trip to D.C. and Grove City with the family, I'm glad she went out on a limb and made plans this week (she made plans not me :o) to hook into this new group so when she starts school in two weeks she will know some of her classmates better!

Last Friday, Chris went for bowling and burgers with a new group of 8th guys from his Bridge Tutorial group. I'm so proud of him for going by himself when he didn't know any of the guys. He is really growing up!