Life as a Lewis

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.  -Hamilton Wright Mabie 1. Kellie came and took our family pictures Monday. It was a minor Christmas miracle that both Camden and Rory cooperated with a camera present. Those 2 hours Monday afternoon were lovely, both the time spent as a family smiling and snuggling and the time spent catching up a bit with Tyler and Kellie. When we got into the van, Camden let out a happy sigh and then yelled, "Well, that was a success!" 2. Camden's final ballgame of 2016 (season resumes in January) was Tuesday night, and they experienced their first loss. I hear there were tears shed in the locker room. Being a part of this team has been so good for Camden; he loves being a part of a tight-knit group and the sense of community that comes with working together toward a shared goal. 3. I spent all day Wednesday at Vanderbilt. And when I say all day, I literally mean all day (10 hours). Still convinced...

I feel overwhelmed in the best possible way by all the comments and messages I have received in the past couple of days. Thanks for letting me get the news out via Facebook and a blog post. It's so much less emotionally taxing to tell everyone at once instead of repeating the story over and over in person. Thank you so much for making our family feel loved and prayed for! 1. Both Camden and Rory had recitals this past weekend. My parents were able to be here for Camden's guitar recital, and it was fun to share that experience with them. That old phrase, "Practice makes perfect" is so true. Maybe not perfect, but you can certainly tell the kids who had practiced and those who had not. Rory played Angels We Have Heard on High and The Twelve Days of Christmas (yes, the TWELVE days of Christmas). Camden played How Great is Our God. I actually have a video of him playing. Required viewing for family only. :) 2. We found ourselves with no practice, no games, n...

I put off making the phone call as long as I could. I made the beds, cleaned the counters, scrubbed toilets, wrapped Christmas presents, browsed social media, ate my weight in Chex party mix. And then I pulled on the big girl pants and called Vanderbilt Ingraham Cancer Center to let them know I was choosing to participate in the Taxol clinical trial that will turn our everyday life upside down, make me bald again, send me retreating to my recently refreshed bedroom with joint aches, nausea, and fatigue. It also just might kill the cancer that is apparently continuing to grow in my abdomen. To be perfectly honest, I mostly just feel like a hypochondriac because growing cancer doesn't seem quite real, but actual medical doctors and bloodwork and scans tell me otherwise.  The next 10-12 days are be jam packed with Christmas parties, music recitals, holiday programs, baking, celebrating. Fast and furious even under the best of circumstances. Details to iron out, logistics ...

1. I think I've mentioned the What Should I Read Next podcast before, but if not, here is official notice that this podcast has become a must-listen for me. This week the podcast aired a 5-part series on kid and YA literature, and Camden and I both have enjoyed making a new list of must-read books. Camden and Rory have slowed down on recreational reading in recent months, but I think this will get them back on track. 2. Thanksgiving break could not come quickly enough. We are limping along, and I am looking forward to a break. (after school Thursday afternoon) 3. Camden's official basketball debut was . . . uneventful? Uneventful isn't totally true since all 4 games were nail biters, but he didn't play. Not surprising since he and the 2 other 7th graders are low men on the totem pole. It was still fun to watch, and he looked official. I did not take a single picture. (from tip-off last week) 4. My parents were here for a visit this week, and I did not t...

1. So the election was weird, right? Brian and I were not with her or for him , which leaves us in a strange position. Obviously, someone had to win, but I feel an odd sense of sadness. In the few days since Tuesday, I have personally seen the ramifications of someone in power using angry, harsh, and offensive language. I have seen it embolden young people to speak their mind, and it hasn't been pretty. It's all well and good to push away the crazy you see on social media and decide those situations must be extreme, not the norm. It's entirely different when people you know and love are experiencing racial tension made worse by the words of our president-elect. It was one of my proudest moments when Camden spent several hours working on a way to address racial slurs in his classroom. It was one of my saddest moments as a parent when he cried in frustration after talking to other 7th graders in his homeroom. Instead of making headway, they turned their ridicule on him. Stan...

So, this happened last week. (this whole selfie thing is not nearly as easy as everyone else makes it look) I don't know what you think this bottle looks like, but it is actually the most delicious cold brew I have ever had the pleasure of drinking. Not only was it the annual birthday weekend, but Becky and I took it to another level by visiting not just Ree Drummond's (otherwise known as Pioneer Woman) new Mercantile but also the silos (as in the Chip and Joanna Gaines Fixer Upper silos)! The Pioneer Woman can make a mean snickerdoodle cookie, and the Mercantile was as cute as it could be.  While we didn't see Ree herself, we did see many of her family members. Despite encouragement from the fun greeter, we refrained from asking for a photo because we are absolutely not comfortable with our selfie game. See photo proof above. Our friend Loren went with us (it has become somewhat of a tradition), and we ...

For a family that regards Halloween as one of the least important holidays ever invented, we've spent a lot of time celebrating this weekend. :) Friday we visited a local church who always hosts a fall festival. Camden helped man one of the games while Rory flew around with her friends. Brian and I just tried to keep up. She's wearing Camden's batman costume from kindergarten (or first grade). Saturday morning, these 3 got into the spirit of dressing up while they looked for a costume for the rest of the weekend. Brian makes a very convincing biker (he seriously looks exactly like one of the musicians at our church). Camden settled on a super geek. He says he has plenty of experience. Tonight we're catching our breath and handing out candy at the front door although we've had a shockingly low number of trick-or-treaters. I guess it's better that way - more leftover candy for us and less trauma for Camden as he open...