Road Trip 2023

In 3 weeks and 1 day, we drove 3,692 miles in 60 hours.

We loaded 7 bikes and 2 luggage bags on the van, and filled the van with pillows, blankets, food, a cooler and 10 travelers. We touched 12 states and made pitstops with family in 3 of them, 2 states had multiple stops, and we hung out with all of Lowell’s family in New York when we came together for the second of two weddings that brought us on our journey. (Lowell’s little brother graduated college and married his college sweetheart within 6 weeks time).

The license plate game got us all but Hawaii. In addition, we saw Brazil and 7 different Canadian territories.

We crossed the Missouri River and the Illinois River via ferry. We visited Arlington National Cemetery, drove by the White House, and stopped at Gettysburg. The United States of America is truly a vast land and is absolutely beautiful to behold. Being present at such historical places as we visited made me so grateful to God for all He has given and does, not just for our family, but for all mankind.

Every stop was a small taste of our Heavenly award as we spent time with family and made new friends in their communities. I never once felt homesick, out of place, or unwelcome. Not to mention, we were blessed to witness 2 weddings and were able to spend our Sundays at some of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen. It was so wonderful to walk through my front door and sleep in my bed again, but it seemed like I was never really that far away because we were at “home” everywhere we landed.

There is not one person, place, or thing we saw, visited, or did that stands out as my favorite part. I think it is the countless hours spent in conversation, laughing and being serious about life, really just connecting and reconnecting with all our people. And watching our kids so ready for adventure every step along the way! The stronger bonds built and the multitude of memories made with cousins, aunts and uncles, has filled my heart the most.

We are so grateful to our family and friends for their hospitality, as well as the memories, and future plans for memories, made! Opening their homes to 10 people is no small task, but they did it with such grace and ease. We are blessed beyond measure to have them in our life.

Congratulations to our beloved friends, now newly weds, from Wichita, Kansas, and to our little brother and his new wife who got married in Syracuse, New York. Thank you for your sacramental yes with Jesus and all those you love to make a Schaper Family Road Trip 2023 a thing that just had to be done. To say we love you and are proud is the very least ;).

The number of fellow travelers that slowed down, or sped up, to take a picture of the spectacle we were driving cross country was comical! Almost made me wish I still had social media to search for how I am sure it got funny hashtags and shares. If you ever happen to see our van in your networks, let me know.

17 Years

This weekend, we are celebrating 17 years of our sacramental graces in the selfless gift of marriage.

A Brave search (I don’t use normal search engines) told me this year the usual gift is furniture. In case you were wondering, we are not exchanging gifts of furniture to each other. I also found little blips of things about the actual time frame of 17 years: 204 months, 886 weeks, 6,205 days, 8,935,200 minutes, 536,112,000 seconds…and counting! We can personally add 10 addresses in 5 states and 8 children. Fun fact: only 2 of our kids had their social security card mailed to the same address, and that was by a small window of just 6 months!

After 17 years, I can proudly boast that I love Lowell more than I thought was ever possible to love another human being. Compared to when we got married, that love was great, but this love is deeper and bears so many branches of experience and testimony to God’s bounty. These 17 years have not been exempt from trial, heartache, anger, or tears, but those things have been small in comparison to all the amazing. They have been small but they have cultivated such an amazing bond between us as individuals, yet one, and as individually-one with God.

One of our friends recently asked for a raw run down of what real life in marriage is. I thought of what Lowell would probably say, “Shit happens to you or because of you, but lean in, pray, and love harder.” However, I could only smile and think of our wedding sermon where Fr. Chrysostom so eloquently put it: marriage is the crucifixion. Give until you are beat and broken, then give more. Being married is the total submission of selflessness and our model is the grusomeiest love story told in history. The God Man, completely innocent, giving His life, in such a cruel way, for us to spend eternity in the fullness of a love that we can only experience a tiny taste of while here on earth. If this God-given love that I have for Lowell continues to burn and grow in its rightful place as a secondary love I have for God, then I am positively overwhelmed by the prospect of eternity.

To use the time frame listed above: I have been given 6,205 mornings to wake up and choose to love Lowell; 204 months to respond to God’s grace in welcoming and raising 8 children in this life (76 of those months spent in pregnancy and 85 months breastfeeding; leaving 43 months of waiting and trusting God’s plan); 536,112,000 seconds to find God’s love in ways I never could fathom; 8,935,200 minutes to consider another person’s desires and work for their salvation; and 886 weeks to learn more about Who God is as I witness Him in my husband and our children.

I am grateful for this 17 years, and counting!, love story that has further shaped me into the woman I am today. The joy and laughter that explodes from our house full of kids, the smile of my best friend that still makes my stomach flip, the life we are continuing to build with each other, for each other and for our kids and friends who are witness to it. It is more than I ever imagined when I pictured myself grown up, married, and mothering kids. And it is truly the greatest of all the blessings God has ever given me.

Happy Anniversay, my love! Here is to the rest of forever and to eternity after that!

2006

2023 – our friend treated us to an anniversary celebration seeing Tyler Childers in concert – it was a fantastic and WET!

Pascha 2023

Glory to Jesus Christ!
Glory to Him forever!
Christos anesti! (Christ is Risen!)
Alithos anesti! (Indeed He is risen!)

We had a very fruitful lent and were most joyful to celebrate our Risen Lord this year after what felt like a very long period of fasting and abstinence. Sometimes, the lenten season hits a little harder, but all for the glory of Him and our dying to self. These things truly are most easier said than done.

We attended Vesperal Divine Liturgy on the vigil this year as one of our friends was received into the Church. We hosted a great party at our house for him afterwards with the final guests leaving around 2:30 a.m. It has become a trend, looking back on the past 4 years, to really live it up and celebrate the Resurrection by staying up until wee hours on the vigil ;).

This year, during lent, the kids gave up sweets and artificial food coloring. What a blessing to remain free from the artificial dyes going forward, but what a trial it was to find all their favorite treats and snacks without said dyes! I was able to accomplish it though and the kids woke up to baskets full of a small taste of their heavenly reward after their cross bearing in this earthly life.

There is one major thing that brought me here today. I want to share what my kids did Easter morning…

We have an elderly neighbor that lives in front of us and we have adopted him as our own. The kids go up and visit him nearly everyday, we share meals and the fruits of our chickens and home made sourdough quite often. On Easter morning, I came to the kitchen and found all my kids pooling their baskets and creating a basket to share with Mr. Bill. They dug out the extra basket and contributed various things from each of their own stashes to make an overflowing basket of pure love. They made him a sweet card wishing him all Jesus’ blessings that everyone signed and they all ran up the driveway to give it to him. He told me later he has never been so moved by such an act in all his 80+ years.

What I took away from this, aside from complete pitter-patter in my heart of such pride, was how unbelievably blessed I am to have such selfless kids. At least when it matters most ;) It doesn’t always seem that way in the day to day. However, my kids made this decision and took it to action. It was God’s Pascha Blessing to me: Do not lose heart, Daughter, for all you are showing and doing is not falling on blind eyes and deaf ears.

So, fellow moms, I want to share this message with you, too!
Don’t lose heart, sisters, for all you are showing and doing is not falling on blind eyes and deaf ears.

We hope your family has had a glorious and blessed Easter week and continue to live in the fullness of Christ’s Resurrection as this season continues!!

Christos anesti!
Alithos anesti!

**For those unaware, the above is a Greek greeting that we use throughout this season. The Greek actually has the letter X which is the first two letter of CHristos, pronounces as an aspirated H.**

Boyd-isms

The things Boyd says and does are absolutely out of this world, actually and figuratively. I really need to share some of the big ones so I never forget, but, for now, I leave you with the latest…

*all of us driving to confession this afternoon*

Boyd: hey Mom, when did you and Dad get married?
Me: almost 17 years ago.
Kid: wow! Pretty soon it will be 20 years. That’s crazy!
Boyd: hey, Mom, when did you and Dad mate?
Me: 😳 what? When did we meet??
Boyd: no, when did you and Dad mate?
Everyone who knows: *uncontrollable laughter*
Faith/Felicity: Boyd, people don’t mate, just animals do. They can meet each other, like, “Hi nice to meet you” but that’s it.
Everyone who knows: *still uncontrollable laughter*

*after confession, driving home*

Boyd: I sure don’t know why I made a funny joke about mating. I mean meeting. Or whatever it is called. But, when I am 5 I am sure I will figure it out and then I can tell my teacher about it when I go to Kindergarten!

Out of the mouths of babes…. and this babe in particular has a special way about it!

Me: *still laughing out loud*