This is 40

Making the risotto - it was delicious

Good, dear friends around a table to celebrate - what more could I ask for as part of my continuing birthday celebration?

Lemon zest?  Keli's your girl as Derek looks on.

Every birthday needs a candle, even if it is in a lemon pots de creme.

Happy Birthday to me.

Dave seems to be the teachers favorite student, so he actually probably did more chopping and prep work than Vanessa this evening.

Mike & Jen are so busy with the pork products that they can't even look up.  They took great pride in doing a great job with dinner.

Even though there were some plumbing issues at home, the Sudermans were fully present to help celebrate.

The Roberts also did their fair share of the prep for dinner.  Ashley actually got pretty good with cutting goat cheese with dental floss later in the evening.  The trick is to always use unflavored floss!

Let's be honest, after 21, it's the birthdays that end with 5 & 0 that beg to be celebrated.  Everything in between can be managed with a dinner out and a casual time with friends and family, but the 5 & 0 birthdays beg for something more.  This year, with a 0 birthday to be acknowledged, the party just keeps going.  After the jubilant time in Avalon, a delightful family party and unforgettably terrible root canal, the celebration just keeps going.  This time, some of my dearest friends took an evening to toast to 40 with a cooking class and dinner.

Because we made great food, the evening was delicious (whipped creme fraiche on crostini with honey & pepper, arugula, roasted corn, chickpea and pancette salad with pistachio crusted goat cheese, spring green & asparagus risotto, herb-rubbed prosciutto wrapped pork-loin and lemon pots de creme with raspberries) and the company was sincere, without pretense and perfect.

We have a tradition in our family to honor the birthday person by going around the table and highlighting something we especially appreciate about that person.  Apparently this tradition is not so unique, as the Riddles have a similar tradition that they initiated after we had eaten our meal.  This tradition with family feels comfortable and safe, as family is family and they are obliged to love you flaws and all.  This tradition with friends is beautiful and encouraging in ways that make you want to be better.  This is people who choose you, telling you why they choose you, and it inspires you to be the person they see in you.  It's humbling and spirit lifting to listen to people who choose you, encourage you.  It also highlights the importance of making wise connections with the people you let deeply into your life.  I am blessed beyond measure by the people around that dinner table, and am so very thankful that I get to call each and everyone of them friends.  If this is 40, it ain't never looked better.

Back to School - The Bigs Edition

#teamjonahgoodall Updates

Just a few quick #teamjonahgoodall housekeeping updates:

* Due to growing children and a few different requests, we have reopened the #teamjonahgoodall clothing campaign.  For those of you who didn't get it on in the first time around, have kids that have outgrown their original shirts, or would like a sweatshirt - check this link out:
(https://www.booster.com/jonahgoodall) 

* Last year, in the midst of the newness of Jonah's diagnosis, we participated in the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation's Starry Night 8.5k.  The reason the race is 8.5k instead of a more tradition 5 or 10K is because more that 28,500 kids in the US are living with a brain tumor and 28,500 steps equal 8.5k.  Jonah was in the throws of early diagnosis and treatment still during the race last year, but this year we we're going to do the race again and Jonah is going to join us.  If you are interested in joining us, the race is Sunday, September 18th (there is a shorter race/walk if you want to participate but don't want to do 8.5k) and the registration link is below.  If you want to participate but can't attend, you can also use the link to donate.
(http://pbtf.convio.net/site/TR/2016StarryNight/General?team_id=12735&pg=team&fr_id=2727)

If I was more organized, the shirts would arrive in time for the walk, but you can't win 'em all.  Instead, the shirt campaign will run through the race and should arrive in time to show your team for Jonah's next MRI scheduled for September 27th.

Reflections on Vacation and More Denmark

This is a meal long dreamt, but never truly expected.  We got to spend the day with the Sorensens at their house.  Back in our Reading days we were always together in each other's homes.  It was nice to be together in a new place that felt so comfortable.

Breakfast.  This is where Simon tried a Danish breakfast classic - jam and cheese on bread.  

 Silly faces - what we do best.

We did a canal boat tour around Copenhagen.  Anna found it so fascinating that she spent the whole adventure using Gitte's phone to texting Ida, who was trapped at school.

After breakfast before we headed off to explore Copenhagen.

Mads, Noah and Julia

Allan has a talent for photography, which you can see here in these pictures of the girls.

It was so heartwarming to see Mads interact with the kids.

Anna and Noah loved all the rides at Tivoli that they could get on.

Another Allan photo special.

Julia loved the frog hopper ride at Legoland and was delighted to see that there was a similar type of ride in Tivoli.  As most of the rides at Tivoli had a height restriction that Julia couldn't meet - she got to ride this one a few times, which made her very happy.  It was also near this ride that we found Jonah, I mean Spiderman's twin!  If you look carefully at the other little boy in the picture, you'll see that he and Jonah are both Spiderman in disguise.

This trip to the Baltics that I've been sharing pictures of really was a dream come true.  Before Jonah was diagnosed last July, we had a few fantastic family trips planned that we weren't able to do.  Each time the dates for those fantastic trips came around, Simon said, "When we can travel, we will travel big".    In those moment, the ability to travel together again as a family of 6 seemed a virtual impossibility.  And yet it happened - Jonah persevered through treatment and with a spirit of joy and optimism, and figured out how to thrive even.  He came out on the other side and we knew we did not want to miss the opportunity to live.

We had a fantastic time on our trip.  It was balm for the soul of our family - weeks of intense togetherness after so many weeks spent apart.  It really is hard to describe how perfect this time was for repairing, for rebuilding and for strengthening the intangible unmeasurable parts of being a family.  As you would expect, of course there were squabbles and discipline that took place, because that's just being family, but even there, there was beauty in the normal.  And then, out of nowhere would be a wash of gratitude so deep that it brought tears.  The doubt that existed during treatment about ever really being able to vacation all together again was real and strong - in the moments of seeing Jonah the sickest, this level of unadulterated joy and togetherness seemed a million miles away.  Gratitude upon gratitude that words can't capture.

After the gratitude, came heart crushing fear - what if we never get to do this - make these kinds of memories again?  What it the next opportunity to travel is replaced by another hospital stay and illness and chemo?  That's how it goes you see.  With a cancer that is notorious for returning, with a life that is measured in 3 month MRIs - disaster could be just around the corner.  The ground that we stand of feels so shaky, so tenuous, so uncertain.  As the tears of gratitude morphed into tears fueled by fear, my heart wondered how to survive this season.  It is our deepest prayer that we have to learn to live on this shaky ground of regular MRIs forever and that our visits to the hospital are always outpatient follow up visits and nothing more. May that be our long season.  But how do you really live in that?  And just like that, a word from heaven - Celebrate.  What is the antidote to fear of the unknown of tomorrow?  Celebration of today.

And so we celebrate.  We celebrate in the Baltics on a grand adventure and we celebrate in Inverness in the boring mundane everyday of life.  It is of course easy to celebrate while on vacation, but we're going to do it at home too.  We may stumble more at home in figuring out what that really looks like, but may we fail trying instead of failing to try.  May we have eyes to see the gifts in today, to help stay the fear of tomorrow. (Matthew 6:34 - Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own)

Denmark

When you are blessed to have friends like family you hold on tight - through the years and the miles.  Back in 2009 we were blessed to have the Sorensens as neighbors and they became like family.  Their kids (Mads & Ida) were like our niece & nephew and we have had the pleasure to watch them grow from 4th & 6th graders to fantastic young adults.  Here is Mads, showing that he's not too cool to show the girls around.

Simon and Jonah, and then again later Allan and Anna, took a crazy ride on the swings.  Apparently you get a great view of Copenhagen and even into Sweden from those heights, and all the riders loved it!

Anna and a giraffe at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.  Given Anna's lovie is a giraffe, this choice is totally on point.

Ida & Mads posing with our kids in Hillerod with their town castle in the background.

What was once the castle in Hillerod has now been claimed by Julia as her new home.

King Jonah.  I think the crown suits him.

Julia also tried her hand out at royalty.  She quite liked it, even if it only lasted a few minutes.

Julia, with her Danish flag, fitting right in.

Brothers at the playground.

Jonah and his best Danish friend, Simba.  Jonah doesn't remember Simba from his baby days, but it didn't take long for them to get reacquainted
.

The kids at Legoland.  This place blew all of our minds!  The hotel was so full of character and the park itself was perfect for our family.  The cruise may have exposed the kids to all sorts of culture, but it is the Legoland portion of our trip that will really stick with the kids in the years to come.

Anna and Indiana Jones - Lego style.

If there is a princess, Julia will find her.  This is of course the famous blue Lego princess.  Unlike Disney princesses, Lego princesses don't seem to have a persona they need to adhere to and are able to freely interact with visitors.  I don't know much about the blue Lego princess, but it was a lot of fun to meet her.

Jonah giving Julia a ride around Legoland.  Because of Jonah's disability, he got a special pass that allowed him and 3 "helpers" to by-pass all the lines.  His ability to have the pass was born out of this last year, so the cost was very high, but as we accept that this is the season we're in, it did help enhance our experience.

Noah and Anna now have Danish drivers license.  Ok, they're only valid in Legoland, but the kids were really proud - and also prepared to try and drive the rental van.

What's better and 1 giant cotton candy (candy floss if you're Danish)?  Clearly, 2 giant cotton candies.  Fear not, we managed to eat both of them with no trouble.

Jonah, doing his part to reduce our cotton candy burden.

The girls also did a nice job in cotton candy consumption.  The picture doesn't do justice to the blue sheen that covers Julia's face, nor the strange shade of blue that Anna's mouth is.  In the background, you see Noah & Simon skipping the cotton candy in favor of ice cream.  I may be bias, but I think the cotton candy crew were the winners in this afternoon snack.

The girls were so excited to see the Lego Friends characters!  I usually don't love gender specific toys, but for Lego Friends I make an exception.  There certainly are some general Legos that appeal to my girls, but more often than not, it's the Lego Friends camper, boat or airplane that catch their attention.  If it takes white and pink bricks instead of grey and green bricks to engage their sense of building and creation, I don't feel like that's a hill to die on.  It may or may not help that one of the Friends is named Stephanie - just saying....

The littles on a boat ride.  Although I'm sure the boat would never actually tip over, it wasn't a tight fit into the track and so you could get it to rock side to side a bit.  I'm happy to report that even after 2 times around neither Jonah nor Julia had managed to tip the boat over and they still had fun.

This frog jumper ride was Julia's favorite ride in all of Legoland.  I'm pretty sure that she rode it at least 6 times in 2 days and she would have kept going if we'd let her.  It was always just a touch more fun for her when Jonah would ride with her.

The bigs were barely small enough to ride the carousel.  This because obvious when they spent most of the riding trying to look like they were riding real horses instead of enjoying the ride.  They had a lot of fun though and I love that they figured out how to enjoy what would otherwise be considered a "baby ride" so that all the kids could be on the same ride together.

Jonah enjoyed the carousel ride simply for the ability to be on a fun ride.  Didn't you know that Spiderman rides a horse?

This is the "man" just inside Legoland from the hotel entrance.  The best part is that this is the uniform of the welcoming staff at the park.  The real "welcomer" was just behind that yellow sign and tried to photobomb the picture once he realized we were there.  Unfortunately his timing was off and he didn't make it, but we loved that he tried.  There was such a spirit of fun to be shared at Legoland!