Happy Birthday Nicholas!

Nicholas with Grandma Lola @ Uncle Wayne's Cabin

Nicholas arrived a short 19 months after Jessica was born and in the same summer that cousins Danielle and Shaylee arrived.  I was a little freaked out at first wondering how I would handle two little ones at the same time but ultimately it was a blessing as Jess and Nic were close enough in age to become great  playmates.  And as Nicholas was the only boy for quite a while, he was close with his cousins as well.  

Danielle and Nicholas

As this was an extended family with plenty of fair skinned, light haired kids I was glad to finally get some of Tom's Italian gene pool and have little Nicholas with dark hair and dark eyes.  I had always loved the name Nicholas and right after I had delivered and we called NJ,  I remember Tom's mom asking what we had named him ....I said "Nicholas" and she gasped.  "Oh," she said, "That's my father's name!".  It was one of those moments.  I had only met Tom's grandfather once and I did know his name, but in terms of naming the baby.....didn't even cross my mind.  We never let Tom's mom know that though!  I also said no one was to call him Nic, just Nicholas.....but that didn't last long.  I actually knew that would happen but liked the name Nic just as well so it was okay.  Had the same issue with Jessica/Jess.

 Nic's teachers always loved him.  He was a pretty quiet kid but had the cutest personality.  He was the peacemaker, the introvert, the affable one who didn't make waves. He played little league baseball where Tom was his coach for many years, one season of Jr. football (which freaked me out) and Jr. Jazz basketball.  As he got older he developed a very dry sense of humor.  He liked shopping at thrift stores and would buy things like this (see below) shirt.  With someone else's name and picture on it.  Or bowling shirts with someone else's name on it.

He took piano lessons but as soon as he was able, started playing the drums.  Once he was in junior high he was in the percussion band and leaned more toward music than sports.  He was in scouts and his best friend Tyler Mooney's dad was their scout leader for several years.  He stopped just short of getting his Eagle.

He had a great group of friends all through school.  Even in high school his teachers loved him.  However, that made me a little crazy as our parent teacher conferences would go something like this:

Me: I'm Nic Cowan's mom

Teacher: Oh!  I love Nic, he's so hilarious!

Me: Well, I'm concerned that he's getting an F in your class.

Teacher: Oh, don't worry about that, he's doing fine.  He's just missing an assignment but it's nothing to worry about.

Me: Well, he IS getting an F right now.....

Teacher: Really, no worries, he's one of the smartest kids in the class, he's so funny and totally cracks me up.

Me: Yeah, but the F is making me nervous....

Teacher: No need, he can hand it in whenever, but anyway, he's so dang funny.  I just love the way his mind works!

I can't tell you how many times I had this exact same conversation with teachers through the years.  Same was true of Taylor's teachers as well.  Always loved the entertainment value of their presence in the classroom, just not as concerned with the grade point average as we were.

One time Nic and his friends staged a sit-in at school because the vending machines kept taking their money.  I still have the lined paper with the handwritten notice they posted on the machines.  Fortunately, a friend of mine was the vice-principal and a good sport.....he thought Nic was funny too!

Nic with Grandpa, Denise and Craig at Campbell Labor Day Invitational Golf Tourney at Davis Golf Course.  Nic's the only member of the Cowan's who caught the golfing bug.  We're all horrible but he actually likes it and is good at it!

When Taylor started playing guitar he jammed some with Nic's band FLOW that Nic had started with another friend.  Taylor was good enough to eventually join them and that was a good experience for them both.

Nic has struggled with what exactly he wants to do with his life.  He writes, has always been interested in all types of music....his ipod at any given time would have an varied mix of classic rock, motown, Neil Diamond and classical music, and he reads a ton.  Has a keen interest in non-fiction...especially history.

Several years ago we went on a mission trip to Mexico over Christmas break with our church and one of Nic's friends came along.  We had a great time and Nic helped out with a lot of things. One night we even put together an impromptu worship band and he played drums.

Running new electrical lines in a run down church

Nic, Schultz and Jessica rehearsing puppet show for the kids

Crafting with the kids in vacation bible school.  We didn't speak Spanish but still managed to communicate.

Videotaping as we visited people in the village

The Kidlets in Mexico

 Nic and Taylor on one of Tom's work trips.  They went to Denver then stopped to run the river on the way home. A very muddy looking river......

Nic's hair always lends itself to a realistic Joseph or shepherd role each Christmas in the Nativity 

He was asked to play Jesus at Vacation Bible School once, complete with a donkey!  We had been teaching the kids all the stories about Jesus throughout the week, so at the end on Friday night when Nic was there....they just about flipped.  Again, this was not something in his comfort zone but he was a good sport and was very good with the little ones.

We have always collected drum sticks from every Hard Rock Cafe we've ever visited for Nic, here and overseas. So a couple of years ago for Christmas, Tom became the craft king and designed and made this wall hanging to display them all.  He put hours and hours into it and Nic was pretty impressed.

 He is a great kid with a good heart who has had more than his share of struggles.  Most of which are his story to tell.  But through his journey we have learned a great deal about patience, love, faith, grief, and ultimately power and surrender. We pray constantly for him and all our children but he seems to require just a little extra.  When you love someone with addiction issues you realize just how far you will go to research every avenue of treatment that might save them.  And through the obsessive worry and stress you have to make difficult decisions.  He is blessed to be surrounded by people who continue to reach out to him and love him despite his mis-steps.  We are finding that when we tell the truth about addiction it makes it easier for others who are having the same struggle to open up their hearts and hurts as well.  We and many other warriors continue to pray for his complete recovery but on this day, we celebrate his awesomeness and are grateful for his place in our family.

Father's Day Weekend

Tom only went to work for 3 hours on Friday so we had an extended weekend.  Got up and went to swim laps at the pool.  This gym is in our complex so it's very handy though we do have to pay a monthly membership.  We DO use it plenty though.

 A few steps out the door is the outdoor pool so we took in a little sun to enjoy the warm day.

 Tom headed to work and I cleaned the apartment.  After a couple of hours of cleaning I go to jump in the shower and realize I have the bottom of my swimming suit on inside out!  Fortunately it's a solid black color and has a little skirt to cover the panty liner part of the suit but REALLY?

Southwest Duck Pond across the street from our apartment

 Tom got home and we decided to walk over to the Riverfront/NavyYards for the Friday night free concert.  Great band called Cazhmiere was playing.  Very fun cover band playing tons of great dance tunes.  It's just fun to watch all the little kids get up and dance plus there's the swimming pond and lots of dock space for scooters and general frivolity.  Great people watching.

 Saturday Tom got up to go on a bike ride and have lunch with a couple of other guys from church.  They ended up putting in 39 miles.  I went to the outdoor pool and finally got brave enough to do laps in that pool.  It is NOT very warm water, but it was VERY warm outside so after reading in the sun for a while I was ready for a cool off.  Once I got used to it, it was actually very pleasant.  Went back to the apartment and watched a documentary while I cross-stitched. Thought I had made a giant mistake and was either going to have to tear out a whole bunch or somehow incorporate it into the design.  That's a sick feeling in the stomach.  Turned out it was just a couple of stitches so I was able to fix it. Phew!
Tom came home, we watched another doc then decided to go walk the city.

Started at the National Mall but ventured off a block onto Pennsylvania Ave.  Plenty to see there as well with the Newseum Bldg and the National Archives.  Love these statues in front of the Archives.

 After worship service Sunday morning I stayed and taught Sunday school so Tom headed to Dupont Circle to read as we were supposed to meet up with Taylor before he went to work for brunch.  Turns out he read the schedule wrong and was supposed to be to work at 8 AM so when they called he DASHED to get there on his bike.

Wesley, Miss Cathy, Hailey, Kiley, Nylah, Grace, Elinor (with her back turned), Hayden, Eli and Cooper. My cute Sunday School class along with co-teacher Cathy.  Yes, there's quite a little united nations mix of cultures in that class!

 Tom and I met up at Union Station (We were working that Metro big time!) and grabbed a slice of pizza to hold us over till dinner.  Tom enjoyed his NCC Pop Happy Father's Day root beer they handed out to the father's at church.  There's always great people watching at Union Station as so many travelers, tourists and locals come through there.  We killed some time before walking down the street to Ebeneezer's where we had a meeting about Sprint Triathlon training (yeah, I'm sure you'll hear more about that in the near future!).

Food Court at Union Station

 After our meeting we headed home, went and swam some laps then walked into town for our Father's Day dinner with Taylor and Logan.  Had some great conversation about the way of the world, religion, and anything else you can think of.  Both Jess and Nic called to wish Tom a happy day and I got to talk to my dad as well so all in all it was a pretty great weekend!

Malls, Casinos and The Amish

Tom has been working at Fort Meade in Maryland on this the past couple of weeks.  He was there several months ago doing the same thing.  He leaves Monday morning and is scheduled to be there all week but since they have to fly in witnesses from all over, once they get through the witnesses for the week, they wrap things up. Tom is working with the media....checking credentials, making sure they can get on base, getting them inside the courtroom and who knows what else.  Said it's interesting because there is a huge group of well known bloggers and journalists attending who are Manning's allies and are there supporting him.  

I decided to go spend the end of the week with him.  It's only about a 40 minute drive from DC but because they have to be there early and sometimes stay late, they put them up in hotels for the week.  He's staying right across the street from Arundel Mall which we always drive by on our way to NJ and I've always wanted to check out, so this was the perfect opportunity.  I arrived about 1 PM on Wednesday and after settling into the Townhome Suite, I walked over to this GIANT mall!

This was my first stop.  I've never been in a Neiman Marcus before so was anxious to check it out.  I looked at about 2 things.  Here you could get one of those bargain blouses that normally run $230 for a rock bottom $157!!!  What?  Yeah, I've never in my life spent that much on a blouse.  I could easily purchase 2 complete outfits for that amount.  

I really have lost a desire for shopping almost across the board.  I don't know if it's because we have no room for anything in our small apartment, or if it's because I can rarely find anything that appeals to me on a fashion level (hey designers....hows about you make something with sleeves?!) or if it's because we're trying to be frugal.....anyway, even window shopping is tiresome to me.  So yes, even though this place had something like 200 stores, I still ended up in Books A Million....reading.  I did meet a new friend named Claudia.  A sort of odd little lady who seemed to follow me through the store and wanted to show me photos of cats.  She loves cats but wanted to make sure I knew she was not impressed with the hairless Sphynx because they were creepy looking.  After about 5 different meetings throughout the store, we went our different ways.  I sat and enjoyed my 3 dollar bargain book with a fat free yogurt. 

Tom hadn't been to the mall yet so I only covered a small area as he said he didn't want me to ruin the "magic" of us enjoying it together after he got home.  I headed back to the hotel and settled in with my cross-stitch and watched the movie channel as Tom said he would be home at 6:30.  At 8:00 he finally got there and we headed over to the mall, walked the length of one side until we got to the Casino where The Cheesecake Factory was.  We'd never eaten there and I had a gift card so we indulged on their "lite" salads.  Do these look LITE to you?

 We made a fairly quick loop through the casino without even stopping for a game of video poker.  It's a non-smoking establishment and was very clean which was a nice change from most casinos.  Seemed to have a large Asian clientele and I noticed that the entertainment seemed geared towards that.  One whole night of 10 Vietnamese performers and Asian Karaoke?

 Walked back through the other half of the mall trying to work off the pound of vegetables we'd just had for dinner.  Oh, and did I mention that when Tom got home from work he said they were done for the week?

Next morning we got up, checked out and drove about 15 minutes to Laurel, MD.  Co-workers had told Tom about the Amish market that was only open Thurs thru Sat.

 We walked through everything (which looked wonderful!) but decided to have breakfast in the cafe before shopping.  I didn't photograph the Amish people working the stands but we had a very sweet amish girl waiting on us.  She said they drive from Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the morning and then go back at night each of the three days.  A two hour drive each way!  There are some who come and stay for the weekend in hotels but the majority make the daily trip.

 After a yummy breakfast we did some shopping.....fresh veggies, warm rolls and cream pastries,...sampled lots of cheeses and pickles, bought fresh milk and a small strawberry pie along with some bulk packages of flax seed and some pre-made soups and gravy.

After arriving home we were complete slugs and after clearing off the patio to prevent the coming storm from sending everything flying, we settled in and watched documentaries on Netflix. Later, after I had assured my mom we were not swept up in a tornado,  I fixed a dinner of fresh corn on the cob, red potatoes with country gravy, fresh green beans and fluffy dinner rolls.  Oh, and strawberry pie for dessert!

72 Hours

Anita, Me & Shellie and in front...Betty and Edna.

Recuperating from an awesome 72 hour non-denominational spiritual retreat in Vienna, VA.  I attended my first one in Oct. and returned to serve on the team this time around.  These are the lovely ladies I shared the Table of Rachel with.  All from different backgrounds and faith traditions. We laughed, cried and prayed together.  Slept on blow up mattresses.  Stayed up late and got up early.  Great food, talks, worship and more food. Think of being surrounded by love in a constant stream of giving and sharing of God's grace.  It was wonderful.  But now, I need to get my sleep schedule back in sinc!

Being By The Water

Mariah, Taylor's friend from Utah visited last week so he had a great time showing her the sights and sounds of DC.  It was her first time on a plane and she was amazed at all DC had to offer.  They hit the memorials, museums, shops & restaurants but wanted to spend her last full day at the beach.  After doing some research, it looked like Ocean City, MD was the closest with a boardwalk, but it was still a 2 1/2 hour drive each way.  Fortunately it was a beautiful drive over the Bay Bridge and through other lovely scenery.  It was a nice day but there was a coolish wind, and that mixed with coolish water is not conducive to ocean swimming.  It was nice to get in up to our knees though!

Yes, the beach porta-potty shot

 I took a long walk up the beach then back down the boardwalk.  My left leg and foot were still bugging me from the many miles I logged Monday at Arlington (in flat sandals) so I hobbled my way back.

We're used to Italian Ice.......?

 These giant kites were along the beach in front of the Kite Shop on the boardwalk.

This sailing billboard advertised throughout the day along with the airplane banners in the air.

Mariah's last night in DC before they headed out to dinner in DuPont Circle

 Friday night we had our friends Jeff and Denise over for dinner then walked over to the Marina to catch an evening cruise. It was a 90 minute ride around the city by Fort McNair, the Nationals Ballpark and the Navy Yards.  Beautiful night (daytime temps have been in low 90's) and just perfect for a boat ride.  Nothing like being on or near the water!

Got a good Groupon deal to ride the Patriot II

Jeff and Tom worked together at HAFB in joint leadership over the 2nd Combat Camera Squadron

In the meantime Jessica and some friends went to Southern Utah to hike in Zion's so I had her stop and say hello to our friends Mark and Joe who own and run a gorgeous bed and breakfast in Springdale. Mark and I have been friends since the late 80's when we did theatre together at Salt Lake Acting Co and his partner Joe, has been a friend almost as long.  They had a beautiful home in the avenues in SLC then up and changed their lives transferring all their good taste and cool stuff to Under The Eaves.  They have always been great hosts so this is right up their alley and they are SO happy there!

The rest of our weekend was pretty low key.  In fact it felt like we had been on the go every single day so we actually just sat around this weekend.  Swam some laps, laid around the outdoor pool, sat in front of the tv while I worked on cross-stitch and Tom worked on family history.  Our sermon yesterday was entitled "Selah" which in the book of psalms is referred to as taking time "to pause".  We were fasting and praying for Paige and her family and seeing as we were taking plenty of time to pause this weekend, it seemed a fitting way to spend a couple of days.