Aha! Blog reader, we meet again. I see you have come for the fun of it and are staying for the lack of better judgment. Perhaps I can make your visit worthwhile by sharing witty banter, uplifting stories, or thought-provoking ideas, but that would be plagiarism, so you are stuck with whatever updates I have instead.
While a few notable happenings took place in March and April, May won the award for Most Momentous Month of 2026. Since it was so notable, I really wanted the blog post to do it justice. So I waited. And waited. And waited some more, always hoping I’d come up with a good attention-grabbing opening line or have a mental outline of the highlighted moments from which to regale you with in an orderly fashion. Instead all I got was panic that I waited too long and sadness that I wouldn’t even remember all that occurred or how I felt about it when it was happening. Three months later, I decided I better Just Do It.
As many of you know, May began on the 1st. That was the day of our firstborn’s college graduation. Yes, I said college. Gulp. Even as I type that out now, I’m still in awe that our son has gained that milestone. Within our group of homeschool friends, we have established a lovely high school graduation ceremony for each child as they make their way through 12th grade, and it means a lot to the family -okay mother- of the graduate. For the mom, there is a certain sense of accomplishment since she is the one most heavily involved in the child’s school years up to that point. But Jake’s achievement as a graduate of the University of North Florida was and is all his own! Attending a college commencement ceremony can be tedious, and there certainly were moments I would classify as tiresome, but clapping for my son as he became a confirmed Bachelor was a privilege beyond measure. As Christians, we are taught we shouldn’t be proud, especially in or of our own strengths. So I looked it up, and according to the thesaurus, I am splendidly satisfied by Jake’s feat.
While we’re on the subject of privileges, let me tell you that if you are ever offered the opportunity to spend 25 hours in the car with your chattiest child, TAKE IT! 🙂 Mothers can often reach a sensory overload when around their children all the time, especially when the kids are young. But they can also reach a point in which they are “talked out”, meaning the mother is done talking, or she is done listening to the one doing the talking. Thankfully that did not happen during our very long car ride; I appreciated the one-on-one conversations and hearing his heart on many matters. All 25 hours of it.
Due to other family plans, Jake’s and my return trip took us home via a pit stop in Savannah, GA and attendance over the next weekend at the North Carolina Bible conference. What I learned in Savannah will stay with me for a long time: I do not have the sense of direction I was sure I had. Once Jake parked the car on a side street, we roamed a small area of the city, taking in the beauty of the architecture, plant life, and southern accent. Hours later it was time to get back to the car and continue our northbound drive. Knowing we had to cross another block or two before reaching the car, I confidently continued walking. Jake asked me where I was going. The car was right in front of us. Oops. 😬
What I learned at the conference is that I still love this lady and am forever grateful for her friendship.
In a jumble of May days after we returned home, we were entertained by the sound of music. The girls had their spring concert in one of the nicest concert halls you could want to be sitting in for an hour of classical music. They did a great job, and by “they”, I mean the girls, even though I wouldn’t have any idea whether they did or didn’t do well, but this is my blog so I can say what I want. All kidding aside, I am always amazed at their talent and confidence. Talent and confidence is for sure what got them to play in a book shop for an open-mic night. Or maybe it was their teacher. Either way, they stole the show and were asked to return for each month’s open mic. If you’re in the area on the third Thursday of the month, I can recommend a cool event for you to attend.
Perhaps on par (or more) with Jake’s major milestone is the fact that Danny has retired. It is nearly unbelievable, but when you’ve had a front row seat to his last five years of work, it feels like the best and most deserving reward. He has filled his time by doing yard work, house repairs, car repairs, boat updating, diving, wreck hunting, chauffeuring, picking up groceries, mountain biking, POSTING ON INSTAGRAM (who is this guy?), learning on youtube for fun, and turning 50! The best quote to sum up how this new stage is going that he’s been in is when he said “maybe I’ll take up skateboarding again.”
I don’t know if this post was worth the wait, but it is accurate to the best of my memory. Now that I have this update out of the way, perchance I will give you a peak into our summer sooner rather than later. Give me an opening sentence and it could be sooner! 😉
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