Jersey love: moonlight swim.

We arrived in New Jersey on a Friday afternoon, just in time for the last "Moonlight Swim" of the season at the Madison Community Pool.  As I've shared so many times before, this pool is like none other. First of all, it has a social director, who just happens to be my mother.  Throughout the pool season from Memorial Day to Labor Day, there are all kinds of events from luaus to magic shows to jazz bands to massages.

The Moonlight Swim is magical - the pool stays open until 10:00pm, and you get to swim under the stars, eat delicious food, and dance to live music by local artists.  In the evening, the grass is actually chilly under your feet, and townspeople are wrapped in sweatshirts and towels as they contentedly sit, watch, and listen from the lawn.  Others swim laps or gather in groups in the water and chat.  The crickets in the woods that surround the pool on three sides provide the real soundtrack for the evening.

So, being in town to catch the last Moonlight Swim?  I could hardly pull on my bathing suit quickly enough.

As I unpacked the diaper bag and re-stuffed it with swim diapers and towels, my mom informed me that there had been a few changes to how she attends Moonlight Swims now.  "Oh, really?" I asked, my interest piqued.  "Yes," she replied matter-of-factly.  "I don't swim at the Moonlight Swim.  I dance.  I wear a bathing suit, my body glittah, and sneakuhs and socks.  And tonight, I'm gonna dance with my grand-daughta."

And that is exactly what she did.  If only we could all be so uninhibited.

While Mimi danced with her granddaughter, I had the luxury of swimming laps {by myself!} under the moonlight.  As I backstroked down the length of the Olympics-sized lanes, I aligned myself with the swim team pennant rope to stay straight, and my ears immersed underwater muted everything.  It was just me, the water, and the moon overhead.  I stroked slowly, not wanting to speed up this peaceful moment.  I wanted to bottle up that feeling and bring it back to Texas.

From the water, I could spot my mother across the pool, whisking my daughter across the deck to the Oldies as dusk settled.  My parents danced cheek-to-cheek to their favorite song, "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton, as they usually do. 

At almost closing time, I exited the water and went to find a towel.  My toes were pruned, my hair a tangled mess.  My daughter's eyelids were heavy.  Mom's friends were sitting on the benches watching her, wishing they all had the guts to dance in front of a hundred people in a bathing suit and tennis shoes.  And I knew the evening was nothing short of perfection.

Jersey love: summer = playing outside.

God speaks to me through nature, that is for sure.  I think that's why it grieves me to spend summer indoors where I currently live.  It breathed such life into my soul to enjoy summer outside in New Jersey, spending morning through evening with toes in the grass, swinging with my husband, spending time with my parents who work so hard to cultivate beauty on their piece of land, watching our little girl so contentedly fall in love with nature, too.

She could have played all day with all of Mimi's "critters" - squirrels, rabbits, turtles, birds.  I walked to the very back of the yard and admired my favorite trees, ones with trunks so wide you cannot get your arms around them.  Under those trees, we have buried beloved family cats, dogs, and even a pigeon named Rainbow.  We had badminton tournaments.  I made mudpies and sat on the grass playing my tennis racket guitar. 

It's amazing to be in places that have held you all your life and then to be able to introduce a new little life to those sacred places.

Here are some of my favorite moments...

How a sprinkler changed my day.

pure JOY.

Yesterday.  The little one was restless all night, probably trying to walk and talk in her sleep.  I awoke still feeling exhausted and knew we would face another scorching 107 degree day with no end in sight.  You know how some people hibernate in the winter?  Here, sadly, we hibernate in the summer.  It's too hot to take our beloved daily walks, and even car rides are risky when the car thermometer reads 111 degrees and you have a baby facing away from the air flow in her car seat.  Nonetheless, we were desperate to get out of the house, so I loaded up the stroller, gave my daughter an ice cube to suck on and strapped her in her seat and headed for Northpark Mall.  At least the mall contains lots of visual stimulation, is free, and has endless amounts of air conditioning.  I ate a chicken salad wrap at the food court while Luci Belle threw all her food on the ground, and then I pushed the stroller around the mall circuit a few times zombie-like.

After an-hour-and-a-half, we returned home, and it was still early afternoon.  What on earth were we going to do for the rest of the day?  Watch Ratatouille again?  Or perhaps we should read Olivia for the hundredth time?

That's when my genius husband asked if I would like him to bring the sprinkler to the back yard so we could play in it? 

Yes, please!

Minutes later in the brown, crisp back yard, I had on a swim suit and put Luci Belle in a swim diaper and tank top.  She cried a little at the first sting of the water and then laughed.  And laughed and laughed and laughed...

I held her as we ran through it horizontally.  We pointed together up in the sky at the water's peak.  We stood in front of it and let it spray the backs of our heads down to our ankles.  We watched little beads of water form on our thirsty plants and trees.

10 minutes later, we were thoroughly cooled and soaking wet, and...energized!  We returned inside, hair matted, dripping water on the kitchen floor, my feet squeaking and sloshing in the puddles that had accumulated inside my red Mary Jane Crocs.  And we were both absolutely beaming.

Ahh, a fresh start to the day, and all it took was a little water.  God knows it doesn't take much to turn a sour day into a beautiful one. 

Korean 1st Birthday ~ Doljanchi 돌잔치.

Our little Luci Belle is almost 1!  And she is as spunky, animated, and joyful as ever.  As we approached her first birthday, we wanted to celebrate her precious life in a way that would honor traditions that are part of her unique mixed heritage: Korean-Italian-American.  Having been born and raised in South Korea, Steven's mom (who we call "Halmani," meaning "grandmother") is always sharing Korean traditions with us...one of the most important being a child's first Birthday or "Doljanchi."

The Doljanchi is so treasured in Korean culture, because in the old days, many children didn't make it to their first birthday due to poverty, war, hunger, and limited medical care. If a child lived until age one, his or her chances of survival increased significantly.  The first birthday party is a chance to celebrate and bless the child's life with a prosperous future.

We held Luci Belle's Doljanchi in the banquet room of a local Korean restaurant, and it was a blast!  Our little family of three along with Steven's parents all wore traditional Korean dress that his parents purchased all the way in Korea a few months ago.

So, here's how it went...

First, Steven's dad arrived with the outfits, and our friend Paul brought in bunches of colorful balloons...

...and we decorated the entrance with photos from her first year of life.  The photo on the right is her being held in the Moby wrap by Steven's sister Michelle with her husband Cody looking on.  We miss them so much as they're currently serving in the Middle East with Preemptive Love Coalition.

We got dressed head-to-toe in silk, and out came the birthday girl to greet her guests.  Halmani was really in her element, as you can see!

A special table was set with fruit and Korean sweets towered high to symbolize prosperity.  

Well, the pecan bars on the left aren't Korean, but they're one of Steven's mom's specialties.  Can you say buttery shortbread crust?  And those honey-sweetened brown rice balls?  Luscious.

One thing is for sure - Luci Belle takes after her daddy and is definitely invigorated by being around people! 

Another fun tradition is that each guest gets their photo with the birthday girl.  Here are a few of my favorites...

Then came the ceremony called the "doljabee" when you lay out certain symbolic items on a table, and whatever item the child picks up first supposedly predicts his or her future career.  We included money (the child will be rich), yarn (symbolizes a long life), a purse (fashion), a whisk (cooking, of course!), a hairbrush (will she be a hairstylist, like Halmani?), a cell phone (business), a camera (photographer), a pencil (supposedly means the child will be a genius!), and a tambourine (musician).  We were sure she was going to pick the whisk...

...but we were wrong - she went straight for the pencil!  I know it's supposed to symbolize that the child will be a genius, but I'm choosing to believe it means WRITER/genius!  And then of course, she saw the cell phone...

After the doljabee, it was time to eat all that delicious Korean food. Seaweed soup is at every Korean birthday party, no matter what age.  Koreans serve seaweed soup to a new mother right after she births a baby, for nutrients and to help with breastfeeding, just like whales do!  And so they serve it at every birthday as a reminder of what the mother went through to bring her child into the world (can you say 36 hours of labor?  thankyouverymuch).

There were two kinds of cake - traditional Korean rainbow rice cake (which isn't at all sweet despite how it looks) and a beautifully-decorated butter rum cake from The Cherry Laurel in Athens, TX.

For the rest of the time, we just ate and enjoyed each other and let the little one play to her heart's content.

Finally, it was time to thank our guests and say bye-bye...

We'll be celebrating Italian-style with my side of the family in Jersey next month, so stay tuned...

~

* Many thanks to Erin Fletcher for the photos.

My baby daddy.

First Father's Day breakfast: fluffy Pamela's pancakes slathered with maple syrup, bananas and peanut butter...

...and the smiles of a little girl who adores her daddy tremendously...

It's a joy to watch Luci Belle giggle with anticipation when she hears his footsteps coming down the hall, or to see her eyes light up when he gives her attention.  Already, I can tell that our daughter has inherited some very important characteristics from her daddy...she is fueled by being around people, is exhilarated by being the center of attention and making people laugh, and is a lover of food, especially beef and garlic, like a true Korean-Italian!

And there's one other thing she inherited from him, of course...

Yup, his hair.

It's no surprise that Steven is an amazing father.  When I first met him in early 2004, he had already spent many years loving and caring for orphans in Romania, mentoring inner-city boys in Waco, and shepherding teenage boys in the youth group.  Loving people seems effortless to him, yet being a father has opened up a new part of his soul - a more vulnerable part. 

When I think about Steven as a husband, father, and friend, I think this quote describes him perfectly...

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." ~Clarence Budington Kelland

How blessed we are to have him in our lives!

3 simple joys: tree classrooms, wildflower bouquets, and baby friends.

"Rejoicing is the motivation of the Christian life.  If there is no gratitude there will be no change and no transformation."
~ Jerram Barrs (quote originally found on Flourish Online Magazine)

These 3 Simple Joys posts have transformed my days.  Here are my most recent ones...

Tree classrooms.

Wordsworth said, "Let nature be your teacher."  Have you ever seen a tree classroom?  Today, I did!  On a return visit to the Trinity River Audubon Center, we explored more, through the wooded trails.  We came upon this enormous, old pecan tree that created a canopy and carved out a little classroom in the middle of the forest.  There were even little makeshift benches made from tree trunks scattered around.

A pathway was flanked by two tall trees that looked like vaulting poles.  The trees there were towering and lovely, completely preserved, never to be cut down.

* * *

Wildflower bouquets.

The other morning, my husband woke me up and then handed me this wildflower bouquet that he had just picked from our backyard garden and arranged himself.  The stems were even tied carefully with twine so they would stand up correctly in the turquoise cup.  Tell me, what husband does that?  Mine.  Yup, I'm a lucky girl.

* * *

Baby friends.

What would we do without our friends Bre & John Taylor and their little boy Jack who live just 2 streets over?  {And don't forget little Liv in Bre's tummy!}  Jack and Luci Belle are less than 3 weeks apart and already best friends.  And it's a Godsend to have another mother nearby who is in the same stage in life...for not just sanity but encouragement!

10 reasons why I still love "You've Got Mail".

1) When it's 107 degrees in Dallas for months, I can immediately be transported for a few heavenly hours to a crisp New York autumn.

2) Creative gift ideas.I have given a "bouquet of newly sharpened pencils" as a fun little gift to several friends since this movie.  Who doesn't want to receive one of those?  "Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."  - Joe Fox.   

3) Café Lalo - one of the most charming little cafés in New York.  Nothing like sitting by the open casement windows there, sipping a warm latté on a mild October day.  My friend Suz and I have done it multiple times.

me and Suz in front of Café Lalo in 2005

4) The scene where Kathleen Kelly is shopping for groceries at Zabar's on Thanksgiving.  I don't know what's better...Rose the annoyed cashier, "Get-in-another-line."  Or awnery HAYN-ry who is behind Kathleen in line. "So SIGN already!  I'll hardly get home in time to watch the Thanksgiving parade!"

5) The fabulous Parker Posey.  Quirky, exotically beautiful, and the perfect dry humor.

6) Their ancient Mac computers and Instant Messenger.  Don't you miss those simpler times before our lives were taken over with things like Facebook and Twitter?  I actually remember getting in AOL chat rooms in college. HA!

7) From a pier on the Hudson River, Joe Fox and the kids wave hello to New Jersey, my homeland.

8) The "George" character.  "This place is a TOMB!  I'm going to the Nut Shop where it's fun."

9) Christmas in New York.  Period.

10)  How can I not mention Meg Ryan's choppy pixie haircut?  If I could pull off short hair, I would rock that hair style like it's 1998.

This movie just makes me happy no matter when I watch it, at any time of year.  And I'll never tire of it, never.

Splash!