Thursday Thank Yous

This week I am thankful for. . .

541. homemade waffles.

542. forgiveness.

543. hard-but-necessary conversations.

544. healthy bodies.

545. my guitar.

546.  my brother and sister.

547. answered prayers for a friend.

548. people who read and respond to my writing.

549. all of the beauty of spring:  flowers blooming, grass growing, birds crashing into my window every morning!

550. God's provisions every day.  It might not always be what I want, but it is always what I need.

What are you thankful for?

I wish Rob Bell was right. . .but he's not.

I just finished reading the book Erasing Hell by Francis Chan. It is such a well-written book, and I cannot recommend it enough to any believer out there.  A while back, Rob Bell wrote a book called Love Wins, in which he basically says that "hell" is all of the terrible things people have to face here on earth.  According to Bell, each of us will get as many tries as it takes until we finally come to accept Jesus as Lord.  What all of this means specifically, I cannot tell you.  

But I wish he was right.

I wish that I could sleep at night knowing that every person will eventually end up in heaven.

The only problem is: this isn't what the Bible says.

Most of Chan's new book is looking specifically at what the Bible says about hell and (most importantly) what that means for us.  For some reason, when Rob Bell wrote his book, it struck a nerve with many Christians.  People were all up in arms, calling him a Universalist and writing him off.

And while I think Rob Bell was wrong in his book Love Wins, aren't we just as bad?

I believe hell is real.  I believe that those who don't have the forgiveness of Jesus will be there after they die.  And yet most days I do nothing to change that.

Isn't that worse??

I can't stand for someone to say they don't believe in hell, but I will stand by and watch thousand of lost souls continue on the path towards hell without doing anything about it.

The truth is that yes, hell is real, AND yes, I need to do everything I can, not to scare people out of hell, but to share the amazing gift of forgiveness, healing, hope, and eternity we have been offered in Jesus.  If I can't do that, then what do my actions really say about my beliefs?

I am a pretty open person.  If something is bothering me, I'm going to talk to someone about it.  If I am excited about something, I will probably talk about it with everyone I see.  How come I don't have that same attitude about heaven and hell?  It should bother me--rock me to the core--that so many people don't know the love of God.  There are still whole people groups with no Bible, for crying out loud.  And I should be so excited about my salvation that I share it with everyone I see.  Not in an annoying, in your face way, but the same way I share anything else I am passionate about.

I hope that if you are reading this that you know about God's love and forgiveness.  If you don't, please ask me about Him.  And if you do, please tell someone else about it.

Thursday Thank Yous

This week I am thankful for. . .

531. upcoming plans to celebrate David's parents' 50th wedding anniversary.  Can you say Party on the Farm??!!

532. free books on the Kindle.

533.  hearing other people share their stories of how God has worked in their lives.  Inspiring.

534. Phineas and Ferb.  Hands down much better than Dora, Diego, Handy Manny, or Mickey Mouse.

535. intentional conversations that mean something instead of surface level ones.

536. the high school girls in my life group.

537. the rain holding out yesterday until I got the mulching done.

538. workout DVDs from the library.  Because you can only do so much Bob Harper before enough is enough, right?

539. secret jokes between David and me.

540.  hearing my children's prayers at bedtime.  Is there anything more precious?

What are you thankful for?

Where has the time gone?

Okay, I have almost no excuse for not blogging for several days in a row.  I guess the cleaning got to me.  You see, we had our very first (and only so far) showing of our house.  It's not even on the market yet, but our realtor asked if she could show it to one family.  I think it went okay.  If anything, it taught us what we need to do when someone wants to look at our house (aka:  where to hide the junk).  The whole time we were cleaning, I had that music in my head that they play on makeover shows where the clock is ticking down to "reveal" time, and they just don't think everything is going to get done, but then it does.  I think that's what motivated me.  I kind of pretended I was on some sort of "clean up" reality show.  I just hope in this pretend reality show that I am cast as the funny/sweet/smart girl and not the terrible/stubborn/hard to work with contestant.  Oh, if you all only knew what goes on in my mind. . .

We have been looking at more houses lately, and we are starting to figure out what we would like in a house.  It's really tricky, though, because it can easily get away from you.  As soon as you see a house with granite counter tops, then you think, "Wow, maybe I NEED granite counter tops."  Or a reading room.  Or a beautiful front porch.  The list goes on.

None of these are bad things.  I'm just starting to realize how material items in a house begin to snowball, and before I know it, my idea of what we "need" has changed.  And I'm also starting to realize how tempting it is going to be to want to spend lots of time and money fixing up whatever house we do eventually buy.  And while making a house our own is totally fine, I have to really keep myself in check as to not spend money that could go to something much more important.  Know what I mean?

"This world has nothing for me, and this world has everything.  All that I could want, and nothing that I need."  Words from an old Caedmon's Call song still ring in my heart.

Whatever this world is offering us, it's not what we "need".  It never will be.  Even if it is covered in new brick and hardwood flooring.

Thursday Thank You's

This week I am thankful for. . .

521. getting to celebrate my sweet ball of fire's third birthday, complete with bouncy mat and Barbie cake.

522. opportunities to meet new people.

523. other people who love on my kids.

524. an easygoing family that doesn't get mad when a new meal experiment is a total failure.  Live and learn!

525. sunshine and beautiful weather.

526. watching David play with the kids at night.

527. little reminders from God that I am making decisions that are in the right direction. (most of the time!)

528. a new Parks and Recreation tonight.  I know, I know, it's a TV show, but the little things make life fun, right?

529. free books on the Kindle.  Currently reading "Erasing Hell" by Francis Chan, and it is really good.

530. my hammock.  Have I ever written on here about how my only dream when I was growing up was to have a house with a hammock in my yard.  Mission accomplished, and it is as wonderful as I thought it would be.  We love it!

What little and big things are you thankful for?

All you need is love. . .and something bouncy

My sweet, spunky ball of fire is turning 3 this weekend. Can you believe it?  Is there anyone who doesn't say that the time goes by so quickly?   Anyway, we were trying to figure out what to do for her birthday, and couldn't really come up with anything.  I'm one of those people who is a little torn about birthday parties.  While I love having people over to eat and hang out, I am a little hesitant to have a "birthday" party for a three-year old.  Everything ends up being so over-the-top.  Does everyone really need a theme?  Matching hats, decorations, party invitations, favors, etc?  And then there are the gifts.  Elise has so many things already, and I hate making people feel like they need to buy something for her.  But if we don't do something we look like stick-in-the-muds.  Or worse.

So I asked Elise what she wanted to do.  A few weeks back, our church had a "bounce night" for any kids who wanted to come.   They filled the gym with blow up stuff and just let the kids have at it.  When I asked Elise what she wanted, she said she wanted to bounce and have a Barbie cake.

I found out that our church lets people borrow the smallest of the bouncy mats for no cost.  And this week we have been putting together one of those Barbie cakes made from a batter bowl.  We invited our play group over for tomorrow afternoon (about 6 kids) to eat Barbie cake and bounce.

It's a win-win-win (anyone remember that episode of The Office?  Conflict Resolution?  That was when the show was so funny!)


I love looking at cool websites and Pinterest, but sometimes (at least for me) reading all of that can make me have these expectations that I need to be super mom in order for my kids to have a good time.  I need to check myself sometimes and just realize that I am doing what I can for my kids.  They don't know that they "need" a portrait of every first day of school on an amazing homemade canvas.  They just want to be loved and known.

So, if anyone is looking for us for the next few days, we'll be bouncing.

homemade hummus

I think about a year ago I was introduced to hummus.  I found it on clearance at Meijer one day and tried it.  Of course, they hooked me, and now I want it every time I go there, even when it's not on sale.  David swears it's because we eat the hummus with these:

Oh, sweet mercy, they are good.  I think that in my mind I justify eating so many of them because they kind of look healthy.  But a whole bag of anything isn't really healthy.  But I digress. . .

Last week when I was trying to find a new food, I bought some garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas, which is the main ingredient in hummus.  Does anyone know why the same food has 2 different names?  Enlighten me, please.  Anyway, I decided I would make my own hummus.  And it was pretty easy.  The only other thing I really needed was Tahini sauce, which is made from sesame seeds (I think).

So, you just put a can of chickpeas in your food processor with some garlic, some Tahini sauce, lemon juice, salt, and then whatever you want to add flavoring (pine nuts, red pepper, basil, etc.).

Unless you are like me and don't own a food processor.  In that case, use your blender.

In the end, it turned out to be delicious, and we didn't even have the amazing pretzels!  We ate it all the way to Chicago to pick my brother up from his trip to Haiti.

So, anybody have some new food ideas for me to try next week?

The weight of the world

Some days I leave Bridges laughing at the crazy fun we had.  (Oh my, if I only had a video camera with me. . .)  Some days I leave Bridges completely frustrated because of a situation. (How many times can a student "forget" their homework?)  But today I left Bridges, sat in my car, and cried.

I cried for my students.

They are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders, and many have nobody to help them.

This week at Bridges the theme was "your story".  They've been giving students a chance to tell their story to everyone.  Today one brave girl started.  She told her story, which is filled with the heartaches of drug abuse, foster care, and poverty.  But through it all she has continued to press on.  She spoke about the hope that God gives her that she can keep pressing on no matter what.

I was so proud of her courage to speak and share.  Whew.  That was tough.  Now, onto free time, right?

Nope.

Another student shared.  And then another.  One by one students came up and vocalized their struggles.  These students who are between 12 and 15 spoke of things that nobody should experience, let alone as a child.

Abuse from parents
Abandonment
Drug Addiction
Incarceration of family members
Divorce
Dad running off
Being molested
Being bullied

One boy spoke of how he had never met his dad.  "I don't know what is so wrong with me that he doesn't even want to know me."

The stories started to overwhelm me.  Honestly, I just wanted to walk out of the room and cry.  But for some reason, I kept thinking of my friend Ginny, who is a missionary in Haiti.  When she took me to a Tent City in Jacmel, she said, "Don't cry in front of them.  They don't want your pity.  They want your help."

And that's what Bridges is all about.  It's not about pity.  It's about help.

Most of the students who shared their stories were missing a true family. Someone who misses them when they are not around, who cheers them on, laughs with them, pushes them to do their best.  And they have found some of that in Bridges.

So, while it's nice I get to help them with homework, and it's fun to play games with them,  the reason I'm there is to show them that they are not alone.  Someone cares.

Thursday Thank You's

I am thankful for. . .

511. spring, and everything it brings.

512. celebrating Easter with my family.

513. antibiotics.  I had a small infection that made my face swell up last week (not a pretty sight).  Anyway, once I got some antibiotics I was fine.  But the whole time, I kept thinking about places where people don't have access to antibiotics.  Wow.

514. a husband who prays with me and for me.

515. listening to my kids sing David Crowder in the car.

516. Goodwill bargains.

517. good books that really speak to me and help me to feel like I'm not the only one feeling the way I do.

518. last Friday:  took the fastest trip to Chicago and back ever.  Stopped for gas on the way, picked my brother up at the airport, and stopped for a drink on the way back. 7 hours later we were back home.

519. getting to be a part of things much bigger than myself.

520. lessons learned every day. It's never too old to stop learning.

What are you thankful for?

What works for me: Grocery Shopping

I've been writing about my new food items this year, and I wanted to throw a little something out there about how I shop at the grocery store.  Now, I need to make a disclaimer that by no means am I a total expert at this. This post is not about how to leave the store with $500 of groceries and pay $6.  I don't really use coupons.  What I will share is how we grocery shop so that we don't eat out very much and try to eat healthy.  (Try is the operative word there).

#1: Make a menu.  I usually do my grocery shopping on Friday.  So, Thursday night I sit down and make a menu.  I have a notebook where I keep the menus.  If I get stuck with what to plan, I look back at what we have eaten over the last few weeks.  I also have my cookbooks and recipes handy, too.  If I know ahead of time that we are going to be doing something on a given night, I can plan accordingly.  Now, this menu doesn't always get followed, but by doing this, I know that we will have everything we need for the meals listed.  I usually plan for one night of leftovers, but that doesn't always happen, as we eat leftovers a lot for lunch.

Notice the arrows.  As you can see, plans change a lot around here.

#2:  Make a categorized grocery list.  I go to the same grocery store almost every week.  I know where I start (dairy) and where I finish (fruit). So, I write my list in this order. I also check the pantry, freezer, and fridge to see what I already have before I buy it again.  When I don't, I end up with 3 containers of sour cream in my fridge (like I do right now).

#3:  Buy your meat first.  I try to get my meat from a local business.  If I find that a specific meat is on sale that week, I might change the menu plan before I hit the big grocery store.  Plus, you can always freeze meat. For example, I really like salmon, but if it's not on sale, I won't buy it, so the menu might have to change.

#4:  Stick to the list, for the most part.  I usually walk away with a few items that weren't on the list, but in general, if it's not on the list, we aren't going to get it.  The only exceptions I make are sale items that I KNOW we we use, or a good deal on fruit/veggies.

#5:  Shop the outside.  Most of us know this by now, but the outer edge of the grocery store is where most of the shopping should take place. The aisles are filled with processed foods.  We are not all-organic or non-processed food only  shoppers by any means, but if I don't have anything on the list for a specific aisle, I just don't walk down it.  I know that if I walk down the chip aisle, inevitably some snack is going to catch my eye, and then I will eat it.  I will confess that I have zero will power.  I love snack foods, so if they are in the house, I eat them.  If they aren't in the house, I don't have a choice.

So, there are my tips.  What are yours?  Please share!  

When it rains (pictures of my kids), it pours

Are you tired of seeing these adorable faces?

Me neither.

Just wanted to share some photos from Easter.  On the weekend of Palm Sunday we went to the Deans.  We had a great time with family, despite the Buckeyes losing and me having some weird face infection that involved going to the urgent care clinic for antibiotics.

Candy + Family = Best. Weekend. Ever.

And of course there was the annual egg hunt.  Even though my kids were the only ones who took part (some couldn't make it, some were too old), it was still a race to the finish.

The smiles are a little easier to come by with a bag full of candy in your arms.

This is a picture on Easter Sunday at our house.  Noel and Elise are wearing their Easter gifts:  a dress and a Mario shirt.  They also got new toothbrushes (Wow.  When I type it, I sound like the most un-fun mom ever, but that is really what they wanted--light up toothbrushes).  

We had a nice, lazy afternoon, in which there was plenty of Mario time.  

Two peas in a pod.  Which one is having more fun???

My favorite part of the whole Easter season was reading through the stories of the Passion Week with the kids.  The night we read about Jesus' death, the kids were sad.  And I tried to leave it like that for the night, so that the next day they could kind of experience the joy of the resurrection.  It is such an amazing experience to see life through the eyes of a child.  The wonder. The newness.  The excitement.  I don't want them to ever lose it.

Okay, back to my normal no-pictured blog posts.

Some proof that I actually DO take pictures

I'd like to share a few pictures from our vacation to Columbus.  We stayed in a hotel that had an indoor waterpark.  It was a really fun place, and Noel had the time of his life.  Elise kind of likes the water, but Noel could go all day and never stop.  It was just fun being together and making memories.

Noel hates being sprayed in the face.  But he soon realized that almost every slide involved getting sprayed at one point or another, and that he needed to just suck it up and enjoy the ride.  Once he did, he was good to go!

Elise having a good time drowning Ariel.

Playing in the fountains

Basketball

More slides

Ready to take on the bigger slides! (Noel is, at least)

Climbing the rope ladder

In keeping with my terrible photography skills, this is a picture of the biggest slide Noel went down, but it is, in fact, not Noel coming down.  I tried a bunch of times, but couldn't snap him at the right time.  So just pretend he is coming out.  I was really proud of him for trying the slide, and he ended up loving it.  If you know Noel, he is not always gung ho about doing new stuff. But he pushed himself, and was very proud of it.

More pictures to come from the Dean's house and Easter Sunday!

On Sunday a King

In the midst of spring break, easter egg dying, mowing lawns, taking walks, and enjoying life, may I never forget who gave me this life and why I live.

Kale, yeah!

Again, I apologize for the terrible pun.  This is what happens when you live with my husband for 7 years.  He is the king of puns, but he never promises they will be good.

I just wanted to share that while I haven't been very diligent about posting all of my cooking adventures with new foods this year, we are still trying a new food every week.  In order to spare you the pointless details, I will run through some of the most recent very quickly:

*Eggplant.  Now, technically, I have eaten eggplant many times before, and I think I cooked one.  Once.  Like 12 years ago.  So I still counted it as new.  I made eggplant parmesan (of course).  It was really good.  Really.

*Cous Cous.  Okay, for the record, I have not made cous cous yet.  I have merely purchased it, and it is sitting on my pantry shelf.  I can't figure out what it goes with.  Anyone?  Anyone?

*Kale.  Today we made kale chips.  If you want the recipe, you can google "kale chips" and you'll get about 50 different recipes.  I was pleasantly surprised with how good they were.  Next time I will definitely dry them  a little more before I put them in the oven.  And I put way too much salt on them (and I'm kind of a salt monkey).

*Tomatillos.  I found a recipe for salsa verde that I really wanted to try, and it called for tomatillos,so I went for it.  The secret is to buy canned tomatillos.  They are already peeled and cored, so all you have to do is chop them up.  This was delicious salsa.  I even took a picture of the ingredients:

Of course, I completely forgot to take a picture of the finished product.  Baby steps, right?  I think what else made this salsa so good was the fact that the onion and jalapeno pepper were grilled before they went into the salsa.  It added a smoky taste.  Mmmmm

Sidenote:  David and I were just talking about how hardly anybody ate salsa when we were growing up.  Now we are making all different kinds.  Has there been some sort of sociological study about the effect of the Food Network on our culture?

So, that's what I've been up to on the cooking front.  Now you can all breathe a big sigh of relief and go back to your usual routine.  Any suggestions for more new foods for me?

"I'm not trying to ignore you. . ."

Okay, I really should be writing all kinds of important things on this blog, because I feel like there are important things to be said.  There are lots of ideas in my mind that I would like to hash out in words.  I want to share and make people realize they are not the only ones who are going through something.

But not today.

Today I just want to share a funny story.  A few months back I wrote a blog post about how there isn't any discretion any more in retail shopping.  The cashier at Walmart will full on tell me she is having a rotten day, or that she has a contagious virus, or that my kids need a nap.

This idea took on a whole new meaning a few weeks ago.

If you didn't know, we are in the process of getting our house ready to put on the market.  Yes, I think we've been talking about this for approximately 30 years (slight exaggeration), but this time WE MEAN IT!  (maybe).  Anyway, we were trying to find a small storage unit for a few pieces of furniture and our elliptical machine.

Enter Mrs. Pack Rat.

I call her that because the name of the storage facility is Pack Rat Storage.  There is even a big cartoon picture of a rat on the side of the building, I kid you not.

We are all class in these parts.

So, David goes in to see if they have any of the smallest units available.  First of all, he is greeted by a tiny dog  who is jumping all over the place and barking up a storm.  The secretary/owner/attendant/entertainment is at her desk, "working" on the computer.  She continues to stare at the screen, but asks David if he needs help.  As he is asking her questions about the storage units they offer, she never takes her eyes off the screen.  Naturally, David leans over to see what she is working so hard on.

And this, my friends, is when the wheels fall off.

She says to David, "Oh, I'm not trying to ignore you or anything, but I've got this online game of Euchre I'm playing. . ."

She is ignoring a customer to play online card games.  And full-well admits to it.  And never even considers stopping.

Needless to say, we are looking elsewhere.

So, here is your lesson for today:  When you work at Pack Rat Storage, maybe, just maybe, you should think about the word "work" before you log on to your card club.

A Smile that Lights up the World

Last week we packed up our stuff and went on a mini-vacation.  We went to an indoor water park and visited David's sister in Ohio.  And I have lots of pictures of that I'm going to share.  But not today.  Today I want you to see Nadine.  Her smile can light up the world.

I met  Nadine almost 2 years ago in Peredo, Haiti.  She is a young girl (14 now) who has multiple cysts in her abdomen.  Because of this, she has been very  excluded in her tiny village.  She doesn't go to school.  Her social contact is very limited.  People didn't know what was wrong with her.  But my friend Ginny knew God had a plan for her.  With a lot of paperwork, footwork, and Godwork, Nadine is here in Columbus getting ready for the medical treatments she needs to have her cysts removed.

I'll be very honest and say I was nervous to see Nadine again.  I don't know very much Creole, so I didn't know how we would communicate.  But more pressing on my mind were my kids.  We have been praying for Nadine every night for over 6 months.  They've seen pictures of her, but how would they react to a girl with a huge belly?

In the end, I had nothing to worry about.  My kids acted just like my kids.  Noel, played with Joe (the host family's son) on his Ipad, and Elise make fast friends with Nadine.  They both love Dora and stickers, and that was enough.  

It was so wonderful to see Nadine in such a warm, loving environment, especially after all of the heartache and hurt she has faced.  The people of Haiti are more resilient than you can imagine; that is one of the qualities about them that I love.  Her host parents, Sheree and Dave, are wonderful people.  I am hoping we can go and visit again, as Nadine will be there for several months.

As we were leaving, David asked me what I thought Nadine's future looked like.  I could easily travel down the road of what-if's:  What if her cysts come back?  What if she can't function on her own?  What if she is still excluded?  And then I looked at all of the ways God has worked in this young woman's life already, and I have to believe that she is exactly where she is for a reason.  We all are.  We can sit and worry about tomorrow (which is very tempting), or we can be thankful for each day we are given and honor God with our lives.

Please continue to pray for Nadine, as well as the Tata family whom she is living with.  It is hard work taking care of her, and she has a long road ahead.  If you are interested in sending her a card or picture, please let me know, and I'll get the address for you.

Trying to get a "foto".  Nadine loves swinging!

I think she would have let me push her all day.  

Oh, and she was singing the Dora theme song while I was pushing her!

Another  David for Nadine to love!  

She proceeded to tackle him right after this picture.

Mama Sheree

Do you think she's tired of getting her picture taken yet?!

Yes, Noel was there.  He was in Angry Bird heaven with Joe.

Pretty sure this is the best picture of the day.  I love the look on Elise's face, as Nadine is looking at the coloring book she picked out for her.

What girl doesn't love stickers?

It's hard to blog when your computer is in a box.

We got new carpet in the living room last week.  This meant that we cleaned out pretty much everything from the living room.  We even threw our old desk away.  So, needless to say the computer was inaccessible most of last week.  I wish I had the computer, because a lot of thoughts ran through my head that I wanted to write about.  Of course now they are all forgotten.

I wanted to write about how David had a hilarious encounter with a lady who runs a storage facility here in town.  She wouldn't stop playing online euchre to help him, but she did say, "God bless ya!" on his way out.

I wanted to write about my new food, the tomatillo.  I made salsa verde, and it was really good.  mmmmm. . .

I wanted to write about how we are going on a mini-vacation this week, and how I'm so excited to get away for a few days.

But most importantly, I wanted to write about Nadine.  Unless you have never read my blog before, you know Nadine.  Well, after many months and lots of work from many people, Nadine is in Columbus, Ohio getting ready for her surgery.  I am so thankful that this has worked out.  It has been such an amazing journey to walk through with the kids.  To hear my kids pray for Nadine every night and see those prayers answered over time has been life-changing.  And now we get to go see her this week.  I am nervous how it's all going to turn out, with the language barrier and everything else that makes us different.  But the Holy Spirit keeps reminding me that this is what we were meant to do.  Just this morning I read the passage in the Bible where Jesus says that whatever we do for the least of these we do for Him. I'm afraid I don't live this out on a daily basis, but my prayer is that God will continue to change me into the person He wants me to be, that I will hold onto the stuff of this world less and less, and hold onto Him more and more.

And that beats any old tomatillo.

Weekend Away

This past weekend I had the chance to do something I rarely get to do.  No, I'm not talking about hanging out with Michelle Duggar (who I DID see this weekend, more on that later) or watch multiple hours of college basketball (which I DID do when I got home).  I'm talking about going away for the weekend without my kids or husband.

My friend Alison and I went to the Hearts at Home conference in Normal, Illinois.  Now, I am not one to usually attend these kinds of things (and neither is Alison).  Frankly, we are more at home with "boy" things (see earlier paragraph about watching hours of college basketball), but this conference was calling our names because:

A)I went to college in Normal.
B) Alison grew up in Normal.
C)Alison's friend was one of the workshop speakers and had asked her to come.
D)Hey, let's be honest, it's a trip away for 2 days.

So, Friday afternoon we loaded up and drove to the Land of Lincoln.  Our first destination was a trip down memory lane, where we saw my old apartment, Alison's childhood home and elementary school, and an assortment of nostalgic places for the both of us.  The weather was beautiful, so we spent the afternoon driving around and looking at how some things in Bloomington-Normal were exactly the same and some were completely different.

Then we went to get our registration stuff for Hearts at Home, which didn't start for us until Saturday morning.  Oh, my, were there a lot of women!  We quickly got through the enormous lines, hid our complimentary-yet-hideous tote bags, and headed over to Avanti's, a town favorite restaurant.

Now, let me just stop here for a second and say that if you try Avanti's for the the first time and you aren't impressed, it's okay.  It's nothing special.  What we love about it is a)cheap prices b)lots of memories and c)the BREAD.  Oh, heavens, the bread is sooooo good!

But we weren't dining alone at Avanti's.  Nope.  As it turns out, my amazing friends Matt and Jenni Collins (who live in Fort Worth) were visiting Matt's parents (who live in Lincoln) for Spring Break.  So not only did I get to eat at Avanti's, but I got to eat it and talk with three of my greatest friends in the whole entire world.  AND I DIDN'T HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF MY CHILDREN AT A RESTAURANT!  (yes, that was in all caps for a reason).

After a wonderful supper (and a trip to the take-out window where Alison purchased no less than 10 loaves of Avanti's bread--for her family) we drove to Lincoln for the night.  Instead of staying at a hotel, we opted to shell out 15 big ones and stay in the dorm at Lincoln Christian University.  The bonus was that we got to see Matt and Jenni's kiddos and Matt's parents.

Saturday was the conference.  I won't go into all of the details (this post is already long enough), but it was good.  The speakers were from all different backgrounds, and the topics were all very relevant.  Alison's friend, Marianne, spoke about how we can teach our children to be more grateful, and it was really, really good. She talked about how our society has taught our kids that stuff is what matters, not people.  I left really inspired to be more conscious of what messages I am giving my children.

We did hear Jim-Bob (I can't believe I just typed "Jim-Bob" in my blog) and Michelle Duggar give their story.  They are nice people, and I think they do really love their kids and God.  I'll leave it at that.

Some other highlights of the day included:
*sneaking off during lunch to see a St. Patrick's Day Parade
*hanging out on my old campus
*getting to talk to Marianne afterward

And on the way home, I was reminded why Alison is just about the only person I would go to a ladies' conference with.  Right before we left, we went to the bathroom, and there was a little counter with things like lotion, mints, kleenex, etc.  Next to it was a little paper sign that said "Take what you need for the MOMent." (Oh, don't you just love the terrible pun?)  So, about halfway home, I say, "You know, I wish I had stolen that sign in the bathroom."  To which Alison answers (while pulling it out of her bag) "And you know I did."
Love it.  Absolutely love it.

Hope your weekend wanderings were as wonderful as mine.

It's a rollercoaster

I love the TV show Parenthood.  It's one of my favorite shows on right now.  Actually, I'm really bummed that the season is over.  But a comment on a friend's blog made me think about the original movie Parenthood, with Steve Martin and a slew of other people.  This is one of the best scenes in the whole movie:

Sometimes I forget that my kids are just that:  kids.  I want them to act exactly how they are supposed to, and I get to stressed out when things don't go exactly as planned, but that's the excitement of life.  I think back to all of the craziness that has happened because of my children, and I wouldn't miss it for the world.  Life really IS like an amusement park.  We can choose to do something that scares us--take a step of faith in our career, our work, our service, our family--or stand on the side and watch.  Will it always be wonderful?  Nope.  But was it worth it?  You bet.

P.S.  This clip cut out a few seconds too soon, because right after this, Gil (Steve Martin) says, "Yeah, well if she's so smart, how come she's sitting in the neighbor's car?"  Love it!

Get out there and enjoy the ride today!

Thursday Thank You's

Today I am thankful for. ..

501.  my upcoming trip to Illinois with Alison. Soooo excited!

502.  new babies (not mine!)

503.  NADINE IS COMING TO THE STATES ON MONDAY!!!!!

504.  getting to take the kids outside every day this week.

505.  quality time with each child one-on-one.

506.  new carpet coming next week.

507.  and in honor of the new carpet:  a new vacuum! My 11 year-old, $60 vacuum just isn't cutting it anymore.  Go figure.

508.  My Wonder Woman coffee mug.  How can I drink from it and not smile?

509.  Reading Catching Fire.  Let the late nights commence.

510.  March Madness, Baby!


What are you thankful for?