We are so grateful to have a community pool to go to in our neighborhood. The kids love to go of course. At first it was nerve-racking taking 4 kids to the pool, alone, but we really haven’t had a choice this summer. We have developed a system that works for us. Gunnar and Tygar can swim for the most part and we have been working on treading water, etc. Stone won’t put his head under water, so he sticks to the 3 feet or the baby pool. So, I mostly hang with Eden, with a watchful eye on the boys. And she is non-stop, going from the big pool to the baby pool and back and forth. The big pool is warm, almost like a hot tub because of the ridiculously HOT weather we have been having his summer. The baby pool water is cool. I like to think the reason for this is they put fresh water in the baby pool on a regular basis?? At least that’s what I like to think. So, we spend a lot of time at the baby pool. It has a slide and spraying water, it’s not a typical baby pool. Even Gunnar loves it.

Yesterday, we went to the pool and we were a little overheated when we arrived, the car temp said it was 103, so we decided to cool off first in the baby pool. I immediately sat down in the pool and enjoyed the cool feeling for a few moments. It was somewhat crowded with a few parents sitting on the edge watching their toddlers and some playing with their babies. About 8 feet away from me were 2 couples, sitting and sipping their drinks in their koozies chatting away. Suddenly, one of the guys enthusiastically yells, “Caroline, what are you doing?”, like we were old friends that hadn’t seen each other in years. I looked at him, we both have sunglasses on, so I couldn’t tell if he was directly looking at me, but he was faced in my direction. For a half a second I was very confused, wondering could I possibly know someone here that well that would address me in that way and I felt immediately embarrassed that I hadn’t recognized them and felt bad for not saying hello first. Perhaps they went to Lake Forest? A neighbor that I forgot what they looked like because when you’re wearing a plaid beach hat, 80s polarized sunglasses, no shirt on and you see the beer belly they look at little different than when you would see them walking to their mailbox wearing regular clothes? This all passed through my mind in a half-second, really. Without trying to be rude, I answered him, even though I should have said, “Do I know you?” I said, “Hey…I’m just trying to cool off.” Then, he paused. Turned to his friends, pointed at me, said something, then they all laughed. I was wondering what was so funny. He turned back to me and said with another chuckle, “Is your name Caroline? I was talking to my daughter, Caroline.” And then he pointed to me to turn around and his daughter was playing right behind me. Immediately, I felt like I was back in the 6th grade again when I was the subject of ridicule being the new girl in town with a funny accent moving to Maryland from Tennessee. They would say to me, “Go back to where you came from.” Crazy that this came back to me at this time after 27 years in this situation.

Embarrassed, I laughed it off with them but wondered why they thought it was so funny. Maybe it was a few too many koozie covered beverages? I’m sure I could have had some witty response, but those of you that know me, know that I’m not that witty. I should have said, “Well, you all know my name now, how about introducing yourself to me?” Or…??

Anyway, I went back to playing with Eden, who had started playing with the little girl Caroline, thankful for the distraction to help the awkwardness fade away.

My rebellious nature as a teenager and young adult reared it’s ugly head when I became a mom. Children were not a part of “our plan” for a while, if at all, honestly. I wanted a few more years of newlywed bliss. I wasn’t ready to give up my spontaneous lifestyle of traveling with Greg and doing student ministry together. Quite selfish of me really. It took me 5 years, when child #3 was coming, and we were relocating again, to realize that the ministry God wanted for me to do wasn’t students anymore but the children that He gave us to raise. Like the students, they are His children, but my responsibility to love and teach them about God increased tremendously. I was scared. I was never a “kid” person. I babysat maybe twice growing up. The one time I helped in the nursery at church, I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t even notice one of the kids had a poo explosion until his mom came to pick him up. I knew how to talk to and hang with students. I knew NADA about babies. Now I know more than I ever wanted to know about babies through the experiences with Gunnar, Tygar, Stone and Eden. I know as they grow I will continue to learn more. I am THANKFUL that despite my selfishness God has placed these kids in our lives and Greg and I hope and pray that we honor our Father by doing his will each day and live each day with an eternal perspective so that they will know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

In no particular order:

1. Parties are fun. The Nester and The Schultes know how to throw parties. Hope I get invited again.
2. I suck at small talk.
3. I suck even more at remembering people’s names, even people I’ve met before.
4. I plan on losing a few pounds just from sweating by standing still, one of the many great things about living here.
5. Tygar’s small group leader is awesome. He’s in middle school and he planned a nerf gun and water balloon fight for them on his own time and gave them silly bandz (all the craze here in NC) and other gifts.
6. Sleepovers for kids are great, especially when they’re at someone else’s house.
7. We found a new fav Chinese take out place in Huntersville, Jin Jin. Delish!
8. Indian food is really good, but really spicy.
9. Eden is afraid of dogs.
10. Felt inadequate and dumb but at the same time, completely welcome at a new friends house where we were the only ones who didn’t know a second language.
11. I love to drive Joon.
12. I love air conditioning.
13. I hope the trend of Eden having surgery followed by Greg having surgery ends soon.

“I wrote because, at times, I had to. It was write, or develop an ulcer-or forget. I chose to write. At times I even wrote for the sheer fun.” Ruth Bell Graham

If you love poems, pick up her book, “Sitting by My Laughing Fire”.

eden and i went with whitney to find the target closest to their apt in charlotte to buy random things. it’s always fun to explore a place you’ve never been before with a friend. well, we have been to target before, but not this one. and we found it! and the trader joes which i’m jealous is not closer to me! but when i got out of the car, it smelled like that smell you smell when 18 wheelers lock their brakes. i thought it was a city smell because i didn’t smell it until i got to charlotte. however, driving back home to huntersville, the “city smell” didn’t go away. i started to realize it was probably the truck, “daphne” that was making the smell. i’m a genius, right? i checked all the gauges, and they were fine. well, the “check engine” light has been on for months now, but it wasn’t that. i called greg and told him about the smell and he said to come on back home. well, turns out the brake pad was stuck. and i drove around a lot. if you were in charlotte or huntersville today and smelled that 18 wheeler locked brakes smell, it was “daphne”. she will be sitting by the curb again for while until she can get all her parts repaired.