Lazy Weekend

I haven't posted in a week, so I am basically just posting for the sake of posting right now. I am sitting at Eric's work waiting for him to finish up so we can go to the pool. Oh, the pool! How thankful I am for the pool. Nonetheless, I was decently busy this week, so I haven't posted. But I have been thinking about posting a lot.

Bible study this week was incredible. We said goodbye to a friend who has been with us for this study. She moved on to a new life, a new state, and a new start. We will miss her, but being able to pray for her and think of the ways she has touched my heart was a true blessing. I can say confidently I love the women that make up my Bible study. God has brought us together to share in his word and learn from each other. Each woman is so different and yet each week we come together to pray and cry, to learn and grow. It is always such a refreshing experience.

This week also at Bible study, I was introduced to a blog, audreycaroline.blogspot.com. In two days time, I have read every single entry and cried my way through a beautiful story of struggle and faith. It's always beneficial when you can see stories of real life women where God is weaving himself into their stories and showing his truth. I am blown away by how much a blog about a little unborn person can evoke so many emotions. If you want to cry and praise God at the same time, check out the blog.

My parents have been in Africa for 3 days now. Even though I don't see them when they are at home, I talk to at least one of them every day now. Three days without any emails, texts, or phone calls. I pray for them and think about them, but I miss them! I know God is working through them in Africa. Still, I worry. I can't get the text that says, "We're fine!" And, when something happens that reminds me of my mom (this happens several times a day), I can't call her to talk about it. It's so weird. This trip is a blessing for all of us but I will be thrilled when they make it back to America.

I don't know that I have anything profound to say so I think I will just sign off for the day. Maybe more will come to me tomorrow. Until then, I will just enjoy the lazy Saturday.

Here's to lazy Saturday pool adventures!

Thank Heavens for Friday!

Wow! This week has been so great, but I don't think my body could handle much more. I am completely worn out from work and kids club. How fun! Tonight we conclude kids club. Without unforseen rain, we should have a fun time outside with stations for the kids and their families to enjoy each others' company. Eric and I will be serving world foods. It should be a great place to make contact with lots of families.

I had a touching moment yesterday. I had a woman come apologize to me for a comment that she had made earlier. This comment was something that upset me a little at the time, but I had moved on and not really thought about it. She pulled me aside to make a formal apology, and it really touched my heart. I had read the verses in Matthew tons of times about being speedy to reconsile yourself to your neighbor and always thought that meant in BIG cases with HUGE disputes. But the kindness this woman showed and the good example she set by apologizing for something so small really had a big impact on me. It made me think about how powerful our words are and how carefully I should guard my tongue and keep all of my words in check. It was just a beautiful moment for me.

Today is a big day at work. We officially decided to stop taking applications for fall. We are already hearing plenty of comments, but I ultimately think it is a good decision. I am anxious to see how it is represented by those not in the MU community.

One last comment... I'm all over the place today... it's Friday the 13th! For some people, this may conjur up ideas of fear or superstition. For me, it is a day of love and tradition. Eric and I got engaged on a Friday the 13th, married on a different Friday the 13th, and have officially decided that Friday the 13th is our day. We celebrate the love we share on this very special day! We are planning to have dinner tonight after Kids Club to celebrate our special day.

Here's to Friday the 13th!

Kids!

Eric and I are volunteering at Kids' Club for church this week. It is incredibly fun but I am so worn out! We have fourth graders. Twenty-one fourth graders who like to climb, have piggy back rides, dance, and all-together enjoy themselves. It's fun to see Eric with the kids because all of the boys in the group just adore him. I personally feel we can never have enough examples of cool, fun guys who love the Lord and are willing to share that with kids. I mean, it's one thing to see women but quite another to see men serving in their church. Something boys don't see nearly enough of, but something that is great about kids club. There are so many men who help.

It's also really cool to see when the kids "get it." Our lesson last night was that God has compassion for all people in the world and he wants us to also show that compassion. A kid who was riding on Eric's back last night willingly gave up his spot so that a girl, who hadn't had a chance to have a ride, could get one. He gets it! I love to see them begin their journeys. They've got such a long way to go (I've got such a long way to go) but any ounce of admiration they can get now for our glorious God will plant and manifest itself later. So cool!! I will say this... by the end of this week I will be truly glad to have Saturday to rest and enjoy some time with my husband.

Other than that, not much has been happening. We had a full house of guests this weekend and have been doing kids club every night so there hasn't been much time for moving. We still have quite a way to go. I am hoping to hit the grocery store tonight, time permitting. Our cabinets are bare but we haven't had time to notice.

What a fun, unpredictable week!

Here's to no rain for kids club for the rest of the week!

Change is A-Comin

Lots of changes have been happening in my life lately. To follow up on my last post, I have a new fake tooth. Though the super glue holding the frisbee-catching tooth could have lasted a while, Dr. Miller chose not to take that chance. He fit me with a temporary crown yesterday afternoon. I will receive a permanent one in three weeks. The temporary is a bit lighter than my regular teeth so it makes the rest of my teeth look dingy if you stare too long. I try not to stare too long. In the time it takes to get the permanent crown, I am being very careful about what I eat. Right now, the gums are still a little bruised. I am hoping to wake up tomorrow to no more bruising.

Speaking of waking up, I am waking up in a new place these days! Pete, Eric, and I (along with Jack, Rodrigo, Tinkerbell, and Monkey) moved into a new duplex. It is a little more spacious and much nicer. We are enjoying the extra space, including more kitchen cabinets and a landing the boys have claimed as a "manloft." It's really all quite lovely. We are about half moved. We are also doing a little more decorating in this new place, and the boys promise that it will be MUCH cleaner. If not, evil Jess will probably rear her ugly head. On top of that, we love our new neighbors. We are in a neighborhood with quite a few kids and pets. The neighbors have almost all introduced themselves and seem to be upstanding people. It's been a great move so far, it's just going a little slower than I would like.

We also have changes in our office. We are doing interviews for several positions. I know change is unending and necessary. It's still hard. Hard to see people leave, to try to fill the shoes of those who are moving on. Hard to guess the dynamics of what could be if we hire someone new. It's incredibly exciting to see all of the potential. Probably the hardest part for me is waiting to see. I try never to pray for patience even though I know I need some. I am a firm believer that the only way to get more patience is to go through more events that try your patience. Though I know God would get me through any trying event, I am still not at a place in my faith that I actively pray for those trials.

I want to write so much more but I am getting wordy. Tune in later this week for an interesting (well, interesting to me) commentary on my current Bible study. Until then, I am off.

Here' s to change

This is Why I Don't Play Ultimate Frisbee

Interesting title? Let me explain. Last night, against my better judgment, I went with Eric to Stankowski field to play ultimate frisbee. We played for about two hours when, out of nowhere, a kid threw a hammer throw directly at my head. The frisbee crashed into my mouth, I hit the deck, and Eric found my tooth laying on the green field. I am now the owner of a busted lip and I have some 'dental super glue' holding my front tooth into my mouth.

The good news is that I have the best dentist ever. Eric and I rushed to get some milk where I could throw my tooth. Then we called Dr. Miller. He met us at his office (at nine pm, mind you) and proceeded to fix my tooth without delay. I was amazed at his kindness. I am going back in today to have it "buffed." Eventually I will need a crown overlay on the tooth.

As we left the scene of the crime, so many emotions were running through me. I was embarrassed for being the girl that didn't see the frisbee and paid the price. I was terrified of what actually occured. Worst though, is that I was also angry and frustrated that some object could have hurt my precious tooth. I felt incredibly vain. My pride actually hurt more than the nerves in my tooth. It's a tooth, right? I mean, it doesn't define who I am. I was born with it, and although I have worked to keep my teeth nice, it's not something I can really credit to my hard work that I have nice teeth. Genetics and dentistry have made my teeth nice, not my talents and abilities. Yet, in all of this, all I could think was how much pride I take in having nice teeth. I have always (well since my multiple dental surgeries and braces and professional whitening in adolescence) been 'the girl with the good teeth.' Last night, that was taken away for a moment. I was a jack-o-lantern. It terrified me. When I realized how upset I was over something that was entirely physical-appearance-based, I became somewhat ashamed. I know it's important to take care of yourself and protect your body since it's the only one you get. Last night though, I realized how much my entire life is really all about me. Not in a good way.

So where do we go from here? Well, I am praying that God will change my priorities and make me more like him. I am also praying that dental insurance will prove its worth in the next few months. You can barely tell, except for the busted tooth, that I had a decently traumatic experience last night. Hopefully, it will change me on the inside.

Here's to boasting in the works of Christ and not in physical appearance.

No Finals for Me!

So Summer is quickly approaching. Although I am done with my Lenten Promise, I am going to try to start blogging again for my personal benefit. Yes, I am reading celebrity gossip again. But, hopefully I can still have insights in life.

First, Mother's Day was uneventful for us, with Pete, Eric, and I going to eat at Houlihan's and then hanging out at the Rec Center Pool. It was lovely. We did call Mom but she was asleep.

I got to spend some lovely time at "3 G Weekend" in Canton with Mom and Grandma. Mom and Grandma bought me some great shoes, a swimsuit, and some other great stuff. It was good just to spend some time with my mom and grandma and nobody else. I don't know how long it's been since that has happened. My gifts were appropriately "Thank-God-You're-Not-A-Mother's Day" gifts. Hopefully it will be a while before I can celebrate that holiday.

I have been watching all of the students prepare for finals. It's a funny feeling. I remeber feeling so stressed and uncertain during finals. Senior year in particular was a perilous time. Looking back now, I am so glad it is over. It really seems that every single incident in college is such a bigger deal than it becomes in the "real world." I try to be supportive and remember how dificult it really was. The lifestyle change is so huge--what a difference one year makes for post-college grads. There were parts of college I loved but I don't think I could ever go back. I will take stress-free weeks in May and going to bed at 10PM thank you very much. Good luck to all my college friends. You, too, will soon become old. And you, too, will learn to love it.

Discombulated post, but it's good to be back. Here's to a sunny day in May with no finals and no studying.

Catching Up

Well, it's been quite a while but with good reason. I was out on the road for most of last week and then worked most of the weekend. Hopefully this respite will have allowed me a great deal of introspection. Don't hold your breath.

Being on the road last week allowed me something I hadn't had in a long, long time: cable. Eric, Pete, and I don't do cable. For us, it's a wasted expense. We're not home very often and barely get to watch what we have on those precious 4 channels we do get. So, there's no reason to buy extra channels. We do rent a lot of movies (Martian Child= adorable, The Brave One= Jodi Foster goes nuts) but we have just decided it's not necessary. So what this has meant for me throughout lent is that I have had no temptation for E! Entertainment Television, Vh1's Best Week Ever, or any of the other multitude of gossip shows. On Monday when I went to see mom and dad, I saw all of those options and was completely overwhelmed. And what does my mom do? Turns on "The Soup" on E, of course. Well, no one argues with their Momma, right!? OK, so maybe I am using her as an excuse. She did say I could turn it. But I watched 20 minutes of Soup. It's funny, it's interesting, and it's against the rules in lent. Oops.

I had another "oops" moment last week. I was standing in line to buy bananas and chicken breasts at Wal-Mart and before I realized that I had picked up People, flipped to Christina Aguilara's baby photos, and looked at every page. Yeah, oops. I really did this without any thought. That's the sad part. Her nursery was adorable and I loved every second. But it was hard to feel guilty for something I didn't realize I had done until it was over. I know there should be a religious discussion inserted here about the relevance of that statement, but I will spare you. Mostly I will tell you that I have held on to that one piece of gossip all week and shared it with the world as a talking point. Why is that? Why do I feel I have to talk about that sort of stuff, even when I have committed not to even be looking at it?

The Oscars also happened last night. I love movies. LOVE movies. And I love dresses. And beautiful hair, and costly jewels borrowed just for the night. I love the whole thing. So I allowed myself, guilt-free, to watch the Oscars. I got on oscar.com today to watch the fashion, but I did not get on any sites to see what they thought about the fashion or any other gossip for that matter. It's a tough journey.

I am doing a study right now on learning how to pray. Why is it that talking about other people to other people comes so easy but talking to God about anything comes so difficult? He is our maker, creator, father, resting place, shepherd, and so much more. Yet, it's hard for most of us to even feel competent enough to pull together a two-minute conversation with this amazing deity. To me, the struggle comes from many places. One, being a busy person myself, I figure the creator of this and every universe has to be busy. Why does he want to hear how much I adore him, or why I am frustrated, or what I need. He knows the basics. He needs to spend his time worrying about Sudan or babies addicted to drugs, not to a small-town, relatively comfortable, self-centered working wife, right? Plus, sometimes prayer reveals what's really in my heart and sometimes I don't want to know. I mean, it makes me realize how much I worry about silly things. I want to have eloquent, deeply meaningful prayers worthy of being cross-stitched onto some old lady's pillow. Instead, I come out sounding like a bratty teenager. I just want to be more. I guess that's what it comes down to. I can't pray until I am more and I can't be more until I pray for God's guidance. I must overcome that little annoyance called pride. UGH!

Here's to humility. JWS