Friday, April 30, 2010

Funny pictures from vacation

Surprised by the river otter.....
Too much sightseeing.....
when Mom and Dad are tired of carrying Alec, ask big brother....
too cool for words....
wait your turn....
not liking the fireside chat.....
too much walking.....
is there a wild horse in our van????
fun at the beach....
Stay away from my crab legs!

And our family favorite....who's taking away the Washington Monument?????

Saturday, April 24, 2010

What I'm learning on the road....

Today, we are leaving Silver Spring, Maryland to head to Ocean City, Maryland....going for some rest and relaxation on the beach (or indoor hotel pool, depending on how the weather turns.) I wanted to record some of my thoughts as I'm not sure how much computer access we'll have this weekend.

Since this was supposed to be our big Italy trip, we were disappointed when the volcanic ash interrupted, postponed, and changed the dynamics of our trip. Behind the disappointment, though, was a wondering of what we were supposed to learn from this change of plans. I believe that God wants to grow us through these disappointments, these twists and turns of the road. I understand, that a vacation isn't one of those BIG disappointments, but we can still look for the lessons in the little disappointments also. The lessons so far have been rich and have caused me to pause this morning, amazed at our Sovereign God.

The lessons we are learning as a family is the interconnectedness of relationships. Not within our immediate family, but those whose lives we touch and are touched by, creating a beautiful web of extended family not necessarily related by genetics. We want our children to focus on loving others, not focusing on how much money and stuff and status. So here's a peek at who is part of our trip:

Chris and Jessica S. - children are Rebekah, Caleb, Elijah, and Haddie: they always graciously accept us into their home in Knoxville, Maryland. We began our trip and will end our trip at their house. They always are willing to flex their schedules to accommodate others and we learn so much from them about intentional parenting, being Christ-centered, and looking outward with love. Thank you!

Jamie and Kirsy B. - children Trevor, Spencer, Kayla and Elsie: We haven't spent time with them as a family since we moved to Pennsylvania in 2007, but they eagerly opened their home to us for four days (even after we quoted Benjamin Franklin's famous quote, "Fish and visitors smell in three days.") They adopted Kayla and Elsie from China and have a heart for children. They have created, within a busy Maryland suburb, what I call "an old-fashioned modern day neighborhood." They live in a very diverse suburb, but have decided to slow down and create a childhood for their family that includes any neighbor that wants to come over and play. After school one day, five families from the neighborhood were represented in their yard, playing basketball, hanging out, riding scooters and just having fun. This peek into their daily life has challenged me to reexamine our schedule and see where we can slow down more and reach out in our community more. Thank you to the B. family!

Helena - husband Kalonji and children Hannah and Samuel: This is a friend that when I lived in Maryland I saw maybe once a week at a playdate that another friend set up. After I moved to Pennsylvania, I thought this friendship would fade away like many others due to distance. It has been the exact opposite, it has become stronger. She and her husband have visited us on the way back to Maryland from Ohio.....several times when I have visited Maryland she has matched her plans to mine so we could meet up. This visit we met at the Air and Space Museum and she invited us to her parent's beach house in Ocean City when we're there. She reinforces that relationships and friendships are important and helps keep the ties alive. Thanks Helena!

Nicole C.- husband Donnie and children Paul and Billy: Paul is Evan's best friend from preschool and kindergarten when we lived in Maryland, plus they were neighbors and I couldn't have asked for better neighbors and friends. For example, Alec was born the day before Thanksgiving and we were released from the hospital on Thanksgiving Day, to be greeted by part of their family's Thanksgiving dinner (the freshest goose I ever ate!) Nicole daily reaches out to others, meeting people, doing things for others. We met up with them at Billy's baseball game and she had helped Paul create a lemonade and dessert stand to raise money for The Heart of a Child. I am continually amazed at how many different ways Nicole finds to reach out to others and help different charities and organizations, as well as caring for others individually. Thanks Nicole!

So there is a sampling, beyond our seeing the sights along the way, of the lessons we're learning. When we get home, I will share pictures and other experiences from this trip, but that won't be until late next week. If you have labored through this long post, I hope you have been enriched by it. I also hope that you take a look at the relationships that God has put in your life, and what He is teaching you through them.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

A peek inside.....

Here's a peek at our wonderful family friends' house we're staying at in Silver Spring, Maryland (my friend, Kirsy, updated her blog with pictures from last night): photos here

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Getting the Facts Straight

The Jerome family will be (hopefully) off on an adventure next week. I've been telling different people little bits and pieces, not sure of who has gotten the whole story. So I will begin at the beginning......

Darrell and I met at Aviano Air Force Base in Italy in 1996. He was in the Air Force and I worked for the Federal Government at the Youth Center, basically running before and after school programs as well as spring break and summer camps for school-aged children of active duty members. We were married in Italy in September 1997 and moved back the United States in November 1999. Darrell lived in Italy a total of 8 years (split between Naples in the south and Aviano in the north) and I lived exclusively in the Aviano area for 5 years. Darrell went back for a visit briefly in 2001 but I have not been back since. Last May, our mutual friend, Tanya (who was my maid of honor at our wedding) contacted us and let us know she and her family were back at Aviano and would love to have visitors. This information started a longing in both Darrell and I to take our family back to the area where we lived, met and married.

We were actually trying to plan this trip in the Fall of 2009, but to our delight, we had several family members from Iowa and Colorado arrange visits with us, so our calendar was booked. We started to look at the Spring of 2010 and the pieces began to fall into place. We are going to attempt to fly free as a benefit of Darrell being retired, but that will mean all five of us will have to have lots of patience and flexibility. There are military flights that go out of the Baltimore-Washington International airport regularly, so that is where we will be going. Our wonderful friends, the Shullenbarger family, have graciously invited us to stay with them in Maryland and keep our car if we can get out. So here's the catch.....no tickets, we fly space available and we are priority 6....which means there are five other types of passengers that will get called for seats before us.....and we need 5 seats! The trick might not be getting over to Italy, but getting 5 seats back! So if you've followed me so far, here's our plan.....we will be heading to Maryland either Sunday or Monday, hopefully getting on a flight to Italy on Tuesday, staying either one or two weeks (depending on what seat availability looks like for the flight home).

Plan B: we have a friend in Germany....maybe we can fly to Germany and get to Italy? Plan C: we have a friend in England, maybe we'll go enjoy England? Plan D: we don't get a flight out and spend some time in Washington D.C. doing a mini-vacation there. Plan E: try again in the Fall.

There you have it....the details as I know them as of this minute. Please pray for us.....that we have patience with whatever plan God has for us....that Darrell and I don't lose our minds and go with whatever happens....and whatever happens, that we grow closer as a family and create in our children a strong faith and a sense of adventure. I'll keep you updated......

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Maple Syrup Festival Time!

Perfect weather for the Maple Syrup Festival this year! We stood in line for about an hour to get our hands on the Buttermilk pancakes, Buckwheat pancakes, sausages, and Pennsylvania Maple Syrup....most of which was tapped and made right here in (almost) our backyard.




The kids favored the buttermilk pancakes, while the adults went for more buckwheat. Final count, an average of 5 pancakes per Jerome family member over the age of 8; and an average of 3 pancakes for the smallest two Jeromes (and the pancakes were not small - more like plate-sized).
Festivals always bring an interesting mix of people, sights, sounds, smells.....a delight for all senses. I was impressed that the children were fascinated by the man making bobbins and the women making lace. The above wonderful man also let Alec shuffle through his assortment of handmade bobbins....Alec was trying to find two that matched, but was unable to. We had a wonderful Sunday afternoon!

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Easter Pictures

Easter morning brought the hunt for the Easter baskets....the older two kids helped Alec find his first......

then Evan and Ann-Marie enjoyed finding theirs.

Our annual Easter picture....always the kids and I. We attended first service at our church and our whole family helped in the preschool Sunday School during second service. I was really proud of how much Evan and Ann-Marie helped out....Evan even vacuumed two rooms at the end!

We hope you and your family had a precious Easter celebration!

Pap's Birthday Party Pictures

We had a glorious day for Pap's birthday celebration....here are some pictures....hard to believe Pap is 77...we are so thankful for him!
Pap and the granddaughters.....
Pap and the grandsons.....
Pap and his daughters.....
Pap and his sons....
Darrell and Ann-Marie enjoying some quality time....
and Evan hanging with the teenage cousins playing hockey.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Spring happenings and stuff

Here are some pictures from our life this past week.....Heinz History Museum Tour......
highlights were the George Washington display (Ann-Marie loved seeing his teeth!)....
Heinz facts.....
wanna be a pickle packer?.....
and a 1950s-style diner.
Then onto Aunt Karen's to help prepare for Pap's birthday party.....cookie decorating....
this was supposed to be Ann-Marie's special time, but who can say "no" when Alec wants to help?

Finally, we get around to decorating Easter eggs.....on the deck in the morning in our pjs because we are experiencing summer-like temperatures!


Ann-Marie looks like the Easter bunny with her new grown up teeth coming in....how cute!

The Jerome family wishes you a blessed Easter!