Here's Part 1:
If you could travel anywhere, where would it be and why? There’s a lot of people who read this blog who will think the way I do -
Gaming, Austria and surrounding area. It’s magical land filled with joy, wonder, amazing food, and everything that is lovely in life.
If you survive what are the 3 things you're looking forward to the most after life gets back to normal? If you die what are the 3 things you're looking forward to most once you get to heaven?
1. Watching the kids grow.
2. Watching our marriage grow.
3. Watching the kids grow.
4. Eating all the salads!
After leaving purgatory, right?
1. Beatific vision.
2. Hugging everyone who I have prayed to throughout the course of my life.
3. Seeing all of your babies that you have lost (we’ve been so fortunate to never have a miscarriage) and holding them and loving on them in this beautiful way for each of you who are waiting to see them again.
What's your favorite thing to do on a date?
Lame: Dinner and movie. I can’t beat a classic. We decide not to talk about the kids and just enjoy each other. It’s been way too long. I also really enjoyed the shooting range. With the noise gear, there's a lot of silence in between shooting. I love the quiet. It's a good time to work on discipline and repeating a simple process. With parenting, sometimes it's nice to do something like that.
What is your favorite thing you have ever crocheted?
Each of my kiddy bugs blankets. I loved that it gave me something to do with my hands before I had them. I love that each of theirs is so different. John’s was the first thing I had ever crocheted, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I love a good pun. The lighting is a little off - Lily's is yellow, Thomas's is the wavy one, Johns is blue, and Andrew's is white/off-white
What advice do you have for a family expecting their fourth child?
After baby comes, pick only one or two chores to do a day. Don’t get overwhelmed by housework. You know all the other stuff - have a stash of diapers, wipes, burp cloths, etc, always close by. Your kids are older than mine at this point, so make sure they have their chores in place. Be prepared to be at home for the next year. At least that’s what it’s like for me. I am terrible at getting out because I become a slave to baby’s schedule. I’m so much happier when baby is on a schedule, that it’s worth it to be home more just so they can get their naps.
When I got home from the hospital after dealing with cancer stuff, I had a bell to alert my kids to do their special jobs that we worked on picking out together. My kids LOVE when I ring the bell. And they are so happy to do their special job.
Do you have a "bucket list”?
No. David asked me about putting one together. And immediately I thought, what more could I want? I’ve lived my dream. I married the man of my dreams and we built a family. My bucket list is watching it unfold.
When I hear these women and men talk about traveling and seeing the world before they settle down, I really question their motives. I’ve lived what my heart was made for - that’s true freedom and true feminism.
What do you think about knowing that God has you on a see saw.😁 What is more important than anything in your life right now? (Claude says it's politics!)
See saw like hoping for a miracle/preparing for death? I just do my best to go along for the ride. You take such comfort in knowing that God’s will is the best, so you just hope for that.
See saw like chemo one week on and off? I love the non-chemo weeks! I feel so much more normal. These are the weeks I can pray the clearest, and then during chemo weeks, I just say I hurt, please refer to the prayers offered last week, God.
What is more important than anything? That’s easy. My faith and family. It’s easy to simplify when life gets complicated like this. Peoples priorities can get lost so easily. Lately I'm really bugged by politics. When people get so worked up about politics (I used to), I question their reasoning. Politis schmolitics. Have we lost sight of what’s going on right in front of us? Our own homes and families? Do we have peace in God’s plan above what is happening in our own nation? Are we really so divided? I don’t buy that rhetoric at all. I just want you all to love! :)
What was your favorite class and/or prof at FUS and why?
English freshman year. I credited out of basic freshman English and landed myself in a 200 level course with a female professor. I can’t remember her name now. I remember having such a love for literature that’s still lasted today, and I remember her nurturing that love with her gentle approach to teaching.
And Scripture something or other - Senior year with Bob Rice. Bob’s love for Scripture lit up the classroom! It brought it alive for me in a new way. Those verses I memorized ages ago still make a way into my daily prayer life. You made a difference, Bob!
If you were a character in 'The Office' or 'Parks and Rec' which would you be?
I was so upset with each character at one time or another, that I could never possibly identify with anyone from “The Office” in good conscience. And I’ve never watched enough “Parks and Rec” to answer. Sorry to all the die-hard fans. I like NCIS. So sue me.
What is your favorite holiday and why?
Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. Forget Santa. We haven’t even put a big focus on him in our household. He’s St. Nicholas and that’s about as far as we’ve gotten. Forget about the magic of the season. The cookies, the stockings, the wassail, the gifts. Those are all beautiful parts of what make it Christmas to us. But every year I get stuck on the Incarnation of Christ and I just sit and ponder that miracle. I can’t get past it. The miracle of Christmas, the miracle of that Incarnation. Ah, be still my heart.
What childhood memory is your favorite?
All of my favorite childhood memories revolve around Lake Livingston. I was blessed enough to have both sets of grandparents, and my parents own homes at Lake Livingston where we spent almost every weekend of our lives. So I had the good fortune of not only having those special relationships with my grandparents, but practically all of my cousins on both sides of the family were local and everyone got along, so I grew up with all of my cousins in this magical happy place of lazy days at the lake - on the sailboat or speedboat, going off the rope swing, or jumping off the pier.
On the Hoffman side - movie nights, board games, boating, sailing, watching everyone else ski or do something behind the boat (my gift was tubing).
Joe, Lisa, and I shown with some of our cousins on the front steps of Pop and Grandma's House.
This was all born at the time. We still had yet to meet seven more cousins!
On the Smaistrla side - forts, bonfires, fireworks, accordions, breakfast outside, and watching joedan get away with way too much.
What's your favorite memory from your grandparents (Smaistrla) house on Lake Livingston?
4th of July. Who else has an opportunity to have all the aunts and uncles spend way too much on fireworks? Then the adults pulled up the lawn chairs and opened a beer for the show. All the cousins then took turns letting the fireworks fly *and ignoring everything about the warning labels.
The triangle table meant it all. It was constructed by my grandfather, who never met a project he couldn’t face, with leftover pier beams and planks. A place to lie down and look up at the sky, a table for cleaning fish, and a table for all the food you could imagine that would make a summer day perfect - so much queso and chips. I have the most beautiful memories of running and jumping in the water in our diaper savers, getting out and snacking, and repeating the process that resulted in a great tan and a great nights sleep. Meanwhile, Shannon and Corrie were busy oiling themselves up and laying out, and yet, I’m the one with cancer. Lamesauce. In the photo you can see the triangle table standing up - had to mow below it.
Here's some of the family in the kitchen, with some other random
people thrown in the photo. I'm being held by my mom. How funny to
think how we rarely ate inside. The countertops were filled with food for us
to fill our plates with and then head out to the deck to eat.
If you could take the childhood version of David back in time to re-live a day of your childhood with you what day would it be? What would the day look like?
It would be at the lakehouses. I’m telling you - these memories are so fond. He would be my best friend. We’d eat a yummy breakfast at my parents lakehouse. Go sailing with my grandparents (Hoffman side) and a couple of uncles and play with all of my cousins.. Then head to the other lake house (Smaistrla side). We’d go swimming and I’d teach him to like deviled eggs. If we had two days, the next day we’d go exploring behind my parents lakehouse with my brother and sister. We’d collect bamboo and make flutes and fishing poles out of it. If we had time, he’d go fishing in the Marina with my brother.
What is your favorite thing to do when you hang out with David after the kids go to bed? Talk, watch a movie, play a game, try to figure out how he landed you?
Watch TV. Boring. I know. But it’s there and it beats doing anything that requires using your brain. I crochet. There's usually dessert involved. Sometimes David goes out to the shop to go create something magical with a piece of wood. We get ready for bed together every night and say prayers and go to sleep together.
What is something special that you love about each of your kids.
John - His natural obedience (What parent doesn’t love natural obedience?)
Lily - Watching her play in her own little creative world.
Thomas - His sensitive and loving nature. His warm sweet giving heart.
Andrew - Watching his quiet determination at work. When he wants something he wants it and has this quiet resolution about himself till he gets it.
Ok - I'll stop there now. Until next time, friends!
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