The Pitch (Behind the Scenes)

Behind the Scenes is a link up with Crystal (and some others) where we share the real life behind the perfect (or not-so-perfect) pictures we post for friends, family, and the internet to see. The story behind the instagrammed beauty. Come link up. Or just read our adventures. Some of them will make you nod your head: been there, done that. Others will make you smile.

Today, here's a look behind the scenes of "The Pitch".

The picture:

The story:
You may know, or may have guessed, that I'm raising some baseball fans in this house. Trying, anyway. We get to several games a year, and the rest I go with my friends, or alone. I love baseball that much. A day in the park, even when my team loses, is still a better day than a day without baseball.

My girls are troopers and they're starting to get more engaged in the games. We went Monday night, and had a couple of really cool moments. S (she's 8) took the picture above while she was experimenting with the zoom function on my cell phone camera. She was THRILLED to catch Tyler Clippard at the moment of his release.  (See sequence below). She was even more excited when she looked at our Nationals calendar the next morning at breakfast when she noticed that it's the very same shot (except zoomed in close) that  is captured (of course from another game) on the August page. "That's SO COOL, Mom, isn't it?":   Yes, I agree. So cool.

We had a visit from "Mrs. Charlie" - the wife of one of  the Nationals'  ["our"]  radio play-by-play announcers.  Fun to try to get all of our faces in one "selfie" picture. She's a gem. I love how the fans and the support folks, and even the players, all get engaged around here. Very approachable. And very real people.  I am delighted to have met Tina and to have gotten to know her a little better. The girls thought it was hilarious that we were having a party in section 404 while Charlie was working. They loved waving to his press box window.

 

And here's the rest of our pictures from Monday. The girls had as much fun documenting our time as they did watching on Monday. My favorite is the one at the end - we love that you can see the landmarks of DC right from the ballpark. There's no better place to spend a night, than with my girls in the city I love, seeing history made, and remembered, both on and off the field.

practicing pictures. Laughing the whole time

A likes to get close to the camera. I need to stretch my arms!

S took this one, view from our seats

we love it up here, mom!

getting sleepy, but still watching her favorite guys

notice the monument in the background. We love DC!

Story (Five Minute Friday)

On Friday, we write just for the sake of writing. Pour out your heart, with no editing, backtracking, overthinking. Just toss it out there and go on with your day.  There's a bunch of folks who've been doing it for over 2 years! I've been at it since January, more or less, and it's my favorite part of Friday (or whatever day I manage to do it. Sometimes I'm late.)   Step-by-step directions at the bottom. Come write with us!

This week's word: STORY.

Go.

For so many people, the story is about the what. What is going on in your life. What are you doing. Etc. But for me, it's about the HOW. You know, when I find an author I like to read, it's ont usually because I like what he's writing about (though that does sometimes serve as the reason I try an author the first time). It's because I like how he writes. How he tells the story. How he weaves the words together.  I can read all kinds of random stories by the same author because I like how he chooses to describe something.  Sometimes an author changes the HOW about his writing. And then I'm not interested as much. (My friend was posting about this on facebook just theother day. An author she'd enjoyed took a side track for about 10 years and changed his how, and she couldn't read him anymore. She tried the most recent novel this week, and he'd returned to the how she'd loved so much - and she couldn't put the book down).

That's how I want my life story to read. There are LOTS of women walking similar paths to mine. Divorced, kids, figuring out life all over again - some with faith, some without, all with a tough journey ahead, all with a different method to get through every day. But how I do it is important to me. My girls won't remember the what we did all the time. In fact, I imagine they'll forget a LOT of the what.

My fervent prayer is that they remember HOW Mommy did it. And that I always choose a how that I want them to follow. With that in mind, my intention every morning is to write my story, day by day, with words penned in grace. Grace isn't always the easy route. It's not always the fun route. It's not always the shortest route. But always, always, grace is the right route.

So today, I choose to pick up my pen of grace, and write a new page in my story.


Stop.

As promised, here's how you can join the Five Minute Friday friends.

1.Check what the prompt is on Lisa-Jo's blog.
2.Write a post in only five minutes on that topic on your blog (or in the comments at the bottom if you don’t have a blog).
3.Link over here and invite friends to join in.
4.Select the permalink to your post {so not your blog url www.lisajobaker.com but your post url http://lisajobaker.com/2013/08/five-minute-friday-story}
5.Using the blue linky tool at the bottom of my Five Minute Friday post enter your link.
6.It will also walk you through selecting which photo you want to show up in the linky.
7.Your post will show up in our Five Minute Friday linky.

Our most important requirement for participation: There’s really only one absolute, no ifs, ands or buts about it Five Minute Friday rule: you must visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.

The Postcard (Behind the Scenes)

Since I Five-Minute-Friday'ed on Tuesday, I'll Behind-the-Scenes on Thursday. Schedule modification. (Thankful for grace in posting delays!)

Behind the Scenes is coordinated by Crystal, who helps remind us that life is real - not just what you see in our perfect excerpts on facebook, or twitter, or instagram (I don't even know how to do that!).

So, you post the picture, and then you tell the REAL story, and share with the gang over at Crystal's place.  Ready? Good.  This week, I present "The Postcard"

The Photo:

And The Story:
I got this in the mail this week. Made my heart melt. My girls have been away for TWO LONG WEEKS. I am missing them something fierce.  (Side note, I am in the final 26 hour countdown until I can hug their necks .. Thank you, Lord, for getting me through!)  The message (translated for spelling and spaces) = we saw some pioneer things and Indian things.  Poiner looks like Poineh and this reminds me of HOME (where I grew up ... northeastern accents... yay!)  I laughed, and cried, when I got it. Laughed for the fun they're having with grandma and grandpa, and visiting cousins and family and making memories, and for the hilarious accent reminder of my own Nana, who with her Boston roots never met an R at the end of a word that she wasn't willing to dispense with.  And cried - for how much I have been missing my kids since they left. Note to self, two weeks seems to be way too long for this mama to be without my littles. They will be a foot taller at least when I see them. Summer flies way too fast. Can't wait to get them home and slow things down a little. 

Broken (Five Minute Friday)

Finally getting to my Five Minute Friday post this week. Yeah, a few days late. Yeah, my kids are away, so no excuses for why I'm late. Better to write late than not to write this week. I really like the 5 minute focus time. It's a lovely escape without actually having to go anywhere.

Here's how Five Minute Friday works:
On Fridays (or later ... just before the next week!), we gather over at Lisa-Jo's and write from the heart. Five minutes of whatever flies out of your fingers. The rules are simple -
1. write for 5 minutes flat. No editing, backtracking, over-thinking, on whatever the prompt of the week is.
2. link up and invite others to join
3. visit the brave soul who linked before you and leave a comment. Share a thought. Give an encouragement boost. That's the heart of the Five Minute Friday community. You never know who's day you'll make, and what you'll learn about your own heart along the way.
 
Ready? This week we're writing about BROKEN.

GO.

Almost 37 years I've been doing this journey called life. I've seen a lot of broken along the way. And A lot of glued-back-together-ing. Broken bones, broken glasses (worse than broken bones, as my eyesight is so terrible!), broken dishes and broken promises. Yeah, those hurt more than the others. One broken home, and broken trust. That's the worst - the broken trust from the one you thought you'd given your heart to forever.

They say time heals all the broken. And perhaps it does. It cerrtainly eases some of the pain, eventually. But as I reflect on the broken I've seen, the broken I've endured, I've realized there's one thing that can't be broken. Thanks to the precious gift of salvation, my soul is whole. Jesus filled in all the missing parts there, and that bond is unbreakable. 20 years ago this fall is the anniversary of the unbreakable soul in my life and knowing it is there makes it that much easier to walk the path of the broken, and unbroken, journey set before me. 

STOP.

Cheesecake (Behind the Scenes)

 Details on Behind the Scenes below.

The photo:

 

The story:

I love baseball. Specifically my Nationals. There's no place I'd rather be on a summer afternoon. I bring my girls a lot, but this week they're with Mamama and Dadada, so I am all on my own. I decided to go to the game last minute, and since it was a special giveaway (Davey Johnson bobblehead, anyone?) I went early. Nats park has a restaurant called the Red Porch, which I've never been to. My kids are all about the Shake Shack and cotton candy. Since I went alone, I thought I would check it out. It opens when the first gates open, and serves REAL FOOD - not just ballpark fare. And DESSERT. Oh, yes it does. So I had a table all to myself, with this view of batting practice, and I got to eat a whole piece of cheesecake. No lovely little girls sharing with their forks, or my fork, or their fingers. A little haven of rest in my favorite local getaway destination. Let's play ball - and eat cheesecake!

WHAT IS THE "BEHIND THE SCENES" LINK UP? 

Social media and online relationships can make us feel like everyone else has it all together. We're edited, proof-read, Pinterest-perfect versions of ourselves  (or so some might think!) when - in reality? There is an unfinished pile of laundry around the corner. That cute toddler smiling for the camera just had a massive meltdown seconds ago. That yummy breakfast-for-dinner you just showed us on Instagram? It's because the cat licked the chicken that was supposed to be for dinner. 

"Behind the Scenes" is a fun link up where we show those photos - but tell the real story behind them. The sneak peek behind the scenes, a look past the edges of the photo to the real life behind it. Read more here!

 

So, come link with Crystal and read our adventures. 

 

Belong (Five Minute Friday)

On Fridays, we gather over at Lisa-Jo's and write from the heart. Five minutes of whatever flies out of your fingers. The rules are simple -
1. write for 5 minutes flat. No editing, backtracking, over-thinking, on whatever the prompt of the week is.
2. link up and invite others to join
3. visit the brave soul who linked before you and leave a comment. Share a thought. Give an encouragement boost. That's the heart of the Five Minute Friday community. You never know who's day you'll make, and what you'll learn about your own heart along the way.

Got it?  Come on and write with us. This week, we're all cranking out 5 minutes on

BELONG

 Go.

Belonging is something I've struggled with the past 4 years, as my world - my role - my life has been redefined. I never doubted where I belonged growing up. With my family was the easy answer, and they're a fun-loving soul-loving bunch, my family. Lots of laughter, hugs through the tears and the joy, and solid staunch supporters of their own every step of the way.

Four years ago my life took a big whopping detour that I never expected. Hit me out of the blue and to this day, I still can't see everything , even in hindsight, that led to the place I am now. A marriage that blew apart wasn't on my list of journey points along the way. And as I learned who I was all over again, now a single mom of two, instead of a part of a different whole, it was hard to piece where I belonged into my mind. I'd been defined for more than 10 years as a part of that relationship. And sacrificed a lot of who I was to be a part of that. Take that away, and "Who am I?" became a journey.

As I sit here 4 years down the road, I am thankful. Rejoicing, that I will always belong to my family. My family may look a little different, with one person no longer in the fold. But the fold I started with, the ones that have had me from the beginning, are still there wrapping me up in the laughter, hugs, and standing with me as I conquer the new journey one day at a time. And with two littles added in to the mix, the fold still grows stronger, despite the one who walked out and didn't look back. And I'll never not belong to them.

Stop.

P.S. This week, we're celebrating an extra belonging, as Lisa-Jo has added "belonging to America" officially in her world. Congratulations, dear friend, on your citizenship - I am delighted to call you an American sister in addition to us being sisters in Christ.  I am thankful for you and the journey that has led us to be friends.

Present (Five Minute Friday - kids edition)

See below for the delight of Five Minute Friday - kids.  LOVE THIS.

Here's from my girls this week.

5 yo (A).  She dictated and Mommy typed. Full disclosure - they asked me to read my post before they wrote. So A tied onto my last sentence. And we're at the beach - who wouldn't have sand castles on the brain? :)


I like going to build sand castles and swimming under water when Mommy puts her hands under water so I can swim for them. I like jumping in the pool with S and jumping in the waves and pretending to surf and pretending to jump into Uncle Jeff Juice in the pool and Mommy catches me.

Present is like a dream that I want to have my own desk that fits in my bedroom.I like watching the sand castles when Mommy puts them down near the waves and I like smashing my own sand castles.

And stop!

8 yo (S). She types herself on the iPad and still wants to stop at 5 minutes even though she has more thoughts. I told her she could continue. She said, "Mom that's not the point of the timer. So I will stop this week because it's vacation. And don't correct my spelling error. Just tell me for next time."  The word is EXCITED.

Present

When I think of present I think of a gift. When I think of a gift I get really exisited .

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The skinny on the kid's edition of Five Minute Friday, brought to you by the lovelies at Desperate Homeschoolers

What is Five Minute Friday kids' edition?

Every week for over two years, hundreds of people have been joining a kind of writing flash mob over at lisajobaker.com, writing on a one-word prompt for five minutes and posting what they've written without prettifying it first. When I decided to join up with them, I thought it would be fun to include my three daughters. It seemed like a great journaling activity, and since they are always asking me if they can put things on my blog, I told them I’d take pictures of their work and post it here. After doing it for a few weeks, several people commented that they'd like their kids to join, so, with Lisa-Jo's blessing, we decided to host a Five Minute Friday Kids' Edition link-up right here.

Do your kids want to play along? Well, here's this week's link up.

It’s easy to join in, just:

1. Check what the prompt is on Lisa-Jo's blog.
2. Have your kids write and/or draw a journal entry in only five minutes on that topic. Some people have their kids dictate while they scribe for 5 minutes  New Rule: if children want to keep writing, don't stop them..
3. Take a picture or scan their paper, and post it on your blog. If you don't have a blog and want to participate, please comment below and we'll get in touch about what you can do.
4. Link up your post here and invite friends to join in.
5. Select the permalink to your post. (This needs to be the link to your actual post, not to your blog itself or your homepage.)
6. Using the linky tool at the bottom of this Five Minute Friday Kids' Edition post, enter your link. It will also walk you through selecting which photo you want to show up in the linky.
7. Your post will show up in our Five Minute Friday Kids' Edition link-up.
8. Be sure and encourage the person who linked up before you by visiting their post and commenting!
9. We'll be joining with Lisa-Jo's most important requirement for participation: "There’s really only one absolute, no ifs, ands or buts about it Five Minute Friday rule: you must visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community."