Sunshine, how I love thee!

We have been in our new city for three months now and I must admit I have grown quite fond of the frequent days of sunshine. Now the funny thing is, Fort Wayne actually had an extremely wet spring. You couldn't have proved that by me though. Coming for Oregon I know a thing or two about rain and wet springs. Because of the wet spring we are enjoying beautiful flowers and lush green lawns. It really is quite lovely. And now we are in the throws of a beautiful summer with warm days and firefly filled evenings.
We have also settled into our permanent living arrangement for the next year. It's a three bedroom condo with a two car garage and meets our needs quite well. We have enjoyed the amenities that condo life has to offer including the sparkling swimming pool.
The kids are both involved in groups through a local church we've been attending. Katie participates in college group on Wed and Thursday nights as well as Sunday mornings. Daniel goes to a high school group on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. He is also playing keyboard for a newly formed praise band in the group.
Mark's job is going very well. He is enjoying some significant successes in his position and is very well respected. He has had to travel a bit, but nothing overwhelming. He even had the opportunity to visit my brother on a recent trip to CA.
I'm enjoying the summer. I've gotten back in the habit of running and Jenna and I head out in the early mornings for a run along the paths that surround the farm by our condo. I'm also still working on putting the finishing touches on our condo, and trying to thin out the garage to the point where we'll be able to fit two cars in this winter.

45? Really?

Yes, really. Another year has come and gone and I have celebrated the day of my birth in a new city and state. We now call Fort Wayne, Indiana home, and although we have not yet quite settled into a permanent housing situation we are settling into our new surroundings. As in past years my family went all out to indulge my desires for the day. Wanting to acquaint ourselves with all that our new city has to offer, we started the day with a long walk around a local farm park. We later visited the downtown botanical gardens where I was treated to a beautiful butterfly exhibit and even got to experience a butterfly up close as it perched on my finger. We ventured north of town to a local favorite Italian restaurant and my lobster ravioli were cooked to perfection. To finish out the day we reserved the movie theater room in our apartment complex. The kids had made me a birthday video and we watched it on the 'big screen'. Then we sat back and enjoyed a movie and some popcorn. A day to remember as the Hart family builds new memories in our new location.

The view from Mark's world.

An Overdue Update

I have fallen quite behind in my blogging. The whirlwind that has engulfed our lives over the past few months has yet to release us from its grasp, but it has at least slowed its rotation. I shall attempt to catch many of you up on our lives with as much brevity as possible.
To start, Mark has accepted a position with a company in Fort Wayne, IN. Our family will make the permanent move in mid-March when Katie has completed her winter term at Lane Community College. The four of us, make that 5 counting our dog Jenna, will spend a few days making the drive cross-country stopping briefly here and there at various places of interests...to be determined by our navigator and trip planner, Katie. Daniel is working on a documentary of the entire move and we hope to post it sometime after we have set up residence in our new state.
Upon reaching our new city we will be housed temporarily in a three bedroom apartment provided by Mark's employer. While Mark acclimates himself to his new job, the kids and I shall be house-hunting, as well as visiting nearby colleges. We are excited to be starting this new adventure and thankful for God's continued provision!

In My Dreams

Send/Receive

I have a very hard time waiting for things. I remember my frustration with the postal service when awaiting a letter in the mail from a long distance friend. Then the frustration over telephone calls before answering machines became popular. With the introduction of the Internet came the familiar buzz of the dial up, and the all too common busy signal. While every new advancement brought increased efficiencies I still found fault in having to 'wait'.
As of late my frustrations have turned to email. I now have a new nightly routine where I sit at my computer and incessantly press the Send/Receive button in my email program. I am waiting for communication from my husband. With his new job came limited opportunities for us to have free-flowing conversations back and forth. So I send him a message and then hit Send/Receive until I get a response, as if I am somehow able to control the speed at which emails travel.
I've had some time to analyze this somewhat bizarre behavior, and finally tonight came an epiphany! It isn't impatience that fuels my constant finger pokes. Rather, it is an attempt to speed up communication to somehow enable the conversations to feel more instantaneous as they would if Mark were standing right before me. Ultimately, albeit unrealistically, what I am hoping to accomplish is Mark's actual physical presence on the seat beside me. Just as the letters that arrived in the mail could not make my best friend appear on my doorstep, neither are the words on my screen capable of allowing me to rest my head on Mark's shoulder as he tells me about his night. But still, I will poke on, and with each repetitive motion hold on to the hope that one day it just might work. ;-)

November? When did that happen?

I am always in such shock with how fast the year goes by. Of course this year has been such a blur with all that has gone on with our business. But now things are finally starting to slow down a bit. I've been outside two days in a row walking the dog and enjoying the fall colors during the middle of the afternoon. It feels so great to not have to rush home from work and try to figure out what to make for supper. I love having the time now to make us all breakfast and pack Mark a lunch for his 11:30 p.m. break. Every day the stresses are a bit less.

October 29th.......my heart will choose to say..Blessed be the Lord

16 years ago today we learned of God's compassion through a most difficult situation. Our son, Mark Everett died in utero during the 7th month of my pregnancy. While his earthly body was delivered into this world without life, he was welcomed into our Father's arms in Heaven fully alive! We know we will be reunited with him when we are called home. God brought us peace thoughout this sad time and surrounded us with the love of friends and family. Today we continue our tradition of releasing birthday balloons to remember our son who was taken too soon.
Sadly this day in 2010 has some added pain that also could not have been anticipated. Today we close the doors of our business for good. A chapter closed in our lives. For seven years we have ridden the rollercoaster of self-employment, with it's ups and downs and unpredictabilities. While we would never have imagined the outcome of this venture we can find comfort in the love of family and friends just as we did 16 years ago.

October and gladly the end is near...

Yes, I know, a strange title for blog, however given the circumstances that have surrounded our lives for the past two years and particularly the past five months, the end is what we gladly welcome.

Mark's job was such a blessing from the Lord and we are so grateful for HIS provision. Mark has proven himself over and over again an excellent hire. So, why the strange title then, you may ask. Well, with Mark's new employment has come some pretty drastic changes in the Hart lifestyle. We have attempted to keep the business going with my taking over the day to day operations, but the long hours of Mark's schedule, combined with my long hours, combined with almost no family time is taking its toll on all of us and it really must end. Sooner or later a white flag must be raised and a surrender declared in order to salvage the sanity of the participants. That time has come.

The decision to close the business has been one that has been at the forefront of our minds for several months now, but its just so hard to let go of something that you have watched your husband work so hard to build. It really took the kind words of a friend who has been by our sides since the beginning to say, "It's okay to say enough, there is no shame when you have given it all you had". Perhaps that was all we needed, someone other than ourselves to give us permission.


And now that the permission has been granted we feel a bit of spring in our step. We look towards the end of the tunnel and actually can see a light. It won't be pretty or neat, the closing of a business that has been in the community for 15+ years, seven of those under our watch. We certainly won't be walking away with cash dangling from our pockets, in fact you will find our pockets turned inside out, the glaring white emptiness symbolic of our own personal surrender flag. But it will bring about the end to this chapter, one that we welcome with eyes turned upward towards the One who wrote the book and has promised a happy ending.

August.. and life is changing so fast

I've been a little hesitant to write, as things seem to be changing faster than I can keep up with them. I am saddened that I missed my annual letter to Katie on her birthday. Thankfully she knows of the insanity that encircles us all right now and has a gracious and forgiving heart.
As some of you know, Mark has returned to the corporate world. The economic downturn and the strains that it was placing on the business, proved to be beyond our comfort zone. It did not take long for Mark to reconnect with friends from his prior vocation and secure a job that offered the stability of a regular paycheck. In his stead I have taken on the task of running the business. For those of you who know me and all my shortcomings, you are probably laughing as you read this. Somehow fresh baked banana bread doesn't go quite as far in the business world. The good news is, things have begun to pick up at work and the last two months have looked good on the books.
We are however quickly approaching 7 years here in Eugene and are all feeling the itch to move. My mother always said I was the one that got the gypsy blood in the family. It's not that we don't love our friends, or our church, we just got so used to all the moves early on that to be any place for too long causes us to start feeling a bit stagnant. It could be that we've never really had a place that we called 'home', and it could be it's because God does not expect us to ever feel as though there is a place here on earth that is to feel like 'home'. Whatever the reason, the antsiness exists in all four of us. Collectively we four function as one, and have since Daniel entered the world to complete our family. I do also long for the day when we will reunite with Mark Everett and I see my son who left this world before anyone had a chance to know him. So perhaps what I long for most, is eternity.

"Solar Powered Life" Music Video

Here is the kids latest. They've entered it in a contest, so if you'd like to help them do well, send it on to friends!

Wondering what's next...but not worrying about what's next.

In such uncertain times as these, when we see companies continue to close their doors and our own offices painfully quiet, I often find myself contemplating what may be coming around the bend. It is in these times of contemplation that I find that I am mostly just curious, not fearful or dreading. I am blessed to have breath in my body today and a heart that still beats. I am surrounded by my family who also enjoy good health. God holds our tomorrow in His hands and will reveal it in His perfect timing. There is a strange sense of wonderment, knowing that change is inevitable. I don't worry about it, frankly because God has told us not to worry, or to be anxious. But I wonder at it!

The latest from the kids...they crack me up.

Click the link below to see the kid's latest video on Youtube.

The Cell Phone Song

Reader Profile Daniel Hart, Budding Cinematographer

Reader Profile Daniel Hart, Budding Cinematographer


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Happy Anniversary Baby..I've got you on my mind....

Okay, I'm a bit premature, as our anniversary is not officially until tomorrow, but I plan to be busy tomorrow!
21 years my husband and I will be celebrating tomorrow! We have plans for dinner out, a movie, some window shopping, time together. It really doesn't matter to me what we do, I am content sitting beside him on the couch watching the weather channel. :-)

The New Year is Upon Us!

2010..What will it bring? Let's hope for some improvements over 2009! However looking back over 2009 we certainly had some great blessings. Katie 'graduating' high school and starting her 2nd year at the community college. Daniel starting high school and working part-time. The business survived the year. Mark finished a three year long Men's Leadership class at church. Yes, so many blessings.

Prayer Request

Please join us in praying for our friend's son.
Per

Counting down til Christmas...

So hard to believe we are just a week away. We are all looking forward to celebrating Christ's birth!

Daniel turns 14.

The first moments of your life are shared with your Daddy. Your father has chosen the name Daniel as his desire is for you to grow to be a man who worships God as Daniel did. Soon after, your sister is brought in and the two of you share his lap. It is late and your sister is wearing pajamas. In the early hours of the next morning you and I hang out. I keep you snuggled close to me. You look like your Daddy. At home you sleep by our bed for your first year. You often have troubles which don't allow for much sleep. I worry a lot.

Your first birthday finds us living in a new house in a new city. Your cake is shaped like a baseball cap, and you devour it with both hands. You like to be close to me. A bottom drawer in the kitchen is your place of choice to play. You love it when your sister reads to you and never like to sit down in the tub.

At two you are once again in a new town and a new house. You share a bedroom with your sister and that makes you happy, although you still wind up in our bed every night. You watch Blues Clues religiously.

You're three and we live in Missouri. You have your own bedroom, but rarely sleep in your bed. You like to be outside and you experience your first snowfall. You discover sledding, and hot chocolate and marshmallows. You sing...all the time.

You're four and once again your house and town has changed. We call Virginia home now. Your bedroom looks like a bunkhouse. You have brands on your walls. You can ride a bike with no training wheels and you like to go really fast. You make me nervous. You like your Sunday School teacher and going to church. You know Jesus and how to read.

You're five and you wake up with a song on your lips. For Christmas you get a guitar and you start learning how to play. You have a teacher named Daniel. You play your first 'gig' at a coffee house downtown. You are your sister's shadow.

At six the news is still full of images of the Twin Towers crumbling. You are still playing your music and now soccer has entered your life. You are aggressive and fearless, but your heart is kind. You care for others more than yourself. We are proud of you.
We have a new addition to the family, a dog named Jenna.

You're seven and yes, we live in a new town and you have a new house. We are in Wisconsin, and you learn you have the same birthday as Brett Farve. You have a really big bedroom and your own bathroom, but you still prefer to sleep in your sister's room . Your love for music has not changed. We are unable to find a guitar instructor so you begin playing piano. You play by ear. We live close to your aunt and uncle so we visit them often. You like to make movies. Our country has entered into war.

Two days after your eighth birthday we are moving to Oregon. Your new bedroom is small, but you like that your bed is raised up off the ground and you can touch your ceiling. You like to play with the neighbor's little kids. You still play piano, but now your passion is making movies. You turn the garage into your private studio.

You're nine and you are writing songs and still making movies. You like our church and you havejavascript:void(0) made some new friends. You have a sleepover in a tent in our living room for your birthday. You like coffee. You make us laugh.

You're ten and your are in a new room. We have bought a house. You design your room with Daddy. It has a lightning bolt on the wall. It's cool. You were really sick for several months and spent a lot of time at the hospital. I worried and prayed a lot. Many days you spent on the couch with your eyes closed.

By eleven your sickness has passed and it is never known what the cause was. You like computers and music and film-making. You recruit neighbor kids to act in your movies.

Twelve finds you picking up your guitar once again. You take to it as one who is picking up riding their bike again. You like to serenade us with made up songs. Some are funny and some are serious. Your movies get better all the time. You and your sister are best friends. You love spending time with your family and playing board games. You are a Christ follower.

You are surprised with a thirteenth birthday party. Your movie is shown on a big screen in the middle school classroom and many of your friends come. You enter a video contest with another of your films and you win second place. You have become known as 'the video guy'. You make me a film for Christmas where you and your sister sing a song you wrote and you include video clips from when you were just a little boy. I cry.

Today you are fourteen. You have a breakfast of waffles,sausages and potatoes, and of course coffee. You have requested pizza for supper. I have made you an ice cream cake..chocolate with white frosting and blue writing. You are one of the finest young men we know. You look more like Dad every day. You wear glasses now and have begun to discover anew the beauty that God has created. You earn money now for your film editing abilities, and know with certainty that you will pursue a career in film-making. Your commitment to Christ makes us smile. Your integrity and honesty are admirable. You have indeed lived up to your name.

Happy Birthday my Daniel boy. You have brought us such joy. I could not be more proud of the young man that you have become.

Annual Raft Trip

Well, I surely would be remiss if I did not include a blog post about our annual church rafting trip. We were a little concerned on Thursday and Friday as the skies threatened and temperatures dropped. We waited for the phone to ring Friday night with the call that the trip had been cancelled, but alas, the call never came and we were up bright and early on Saturday adding a few extra layers for warmth.
Once again we were joined by our friends Dave and Kay Smith. (You may remember them from last year's blog post.) This year their son, Dan, also joined us for the adventure. Now at this point I feel it important to say a few words about our friends.
Normally it takes years of getting to know people before you would feel comfortable enough inviting them out on a trip where they will be pounded repeatedly by the blasts of waterguns shot at close range by persons they don't even know or asked to ride in the back of a van some 10 miles to the put- in spot..and I mean the back..behind the 3rd row seat. However we have not known the Smiths for years, in fact it has been less than two years since our paths first crossed, but the friendship that has formed feels as though it's been a lifetime.
They are the type of friends you can call last minute to help you put together a surprise 18th birthday party for your daughter. (Like..call on Wednesday..party on Friday) Who will play card games deep into the night and listen to your family sing countless verses of Silly Songs with Larry and invite you back. Who will invite you to participate in their annual New Years Eve traditions and not laugh at your poor attempts at Charades. (In our defense....I think some of those titles were made up ;-). ) I imagine you get the picture. Most importantly, they are the sort of friends who will pray for you in your most trying of times and are always ready with a word of encouragement.
The sun did intermingle with some clouds on Saturday, but the rains stayed away and the rafting trip proved to once again be a blast...at least for the elder Smiths and Harts on board! (Thank goodness we've refused to grow up!)