Last High School Graduation

Graduation Day - May 25, 2018

It's hard to believe it's been four years since Miriam walked into the portals of Oak Ridge High School.  Four years of learning different subjects from different teachers; four years of making new friends as well as culling out people from friend groups; four years of Band and drumming; four years of homework and tests; four years of riding the school bus - well, almost four years; and so many more that I cannot name.  Four years and now everything is going to stop.  Not only a break but a total halt. High School days are over!

The card we sent to relatives.  (Picture taken on May 11, 2018)

Miriam's graduation marks the last time we will see our own child graduate from high school.  Unless a miracle happens - which is a possibility I am not going to discount at this point.  :)  It also means that Tim and I will not be getting up at 5:30 am to prepare breakfast and packed lunch.  She will also have to read the bible on her own instead of her father reading it to her while she eats her breakfast.  There will be changes to happen in her life as well as ours (her parents) just because she's graduating from high school.

This year's graduation was different for so many reasons: 

1. It was a cold day.  In fact it rained on the morning of graduation day getting the students wet during rehearsal.

2  We did not have a big family get-together.  Outside our immediate family, only her Grandpa George was present - per Miriam's request.

3.  We were late going to the stadium - we had to stand by the fence links to watch the ceremony.

4  Varoff, Band Director, decided to involve the the graduating members of the band to play during graduation.  

It is hard to write down everything in one blog post but pictures will tell more stories than words can tell.  Here between these few words and the pictures are lines that tell whoever will read or scroll this page that my husband and I are proud of our daughter for her accomplishment and the hard work, discipline and diligence that made it a fun ride.  That we are thankful to God for the grace that He granted her so that things that seemed impossible were made possible and the spiritual guidance that kept her to stay on course when it seemed better to take the other way.  And most importantly, we are thankful for those moments when Miriam was clearly aware of the hands of God in situations that seemed out of her control. God is good!

I see graduations as a milestone on the 
highway of God's grace.

Miriam Goes To Prom

Miriam goes to prom with who else but her drum-line friends.  She had a few requirements when it came to her outfit: solid-color dress, flat shoes, shawl, no makeup, no special hairdo.  It turned out she was comfortable and confident. 

 BFFs

The Corsage...

The Sass

The Stars with the rock = RockStars

The Children.  Aruj and Calvin.  Not Nick

The Core

The Gang

This girl...Miriam

Miriam Visits UC Davis With a Different View

With her brother having studied and now works at UC Davis, Miriam got to know UC Davis from head to toe.  And yet today we brought  her to the university once again but this time Miriam had a different purpose - to visit her future school.  That's right, this girl will be going to study at UC Davis for her college education in Music.  In fact, I may say that she was sought after because the university offered her scholarship and invited her to join the university's Honors Program.  Needless to say she feels welcome and is very happy with the prospects of the next chapter of her education.

Brahms gave her a thorough tour of the campus to satisfy her curiosity.  There is nothing better than having your own brother as your guide - he gives the scoop that you need to know.  (Shannon also offered to give her a tour of UC Irvine if she had been accepted and chosen to go there.)  The only thing that would have made the tour better was if Tim was feeling better.  He was quite under the weather but he joined part of the tour anyway. 

UC Davis was photogenic today and so was Miriam.  In as much as she decided to join the honors program, she has the advantage of knowing early which residence hall she'll be living at.  She was particularly glad to know that the Music Department and her future dorm are not far from each other.  Many things were fascinating to her such as the size of the library, the bicycles, and the student union that looks like an airport.  :)  She has yet a whole new world to discover when she will actually live there but for now she can only imagine college life.

What that means to Tim and I is that we will soon be without a child at home.  Life for sure will be different.  We too will have a whole new life to discover ahead of us.  :)

We Praise God Always.

Another Milestone

Today, Miriam got the one thing that most junior-high kids desire to have - driver's licence.  It is the status-symbol of freedom, so they say.  Needless to say, she's very excited.   As a matter of fact, she drove her self alone to school tonight for the basketball game - normally, I would have given her a ride.  (Lord God, please keep her safe.)

From our point of view as parents, our youngest child is a driving person now - which means:

1.  We don't always have to be there to bring her to places.  She can go to her music lessons and band practices on her own now.

2.  We can send her to go to the grocery store now.

3.  We will have to share the use of one of the vehicles or Tim and I will have one vehicle now.  It is a good thing that he works from home.

4.  We can watch Doc Martin now without having to pause when it is time for us to pick her up. 😉

 5.  Etc.

Although I am convinced that parenting lasts a lifetime, this event in particular signals the imminent dawn of empty-nesting.  Somehow this thought frightens me a little.  Soon I will have to decide what to do with my life without children at home.  

So help me God.

One Sunday Morning in August

Pie and Milk for Breakfast

 It's almost two months now since we started going to Oak Hills Church in Folsom.  And since we attend the first service at nine o'clock, our Sunday mornings have been earlier than it used to.  Unlike before when Tim was the only one who had to get up early, we all get up early now.  Which means that when we eat breakfast during this time of year, the sun is right there at the table with us. :) Last night we had apple pie for dessert because Tim just got back from a trip to Taiwan and by default we have pie for breakfast the next day.

Even milk looks better when it is in the morning light. :)

Sweet Sixteen

Miriam is sixteen!  As if it was only yesterday... It was a very hot day when I had to go to the hospital to have a baby, my smallest baby.  Now she's not that small anymore.  She has grown to be a beautiful smart, confident and considerate person. As much as I would describe her siblings as such, but she is completely different and unique.  God was gracious to give her to us.  

At sixteen...

Boss Drummer 

Four AP classes

Braces in place

Long term friend of Becky Carmickael

Owns a bunny and a dove

Traveled alone on a multiple-legged trip

The only girl in the group "Half and Half"

Successfully denied hope to several admirers but remained as friends

Filed a thousand songs in her playlist

Avid fan of "Hamilton".  She can sing the whole sound track.

Wears Converse shoes - primarily in primary colors.

Has a good friend named Keeton West. 

Legally permitted to learn to drive. She's a calm driving student.

Loves Macaroni and Cheese, Brie, Cheese Curds and Caesar Salad

She thinks she and I can eat a whole tub of cream puffs while watching television

Has a high-paying job dog-sitting three dogs.

Been to eight countries, so far.

 But then again, she's only sixteen...I can only imagine what God has in store for her.  God Bless my daughter so that she will walk closely with Him.

Mattole

The Lewis Cousins

With the exception of Shannon, I think all of the Lewis cousins have never been to Mattole before.  If not for the 90th birthday celebration of their Great Grandmother Lois, they probably won't have gone together to visit their ancestral homestead. Thanks to Carl and Paula who hosted and encouraged us all to survey the beauty and grandeur of the place.  My kids in particular really liked the place that they started imagining their next trip back. 

Tim has many fond memories of Mattole when he and his brother were younger.  In fact Tim and I spent our honeymoon in the older Mattole property.  The whole place to ourselves for miles away.  It was very romantic for sure!  

And now our kids have been introduced to the place...

Miriam always manages to fins a stick

Two Sisters

All the members of the Lewises are in this picture except for me who was behind the camera.

Tim looks like a very proud dad.

There will always be a water fight whenever they are in the water together.

Saskia models the blue kayak.

Who needs a floatie when you have a brother.

Brahms was entertained by the sight of his cousins trying to pull their mom into the water.

Type A people

Free Lewis Style Diving

Home Sick

Miriam is enjoying some rest time today.  The hectic school and band schedule finally caught up with her.  There are not a lot going on at school today that resting at home with a bad cold is more important  matter than any of her school commitments today.

As parents, we've always been sensitive to how our kids feel when they are sick.  We are aware of their seriousness about school that when they say they are not feeling well we always give them the option to rest.  Sometimes they insist on going to school but when they say they want to stay home- that is it - no questions asked.

So today, Tim and I also took the chance to catch some needed sleep.  We got up early but when we found out that she's not up to going out we sent back to sleep.

Even our bunny benefited from Miriam being home.  She got a bath and took a long nap.  :)

Sophomore Year Begins for Miriam

It is hard to believe my baby is now a sophomore in high school - but true. Three more years and she will be on her way to college.  I should not think of that - but it is good to be reminded of it so that we can intentionally spend as much time possible to enjoy the time at hand.  

In band she will be playing the snare drum this year.  The thought of her drum line buddies tickles her every time.  That is where she made real friends and deeper connections.  She gets excited about music - it is something I don't understand this but I see it happen on a regular basis.  

This year she will be taking the following subjects: Spanish 2; Chemistry; Calculus, AP World History; Honors English; P. E. and band.  She is a diligent student and a smart cookie. 

God please help her to be the person you want her to be.

Miriam in Hawaii (Part 1)

I can't remember when we (my husband and I) decided to make a proclamation that stated that when they (our children) would turn 14, they get to travel alone with one parent, but we stood to that promise to our children.  And this year, it was Miriam's turn and she chose Hawaii as her destination. Fortunately for me, I had to go with her.

Breakfast at Mauna Lani

June 1, 2015.   Miriam and I flew to Kona, Hawaii and arrived at the Mauna Lani Hotel at 10 o'clock pm where we were offered with cold face towels (a sensible thing to have after a long flight from Sacramento) a glass of cold fresh guava juice (an upgrade from the soda we had in the airplane)  and beautiful leis made of fine shells (as a reminder that we were about to begin our vacation).  Then we were escorted to our room - they said we had an ocean view but at that time it was too dark for us to verify.  

Akaka Falls

 It was our first time to be in Hawaii outside of the airport.  I always thought that Hawaii, because of its tropical setting and the pictures seen on magazines or books, that it is all lush and green - a rainforest that is full of orchids, passion fruit vines, and ferns.  Well, I just realized that this was only part true.  The island (Hawaii) is divided by the volcanoes into two major classification - the dry and the wet side.   Kona is the dry side where the area get very little rain.  Volcanic rocks dominate the scenery.  One can drive for a long time without seeing any vegetation apart from the fountain grasses along the roads or the man-made oasis around hotels. The place is so clean and untouched - the rocks are fresh from the earth's core, they have not undergone weathering at all.  I'm exaggerating but you get the idea.  This is the touristy part of the island because it is always sunny - hardly any rain. People can sun-bathe all day everyday in Kona.

Kilauea

On the other side of the island is Hilo, capital city, where an average of 130 inches of rain is dumped annually.  This is where the rainforests are found.  When we visited this side, we were supposed to take a helicopter tour but it was raining so hard that the flight was cancelled.  Nonetheless, we were in a place where where waterfalls flow unceasingly into rivers that never seem to run dry.  The air is heavy with humidity and the vegetation is glossed by frequent showers and rains.  Miriam and I zip-lined across some of these rivers, water falls, and some green pastures that are saturated in water. We had fun except for the fact that we did not have rain jackets and we were in a high elevation area.  Miriam was particularly cold. 

Kilauea at dusk

The other thing about Hilo is that it is the home of one of the most active volcanoes on earth - Kilauea.  We went near the crater at dusk to watch it glow. As the sun fades away and when you see the color of the crater slowly turn orange, you cant help but feel that you are actually looking into a portal to the center of the earth (don't you dare get into it!).  Well, there was another igneous portal that we entered but it is a cooled down version of the orange one we saw in the crater - lava tube that is so huge a bus could fir in it (I think).  

To be continued...