We were blessed with cool weather this weekend! When I saw on the forecast that we were in for a few days of highs in the high 70s/low 80s, I knew it was the perfect weekend to try out the popup. So Allen and I loaded up and headed to Natchez Trace for a few days. It turns out that it is a HUGE park with several camping areas. The first one we checked out was Pin Oak. Not to our liking. No shade, no privacy, just a lot of RVs crammed right next to each other.

Next we checked out Camping Area #2. It was a primitive area for tent campers. Would have been fun, but we wanted a place to hook up the camper. On to Camping Area #1! We found the perfect site. Big, shady, and a pull-through!

We had a great time. It was strange experiencing camping from the parent side of things instead of being the kid. Just one of those, “Wow, I guess I’m a grown-up now,” moments. I can’t wait to make more memories in this camper!

This summer is flying by already! Before we know it, August will be here (hopefully bringing with it the arrival of our sweet baby Philip). I don’t want the summer to get away from me without some sort of a record of what we’ve been up to. We Shulls have had a busy summer already, and we’re just getting started!

Week 1:

We kicked off our summer vacation with a trip to Kalamazoo Michigan. Other than the actual driving, which was less than ideal (hello, 12 hour car trip with a toddler), we had a fabulous time. Allen and his dad and brother attended the Medieval Congress at Western Michigan State University. The girls mostly hung out and helped prepare for the 60th anniversary party for Allen’s grandparents.

Week 2:

Since our Michigan trip was before the local kids got out of school, Week 2 was pretty tame. I still kept my kiddos, but we did have a lot of fun. Lots of trips to the park, playing in wading pools, eating popsicles, and picnicking in the backyard, with a side of working in the yard.

Week 3:

We went down to Huntsville to collect our popup camper. That’s right! We bought a camper! And I love it. It originally belonged to a family from my home congregation, and I have always loved that camper. It still hasn’t really sunk in that it belongs to us now!

And that’s what we’ve been up to so far! Stay tuned for more summer fun updates!

This weekend amply reminded that the best laid plans often go awry. I had been looking forward to going down to Huntsville for weeks. We were going to drive down after lunch on Friday, have a picnic at the park with friends for dinner, and celebrate Clara’s birthday with the fam on Saturday. In a word: perfect.

Well, the plan was perfect.

As we were packing up to leave on Friday, Clara said, “Sick. Go doctor.” Thinking she was just being silly, I said, “You’re not sick!” and put a hand to her forehead. Hmm. Actually, she did feel warm. Thermometer soon confirmed that our birthday girl had a fever.

I felt silly for feeling so disappointed, but I really WAS. I can’t explain why exactly, I just felt…deflated.

We needed a backup plan. So we decided to get a cake from Big Star (cause let’s face it, they make the best cake in town) and take Clara to the park on Sunday afternoon.

When we got there, the park was locked. LOCKED! On a Sunday! On EARTH DAY! How ridiculous is that?! Trying not to feel defeated, we went home and had Clara’s birthday in the backyard.

Through it all, I’ve been trying to remind myself that life is all about rolling with the punches. I remember the day Clara was born. 5 weeks early. Nursery full of shower gifts. That didn’t go the way I had planned either. I had planned to finish student teaching and have two weeks to get the house together before welcoming our daughter home. You would think by now I would learn not to take my planning too seriously.

And actually, a lot of happy things came out of this weekend. Clara got to sleep in her toddler bed for the first time. I got to spend time with my sweet husband and daughter. I guess that’s what makes a birthday special anyway—getting to spend it with the people you love.

(Proof that she ACTUALLY slept in her bed!)

This time two weeks ago, I was walking around our nation’s capital with two of the most fabulous people on the planet. Allen and I decided to make the most of his first real Spring Break in 5 years, so we dropped the kiddo off with adoring grandparents and trekked up to Alexandria to stay with Erin.

We had a great time, highlights included seeing the Staffordshire Hoard (woot! Anglo-Saxon treasure!), dinner at Cheesetique (oh the deliciousness!), and of course the requisite DC stops like the Supreme Court, National Archives, and various Smithsonian museums.

Whenever we visit a big city, there’s always the discussion of, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we lived here?”

There is something awfully nice about having museums on every corner, restaurants everywhere you look, and as lame as it sounds, I even envy the grocery stores. (Yes, Erin took us to Trader Joe’s. Because we begged her to.)

But ultimately, I like the pace of our little town. It’s quiet. It’s comfortable. No, we don’t have an Indian restaurant down the block (the closest is Memphis, a 1.5 hour drive), but honestly, we don’t eat out that often anyway. And even if we did have more options around, I doubt that would change much.

The first day home, we were sitting on the porch having coffee with Clara, marveling at home quiet it was. Maybe I’m just getting old, but I like quiet. I doubt we’ll be selling our house and trading it for a big-city apartment any time soon.

What a memorable weekend! Mandy brought her husband and sweet baby to visit Henderson for the first time, and I was reminded once again that true friends stand the test of time.

Here we are in Germany (probably Aachen), enjoying some sort of delish pastry at the train station.

Our younger, thinner selves. Before husbands. Before babies! Was it really 7 years ago? I could have sworn it was yesterday.

This weekend was almost like time travel. Mandy and I stayed up late talking, just like we used to when we were still living in the dorms. We took our daughters up for a stroll around Freed-Hardeman. I couldn’t help but wonder—will Clara and Audrey ever walk together to Gano? Or meet up after chapel for a cup of coffee? That’s one of the things I love about FHU. It may seem quaint, or even weird, that I went to college with the kids of my mom and dad’s classmates. I think it’s wonderful.

Freed friendships last a lifetime.

I found one of the coolest websites. Ever.

No foolin. 

It’s called Postcardly, and let me tell you, it may change the world. Or my world, at least.

Here’s the deal. You know how grandparents and great-grandparents are always wanting new pics of their glorious offspring (your adorable kids)? Well, being a new mom, there’s not always time for uploading pics, ordering prints, writing cards, buying stamps, walking out to the mailbox, etc. But Postcardly takes care of everything in one fell swoop!

Listen carefully.

1. Sign up for a Postcardly account (new users get 3 cards for free, so you’ve got nothing to lose!)

2. Send an e-mail with a picture attachment

3. Postcardly will create and mail it for you! Done!

I used it to send thank you cards for Christmas presents this morning. While Clara and Gage played in the living room, I created my Postcardly thank yous. Less than 15 minutes later, I was all done!

With the price of postage at a ridiculous $0.44 a pop, it’s a really economical solution. The cheapest Postcardly plan is $0.67 per (if you sign up for the 15 cards a month plan), and the normal rate is $0.99 a card. When you factor in the cost of ordering/paying shipping from Shutterfly or a similar site, it’s a no brainer!

Postcardly, will you marry me?

(PS, They have a referral program! For every new user you refer who becomes a paying customer, they’ll give you a month free! That’s why there are so many links in this post, hehe.)

This morning Allen and I decided to make a list of the words Clara knows and can say. We knew that it was getting to be quite an impressive list, but we really couldn’t tell in our heads whether she knew 20 words or 50. So far we’ve come up with 73 words! And since I know her Nanny will be interested, I’m linking to a document with her word list!

Camping in Canaan’s Land has been a favorite song of mine since I was a kid. My family grew up camping every summer, so the lyrics resonated with me even then. Now, though, I find so much comfort in those words.

Especially on days like today. In some ways, it’s a terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad day. The water heater is dead. The one we thought would fit won’t. Replacement won’t be here for 15 days. Allen is grading his heart out trying to turn in his semester grades by Friday. Add in the fact that we’re going out of town next week, that Christmas holidays very well could throw a kink in the installation process, and you could easily have a recipe for a grumpy day.

But we’re having a great day! Clara’s happily playing with her friends. We’re looking out at the beautiful snow. And I’m reminding myself that this is just camping anyway. This world isn’t the promised land, so I can put up with a few inconveniences along the way.

I can boil hot water to wash dishes. I can shower at friends’ houses.

Camping means sometimes we have to do things differently. Sometimes things don’t work out. Sometimes it rains. Sometimes we have to go without.

I’m camping, I’m camping, toward Canaan’s happy land.

Here you are, just one year ago.

Pudgy, yummy arms.

Soft squishy cheeks.

Just six months old. Not walking yet. Not even crawling.

One year later, look how you’ve changed!

Same dress. Same girl. Same bright eyes and sweet smile.

Now you’re running. So fast I can hardly snap a picture!

Why do I get the feeling that this is just the beginning? That instead of slowing down, things are going to speed up? 

I’ll try to savor these moments. Treasure them. Look back on them fondly.

I’ll try not to wish for the past, because each new day brings fresh joys. Unexpected surprises.

I’m learning a lot about planning. And about trusting God’s timing.

In 10 days, Allen and I will board a ship and sail off to Mexico for a few days. We’ve been planning it for a while. When we booked the cruise this summer, we actually meant for it to be a babymoon of sorts. The last hurrah before having baby #2. (No, you didn’t miss the announcement. We’re not pregnant.)

When we decided to have Clara, we were so lucky. We got pregnant the first month we tried. We had no problems. She was born a little early, but happy and healthy, and more or less when we had hoped she would be.

We wanted to have about a two year space between Clara and sibiling #2. We wanted to have the baby in the summer so that Allen would be home to help me during the exhausting first few weeks.

We did everything right. We planned. We timed. We prayed.

We got pregnant.

We rejoiced.

About a week after I saw the little pink lines on the pregnancy test, we lost the pregnancy.

Now it’s December. Still not pregnant, and with each month I’m struggling to trust God’s timing. I worry that I won’t be able to get pregnant again. I feel selfish for worrying, because I know there are so many women out there who were never able to have a baby in the first place. I am so thankful for Clara. How do I balance thankfulness and a desire for another child?

How do I, like Paul, learn to say, “I have learned in whatever state I am to be content” when there is this longing inside of me?

I am not despairing over this. I know this hasn’t sounded like a hopeful post thus far, but I am hopeful that a baby is in our future. And if it is not in God’s plan, I trust that He will give me strength to understand His will.