Lori Bailey

When I make an apple pie

I take my time. Apple pie is one of the few things I don't rush. I peel the apples slowly, adding spices and sugar, carefully mixing the dough, and let my mind wander up and down the branches of our family tree.

I curl my fingers around the birdseye maple rolling pin that my grandpa gave me, smiling at the thought of him picking it up at an auction or estate sale. I'm sure he said something like, "Now baby, you can't buy one like this anymore," and I certainly couldn't. It's solid, sturdy, almost primitive, and perfectly seasoned from who knows how many years of rolling out pie crusts.

I use the recipe my mom first wrote for me on a scrap of paper, jotting it down from memory before she went to work in the morning.

I remember growing up across the street from an apple orchard, and the abundance of harvest in the fall. I'm forever an apple snob because of those days and cannot tolerate a sub-par apple.

I recall being 17 years old and making an apple pie for one of the first Christmas presents I gave to my boyfriend. His name was Brian.

I laugh, knowing my brother rivals me in pie-making skills.

I think of my aunt, who, upon hearing that family members would be driving in from various states to visit my sick father, rolled up her sleeves and said, "I better start making some pies."

I smile, remembering how Ben used to call it, "pile" instead of pie.

I remember driving to my grandma and grandpa's house in Ohio, placing bets with my family along the way about what kind of pie would be waiting for us there.

I think of how many apple pies my mom made for our family, her movements so quick and sure from years of practice.

I savor the chance to create...a humble art...an act of love. And after some time, when that wonderful, incomparable scent begins to drift out of the oven, our house feels that much more like home.

Savoring Summer

Very early this summer, I was giving Brian a few dinner choices based on the meals I had planned for the week. He wisely pointed out that they were all pretty heavy for the hot weather we were experiencing. Huh. Hadn't thought to change the menu based on the season yet, which is pretty much Cooking 101.

Anyway, this led to a bit of an epiphany...we were in a new season, and I hadn't done anything to acknowledge it. I'm a creature of habit if there ever was one, and I'll stick to a routine long after it stops working, because I'm not thinking about what's effective, but focused on crossing things off the list. That's why God gave me a smart, creative husband ;)

It was a pretty easy adjustment to embrace the summer-ness of summer, because it's naturally a time when we relax and focus on having fun. And the Bailey way of doing that might look a little different than it does for other families, but here's what summer fun meant for us this year:

• Loosening our weeknight routine that we stuck to during the school year
• Lots of trips to the new community pool just down the road
• Bailey summer movie festival
• Lighter meals, many salads
• Skirts almost every day for me (one of my fav adjustments! Totally comfy.)
• Finally taking our vacation to Seattle
• Wii Fit family fun
• Plentiful library visits
• Sleeping in a little longer in the morning
• Wooing one of the squirrels into letting us feed him by hand
• Slowing down the posting schedule on Family Reads
• Real downtime on Sundays
• Smooth days for me working at home every day, with Ben happily engaged in a mix of creative pursuits and relaxation
• Lots of ice cream, leading us to discover two incredible new flavors from Ben and Jerrys: Americone Dream and Vermonty Python
• Hanging out on the couch and letting conversations drift aimlessly...laughing and learning about the world and each other

School starts tomorrow, and all weekend we've been celebrating the end of a great summer break with Ben's favorites: Starbucks, movie rental, bagels, pizza, time at the pool, seeing Clone Wars with Brian, and later we'll be winding down with a double-header of West Wing episodes and leftover pizza.

In a few hours, we'll begin preparing for a brand new school year and all the change, growth, excitement, and hard work that 7th grade is sure to bring...but right now we're enjoying one last dance with summer.

Schooled

As we begin Ben's last week of summer break, I'm mentally gearing up for the different pace and rhythm of the school year. I get a little giddy during this season and just stepping inside his school yesterday filled me with a sense of anticipation and excitement. The fresh start of a new school year is hard to match—so full  of potential and possibilities. And as much as I've loved seeing Ben be able to completely relax and enjoy a lazy summer (in all the best ways), there's nothing like watching Ben-the-student in action.

That dreamy, ethereal state usually lasts about one day into the school year and then reality sets in. This is a lot of work. That's expected for Ben, of course, but it always throws me for a loop how much things change for the non-students in the family too. So I'm trying to get a little smarter each year, learning from plentiful past mistakes. And in that spirit, I'm making note of a few things to help myself with the new season ahead:

1. Clear out my evening schedule for at least the first week of school to make room for forms galore, reading introductory letters from teachers, last minute trips to the store for something that wasn't on the school supply list, etc.
2. Buy a few sheets of poster board...like, now. We seem to have a collective brain freeze in this area and have made far too many inconvenient, last-minute trips to the store to pick up one lonely sheet.
3. If you have to sign off on a project, count on it to be a doozy. Just figured this one out last year when Ben had to stay up til 11pm completing an assignment he'd known about for a while, not because of procrastination as much as not grasping how long something really takes. Can't imagine where he gets that ;) From now on, when I sign off on any sort of project, a calendar is going to be our next stop.
4. Always have replacement ink for the printer on hand. Because it takes even longer to go get that than it does poster board. (Tips 2, 3, and 4 gleaned from a time when I was out of town and left one very patient husband to deal with multiple glitches.)
5. This is a transition. Allow plenty of down time for Ben, space for conversation and flexibility for changes. Expect a few bumps in the road, and instead of getting exasperated, take a step back and meet the challenge with creativity...together.
6. Get some sleep. My bedtime needs to have a 10 at the front end of it somewhere. End the battle between night guy and morning guy and remember just how good it feels when my head hits the pillow.

That's all I can think of for now, but I'd love to hear tips anyone else has figured out! In the meantime, we'll be enjoying one last week of summer break with Ben.

Seattle Vacation...Finally!

Earlier this summer we were trying to figure out what to do for our family vacation, which for some reason never seems to be an easy process for us. We've wanted to visit Seattle for several years now, but it never seemed to work with our budget. So one night during dinner, we listed all of the places we'd like to go together...Boston/New Hampshire, Yellowstone, DC, Europe, and Seattle were amongst the list. Then we realized that we only have six summers left with Ben until he's on his way to college. Gulp. That added an intensity to our planning, so we winced our way through the airline prices and scheduled our Seattle vacation for this year.

We just returned this week and it was an incredible time! I'm into travel for more than just sightseeing. I love the opportunity to learn, experience new things together, and get fresh perspective on life. So with that in mind, here's some of what we saw/learned/did in Seattle:

• We stayed in the Westin, which was centrally located downtown and we walked everywhere. We thought we might rent a car, but it was really easy to get around on foot...and the perfect way to avoid vacation pounds!
• Our first stop was the Seattle Library. Oh wow. We stayed for several hours and we definitely weren't the only tourists there. 10 floors (or so), stunning architecture, eco-friendly building materials, automated book handling system, huge collection...just mind-blowing. And, it was awfully fun to see Blogging Church on the shelf!
• Checked out the Seattle Aquarium. We loved the sea otters, seals, sea lions, and areas where you could touch all manner of underwater sealife.
• Finally saw Wall-E at a theater just 2 blocks from the hotel. Loved the bigger themes, especially what it means to be human. Perfect to enjoy with a 12-year-old.
• Ate at Top Pot Doughnuts - great atmosphere and food.
• Toured the Science Fiction Museum and Experience Music Project, Pacific Science Center, and craned our necks at the Space Needle. Ben and Brian got a kick out of the Science Fiction Museum and I liked it much more than I thought I would, especially when I read a plaque that explained that science fiction is really about trying to figure out the societal/moral implications of scientific advances. Made it seem much more appealing to me. Some interesting stuff at Experience Music if you like Jimi Hendrix. Pacific Science Center was your typical hands-on science place, but they did have a fabulous butterfly house that was very cool. The line at the Space Needle was waaay too long for our tired feet! We picked up some eats at Whole Foods on the way home for an in-room picnic that evening.
  
• Visited the downtown campus of Mars Hill on Sunday evening. There were bald, tattooed security guys at the door, and in that area it was probably a wise move. We chatted with a great guy on their staff, Caleb Davis. He said they've been open since March of this year and run about 400 on a normal weekend. The service lasted two hours, which included a message from Mark Driscoll (guessing that was about 60 minutes), lots of different prayer times, communion, and about 5 or 6 songs. Loved the sound during worship - very clubbish. It's always fun to see how other churches do things and we really enjoyed being able to catch a service.
• Strolled through Pike Place Market - a feast for the senses! I'm guessing most people who visit (like me) tell themselves that if they lived nearby, they would be down there all. the. time. buying fresh flowers and local food.
• Stopped and got drinks at the first Starbucks, which has a down-on-the-docks vibe. No pastries and no seating which surprised me. No prob about the pastries though because there were some fantastic options just doors away. We went with pastries from a French bakery - good move.
• Took the ferry over to Bainbridge - definitely a trip highlight! Beautiful scenery, quaint village atmosphere on the island, delicious lunch at Streamliner Diner, and fun to imagine what it would be like if a ferry ride was your daily commute. If we get back to that area again, we'll be spending some more time exploring and enjoying the islands.

It was a pretty packed trip - one of our most active ones in a while. Staying in the city was such a big part of the experience. Walking everywhere and really seeing things along the way gave us a better sense for the pulse of Seattle. People there wear lots of black ;) I was amazed when we returned to the suburbs of Flower Mound at how spacious everything felt, but even more than that, how much the restaurants, stores, recreation and entertainment in our area are geared toward kids...they're all built to be family-friendly. It makes the suburbs a wonderful place to raise your children, but it was good to be reminded that everybody doesn't live that way.

And did I mention the weather? We could not have been more fortunate. While our Texas friends were sweltering in triple digit temps, we were enjoying mild, breezy weather in the 60s and 70s. One day it was actually 40 degrees cooler there - 67 vs. 107. And no rain.

Feeling pretty blessed at the end of our 2008 family vacation as we gently tuck away more precious memories in our family history.

Sweet Sixteenth Anniversary - Date Week 2008

In the Bailey family, we tend to turn special occasions into week-long celebrations. This past week presented just such an opportunity as our anniversary conveniently (and a little intentionally ;) coincided with Ben's week at church camp. We had five full nights to enjoy as we pleased, and enjoy them we did!

• Monday: Easy dinner with movie rented from AppleTV: Dan in Real Life. Brian and I have always loved watching movies together and this was a fun, yet high-quality, date-night pick.
• Tuesday: Takeout with Rob Bell's Everything is Spiritual DVD. I'm going to be thinking about that one for a while...really amazing insights. Took a walk together afterwards and talked about it.
• Wednesday: Reading night at Starbucks. Started Hattie Big Sky and got to page 90. Just the kind of book I love.
  
• Thursday: Picnic dinner with Jazz Under the Stars at the Dallas Museum of Art. It was packed—good to see so many happy people in one place. Cool music and atmosphere, even cooler date.
• Friday: Our 16th anniversary was spent at one of our favorite local restaurants, Patrizio's. We even managed to fit in another movie, Michael Clayton. Still deciding about that flick.
• Saturday: We had just enough time for a wonderful breakfast together, eating homemade amaretto coffee cake and watching Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on Crossroads.

Though we worked full, normal days at our jobs, the week truly felt like a mini-vacation (quite a statement about how blessed we are in our work!). We did no housework and spent very little time in the kitchen. It was a lovely time to focus on being a couple, doing our favorite things together.

Meanwhile, Ben was off at Allaso Ranch for church camp. We were so thankful that one of our close friends was his counselor - definitely upped the comfort level! He came back looking taller and said it was a great week. What a fantastic way to kick off the summer!

Life Bullets: May

• Twitter has stolen most of the little personal blogging steam I have. You should think about joining if you haven't already...you'll quickly see why it's addicting. And then you can see what I'm up to on a less-than-pitifully-sporadic basis.
• Enjoyed watching bits of both the 2008 Purpose Driven Network Summit and  The Whiteboard Sessions on the Conference Channel this week. Such different crowds, but great leaders at both. Nice to see church leaders get supported and stretched in the same week!
• My invitation to Ravelry finally arrived. I valued it more because I had to wait for it. And oh the fiber goodness lurking within! Can you just hear the hours being sucked from my life? I love web 2.0 approaches to crafty pursuits.
• Ben had his first of two end-of-year orchestra concerts, this one with the other middle schools in our area and the high school they feed into. You could just feel the IQ in that room. Glad Ben chose orchestra as his elective!
• Getting ready to head up to LifeChurch tomorrow for a quick overnight trip. Looking forward to catching up with the peeps face-to-face!

Mmmmm...Mother's Day

It's my 13th Mother's Day and by this point Brian and Ben totally know what they're doing! Well, they've always pretty much nailed it, but now they make it look easy ;) One key factor to the celebration is that it's all weekend, not just the day. And throughout the weekend, it's not about one big moment, but lots of little things nicely dispersed to make me feel thoroughly spoiled and relaxed.

• This weekend started with our usual Friday Family Movie Night, but it was my pick: Nancy Drew. I'm a complete sucker for movies like that and really enjoyed it!
• Saturday morning, Brian went to get our traditional Mother's Day Bailey Bagel feast.
• After a leisurely breakfast and reading to Ben, I got ready and was surprised by Brian doing not only his Saturday cleaning but mine as well.
• I did some crocheting while watching Nancy Drew a second time around.
• Then we went out for an early Mother's Day dinner at my local restaurant of choice, Patrizio's, followed by browsing at the bookstore.
• We came home and played one of my favorite family games, Jotto (kinda like Mastermind, but with words). When I talk about how similar Brian and Ben are, I'm not joking. As they independently picked their words, Brian chose "flack" and Ben's word was "flock."
• This morning I got treated to my Mother's Day gifts: a lovely beverage selection from Brian, and from Ben, the full DVD set of one of my favorite old series—Gidget. Chipper, cheery comfort TV at my fingertips whenever I want it!
• Caught the Internet Campus experience of the final week of Craig's Habakkuk series. Gotta love a biblical take on Seth Godin's book, The Dip. Good stuff!  
• This afternoon has been full of relaxation as I caught up on old magazines and then took a long walk with Ben in the gorgeous weather.
• Now, some computer time and a little more reading (Ben just finished the book he bought last night!), followed by yummy leftovers from last night and our new tradition of watching an episode of West Wing together.

I'm feeling incredibly relaxed and refreshed...and very, very blessed.

Not because I haven't had anything to say...

Here's the irony of trying to keep up a personal blog...the more you have going on in your life, the less you have time to blog about it. So, that leaves many of my posts as retrospective summaries, but I'm okay with that since part of my goal for this space is to chronicle our lives.

In late December when I was thinking about 2008 and things I might like to see happen, I had no idea what was ahead. I listed big changes and small changes I wanted to work towards, thinking I'd tackle some of the little things and start with baby steps toward the major ones. In general, I wanted to quit being so scared of change and begin trying more new things. But when God saw I was finally ready, He stepped up the pace beyond what I ever could have expected.

One of the biggies on my list was to explore the idea of a new job. My position at CP had changed so much during the last half of 2007 that more and more of my time was spent doing things that I wasn't very good at or frustrated me to the limit. Still, CP felt like my baby because I had been there since its very beginning and I continued to love being able to support and encourage pastors throughout the world. After many prayers for guidance, God gave me a moment of lightning-bolt clarity which led to complete peace about the next step I needed to make...leaving the job I'd had for five years. I didn't have anything else lined up, but it was absolutely unmistakable that it was time to take a leap of faith from comfort and security into the unknown. (This is the point of the story where I give thanks for having such a supportive husband who encouraged me to take this step without regard to our personal finances.)

God has always been faithful when we've had the courage to make those leaps and He's blown us away every time by what He's provided. This time is no exception. Just two weeks after my last day of my previous job, I started working with another church in their ministry to pastors and church leaders. I get to help LifeChurch.tv spread the word about the free resources they offer through their OPEN website. For various reasons, we've decided to take the next half of the year and try this out on a contract basis, especially since I'm working from another state. (See how God continues to lure me out of my desire for security? ;) I just took my first trip up there last weekend to see the campuses, meet the team and generally get acquainted. It was an incredible experience and I can already feel my mind stretching to new dimensions. I love the vision there and I'm feeling especially blessed to take some small part in it.

There you have it. Where I intended to "explore possibilities" God came in and brought about major change...speedy quick! I've got lots more I want to post about in the future, but this has been such a big part of our lives that I had to get it out there before I could move on. It's been an amazing chapter in my ongoing journey with God!

Busted

I'm on the treadmill this morning, grooving to some high-energy tunes from my workout playlist. MmmBop (yes that one, by Hanson) comes on. Brian runs to the doorway, a look of great alarm on his face, "We own this song?!!"  "Yeah, it's happy." My spousal approval ratings plunge.

Talked Out

We just finished up our Creative Church Conference last Friday, which is pretty much the Super Bowl of my working year. It's such a privilege to be able to interact with the thousands of church leaders who attend—my favorite part of my job. Every year it seems like I come away with one major realization and this time it was that every church has a story. And though they have similarities and overlapping circumstances with many other churches, they only realize their full potential when they come into their own and follow God's lead for exactly who He wants them to become—just like each of us individually.

All that interaction came with a price, and since Friday afternoon I've had laryngitis. Too much talking + too much volume = no voice. However, there's no better place to be with such an ailment than amidst pastors. Many of them put their arm around me and prayed for me on the spot. This was definitely the kindest group of attendees that I've ever experienced! And here's a cool story...when one of the people visiting our booth realized I lost my voice, she said she works for an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist who just so happens to be Reese Witherspoon's dad. She highly recommended Mucinex, so I picked some up today and hope it helps soon.

At first, Brian and Ben were very sympathetic, but by now they find my attempts at non-verbal communication completely hilarious. Brian has not had this much good material in ages. I bang on the couch to get his attention and he looks back at me with mock shock and says, "Don't yell at me!" And Ben has picked right up on the fun. We took a walk today and I was trying to get him to expand on a point by making a rolling action with my hands. So he quips, "You want to go over a waterfall? In a barrel? Mom I don't think that's a very good idea." Such comedians. I'm left to respond with Grommit-like eye rolls.

Mostly, after a week of barely seeing my family, I'm reveling in being home with my sweeties, immersing myself in all things domestic and looking ahead to what's next.