I'm laying here beside Tristan, rubbing his back and helping him go back to sleep. He stayed up late and woke up too early and is having trouble falling back asleep. My mind is just full of amazing thoughts about him and what an incredible human being he is.
My mind wanders to a comment that someone made about the unschooling article that was in People magazine a couple of weeks ago, that featured my sister and her family. The comment was that parents need to exert control over their children. Our philosophy is that we are here to keep them safe and to help guide them in their UNIQUE life journey, not to make them what we want them to be.
So, it got me to thinking...............................many of these comments come from far right, conservative Christians, which makes me very sad because I am a Christian and firmly believe at looking towards the example of Christ. The next thought was "Well, if we are to be following the example of Christ then it would do us some good to look at the relationship that he had with his parents", which brings me right back to my philosophy on parenting. Christ had an incredible purpose on this earth, for sure, but you don't read about his parents trying to "control" him. I think that would have lead to disaster for them. Their job was to keep him safe and care for him and then get out of the way and let him do what he was put on this earth to do.
Every single one of us was put on this earth for a purpose also. We are not accidents but planned out and put on this earth for a very unique purpose. My job as a parent is to bring as much joy into my children's life, to keep them safe, and to help guide them in their unique life journey and then get out of the way and let them do what they were put on this earth to do. I don't know exactly what that is for each of them but deep inside they know. THEY ARE POWERFUL, POSITIVE, HUMAN BEINGS!!!
I'm just so amazed as I watch each of them discover what their purpose is in this thing called life and I am so blessed and lucky to be able to walk beside them, for a litte while, as life unfolds for them! Thank you my little ones for bringing so much JOY into my life!!!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Monday, June 12, 2006
The Buxcels rock!!!
We just spent the last four days with the Buxcels; a very cool unschooling family that we met at the conference and really clicked with. Karen called me her soul sister today and that is exactly what it feels like. We parked in front of their house for three nights and just hung out, ate good food, had GREAT coffee, and just made ourselves at home. It just feels like we have known them for a lifetime! They live in an older, quaint, adorable house that just felt so homey! It was such a good reminder to me that, in our society, we think we need WAY more than we do. We made a comittment to simplify our lives when we took this trip and it was good to be brought back down to earth and be reminded of that comittment. Thanks Karen!! We love your family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yesterday we drove into Deadwood and took one of their boys, Saylor, with us. He spent the night and then Karen drove up this morning with her other two boys, Stone and Sage, and hung out at the pool with us all day, at the KOA that we are parked at. Last night we played hide and seek with Saylor and Tristan, which is quite interesting when you only have a small space around your motorhome. It was great to see the places that the boys thought of hiding. The last hiding place was up in a tree near the motorhome ,which Tristan ended up getting stuck in. It took him a little bit but he was able to get down on his own. When it got dark we came in and had popcorn and watched TV.
It was so hard to say goodbye but we are going to try really hard to make it to the conference in September; it all depends on what our financial situation is. We will be moving on to Montana tomorrow and should be home by next Thurs. Seems weird because in many ways it seems like we just left to start our trip and it is already coming to an end.
Yesterday we drove into Deadwood and took one of their boys, Saylor, with us. He spent the night and then Karen drove up this morning with her other two boys, Stone and Sage, and hung out at the pool with us all day, at the KOA that we are parked at. Last night we played hide and seek with Saylor and Tristan, which is quite interesting when you only have a small space around your motorhome. It was great to see the places that the boys thought of hiding. The last hiding place was up in a tree near the motorhome ,which Tristan ended up getting stuck in. It took him a little bit but he was able to get down on his own. When it got dark we came in and had popcorn and watched TV.
It was so hard to say goodbye but we are going to try really hard to make it to the conference in September; it all depends on what our financial situation is. We will be moving on to Montana tomorrow and should be home by next Thurs. Seems weird because in many ways it seems like we just left to start our trip and it is already coming to an end.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Hi from Rapid City, SD -- Martin
Heidi told me that it was my turn to blog this week and when your boss speaks I have learned that it is good to listen, so here it is. I started at 2:30 am last night but I was way to sleepy so I had to quit and try again today.
Time is now offically flying "bye" , it is now about gone! It does not seem like we started this trip 6 months ago but you know what they say about time flying when your having fun. Then we look back through all of the pictures and realize that we have done a lot the last six months! We have also seen some real cool things along the way. This trip has definitely been a blessing for us that we will not soon forget.
The last couple of weeks have been a blast! We got to Estes Park in Co. two weeks ago today to visit my sister Becky. As we drove into town I looked over at Heidi and asked her why we were going back to Alaska. She reminded me that it was for our kids but at that moment I did not want to take them into consideration. I had found the place that I was looking for! That small little town that "I" could open up a coffee shop in and live "my" perfect little life in.
Estes Park is located in a bowl at about 8000 feet up in the rockies. It is a town of about 5500 full time residents and 3,000,000 tourist a year. As you drive into town you drop about 300 feet of elevation down to the bottom of the bowl. So as you are driving into town you look out onto a Lake directly in front of you. Off to the left is a beautiful 18 hole golf course and then nestled on the far side of the lake is another 9 hole golf course that butts up to the lake. What an awesome sight! When you get down in the bowl you look up on all sides at snow covered mountain peaks. The beauty is truly breath taking!
As you drive through town you can truly feel the charm of the place. People are happy and very friendly. There is a sidewalk that skirts a river that runs behind the businesses on one side of town. A truly peaceful setting that is calming to the nerves. The down town area is about a 1/2 mile long and is all along one street which is very quaint setting. Shops line both side of the street that, from 8:00am to 9:00pm each day, is busy with activity.
If you continue out of town about 3 miles you enter the Rocky Mountain National Park which is really an awesome sight in itself. The place is teaming with wildlife (We had deer and elk in the motorhome park where we were staying) and there are hundreds of places you can hike and enjoy its tranquility.
So yes, we did do what we set out to do on this trip! We found our little piece of heaven in Estes Park, Co. So now you are wondering why we are still going back to Alaska? That cold land that we left in our rear view mirror 6 months ago. Well those of you that have kids will understand, that sometimes parents do crazy things for there kids. So mark this up to one of those times. Even though it is the place we (Heidi and myself) were looking for, we have found that our kids do not share our dream at this point in time. Since we are a family that works together we are respecting their desire to return to Wasilla, Alaska. Also lets face it, we (Heidi and myself) do miss some things also, our friends being the main thing. So not everything is bad when contemplating our return home.
Also while in Estes Park my Aunt Joyce came up to see us from Colorado Springs. It was nice to see her and spend some time with her. The last time we had seen her was a few years ago. So it was great to have a couple of days with her.
So as we left Estes Park in our rear view mirror after 5 days, there was some sadness about leaving our piece of heaven behind but at the same time we were looking forward to the adventures yet to come, including the journey home.
Next we headed to Grand Junction, Co. to see my sister Lizz and her family. On the way we stopped at Water World, a water park in Denver. Kevin and me had a blast hitting every ride we could. After a day of playing in the water we continued across the state and arrived at 11:00pm in Grand Junction. Along the way we went through a bunch of tunnels, which Tristan got a real kick out of. Each tunnel we went through we had to hold our breath until we got through the tunnel. On one I about passed out as it was over a mile long. That would have been a real good one trying to explain to the police why I wrecked the motorhome. "Well it was like this sir. My son wanted me to hold my breath going through the tunnel and the next thing I know I passed out and wrecked!............................................. Here's my sign." :)
While in Grand Junction we went to Utah to the Arches National Park in Moab. A very cool place but the day we were there it was 100*F out so we did not do much hiking. In Grand Junction we also found an outdoor public pool that we all enjoyed, as the temp both days we went to the pool broke 100*F. The heat was great and will be the one thing we miss in Alaska.
While there we also went to the Mesa Monument above Grand Junction. What a sight! The sun was setting and the red rocks were gleaming in the setting sun. What a sunset! Tristan was in his element climbing on all of the rocks and we got some real good pictures. The next night we all went to the local rodeo in Fruita. When we first got there Tristan and Calista were bored with it but by the time we left we had to coax them out of there. Another new experience that they loved.
We left on wednesday morning for Mount Rushmore and after two days of driving we arrived! On the way we were bored out of our minds by all the wide flat open land called Wyoming. No wonder only 490,000 people live there.....YUK! It was as bad as Kansas in my mind. I know for sure that I'm not a flat lander.
Once we hit the Black Hills in South Dakota things started to change. More trees, hills and rocks. Then we saw the Crazy horse rock carving which is a neat thing but is unfinished at this time. Then onto Mt. Rushmore which was very cool. What an accomplishment! Something everyone should see with their own eyes.
When we left Rushmore we headed to Rapid City, where we are parked right now at John and Karen Buxcel's. The kids are having a blast playing with their kids and it has been nice for Heidi and myself to be able to visit and have some down time to relax. To top it off they like good coffee too! YES! It is so good to be on the west side of the USA!
So we will be here a few days before we head onto Montana and then home to Alaska. I hear the boss calling for the computer so this job is done for now! :)
Martin
Time is now offically flying "bye" , it is now about gone! It does not seem like we started this trip 6 months ago but you know what they say about time flying when your having fun. Then we look back through all of the pictures and realize that we have done a lot the last six months! We have also seen some real cool things along the way. This trip has definitely been a blessing for us that we will not soon forget.
The last couple of weeks have been a blast! We got to Estes Park in Co. two weeks ago today to visit my sister Becky. As we drove into town I looked over at Heidi and asked her why we were going back to Alaska. She reminded me that it was for our kids but at that moment I did not want to take them into consideration. I had found the place that I was looking for! That small little town that "I" could open up a coffee shop in and live "my" perfect little life in.
Estes Park is located in a bowl at about 8000 feet up in the rockies. It is a town of about 5500 full time residents and 3,000,000 tourist a year. As you drive into town you drop about 300 feet of elevation down to the bottom of the bowl. So as you are driving into town you look out onto a Lake directly in front of you. Off to the left is a beautiful 18 hole golf course and then nestled on the far side of the lake is another 9 hole golf course that butts up to the lake. What an awesome sight! When you get down in the bowl you look up on all sides at snow covered mountain peaks. The beauty is truly breath taking!
As you drive through town you can truly feel the charm of the place. People are happy and very friendly. There is a sidewalk that skirts a river that runs behind the businesses on one side of town. A truly peaceful setting that is calming to the nerves. The down town area is about a 1/2 mile long and is all along one street which is very quaint setting. Shops line both side of the street that, from 8:00am to 9:00pm each day, is busy with activity.
If you continue out of town about 3 miles you enter the Rocky Mountain National Park which is really an awesome sight in itself. The place is teaming with wildlife (We had deer and elk in the motorhome park where we were staying) and there are hundreds of places you can hike and enjoy its tranquility.
So yes, we did do what we set out to do on this trip! We found our little piece of heaven in Estes Park, Co. So now you are wondering why we are still going back to Alaska? That cold land that we left in our rear view mirror 6 months ago. Well those of you that have kids will understand, that sometimes parents do crazy things for there kids. So mark this up to one of those times. Even though it is the place we (Heidi and myself) were looking for, we have found that our kids do not share our dream at this point in time. Since we are a family that works together we are respecting their desire to return to Wasilla, Alaska. Also lets face it, we (Heidi and myself) do miss some things also, our friends being the main thing. So not everything is bad when contemplating our return home.
Also while in Estes Park my Aunt Joyce came up to see us from Colorado Springs. It was nice to see her and spend some time with her. The last time we had seen her was a few years ago. So it was great to have a couple of days with her.
So as we left Estes Park in our rear view mirror after 5 days, there was some sadness about leaving our piece of heaven behind but at the same time we were looking forward to the adventures yet to come, including the journey home.
Next we headed to Grand Junction, Co. to see my sister Lizz and her family. On the way we stopped at Water World, a water park in Denver. Kevin and me had a blast hitting every ride we could. After a day of playing in the water we continued across the state and arrived at 11:00pm in Grand Junction. Along the way we went through a bunch of tunnels, which Tristan got a real kick out of. Each tunnel we went through we had to hold our breath until we got through the tunnel. On one I about passed out as it was over a mile long. That would have been a real good one trying to explain to the police why I wrecked the motorhome. "Well it was like this sir. My son wanted me to hold my breath going through the tunnel and the next thing I know I passed out and wrecked!............................................. Here's my sign." :)
While in Grand Junction we went to Utah to the Arches National Park in Moab. A very cool place but the day we were there it was 100*F out so we did not do much hiking. In Grand Junction we also found an outdoor public pool that we all enjoyed, as the temp both days we went to the pool broke 100*F. The heat was great and will be the one thing we miss in Alaska.
While there we also went to the Mesa Monument above Grand Junction. What a sight! The sun was setting and the red rocks were gleaming in the setting sun. What a sunset! Tristan was in his element climbing on all of the rocks and we got some real good pictures. The next night we all went to the local rodeo in Fruita. When we first got there Tristan and Calista were bored with it but by the time we left we had to coax them out of there. Another new experience that they loved.
We left on wednesday morning for Mount Rushmore and after two days of driving we arrived! On the way we were bored out of our minds by all the wide flat open land called Wyoming. No wonder only 490,000 people live there.....YUK! It was as bad as Kansas in my mind. I know for sure that I'm not a flat lander.
Once we hit the Black Hills in South Dakota things started to change. More trees, hills and rocks. Then we saw the Crazy horse rock carving which is a neat thing but is unfinished at this time. Then onto Mt. Rushmore which was very cool. What an accomplishment! Something everyone should see with their own eyes.
When we left Rushmore we headed to Rapid City, where we are parked right now at John and Karen Buxcel's. The kids are having a blast playing with their kids and it has been nice for Heidi and myself to be able to visit and have some down time to relax. To top it off they like good coffee too! YES! It is so good to be on the west side of the USA!
So we will be here a few days before we head onto Montana and then home to Alaska. I hear the boss calling for the computer so this job is done for now! :)
Martin
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Frustrated
This last few days I am feeling SO FRUSTRATED at the judgement, prejudice, and racism that exists in the world!!!! Why is it that some people feel more important, more intelligent, more whatever because of their skin color, their sexuality, their education, their religion, there mental capacity, there............WHATEVER!!!
All of us that exist in this world are connected; we were created by the same God, we are loved UNCONDITIONALLY by the same God, and we all NEED each other whether people realize that or not.
Just a little factoid.......................regardless of what skin color you are..........................your skin color, sexuality, religion, WHATEVER, does not make you more or less intelligent, it does not make you more or less likely to commit a crime, it does not make you more or less likely to make a lot of money, it does NOT make you special!!! And it certainly doesn't determine whether you are a more loving, kind, accepting, non-judgemental individual!!!
For any who say "I'm not prejudice BUT.................". Little tidbit..................YOU ARE!!!!
For any who are prejudice, racist, or judgemental in any way and claim to know the love of Christ, I would encourage you to do some serious reading about Christ and get to know him a little better!!!! Learn a little more about AGAPE love!!
Sorry, just venting!! I just wish there were a little more REAL LOVE in this world and a lot less judgment placed on other people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"You can't cure the world of sorrows, but you can choose to live in joy" I guess that is what I have to do. And to everyone out there.....................I LOVE YOU!!!!!!
All of us that exist in this world are connected; we were created by the same God, we are loved UNCONDITIONALLY by the same God, and we all NEED each other whether people realize that or not.
Just a little factoid.......................regardless of what skin color you are..........................your skin color, sexuality, religion, WHATEVER, does not make you more or less intelligent, it does not make you more or less likely to commit a crime, it does not make you more or less likely to make a lot of money, it does NOT make you special!!! And it certainly doesn't determine whether you are a more loving, kind, accepting, non-judgemental individual!!!
For any who say "I'm not prejudice BUT.................". Little tidbit..................YOU ARE!!!!
For any who are prejudice, racist, or judgemental in any way and claim to know the love of Christ, I would encourage you to do some serious reading about Christ and get to know him a little better!!!! Learn a little more about AGAPE love!!
Sorry, just venting!! I just wish there were a little more REAL LOVE in this world and a lot less judgment placed on other people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"You can't cure the world of sorrows, but you can choose to live in joy" I guess that is what I have to do. And to everyone out there.....................I LOVE YOU!!!!!!
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