“Summer is a period of luxurious growth. To be in harmony with the atmosphere of summer, awaken early in the morning and reach to the sun for nourishment to flourish as the gardens do. Work, play, travel, be joyful, and grow into selfless service. The bounty of the outside world enters and enlivens us.”
As the waning days of summer quietly slip away, we take a moment to reflect on the past six weeks which are fairly accurately captured in the above words penned by Paul Pitchford.
Full of slower paced delights, our days have ranged from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Absent the rush of demanding schedules, we have rested, relaxed, recreated, and ruminated on the Goodness of God.
We have also counseled, worked on writing projects, confirmed details for our annual marriage conference this coming winter, walked our daily 5 miles, and spoken at a family conference.
As much as we’d prefer another month of summer, we feel ready for fall and all the opportunities it holds.
Looking back, many of the highlights of summer include having lots of pool time and non-pool time with our grandchildren who live just two miles from us. Whether a spontaneous drop by or a planned outing, each time we’re with them we remind ourselves, “This is why we moved here.”
The pool is always so inviting and no-one seems to tire of the possibilities of creative fun in this welcoming “cement pond” (to quote Granny Clampett from “The Beverly Hillbillies”).
And it’s not just the kids who love it!
My kitchen buddy loves everything we make, but “Honey Nutters” are at the top of the list.
After we returned from speaking at Forest Home’s family camp, we were home for a week helping Julie with the kids while Derek was on a business trip in Africa, and upon his return, we all flew to Kauai for our biennial Friesen Family Reunion, Hawaiian style. Very blessed for the third time (2021 and 2023 were previous gatherings) by exceedingly generous friends who allow us to use their home for this “pinch me so I’ll know it’s real” week, our expectations (which were very high) were more than fulfilled.
Between their pool and beautiful yard which provided the perfect “smash ball” court, football green, and gymnastics space, we had great weather for plenty of beach time (snorkeling, swimming, and sunning), hiking, playing basketball, hosting the first ever “Family Talent Night,” celebrating (a month early) Papa’s upcoming 75th birthday and Nathan’s 12th birthday, and drinking in the beauty of this exquisite island. Natural therapy for all, but especially for the seven adults who consistently invest in people and ministry life.
We will never tire of seeing beautiful sunsets.
There are now many traditions that give ballast to this every-other-year gift from heaven, one of which is having a family photo shoot by our dear friends Phil and Elisha Booye, and their oldest daughter (apprentice) Sierra. We’re so grateful for their sacrificial gift of time and talent on our behalf and once again, were so happy with the results.
The fam . . . growing and changing too fast!
Papa and Gigi with their beloved grands.
The whole fam relaxing.
We drove to the north shore for the first time with everyone and loved snorkeling at Tunnels, drinking great coffee in Hanalei, and hanging out at Kalihiwai beach/river. We had a blast!!
The paddle boards were a huge hit for much more than just paddle boarding.
The Third Annual Family Game Show was another huge hit, with the indoor competition held one night and the pool and outdoor games held the next day. The men barely won the indoor events, and the women took the outdoor title, so everyone was (mostly) happy.
Our traditional hike along the Lithified Cliffs did not disappoint. It was a beautiful day, with great hiking weather, amazing views of swimming turtles, and incredible tide-pooling. Everyone loved it.
Basketball is everyone’s favorite sport these days so it was a priority activity several days.
Micah is reading his jokes for the first annual “Family Talent Night.'
The birthday boy modeling his new basketball shoes.
Papa’s early 75th birthday celebration featured delicious steaks a la Derek and a time of affirmation for this incredible man.
Our week ended with an exclamation point: the Tsunami!!! It was quite exciting (and a bit scary) to be on the island when the island alarms were going off shrilly and constantly once the “advisory” was upgraded to a “tsunami warning.” Kauai’s locals were seriously alarmed by the seriousness of the upgrade, which was issued around 2:30 pm on Tuesday, July 29th, and from that point on, the massive evacuation of the coastline produced exceedingly slow moving traffic as everyone converged on the inadequate perimeter road of Kauai. It took us over 3 hours to drive what is normally 40 mins from where we were back to our home base.
Thankfully, the tsunami didn’t materialize as feared, though it did produce 10–12’ waves at some of the beaches the following day.
That was an auspicious way to end our family reunion, earmarking the 2025 reunion with a distinctive none other will have.
The Johnsons and Garcias flew off Kauai the next morning, Wednesday, July 30, and Lisa, Paul and I stayed until Friday. We hiked “The Sleeping Giant” on Thursday, stood on several beaches watching the crazy waves in the post-tsunami seas, swam at Kalapaki Beach, and watched sunset at Poipu Beach two nights. Such sweet times to share with Lisa before getting her on a noon flight on Friday.
Since our flight was a red-eye that night, I agreed to do a baking workshop for the Booye families, who are very dear friends. We made cinnamon chip scones (aka “Gigi Cakes”) and lemon white chocolate chip scones, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed eating them! What fun!!
After meeting up with some friends late afternoon, we boarded our red-eye flight and arrived back in Northern Virginia at 4 on Saturday, August 2, with exhausted bodies and overflowing with joyful hearts. Surely this was the highest highlight of our summer.
Spouting Horn was reaching new heights in the post-tsunami waters.
The waves by Brennecke’s Beach were towering.
Paul and Lisa are standing on the tippy-top of “The Sleeping Giant,” a fabulous hike which we decided was still a bit much for our youngest grandchildren.
Our last sunset on Kauai for the 2025 family reunion.
The Booye crew are all smiles at the end of our baking workshop.
We were only home for the first week of August, getting things checked off the list, before heading to Ogunquit, Maine, for our annual vacation-by-the-sea with our dearest friends, John and Marilyn. This “chosen family” couple has been in our life since 1993, when we became ministry partners at Grace Chapel, and the rest, as they say, is history. Our lives are always enriched when we are with them. Fully devoted disciples of Christ, their devotion to Him is impossible to miss, so our times together are spiritual retreats in some ways.
Which doesn’t mean we stay indoors holding Bible studies daily. We spend most of the time out and about, walking the “Marginal Way” or the beach at Ogunquit, floating down the Ogunquit River, eating lobster, and soaking in the beauty of this crown jewel beach. All of this points to the Creator and fills us with gratitude for how deeply He loves us.
We spent four lovely days together, the first of which was celebrating their 34th anniversary with a great dinner at the “Lobster Pound.” Their marriage truly reflects the glory of God so it was a privilege to honor them on their special day.
Post “Lobster Pound” dinner pose in honor of their 34th wedding anniversary.
John, Paul, and I floated down the Ogunquit River while the tide was receding, a tradition we love to continue.
Paul and John did some body surfing on not-great waves, but they still had fun.
Breakfast on the lanai of the Perkins Cove condo. Hard to beat this view!
Early morning sunrise on the morning we flew back home. The glory of God!!
We were home for a week before flying to California to speak for “The Building Christian Fellowship Church” (TBCF) in Suisun City. Several couples in leadership at TBCF were inspired by attending our workshops at the “Thrive Conference” (at Bayside Church in Granite Bay, CA) for several years, and extended an invitation for us to speak for their parenting/family weekend conference, August 22–24.
Fred and Liz Contreras were the force behind making this weekend happen. They serve as volunteer leaders for the parenting ministry.
The leadership team behind the parenting conference for “The Building Christian Fellowship” Church. We fell in love with this crew.
We’re so glad we said yes!! We expected we’d have a great experience based on meeting up with their leadership team at Thrive, but our expectations were far exceeded by our experience. We felt immediately ushered in to their warm, welcoming congregation, and were generously served with genuine Christlikeness. Lakisha Hunter, the staff assistant, worked behind the scenes to make sure we were well taken care of including having a “Welcome” basket in our hotel room awaiting our arrival. We felt the love!!
The all-day Saturday family conference included a session for the whole family, and Paul’s devotion was a huge hit. Our two sessions on parenting were well-received and delightfully interactive. Dinner that evening with the team was delicious and so comfortable. We felt like we have known these brothers and sisters in Christ for years.
The two seven-year-old volunteers worked very hard to get all the toothpaste back in the tube . . . unsuccessfully, of course.
The families interacted around a passage of scripture during the all-family session and were so engaged.
Sunday we taught at both worship services and again were so grateful for such a loving and affirming integration into the body of Christ at TBCF. We love speaking to an audience that “talks back”—makes you feel like people are really listening and taking it in. It was a delightful morning.
The worship was heartfelt and passionate.
Two of the couples we connected with throughout the weekend.
We bid a heartfelt adieu after the second service ended. Our hearts felt so connected to this group, and their expressed desire to have us return indicates they felt the same. All praise is His!!
Off to Oakland we went for an 18-hour visit with the Garcias! We’ll happily take whatever we can get and whenever we can get it. We had an early celebratory dinner in honor of the birthday boys: August 29, 2010 was the day our oldest grandson, Brandon, made his entrance, giving Paul the best 60th birthday gift ever. The birthday buddies love that they share this special day and we all love celebrating them together.
Brandon’s choice of “Rico Rico” was the scene for the joint birthday celebration, and it was a good choice!
Finally, Paul’s actual birthday did arrive on the 29th, so after two early celebrations, his third and final one was hosted by Derek and Julie, and attended by my sister Laura and her husband, David. “Chef” Derek served up a yummy steak dinner, greatly enjoyed by all. Since “words of affirmation” is Paul’s primary love language, we invited friends and family to text or email him lots of love and he’s been very touched by the many people who have done that. Since I believe in “birthday months,” feel free to send him your kind words any time. He is well worth celebrating at least all month.
The final 75th birthday celebration for Paul.
That brings us up to now. We’ve had a very “summer-y” summer. Again I refer to the quote I opened with, which so aptly describes these weeks of this wonderful season. We are blessed beyond and are overflowing with gratitude for the goodness of God. Though it’s hard to say good-bye to summer, we have no doubt that God will be just as good in the fall months to come.
He’s just that way. All praise is His!