The Maynards Visit! ~ Day 4

What a lazy morning! Dad was still out with the Lord, and Bro. Buddy and Mrs. Chris were upstairs. We all sorta sat around and just talked in between yawns, and of course the boys had to have their morning cracking. (chuckle) The whole time the Maynards were here we stayed up super late and woke up super early (considering how late we went to bed). We couldn’t miss out on any fellowship we had coming to us. It’s sorta sad when you’re willing to run yourself ragged to get every precious drop of fellowship that could be squeezed out of the short time we had together.

The boys showed us a video tour that Clay did of their property and the boys’ home. Wow! They really live in a different world! I can hardly imagine how wonderful it would be to live with Christians all around. That would feel so…safe, I would think.

Dad got home and made Russell and himself an omelet. Bro. Buddy and Mrs. Chrissy made their way downstairs. Then all of us kids left to go on a bike ride. It was SO nice! The sun was shining brilliantly, and the temperature was just right. We rode past the horses and along the back roads through the fields. It was wonderful!!! Josiah and Russell raced for a while, but soon they joined the rest of us again for an enjoyable, even-paced ride.

As we neared the house we stopped at a playground; the boys needed to get it out of their systems. Ha, ha! There was one of those teeter-totter swings. I have no clue what it’s called; I fear I’m losing my English and my Dutch. It was like a huge teeter-totter, but it had swings hanging down from it, and two people of even weight could “swing” together, only they didn’t swing back and forth but went up and down instead. Aaron and Josiah, who are about the same weight, had fun on it. The three boys traded turns to see who was heavier. Russell got on one side and Aaron and Joe got on the other. Then Russell was not heavier. (chuckle) Lydia and Clay stood with the bikes and talked while I laughed at the boys’ antics. It started raining, so we raced to get home before we got drenched. We did get a little wet, but not too bad.

The adults were talking and finishing up breakfast as we walked in the house. I started playing the piano. The other kids went upstairs and outside to see the rabbits. Russell pulled up a chair and played along with me on the guitar. That was nice! The piano and guitar blend so beautifully. Mrs. Chris said she enjoyed it. Then Bro. Buddy took the guitar from Russell and showed us how he plays “The Saviour is Waiting.” That was very beautiful! Dad came downstairs then and we left for Zaanse Schans, with Aaron riding along in our van with us.

Zaanse Schans is a little tourist place where they show how wooden shoes are made, there is a cheese shop (you can sample all kinds of different cheeses), windmills, some restaurants and souvenir shops, the old-style Dutch houses, canals, and flat Dutch farm land. It’s the whole flavor of Holland in one quaint little village. Whenever we have company from overseas we take them there.

Once we got to Zaanse Schans we piled out of the cars and walked to the entrance. They always have people taking pictures of those who visit Zaanse Schans, and then later if you like the picture you can buy it. The guy taking our picture thought we were family. (grin) We are!…in the Lord. Later we picked up the photos and they turned out quite nice.

It was really a perfect day to be outside. The temperature was just right. Thankfully it didn’t rain on us, even though there were times when it looked like it might. I’m glad we got to get out one of the days and go sightseeing. I got a lot of nice pictures. I think the Maynards enjoyed themselves. It was fun to be out with them.

At one point we were in one of the souvenir shops when I discovered a tea cup and tea pot-shaped nightlight. I thought it was too adorable and started squealing about how “cute” it was. The Maynard boys don’t have any sisters, and when we first met, the boys thought it was funny that Lydia and I said “cute” all the time. During their visit, Mrs. Chrissy thought they should get well acquainted with the word “cute,” which is a “girl word,” for when they get married and hear their wife saying it all the time. I think by the time the Maynards left, all three boys were quite used to the word--the “cute indoctrination” worked. (chuckle) Lydia and I got teased about it several times when the boys tried to mimic us. I guess it’s one of those things where you’ve just gotta be a girl to say it right. “It’s so cuuuuuuuute!” (grin)

We got stuck in a traffic jam on the way home. Aaron talked about his animals. It was so sad how his dog and horse died! I could still cry about Cottontail dying. I hate death! We enjoyed having Aaron in the car with us. I really love Aaron, in a sisterly sort of way. Josiah would be in his glory if he had Aaron for an honest-to-goodness brother. Maybe our parents can come to an agreement. (grin) It’s doubtful! (Picture: Aaron was slightly embarrassed when we found him with his “girlfriend.” (chuckle)

Because of the long traffic jam we got home quite late. Mom and Lydia hurried to get dinner on the table. Mom told me to rest because I wasn’t feeling too well. Dad and Bro. Buddy ran to the store to get sour cream, and they must have talked, because they were gone for a while. Meanwhile I uploaded the pictures from my camera onto my laptop. Mrs. Chrissy, Clay, and Russell looked at them with me.

For dinner we ate quesadillas with side dishes of beans, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and sour cream. Aaron hadn’t eaten anything all day, so he was famished. He declared “your mom is the bomb,” because the quesadillas were so good. (chuckle) This is another interesting phrase Josiah picked up. What would we do without our two adorably-dorky youngest siblings? (chuckle) They make life fun. As the night progressed I felt sicker and sicker. I wrapped myself in a blanket and sat on the couch. Clay and Russell played the piano and guitar. Meanwhile, Mrs. Chrissy sat beside me on the couch and checked me out.

Mrs. Chrissy does some neat stuff with herbs. It’s really amazing! I received a new understanding of Psalm 139, where David talks about being fearfully and wonderfully made. Mrs. Chris could tell what herbs my body was lacking by having me hold a bottle of herbs in one hand and testing the strength of my other arm as she tried to push it down. If I needed the herb my arm would be strong, and I mean strong! It was the oddest thing to feel that strength in my arm; it was energy I didn’t even know I possessed. Then she tested me for sugar. You should’ve seen my arm drop; I was as weak as a baby. Sugar is BAD! I found out that even somebody like a small child or baby can be tested through an adult who is holding him. It’s amazing. I learned something else that I didn’t know. Energy is sort of like an electric current, which passes from one person to another simply by the touch of a hand! Now I understand why, when I’m feeling sick, I suddenly feel a little better when Mom or Dad hug me or hold my hand--they are giving me energy! It’s amazing how God made our bodies like that!!! Truly, we are fearfully and WONDERFULLY made! How can anybody believe they came from a rock??? It takes more faith to believe that than it does to believe I was created by an all-knowing God! We were no accident, folks. The astounding makeup of the human body is evidence of a CREATOR! Praise the Lord!!!

Once Mrs. Chris was finished I went into the kitchen and found Russell and Aaron building a card tower on the kitchen table. They did a good job! I got some pictures before it collapsed, sadly. Mrs. Chris tested Lydia then. Once we were tested and all that, we kids gathered in the kitchen and played Pit. Russell kept winning, as always. I tease him about being a cheater, because he looks at other people’s cards so he knows who to trade with. Clay and I kept trading the same cards back and forth. It was funny. I love that game! Talk about a blast! One game in particular was really bad though. The cards kept circulating. Finally in exasperation Josiah shouted, “I’m going to KILL this corn!” We all burst out laughing. The boys kept taking funny videos with their phones. At one point Aaron and I were out in the living room, and Aaron exclaimed to Mrs. Chris, “We can’t leave here!” We all felt that way and continued to say it throughout the entire visit. Once you find dear friends it’s hard to let them go.