Pain and Pleasure in Boston/Newburyport

This week we have been in Boston with Saydi and Jeff and their darling family as well as Eva and Adam and their adorable kids.  One of the reasons for coming was Dad/Rick’s 40th reunion at the Harvard Business School which sounded so fun!

Just before we left, the little pinch in my hip that had bothering me through all the wildness of last week….a book club dinner party for 24, TOFW, a TV show, tons of radio shows to launch the book and on and on turned against me and morphed into major sciatica pain.  Even though my back doesn’t hurt one bit, there is a lot of pain in my hip with shooting pains down my leg. Plus a little catch that feels kind of like someone slammed my finger in the door and then takes off down the road without noticing. Yikes!  I have downed more pain pill this week than I have in my entire life put together!  

As fate would have it, Dad/Rick also developed a nasty case of gout in both toes, even though the Internet says that’s not possible. He now has shooting pains running like lighting running around in both feet. Just when you want to look young and vibrant for the 40 year reunion at the Harvard Business School, we somehow fit right in with the “old guys”.

Needless to say we are going to be happy to be at the clinic in the morning to get some help from cortisone and whatever it takes to make things better. After we catch our breath with the pain we just have to stop and laugh. It’s so ridiculous that we both became what looks like a ninety year old couple hobbling along the best we can! 

 

 

 

Saydi was the kindest, most attentive nursemaid ever and she and Jeff gave up their wonderful bed for us and slept on the air mattress in the “guest room” downstairs.  How kind and helpful was that?  We are forever grateful!

 

The Shumways house is always so warm and welcoming. I love the beautiful soft colors, the way the light comes in the windows and the engaging conversations that are always there!

 

 

The Shumway kitchen is always bursting with gourmet food too. We had some terrific meals, including this breakfast with a whole wheat pancake recipe from Shawni. I’m the one who accidently poured all that syrup on the plate. Silly Grammie!

 

 

 

Their garden is bursting with beautiful flowers, veggies and fruits!  Emmeline kept bringing us raspberries and strawberries and Hazel and Charlie enjoyed sharing their crops which included potatoes and squash. I regret not taking more pictures but sadly I was thinking more about pain than the panorama of garden vegetables. Going down those back stairs seemed impossible!

 

We did find a few hours to drive to the beautifully picturesque village of Newburyport where Adam and Eva live!  We had so much fun sharing their creative lifestyle and hearing about their exciting adventures!  Eva home-schools the kids and they are far beyond their peers not only in academics but in creativity. They are truly amazing!  As you might guess their house is full of love and crammed with imaginative projects!

The Shumway kids fit right in with their own creativity!

 

Here is her oldest (8) who created this sign himself and made $17 in one afternoon.

Also an avid reader, he is just finishing this book which is the 19th of similar size in a series that he loves.

 

So many fun things to see in their beautiful home. This woman’s photography is beyond spectacular!  She has an exhibit on her last book Lost in Learning at a local art shop and is bringing the exhibit out to BYU and the U of U in November where she will be speaking about the process of creating this amazing book of photography and the written word.

 

 

What a family!  (Shucks, should have turned off the flash!)

Adam and Eva had just returned from a BIF Conference where she presented a fifteen minute speech about her life. Wow, do we wish we had heard that. This is one remarkable woman! I think this is the first time she and Adam have ever left the kids and they missed them dearly.

One of the kids’ jobs is to feed the animals at a nearby farm once a week. It was a delight to see how much all the kids loved the animals. What an idyllic childhood these kids are living….including the Shumways!

 

Such a beautiful spot on earth:

 

 

 

This little cluster of kids are instant friends whenever they see each other. We’re so glad that Saydi lives so close and can enjoy the beach in the summer (and the winter) and this beautiful place for children to play!

Sadly you can’t see Hazel very well but we suddenly realized that we had kids who were 8,7,6,5,4, and almost 3!   What an adorable bunch….

 

 

 

Plus adorable little Peter who was as good a solid block of gold and has the cutest expressions ever!  What a guy!

We are forever grateful that Saren found Eva in Bulgaria and brought her home to us!  And we are even more grateful to her courageous and wonderful parents who lent her to us for few years, not knowing at the time whether or not they would ever see her again!  Who would have ever imagined when Adam and Eva got married that they do all they have done, be all they would be along with her parents who live in an apartment in their house. 

Heavenly Father is in the details! 

Nothing like a farm to get you in touch with the earth. FUN!