What it is, is...

Tribal run: Sun-down to sun-up 5k relay.

My sister Anna is a runner.  Like she runs marathons (yes, with an 's'-- half or full, she eats 'em for breakfast.  This spring she ran ate one of each).  Anyway, sometime in all of this racing, she heard about the Tribal Run.  Andrew and I love adventure, so if it involves a run in the mountains, and a sweet t-shirt (not to mention a best costume award), we're game.  Through the process of evolution, we gathered 9 more people and a 15 passenger van and headed out to Utah for the inaugural Tribal Run.
The race was supposed to be held on Antelope Island, which is an amazingly desolate chunk of acreage in the Salt Lake.  Then due to a couple issues (as in a state-wide fire ban and a SPIDER INFESTATION on the island), the event was moved to a speedway.  That's right- a motorcycle racing facility.  Miller Motorsports Park.  Sounded a little lame, but the TR coordinators got pretty excited about it.
When we got to the park- fully decked out in our custom Kushinda tribal cow shirts and war paint- the stone-cold security man at the gate said very seriously: didn't you hear?  The race got postponed to next weekend. 
Us: What?!  *sadness and disbelief* NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Man: *smile cracks his stony face* Gotcha!  You're gonna want to pull right around...
Regular jokester, eh? 
So anyway, we made it out to the camp, set up our tents and started pre-gaming: volleyball, all-natural energy juice mixed up by a guy called 'the Bird Man', all-natural Swedish Fish, Sharpie tattoos and more war paint, dancing our hearts out to Fun's "Some Nights".
Then the official pow-wow started: an awesome performance by some native New Zealand tribal warriors, a man juggling torches, a group of African drummers/dancers (LOVED this), the lighting of the tribal fire.
And finally, as the sun set over the mountains, WE GOT OUR RUN ON!
There were three different 5k courses, so one at a time we donned our head lamps, exchanged the bear tooth necklace/baton, and chose our course.  There was a full moon that night, so mild darkness combined with the distant beat of tribal drums and the adrenaline of a lonesome run was an awe-inspiring experience.  What an amazing God to create such beauty and enjoyment. 

"The heavens declare the glory of God,

the sky above proclaims his handiwork."

Psalm 19:1

All.  Night.  Long.

The Mighty Kushinda- back row: my brother Jeshua, sister Anna, cousin Megan, brother Jonathan
middle row: cousin Nicole, cousin Kara, friend Kayla
front: Oliver, me, Gigi, Andrew, brother-in-law Luke

Dancing with the African Heartwood Project.

New Zealand tribal warriors.

Luke was our first runner.  Nothing like some last minute carb-loading via glazed doughnut.

Lined up to cheer for Luke!

Jeshua giving me a pep talk.

Keeping warm at the council fire.

Makin' some music.

The next morning Megan's tomahawk -er - mohawk had lost a little height, but was still looking good. 

*Kushinda: Swahili, winning
   

to Utah and back again in pictures

The five of us- Andrew, Liz, Oliver, Georgi, and Margot- recently embarked on a risky adventure. We got into a 15 passenger van with 9 other nuts and drove 23 hours to Layton, UT where my sister Anna, brother-in-law Luke, and nephew Theo reside.
We adventure-seekers were not disappointed.
As a picture says a thousand words, I'll photographically share the illustrated version of our trip.

What we did:

started the drive with nervous excitement- could it be because of the 4 children in car seats?  What?...

did some hair/got it did...

visited the Mormon Tabernacle and museum...

watched lots of Olympics- go team USA!...

Dad could be found doing this at any given moment...

participated in the first-ever Tribal Run...





had a beach day at a reservoir in the mountains...

some got to explore the outrageous world of Park City mountain biking...

girls had a night out in Park City...

went on a supposedly easy hike...



had a blast! [Just outside L&A's front door.]

From DC to MN to ZZ

The post we've all been waiting for- the return of my brother and sister-in-law from across the globe!  Well, in recent years they were only in Washington DC, but before that they lived in Turkey.  Eek, that's a loooooong way away.  I love these two and am delighted to report that I've seen them more this summer than I have in the last 6 years they've been married! 
In addition to the excitement of Isaac and Jessica living in the fine state of Minnesota, there's the excitement of the addition to their family!  Baby Girl is due in October and we are thrilled beyond words.
Isaac is a golf course assistant superintendent (I tease him that he's the assistant to the regional manager), so he's up before the sun, works a hard day in the sun, then goes to bed before the sun does.  Poor Son.  [On a side note, I asked someone the other day, "Have you been working like a dog?"  His reply, "I don't know, I've never seen a dog work."  Touche.]  Anyway, I'm trying to tell Brother that he'd better get used to the feeling of utter exhaustion...  Do you think that's jerky of me??  I haven't slept in five years, people...and I'm alive!
After Georgi was born I had pretty intense post partum depression/anxiety, and much of that was the result of dwelling on the idea  of lack of sleep.  It was a dark time for me for reasons other than that, but sleeplessness and the thought of never sleeping again sure magnified the fear.  In the process of getting my head out of this cloud, God spoke to me.  Not in an audible voice, but in the quiet of my spirit.  "I will sustain you.  I made you.  I know how much sleep you need and how much you can live without."  He didn't tell me he would stretch me with that latter part, but when I'm in survival mode I definitely talk to him more.  Was that the idea, God?  Clever.  :)

Just Explode!

This post is meant to highlight 2 things: the 4th of July fireworks and the way I style a shelf.

Addressing the real explosion first- Andrew brought the kids and brother Jonny to see the Brainerd fireworks.  In the past it's been a tradition for us to meet extended family at the football field at dusk to hear live music and watch the light show.  This year there was road construction going on around the high school, so the new detonation site was the old city golf course right behind Target.  My dear show-goers reported that  the location wasn't as exciting, but still awe-inspiring.  The grand finale was accentuated by the thrill of tornado sirens screeching in the background!  Oh my, it was quite the storm.  Margot and I were at home getting cozied up in the basement for the night (don't you wish you were a baby sometimes, to not know of the chaos and worry going on around you?  That seems obvious, sheesh.  I mean, I try to remember Who is in control and I know that nothing touches me  that hasn't been sifted through His fingers- praise Jesus!- but there are many times when I wouldn't mind the blissfulness of ignorance.:)) 

 The second subject seems pretty self-explanatory.  I love to put more stuff on a shelf than there's actually room for.  To be borderline defying logic while visually pleasing the eye seems most intriguing, which seems like an adventure which is something I love.  I am a "lusty adventurer" to quote William Wilberforce in Amazing Grace.  Doesn't it seem just daring to load a shelf to and even beyond capacity??  Oh the thrills of a housewife...Ha!

July 4th

Pre-parade Pez.



Margot and Papa T.



Our 4th loving family five.



The kids swimming with Nana and Papa T.



Cooling off after the parade of fire trucks.



"What is this?!"

Winding down the day with some pool time...looks like someone forgot to take their clothes off.

We had a lovely day celebrating our country's independence! 
We planned an adventure to at Itasca State Park with Andrew's parents- biking, swimming, checking out the Mighty Mississippi headwaters- but when the heat index was predicted to be in the 100's after factoring in 80+ percent humidity, we opted to keep the party a little more local (or loco??  Always with this crazy bunch!)  It was just a ten minute drive to the small town of Crosby, MN for a morning parade that consisted of every firetruck within a 50 mile radius, minimum candy (not quite my style, but easier on the kids' teeth.  Blah), and an intermission that lasted long enough for most parade-goers to pack up and start leaving.  Though the word picture doesn't look ideal, I was feeling a tad nostalgic since every childhood Fourth of July memory of mine started right where we sat yesterday- 11:00am next to the army tank in Serpent Lake Park. 
After a refreshing swim, we rallied at our house for brats, 'power' salad (Pinterest, people), and cheesecake.  My mother and little brothers also joined us (my poor dad was doing his line-man duties returning power to some northern Minnesotans who had lost theirs a few days before during one of our many storms we've had this summer.  What a guy my dad is.). 
Contrary to my inner-tugging, I decided to stay home from the fireworks with Margy to get her 8 month old little hindy in bed at a half way decent hour.  Well wouldn't you know it, another storm whipped up and the tornado sirens went off while Andrew and the kiddos and my brother Jonny were watching the light show-- double, fireworks and lightening.  What a creative God!
We ended the day just minutes before July 5th with a family slumber[less] party in the safety of our basement. 
Thank you, Jesus, for spontaneity and freedom-- to be spontaneous or anything else we want to be!

What's in a name?

Let's talk about names for a second. Do you know how hard it is to name a kid?! Do you know you'll have moments of doubt even after all I's are dotted and T's crossed on the birth certificate?! This has happened with all of my kids. I mean, I love their names- obviously, otherwise we wouldn't have even considered them, much less chosen them. But I also get this feeling that God cares about our names, so it's suddenly a much bigger deal. In the Bible a person's name says something about that individual or his family.  It gives a piece of the person's story before they even tell it. 

Eve, the first woman in all of creation, was named "to give life," as she would be the mother of all people.  A while later, Sarah (pushing 100 years old) was told by God that she was going to have a baby in her old age.  She laughed, then 9 months later named her baby Isaac, which means "laughter."  Naomi, a widow who lost her 2 sons told people not to call her Naomi ("pleasant"), but to call her Mara, which means "bitter."  There are so many more examples in the Old Testament, mainly.  Then there's Jesus, the pinnacle of a meaningful name.  In Matthew  1 an angel tells Joseph, "you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."  Jesus means "the LORD saves."

Does this increase your stress levels when thinking of the perfect title for your child's life?  Our kids' names aren't going to alter the course of their lives, but I did make sure they didn't mean anything stupid before we sealed the deal. 

Oliver Isaac: literally "olive tree" and, as I said, "laughter."  In the Bible olive trees represent an abundant life.  The first verse Oliver memorized was Psalm 52:8-- I am like an olive tree thriving in the house of God.  Dude's middle name is for my brother Isaac who was here from Turkey when Ollie was born.

Georgianna Lynn: George "farmer," Anna "gracious," and Lynn "pretty" (though the meaning is just a bonus for this middle name, because she was actually named after both of her grandmas- Bonnie Lynn and Carol Lynn).  She says her name 'Gigi' which is pretty stinkin' cute, so it stuck.  I heard the name first on Pride and Prejudice, but I've always loved the name George, and my bff (sister) is Anna.  Farmers are awesome, too.  Gracious farmers are even better.  A verse that I like for little Gigi is Proverbs 31:17-- She is energetic and strong, a hard worker.  So far we've got the energetic part...

Margot (silet 't') Meg: both "pearl."  Isn't that funny?  She's a pearl pearl.  Here's what's really funny: Margot wasn't even on our [extensive] list that I've been carrying around since long before Oliver was born.  We came to it just days before she was born (though we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl).  Two of my absolute best friends are Megan and Meghan.  Well, I couldn't single one out, could I?  I had a hard time convincing Andrew on this middle name, though, since he had a childhood dog named Meg.  Reall?  Woof. 

What does your name mean?  What do you wish it meant?:)

"hey there, birthday girl!...

"...walkin' down the street so fancy-free!"

So Georgi Girl turned 2 on Friday!  Oh my, this quirky little character has brought so much pizazz to our family in the form of laughter, tears, and anything in between.  She's a sweet little firecracker, which is just the greatest juxtaposition.  Here is how Georgi Porgie spent the first day of her third year:


Good morning George, how are you?



Opening gifts in her bedroom before a birthday breakfast of Marshmallow Mateys.



A flashback from my childhood- my brother Isaac used to pull my sister and me (not at the same time, of course), around in this very Little Tykes wagon.  There are also pictures of my best feline, Ernie all dressed up like a human baby, willingly following me up and down the driveway in the little red wagon.  What a dutiful old cat...and toy! 



Gigi modeled as she unwrapped a hat and jacket from Grandma Kasper, who G calls Bobby.

Mommy helping blow out the 2 candles.  It was a loosely ballerina-themed party, so I wore my tightest top-knot and chopped a chain of dancing paper dolls.

Question: do you have big bashes for toddlers' birthdays?  Or do you keep it simple while they're small?  A conundrum I encounter every year...what to do?  I'm so last-minute that it's usually best to keep it in the family- at least they're expecting something to happen around Jan. 31st, May 18th and now Oct. 22nd.