Happy Birthday, Charity Sunshine!!! (& Prince Edward Island Part I)

In celebration of my impending departure (I leave on a mission for our church in 2 days!), and Charity's birthday, last week we made a pilgrimage to a place we've always dreamed of visiting. Inspired by L.M. Montgomery's  Anne of Green Gables, Kimber, Charity, Liberty, Glorianna and I journeyed to Prince Edward Island with Kimi's babies, my mom, and our beloved god-mother. Charity planned the entire adventure, and it was one of the most magical experiences of my life - which is very is fitting because Charity makes everything just a little more extraordinary. Today, on Charity's birthday, I cherish the opportunity to take a moment to reflect on her truly incredible life and the many delightsome times we've shared. I adore my family. They are the most remarkable group of people I've ever had the privilege of associating with. But even among this group of tremendously determined and accomplished siblings, I think we all agree that Charity was given an extra measure of a number of truly wonderful qualities. Equal parts optimism, radiance, passion, tenacity and undiluted grit have made her into one of the most inspiring and indomitable people I've ever met. Charity Sunshine, thank you for brightening all of our lives. You never cease to amaze me. I'm going to miss you terribly, but I'm so happy we get to share and celebrate this birthday before I leave. Thank you for planning such a beautiful goodbye-birthday adventure. I can't wait for our shenanigans to resume when I get back!

P.S.

Here are too many pictures from PEI. But we actually have LOADS more which we'll share soon :-)

We couldn't just leave her at the train station...

The Little Girl Formerly Known as Hettie will from hence forth only be known as Anne. We're all wondering how long this can continue. We'll keep you updated. 

Road Trips are Stressful. And Beautiful. And Stressful.

The road to Avonlea was long and filled with wildflowers and mist. The cars on that road were filled with ten pilgrims (some more zealous than others) very eager to arrive at our destination. I'm not certain if it was the density of people/cargo or or the highway detour or the heart-rending monotone of our Anne of Avonlea-on-tape's elocutionist, but by Maine we definitely required a first rate pit-stop. We found it near the Canadian border in a roadside soft serve stand with 24 different flavors. Hettie even bought her own cone.

We're on Prince Edward Island now. It's nearly too lovely to articulate, so I'm not going to try right now. All I can say is that it was worth the drive and all of its accompanying hazards.

The Lake of Shining Waters

I write this from My iPhone a hotel near Portland, Maine. I am here with my bosom friends. Two small children are asleep. Willa is in a state of adorable, happy hysteria trying to keep the rest of us awake. I dont blame her. I am almost beside myself with happiness. The only thing that could make me happier, is if I were to have raven black hair. Actually, that's a lie. I want red hair. And if you haven't gotten the clues yet, our excuse for minimal posting is this: tomorrow we will arrive on Prince Edward Island. I promise that the pictures will be AH-mazing!! 

Flammable, sparkly, delicious, beautiful, wonderous...

To everyone who helps a neighbor, who reaches out to those in need, who turns out to vote and who volunteers; to those who walk their kids to school or who teach them at home; To everyone who prays, who doesn't and who doesn't care; To everyone who dreams of living here and who dreamed of living here and found a way to make that dream come true; To everyone who fights for freedom from tyranny, from poverty, from ignorance and from hate; For everyone who shares a smile, a meal, a handshake and means it; For everyone who's helped a stranger without caring where they came from, who they worship, what's their color or what they'll get out of it; we salute you. You are our America. And you are an America we will always be proud of.

True Stories, by Me: Red socks, RED SOX and How to save a life

True Story: This spring I had the opportunity to give not one, but two separate talks at TEDMED in Washington DC. I'd decided the theme of my talk would be running with what life and death brings. And then the Boston Bombings happened. It was deeply upsetting and I wanted to do something to honor the victims and the heroes. I didn't want to be cloying. So I got this idea: Nothing was more Bostonian in my eyes than the Red Sox, so I'd wear a pair of red socks and put them on display when I was done. It was perfect. When I was done, people jumped to their feet and I displayed mine. And no one got it. The moral of this story: Don't depend on nuance. Tell people what you're thinking. They might get it without your explicit references, but otherwise, you'll end up being the crazy chick with the red socks.

Conversations with Phineas

My delicious little 3-year-old cornered me the other day, and was typically adorable: 

P: Hey, Mom?
K: Yes?
P: I need a brother.
K, mildly stressed: Hm. That's a pretty tall order.
P: Because Hettie is a sister and Willa is a sister, but I'm the brother, so I don't HAVE a brother.
K: Brothers take some time, Buddy. And there aren't really any guarantees...
P, resigned: I know. I don't want one right now.
<<thoughtful pause>>
...I want one tomorrow. Tomorrow, I want to go to Costco to see if they have brothers, and then we can buy a real boy. To be my brother. OK?

If someone can think of appropriate, noncommittal response to this, please let me know...