Catch up- Week 2 of Summer Vacay!

I have really strived to live each day intentionally this summer... using my time wisely in study, prayer, and in reconnecting with people. Because each day looks uniquely different, I don't want to forget all the special moments that I have had.

Here is what I have been up to:

Monday, June 13: I spent the day with a friend at the hospital. She has cancer and was going in for another treatment. It was a long day for sure, but at the same time, I was grateful that I got to be their with her and for her.

Tuesday, June 14: This day was spend running errands, preparing for small group (which entails cleaning the house), and a wonderful phone date from my bride-to-be friend, Ashley. I am looking forward to seeing her soon. Our conversation was encouraging and uplifting; I am truly grateful for her friendship. I also had a lunch date at Chipotle with two lovely ladies from church, Katie and Ada. It was full of good conversation and ended with some frozen yogurt from Swirll.

Wednesday, June 15: I woke and began taking care of the aftermath from small group... dishes, picking up toys, etc. I drove into Katy to run an errand and then went to a friend's house for a skype call. In this skype call, I met a wise woman and not only learned a lot from her but was encouraged by her.

Thursday, June 16: Today was a day of study. I have not had much time to read and enjoy books like I have wanted this summer, but I woke up this day with a desire to read. I am in the middle of a few books... some are Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas and Instructing Your Child's Heart by Ted Tripp. Later in the afternoon, I got ready for Girl's Night. It was wonderful spending the evening with Melody, Christi, Loren, and Liz. These ladies are truly soul friends... life moves quickly and we can go months without seeing one another, but it is as if no time has passed at all when we get together.

Friday, June 17: I nailed down some Father's Day plans. My dad can be unusually hard to by for, so this year, I created family dates for him to choose from. On Friday, I sent him the email asking him which one he would like to do.

Saturday, June 18: ADDIE'S FOURTH BIRTHDAY! I began the day by running errands with a friend. We went to JCPenney, Babies R Us, and a few other places. We met our husbands for lunch at Los Gallitos. I parted ways after that and headed to watch my nephew for the afternoon so my sister could treat Addie to a fabulous mother daughter day. (They were going to go swimming, and my one year old nephew makes things a bit more complicated.) I didn't mind though... we had so much fun together. That evening, we drove up to Conroe to say good bye to some dear friends who are moving to Kentucky.

Sunday, June 19: HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! I woke up early and made a yummy sausage roll to take to my dad for breakfast. We stopped and got some steaks for lunch and then took the trek to El Campo to bid my dad a happy father's day. We went to church, and it was wonderful reconnecting with people that I grew up with. I cannot get over how big some of the kids have grown; they are technically not kids anymore but I remember them as toddlers. (I think that officially makes me old.) We spent the afternoon in good ol' EC and then headed back to Houston for church. We ended with community dinner and good discussion.

*not the actual one I made on Father's Day*

It was a busy week, but a great one nonetheless...

here I raise my ebenezer...

recently, i have thought a lot about the ebenezer...

1 samuel 7:12- " Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mitzpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer, for he said, "Till now the LORD has helped us."

that is how i feel in life. with each overcome obstacle, i say to myself, "surely the LORD has brought me this far."

this past year, the LORD has been teaching me a lot and leading me in ways that i never imagined... i have tried to follow obediently but along the way, i have faced doubts, fears, convictions, sin, discouragement, resistance, stubbornness, and the list continues. by the grace of God, i have come this far.

my once hard heart is now broken... i have been encouraged... i have communed with the Lord and with His people... i am walking in openness.

even though this process has been difficult, trying, and at times painful, reflecting back there is much joy, much thankfulness, and much peace. (and my journey is just beginning...)

surely, the LORD has brought me this far.

too good to forget...

This weekend was wonderful.

It began with a Friday evening spent with friends I have not seen in quite some time. We met Melody at Chili's and then joined Adam at their apartment for brownies, ice cream, and some games. I really enjoyed spending time catching up with them. It doesn't matter how much time passes, we seem to always jump right back into our friendship.

Saturday morning, I received a call from my sister telling me she wanted to work out with me... she gave me very few details, and J and I met her at 11 AM a bit anxious about what to expect. It was a tough workout... I would not say it was fun but it was much needed and slightly enjoyable! Then, I joined my sister, niece, and nephew for some fun at the pool. My niece and I played together for a few hours. One of the things we played was "I Spy." We took turns spying things (i.e. "I spy a purple bathing suit." and "I spy an orange cone.") About five minutes into the game, Addie said, "I spy men's boobs." Then, she began pointing to all the men without a shirt on. It was hilarious!

After fun with family, I went to say good-bye to my teaching partner who is moving to NM. I can't believe I won't be working with her next year; we had such a good year and worked really well together.

J and I finished the evening off with "Little Fockers." I am glad we waited until it came out on Redbox. It was much more fun sitting in pjs and eating ice cream covered in magic shell! :)

And, here we are... Sunday. It was a full day of worship, community, and love.

It began with RCF service; J was leading worship. It was followed by yummy Chinese food at Green Garden with his family. We rushed home just to get ready and leave to JW church. I had a good time with the kids and then we finished off the evening with community dinner. Our group might be small, but I sure love the deep community we share each week.

The day was not yet over though. All day, my body has been extremely sore from the difficult workout from yesterday. J tried rubbing some knots out of my back and arms. We had a lot of fun laughing at the pain I experienced... By the end, I was laying in his arms and we were sharing a sweet moment. J said, "I feel really close to you..." (sweet, I know), but he was not done speaking... he needed to give a reason for why he felt close to me. Guess what he said? It was not that we had spent time laughing and talking together or that we had spent a great day worshipping together. Instead he said, "I feel very close to you right now... maybe it's because we are wearing the same kind of deodorant."

Yes... he ran out two days ago. I love moments and comments like this.

It reminds me of a time a few months ago. We were laying on the bed talking seriously about future plans. J picks himself up by his fists and looks in the mirror and says, "I'm a lion." Yep, in the middle of serious discussion.

I must say that I love that man more because of moments like that. May we have many, many more.

Happy weekend!

Week One of Summer Vacation

Day 1: Saturday

- Brunch with Justin at Chick Fil A

- Addison's 4th Birthday Party at Bounce U (or Bounce Me as she liked to say)

- Open birthday presents with the fam and hung out with the siblings

- Wild 'n Crazy shopping for food fight at Robyn's school

- Katie Cox's birthday bash!

- Begin the massive deep clean of the house...

Day 2: Sunday

- Escape to Starbucks to start the day. Began reading my first book of the summer.

- Caitlin's high school graduation

- Lunch at Genghi's Grill

- Church at JW

- Community dinner following...

- Last minute Wild 'n Crazy planning.

Day 3: Monday

- WILD 'N CRAZY!!!

- Lunch at Chick Fil A with Savannah

- Shower and rest time after a morning in the hot sun!

- Dinner date with Ashley Ashcraft at Jimmy Johns! What an encouraging dinner!!!

- Continuing the deep clean.

Day 4: Tuesday

- Grocery shopping for the week with Justin

- Quick lunch before final preparations for ESL test

- ESL test (still waiting for results... it was harder than I expected)

- Community Dinner Prep (dinner: remake of Chipotle's burrito bowl)

- Washing ALL the floors in the house!

Day 5: Wednesday

- Quiet morning- reading and relaxing

- Final vacation preparations for Virginia/ DC and 3rd Anniversary Getaway

- Errand running (stopped by the post office and did a little bit of unsuccessful, unproductive shopping)

- Met with a dear friend, Brittney, who I have not seen in years... what a blessing!

- Quick dinner and final clean up... counters, sink, toilets, shower, and floors cleaned in the bathrooms, massive cleanup in our play/ guest room including the vacuuming of the floor, and a round of dishes.

Day 6: Thursday

- Breakfast with the Jonie and Keith and their boys... what fun it was to hang out with them for a little bit!

- Finalized 3rd anniversary getaway (we are going to Conroe for a few days and staying right on the lake...)

- Quick lunch followed by a skype call...

- Police officer came to look for the lady who used to live here... (this is really just something out of the ordinary)

- Hanging out with a friend this evening

Day 7: Friday

I know that it will begin with my favorite triplets!!!

So far... it has been a great summer break. I am looking forward to reading, resting, and hanging out with more people! It is wonderful having time and opportunities to reconnect with people.

Weekend Update

I don't even know where to begin... what a weekend it was!

With the school year coming to a close, I feel as if I have been bogged down by extra work. In addition to planning lessons and grading papers, there are lots of extra responsibilities to be done before turning in my keys... so, Friday, my weekend began with a quick dinner and an early bedtime. By early, I mean like 6:45 PM early. I was so tired I thought I would be able to sleep all night. It felt that way, but around 2 AM, I was wide awake. I read Viewpoints for about an hour and then was able to drift back off until 8 AM.

On Saturday morning, I had the desire to be productive and did not want to waste away my morning watching TV. Also, I had some big news for family and was anxious about sharing (no, we are not having a child). So... I decided to wash my car and pray... It was a calm morning. My mind was cleansed, and so was my car!

A little later, I got ready for a tea party! One of my fifth grade students was having a tea luncheon. It was such a sweet time... the fifth grade ladies dressed up in their Sunday best and we dined on "tea party" treats. It was nice to spend time with students outside of school; I sure am grateful for the wonderful students I have spent this year with.

I left early, bought a birthday gift, and headed to celebrate a very special first birthday... I can hardly believe that nephew Brody is one! I got to spend some great time with family... Brody can walk and eat anything. He is such a big kid!

Then, it was time to share future plans with my family. I was anxious, nervous, and very fearful that they would be disappointed in me or opposed to the direction that life is leading the hubby and me. Instead, I received abundant support and love. In the moment, I became emotional. I knew that while my parents supported us... it was news that signaled that I am an adult and can make my own decisions... and that meant my relationship with my parents was changing even a little more. I mean, I cut the strings when I married but they have always been so close and I have continued to confide in them often since I got married. It was bittersweet. Hurt in knowing that we will not always be an hour away, but happiness in knowing that the Lord is moving.

That evening, I was home alone. I broke. I had been holding in so many emotions all day and did not know how to fully process them in that moment. I just began reading Mark hoping that the Lord would comfort me and be with me. I prayed that He would do the same for my family. I was so grateful that I had nothing to hide and that my parents were so accepting. I love my family!

The next day, my beloved and I processed the conversation from Saturday. We went grocery shopping and made lunch together. Then, we worshiped together with our church family. Sunday was a day of gratefulness... of peace... of hope.

Since the weekend, I have received messages from both of my parents. I feel so incredibly loved. I have always known of my parents love for me, but they have not always been expressive with their love. I remember there was a season of growing up where we did not tell each other we loved one another... we do now. We express gratefulness for one another; we speak what was once implied. I am enjoying this season of life with my family. I wish it would not change, and I am going to relish in these moments while they are here.

I am grateful.

3rd-iversary

This anniversary was different... with school wrapping up, the day came and went quickly. I left around 7:15 after eating breakfast with my beloved hubby of three years and didn't get home until 9 PM just to jump right into our small group. It was a great day spent with students and friends... but it was different; it was our anniversary and I had little time celebrating alone with my love.

Luckily, we planned ahead... we knew what the actual day of our anniversary held, so we decided to celebrate an evening early. It was wonderful. While we still had work all day, we both rushed home longing to spend an enjoyable evening together remembering a year celebrating the journey we have been and are on.

I began by making dinner... spinach and feta cheese stuffed chicken, mashed potatoes, and zucchini. After dinner, we went to a park and played some frisbee. We both were a little rusty, but after a few minutes, our skills were dusted off. :)

We drove to town center and got a smoothie from Jamba Juice and walked around talking about the year. This has been a beautiful year... we thought back to the people we were just twelve months ago and they looked quite a bit different than they do now. We have grown A LOT. God has done a lot in our hearts... He has been the guide of our journey. We have arrived together, but we did not necessarily take the same path. We both realized what a blessing and gift it was to share this past year of learning, growing, stretching, and transforming together.

After talking some, we went to a friend who was house sitting... The house had a hot tub. After our workout planning frisbee, it was a relaxing way to end our date night together.

There were no gifts exchanged... I apologized and so did he. Then we realized that we both didn't want a physical gift; what we wanted was intentional time spent enjoying each other's company away from the hussle and bussle of life. So... instead of a gift... we are running away together. Shortly after school gets out, we are sneaking away from this busy, sometimes stress-filled life, and retreating together... relaxing from the fast pace of life.

I love celebrating life... I hated not getting to celebrate on the actual day, but life happens. And now, I get to celebrate not only before... but after! :)

Mother's Day

So much has happened since my last post... but I can't let Mother's Day come and go without jotting some thoughts.

I love my mom. She is a wonderful woman, and I enjoy all moments that I get to spend with her. Our relationship is not a typical relationship. I feel as if we have always gotten along... we have had out spats, but I don't remember a time where I did not appreciate or deeply love her. When we get together, we don't watch TV or movies, we don't do fancy lunches or dinners, we don't have spa days. Eating with her usually involves a coupon or samples given out at grocery stores like Sams although lately she has been treating to a foot long veggie sub which we split from Subway. When we get together, we chat (we never lack in conversations), we shop, and for the past few years, we get up and dance! It has become a tradition to pull out DDR and have competitions or to see who can hula hoop the longest (my mom always wins... she is hands down the best hula hooper I have ever met!).

So, for Mother's Day, my siblings and I purchased her the Zumba dance DVDs. I surprised her late on Saturday evening and we put in the first DVD right away. I arrived in El Campo around 9:55 and five minutes later, we were dancing! We danced for about two hours and then proceeded to slow down, complete some final chores, shower, and go to bed. It was a wonderful evening. We laughed, worked out, and created some forever memories.

On Sunday, we went to church and went to McDonalds (my mom had a coupon)... :)

All in all, it was a perfect day. I believe my mom felt really loved and I loved being there with her and my little sister. Happy Mother's Day, mom.