June Update: Family Time (New and Previously Existing Family)

This month is flying by! Earlier this month, our family was overjoyed to welcome "Baby Lucy" into the family. Squish (4) and Chunk (2) are overjoyed to have a new baby sister! Shortly after Baby Lucy was born, the family (less Baby Lucy and her parents) had a lovely evening at the lake, paddle boarding, kayaking, swimming, and paddling large flotation devices. 

This month has also been full of gatherings with members of our church (and getting to know more people!), lots of work at work, and the beginnings of learning the Russian language! I'm pretty sure I'll learn how to read it before being able to speak it. The only problem is I won't have any idea what I'm reading...Oh well. So many of our friends are willing to patiently teach us little bits of Russian; so thankful for them! 

Squish and I making silly faces for the camera; it is so much fun being an auntie!

Squish about to meet her new baby sister! She was so excited she couldn't hold still; it was the sweetest thing ever.

Nana holding Baby Lucy (look at her tiny baby toes!)

Chunk, Squish, Baby Lucy, and their daddy, Strong Ox (his nickname sounds really weird right here...oh well, must maintain consistency in this blog whenever possible)

So tiny and sweet! 

Also, this is the quilt I made for Baby Lucy. It did not turn out quite like I had hoped and (I guess rightly) looks like a beginner constructed it, but I think it's still cute. Plus, it's the thought that counts, right? :) 

 Little turtles plus the blanket stitch! I knew "Dame School" at our historic site would come in handy one day...

Gah, seriously, she is so sweet, and this picture doesn't do any justice at all... 

 So tiny!

Babies are miracles. The end.

"For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. 
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them." 
Psalm 139:13-16 (English Standard).

Auntie Pollywog (19) and Chunk! Chunk wanted to get in the water so BAD! On the dock, he was literally lunging over the edge, only to be prevented by his aunties...This two-year-old has no fear. We love him anyway. 💓

Squish, Chunk, Uncle Mini-man (11), and Auntie Sonia, just chilling on the water.

May the remainder of this month be blessed and glorifying to Jesus as we strive to hold fast to the truths found in his Holy Word!

Sonia

The Adventures of Lady Valencia Dawn Jonesier Part 2: Commencement!

Saturday morning, May 19, 2018 found Peachy and I up around 4:30 a.m., rushing to get dressed and out the door. I'm not sure if I even got 2 hours of decent sleep, but it was okay because I was graduating. The family's cabin next door remained dark, and we decided not to bother them for our much-desired coffee and instead loaded into Lady Valencia and were off. I think we ended up getting coffee at a convenience store, so we survived. :) Upon arriving for commencement, graduates were given rain ponchos, but I, a resident of a habitually rainy state, arrogantly thought I wouldn't need one. Hah. I changed my mind within an hour (although did take it off again before we headed out to face the arena crowds.

 This sweet lady did the same "transfer" program as I did (Lumberit/Unbound, where we got a lot of transfer credits before transferring into Liberty University), and it was so nice to meet her for the first time!

 It really was wet...

 Two more Unbounders and also a dear friend from my home state! Here you can see we overcame our pride and put on the rain ponchos.

 What is commencement without a picture with the mascot?

Yes, we took an excited selfie during the processional. It was a very long processional. 

You can't see them clearly, but my family is on the lower level, near the middle!

 We heard Ben Carson and Jimmy Carter speak! It was very interesting to have two very different speakers, especially given that Liberty University is a pretty right-winged school...

 After the huge commencement ceremony! It got soooo cold, but it was totally worth it! Shortly after this picture was taken, I was in a frenzy to find the school of music, where the law school graduation ceremony was to be held. It was slightly stressful, and I didn't find the school of music until I had asked like 5 different people. No joke. Praise God, though, I found it in time.

After the ceremony! Sadly, all of my pictures from after look a little stiff, but it was actually a very enjoyable ceremony! I love the law school! Also, having them call your name, followed by "summa cum laude" is such an honor! On the video, you can hear my dad loudly proclaiming, "that's my girl!" I love them so much.

Family and friends: the best support group a girl could ask for.

The Adventures of Lady Valencia Dawn Jonesier Part 1: Arrival, Monticello, and Deep Caverns

It's been over a month since graduation, and I'm just now getting to posting pictures/anecdotes on here. It was a truly lovely trip, and I am so thankful for the time we had there!

My parents, Mozzarella (18), Sweet Pea (16), Gubby (14), and Mini-Man (11) arrived in Virginia on Wednesday afternoon and drove their faithful steed, a Dodge Durango, I think it was. Peach and I arrived late Thursday night, and were delighted to drive a lovely, deep blue Nisan Versa, which we Christened Lady Valencia Dawn Jones. Several forthcoming posts shall pertain to the adventures my family, Peachy, and I had, primarily from the perspective of Lady Valencia, Peachy, and I since we only had about 2/3 of our adventures with the rest of the family.

The following photos are from our first two days in Virginia. Upon arriving at the Charlottesville airport around 9 p.m., we collected the keys to our rental car and trudged into the pouring rain to find our lovely car. We were quite delighted with Lady Valencia, and had an exciting drive through the pouring rain to a (very) woodsy Air BnB cabin in Howardsville, about an hour down the road.

It was pitch black when we arrived, and since my family warned us not to drive Lady Valencia up the driveway as it was too steep, we parked at the base of the hill and brought our bags up to the front porch, where we searched for and found the house keys, got eaten by insects, and let ourselves into the cabin. The family had spent the day in D.C. and were still gone, so Peachy and I hung around, unsure of where we were going to stay, since we had heard about a "bunk house," but didn't know how to gain access. The cabin was very "vintage" and full of bugs, but thankfully, the bunk house, while "groovy," had fewer insects.

On Friday, Peachy and I drove an hour to Liberty University, registered for graduation, drove to Monticello where we met the family, and then proceeded to the LuRay Caverns. Friday was a busy, wet, educational, exhausting, and lovely day. 

Peach and I didn't get back to our Air BnB until around 11:30 p.m., to bed until after midnight, to sleep until close to 2 a.m., and had to get up around 4:30 a.m. to make it to the commencement registration by 6:30 a.m. -- Peachy was so kind to get up early and drive me there! 

There is an organ in the LuRay Caverns, with the stalactites and stalagmites as pipes, and it plays Rock of Ages.  

Peachy and my's now semi-traditional "O'Hare" selfie. 

 After surviving our long drive in the dark and pouring rain, we arrived at the family's Air BnB. We were very wet and very tired, but happy to be there.  

 The "bunk house" where Peachy and I stayed for the graduation!

Yes, there are glowing stars on the bunkhouse ceiling...

 The day before graduation! Peachy was kind enough to take a photo of me in front of my actual "school"! 

 Thomas Jefferson liked to keep track of his steps, too!

 Thomas Jefferson's house was so, so neat. This is on the ground floor, where there are wine cellars, exhibits, ect.

Sweet Pea and I in front of one of the slave cabins.

So thankful for these wonderful parents.  

 Mini-man is growing up so, so fast! 

 Family 

 Mozzarella 

Someday I hope to be as cute as them. 

 Jefferson's Tomb

 Getting soaked outside Jefferson's Tomb, but still having a good time.

Gubby 

 Road-tripping to the LuRay Caverns! I'm not sure how that first picture got to the top, when I uploaded everything in chronological order...I could rearrange the pictures, but time is not a commodity in my life.

Two Years Ago...I was sitting in my first law class and met my nemesis

This memory popped up on my "on this day" notification on my Facebook feed, and it was too good not to share. Two years ago today, I was at our community college finishing my administrative assistant Associates degree, taking an evening legal ethics class. The following occurred during the lecture...

Just when I thought I was overcoming my aversion to spiders, the following took place in class:
While very seriously discussing unethical lawyer solicitation, I suddenly noticed something huge and brown scurrying across the floor in front of me. When I realized it was a giant spider, I almost gasped out loud, but managed to keep my calm. I seriously considered getting up in front of the class and announcing the presence of the eight-legged horror so I could carry out due diligence and execute it. However, I reconsidered since the teacher is a well-respected, dignified attorney (it’s all about networking, folks).
Thus, I kept quiet and eyed the eight-legged offender. I’m sure she and my classmates were wondering why I stopped paying attention to that part of the discussion and was staring into the corner. I’m sure they were also wondering why I kept shifting my feet around for the remainder of the class in hopes of discouraging any other horrors from crawling up my legs.
Needless to say, I have a ten-minute memory lapse from the lecture tonight, but can thoroughly describe to the you path the spider took and how he attempted to climb the wall, failed, and continued to walk along the wall until he disappeared from sight, leaving only the memory of the horror he inflicted and food for my imagination about where his cousins could be hiding. 

...And, because I try not to post without a picture, here is an unflattering selfie I took at the beach a few weeks back. Just add a smidge of horror to this face and you'll get what I was feeling in the above anecdote. 

April Reflections in a May Post...Plus I'm Graduating

So, I never did get to posting again in April. Oh well. School (which was business organizations law, family law, real estate transactions, and estate planning and trust administration) the last four months has been very busy, and the last month or so has been absolutely crazy with school. Full-time school and full-time work don't easily coincide with trying to finish school a week or two early. However, GOD IS SO GOOD! I finished!

In fact, my plane (because I'mg going to the school to walk) boards in about three hours. I decided now is a good a time as any to do a quick blog post since I'm all packed and am just waiting for Peachy to arrive so we can begin our adventure. Also, I've been up since 5:30 since I was too excited to sleep...Annoying, but I'm not exactly complaining. 

April was a lovely (if not busy!) month! About a week or two in, Peachy, Si, and I took a trip to the beach that was sponsored by my work! We had a lovely time. There are a few additional pictures below as well.

The Chunk (2) and I on Easter Sunday. Not the best picture of either of us, but this little man is hilarious. He is sometimes a total jerk (i.e. refusing to give me a hug, etc) but also a total sweet heart at the same time (if you are injured, he is extremely concerned). He's also learning to talk and has been putting hilarious sentences together. Last Saturday, Aunt Pollywog (20) was climbing over a seat in the car to fit in the back, and the Chunk exclaimed, "Aunt [Pollywog] climbing car!"

 Pollywog and I on a walk several weeks ago with the newest member of our family, our new "nephew," Potato the Husky. 

 Sweet Pea (17) on an "sunny day outdoor trip" we took with our church a few weeks back. She is so beautiful, inside and out.

 Spring apple blossoms. 

Mozzarella and I still enjoy working together, and taking walks on our lunch breaks as homework and the weather permit.

Hold fast to Jesus! 

Sonia