summer comes to an end....

Summer comes to an end for one of us tomorrow.

Our baby starts middle school tomorrow! Yup, he’s in 6^th grade. Our base school is year-round, so he’ll be in school 9 weeks on then three weeks off.

So it’s big changes all around for Jack – middle school, year-round calendar, and a 7:30am start time. Yikes!

I’ll most definitely do the traditional first-day-of-school photo at the crack of dawn tomorrow.  But I’m adding a tradition with our youngest. 

Here’s a photo in his new school spirit wear. 

I plan to take a photo at the beginning of 7^th and 8^th grade, too. These years “grow” by fast, so I’m going to document it with the same shirt.

Stay tuned for next Sunday’s post…. Summer ends for our firstborn in 7 days!

Project Patio COMPLETE

And after almost a year, here’s another patio update (for those of you who ask me on occasion.)

The last time I blogged about our project was in December 2010.

Well, yesterday for my birthday, we made significant progress. And now we have our new patio!

Here are some shots of the day.

It was a guy project, including the boyfriend….

Although one girl did help… sort of.

And here it is!

Next step…. landscaping a natural area. Since we’re in the heat of summer, that will have to wait a couple of months.

An Evening to Remember

Thursday evening we got all gussied up and headed out to the Carolina Country Club. We didn’t know quite what to expect. All we knew was that Sam had written an essay for his math teacher. A couple of weeks ago she told him he had won a contest and there would be a banquet honoring the essay winners.

Eventually we heard this contest was sponsored by the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Wake County. We arrived at the country club a few minutes early so we wandered around a bit, peeking into various rooms and checking out the fancy bookshelves and furnishings.

checking out the country club

As we stood around making casual conversation with one of Sam’s teachers who joined us for the event, people began to trickle in to the banquet. And we began to question whether we had the right details. After all, it looked more like an AARP banquet.  

When we arrived, the greeters took one look at us and said, “You must be the Loomis family!” From that moment on, Sam was celebrity. It was surreal for us, and a bit overwhelming for Sam. One by one, very distinguished, ivy league looking strangers would walk right up to Sam, give him high compliments for his essay, and begin to ask about school, where he was looking at college, and how he wrote such an essay.

chatting with the Phi Beta Kappa chapter president and members

The rest of us just sort of faded in the background, shaking the occasional hand and getting a few “you must be so proud” comments. Gradually the room filled with all generations of Phi Beta Kappa members.  Our family had the privilege of meeting Chancellor Woodson of NC State, who exchanged Wolfpack hand-signs with Jack and promised him a spot in 2018.

Through the course of the evening, two other teens were honored for their literary essays and we learned 2011 was the fist annual math contest, so Sam is an inaugural winner. The pressure’s on for next year, and he’s already thinking about potential topics. 

A cash prize and Princeton's Companion to Mathematics.

it didn't take Sam long to dig in!

 We are pleased as punch that Sam has been honored in this way. His passion for math and learning amazes us and he truly has a gift. As Chancellor Woodson said in his keynote speech that evening, it is the minds like Sam's that will forge the way in research and analysis that will benefit society in so many ways. (Okay, he said it a lot more eloquently.)

Give...Full...Margin...

Three words… Give, Full, Margin.

I haven’t blogged in a long time. But it is not for a lack of words or thoughts.

Give: In January, many of my friends chose a single word for the year to ponder and apply in their lives. Some of them blogged about it. While I pondered and came up with the word “give”, I have not blogged my thoughts on this word and why I chose it.

Full: Life has been full. In a good way, and sometimes a challenging way. But nonetheless it has been full.

Margin: Because of the aforementioned word, there has not been much margin in my life. And margin is where I write.  Living a long time without margin is not a good thing for anyone, so I’m seeking margin and looking forward to getting back to my already infrequent blogging.

As I reflect on these words that have themed the first few months of 2011 for me, I realize how intertwined they are.  And alas, another blog post idea pops in my head.

So I’m off for now, seeking a bit of margin.

Oh, and P.S... add Yikes to my words. I have a new laptop (yes, I'm dabbling in the world of Mac) and my blog colors are horrendous on this screen. They look nothing like what I've seen on other screens. So... that may be my first order of business!

Five years ago...

Five years ago to today, we rolled into Cary, North Carolina in our car, affectionately named Big Red, hauling all of our belongings behind us. Literally. A few hours later we were finished signing papers and moving into our “new” house.

Our return to Cary was bittersweet. It was a new beginning yet so much was unknown. We were returning after having lived in England for three years. We had lived in Cary prior to living in England, but it was only for two brief years. And we had no family in Cary or anywhere in North Carolina, or the southeast for that matter.

So why did we return to Cary? Well, that’s the story I’m reflecting on today.


A few months before our return to the States we received a long awaited diagnosis for our son, Sam, who was 11 at the time. High functioning Autism, aka Asperger’s Syndrome. This diagnosis was not a surprise to us, as we had spent years trying to comprehend Sam and help him understand himself. Asperger’s had been a word out there for a few years, but it seemed that everyone wanted to rule out everything else first. In that process we worked through many of his sensory issues, general anxiety and social withdrawal. But when intense anxiety struck his mind a few months before his diagnosis, it turned our family life upside down. Months of sleepless nights for him, and subsequently us, pushed us to the point of realizing that we were not managing his issues well. We were at the end of our rope. We knew it was time to seek answers and get support. So we flew back to North Carolina to UNC Chapel Hill to seek answers, and got the diagnosis.


On the flight back to England, I consumed an entire book on Asperger’s, treatment, challenges, etc. I literally read the entire flight. And Sam read the newly released Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for the entire flight – cover to cover. And then he started again. I don’t remember if Dave was reading or sleeping. :-)


We came away from Chapel Hill and reading books knowing that we had a choice. We could help Sam now in his pre-teen years with cognitive behavioral therapy and self awareness, and give him every chance to flourish into an independent adult who can live a full life and contribute significantly to society. Or we could ignore his challenges and let him get by in school and allow him to continue withdrawing socially.


And so our return to Cary was in pursuit of the best opportunities for Sam. We returned to a doctor who had known Sam since he was seven, and knew our family well. She was a huge part of helping us and Sam navigate the ebb and flow of anxieties, middle school, self-awareness, parenting Asperger’s, family dynamics and more.


Fast Forward to October 2010.

Sam, in his appearance in A Midsummer Night's Dream at his school, wrote a biographical poem for the playbill. Here it is:

Sam Loomis (Thisbe/Flute)

My name is Sam and I am playing Flute
I’m always doing math and finding roots
I’m in eleventh grade, 16 years old
Got Asperger’s and allergies to mold
As you can see, I write much poetry
Pentameter or writing verses free
I’d like to thank my friends and family
My teachers who have taught me selflessly
My God, who is the maker of all things
For the support and kindness you guys bring.
That’s all for now, I hope I’ve paid my dues
This poem ends – Adieu! Adieu! Adieu!

The first time I saw this poem was on opening night. I was shocked – the word Asperger’s jumped off the page and I wondered if Sam knew what he had done. As far as I knew, this was the first “public” outing of his diagnosis. Yes, his teachers know, but wow. To put that in print in front of your peers is a big thing.


Yet each night of the production, someone would approach me and ask if Sam was my son. Always, they commented on how well Sam did and how they would never know that he has Asperger’s. The most touching conversation was on the final night. A mom approached me as we waited for the actors to come out after the production. She started making small talk and eventually just came out and said “my son has Asperger’s.” I heard a twinge of despair in her voice and so I asked how old he was. “Eleven,” she answered. Wow. Rewind to five years ago in my life and I’m pretty sure I know how she feels. We talked for a bit and at the end of our conversation she said “Sam gives me hope.”


So that’s what I’m reflecting on today…

A Picture a Day

I started this project on January 1st.


I don’t know how consistent I’ll be, but I like that it’s an easy way to remember one detail about each day of the year. And who knows, maybe I’ll dive back into being a creative photographer. It’s been way too many years and I know some day I’ll get back into it.

I wish more of my friends were doing it. It’s a fun way to get a glimpse into others’ lives.

So if you’re already doing it, or if I’ve inspired you to give it a go, let me know so I can follow you!

It's Been One of Those Years

“It’s been one of those years.” I heard this quote in a movie I saw recently. It really was not a significant line in the movie, but it resonated with me. It’s hard to believe that 2010 is almost over. But to be honest, many times in this year I have thought about the fact that 2010 is a year that our family will never forget. It's been one of those years.



On Christmas Eve, as we feasted on our Christmas dinner, we spent some time reflecting on our year, centering our conversation around the advent candle themes. Hope, Preparation, Joy, Love and Christ.

As we reflected on these themes, we shared memories as a family and brought closure to this monumental year. Here are just a few of our memorable events from 2010.


Marking Chelsea’s senior year in high school with our family’s first trip to Disney World…

Losing my Dad in February... It was an incredibly low season for us as a family, yet we were so loved and encouraged by our friends.

So many senior/graduating activities – a fun time celebrating Chelsea’s accomplishments.

Sam’s mission trip to the Dominican Republic

Jack facing his fear of all things medical as he had an unexpected surgery

Figuring out how to let go…

A quick trip to Haiti for Dave and me

Sam gaining more thespian experience as he dabbled in Shakespeare

Jack turning 11 and officially entering the ‘tween years (how can that be?)

As we journey into 2011, there is no doubt we have grown as a family and as individuals. We have grown in understanding what it is journey in this life; what it is to walk in the ways of Jesus as we experience Hope, Joy and Love; and what it is to give Hope, Joy and Love to others.

  
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!