Women gathered: Thoughts on knowing and being known

We are made for relationship.  That should be no surprise.  We are made in God's image. When I see God throughout Scripture, I see Him relating to His people.  And what did Jesus do?  He came among us.  He spent much of his time *in relationship* with others.

I think this desire for relationship is especially true for women, because we are such communicators.   We need one another.  We need to know one another; to listen; to hear each others' stories and hearts shared.  Not only that, but we each have a desire to be known. 

This is one of the reasons I have such a hard time with Facebook.  I can view a photo or a comment and need not respond at all.  I don't have to invest anything.  If I choose to, I can simply click "like", but that really requires very little from me.  Even if I do leave a comment, it is not the same- at all- as actually entering in to conversation with that person.  So much is missing from that interaction!  There is no opportunity for eye contact, facial expressions, the sound of their voice, for a change in intonation.  You cannot touch their arm or reach out to embrace them, or see that their eyes are filled with tears.  Real interaction is irreplaceable. 

Too much time on Facebook* makes me feel like a distant observer of people's lives.  And that is so empty.  I want to engage.  I want to know.  I want to invest. 

It honestly concerns me about our culture.  I think one of our main challenges as a church is to truly be present; to be engaged.  To be willing to take time *with* other people, to know them and to hear their stories, to care for them.  Not just to be observers from a distance, but to enter in to peoples' lives and stories.  

Recently I started meeting with a small group of women, every other week.  I had been longing and even praying for something like this, but I'm not the one who initiated it.  Another woman did.  She just gathered a short list of women, asked us all individually if we'd be interested in meeting regularly, and we all heartily said yes.  And just like that, we came up with a date, a time and a place.  We gathered, the six of us.  Of those five other women, I barely even knew two of them. We went around the circle, sharing what our "vision" would be for this group.  And do you know what?  We all had the same desires, sitting there in that first meeting:  We want to be real with one another; we want to be transparent; to share with one another and pray for one another and KNOW one another.  And once we got those logistics out of the way, we did just that: we shared.  Some of us cried.  We prayed.  And I walked away with a greater knowledge of each of them:  I knew how to pray; what to pray for.  I knew their current struggles.  Now when I see them, I know who they are and what they're facing. I care.  I'm invested.

Since then, more of the same.  I've told Mark that I'm actually quite (happily) surprised at how transparent everyone is.  And every single one of us needed this.  In a short span of time with these women, I feel so refreshed, blessed and enriched.  And the smiling one who decided to pull down the facade and tell us that she actually struggles with severe depression?  Well, she now has five people who know, and who are praying for her.  And she discovered that one member of our group has struggled with the same thing and can come along side of her with compassion and understanding.  The soft-spoken woman whose family just relocated here, who was grieving the loss of the friends and family she left behind?  She now knows the five of us.  And we're investing in knowing her.  The parenting struggles, the marriage struggles, the heartaches, the sin in us we are not proud of: we are sharing those things, and amidst the tears and laughter and encouragement, God is growing us in relationship and in love for one another.  It's a beautiful thing.

I hope you have a group of women like this.  And if not, I encourage you to make it happen.  I think it's very likely that the woman sitting across the aisle from you at church is lonely, and would love a friend.  Why not be like my friend who just put herself out there, and asked?  I think we all fear rejection.  I know I do.  So here, let's just get this thought out of the way:  The worst case scenario is that you ask, and they say no or act disinterested.  Fine.  That person was just not ready for it.  Someone else will be.  Try again.  You will be blessed.
 

* * *

*ps: I'm tackling my too-much-time-on-Facebook problem by resolving to check it only 2 days a week.  Tuesdays and Fridays.  (I did this for a season but then got sloppy.... back at it again!)  Recently I went three.whole.days without checking it once.  And I loved it.  :)  Then today I popped in and read a few things and was done. 

Here's another post about Facebook- (about that time I deleted my FB account for 8 months).
Related: On paying attention (although some things have changed in the three years since I wrote that.  Ahem: Pinterest and a "fancy" phone.)

Happy Valentine's Day!

I think this is the first year we have made little mailboxes for Valentine's Day.  We put them up yesterday and had exactly one day to fill them.  We all loved this so much that Ella and I have declared this a new tradition.  Simple envelopes decorated and taped up on the mantel.  Everyone made their own (Except for Mark.  He was at work so I made his.)

See that little CD tucked into my envelope?  That's Mark's gift to me, every year.  A mix of 14 songs reflecting our year together.  I love this.  He writes a note to go with each song- why he chose it; his favorite line from the song, etc.  Basically a nice long love letter.

***

We went to a little Valentine's Day tea party today with some dear friends, and that was a treat.  (Amy~  That should be a tradition, too!  I should have mentioned it to Ava today. ;))  We had tea and scones and little sandwiches (and yummy salads for the mamas), and some games and crafting, all with wonderful friends.

OH.  And my kids still love me even though we had a harried morning and I hollered at them.  That's true love.

Blessings to you all and Happy Balentime's Day, (as Audra says it. :))

~Stacy

Good links

This photo has nothing to do with this post but I'm posting it anyway.  Mark took it on Mother's Day.  I'm so grateful to get to be a mama to these five.

Good morning, all.   It's just after 8 and Ella is sitting next to me reading Return to Gone-Away by Elizabeth Enright. My Bible, journal and reading materials are all in my room (where Audra is still sleeping after crawling into bed with us early this morning), so I'm composing a post instead.  Adelia and the boys are playing in the boys' room.

Some links for you:

• I really liked this post on friendship.  Katy Rose writes of authenticity, spurring one another on and this:  "Relationships thrive when thoughts of care turn in to acts of care."  I want to be this kind of friend.
• I liked this post on homeschooling over at The Busy Mom blog, which reminds me of another post I read recently by this same author called Raising our Sons to Seek After God.
• This is my new favorite salad dressing.  NOTE: the original recipe listed makes something like a gallon of dressing, which is clearly more than you'll want to make.  Here is the scaled-down recipe:

Greek salad dressing
3/4 cup olive oil
1 cup red wine vinegar
1-2 cloves of garlic*
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
1.5 tsp pepper
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp onion powder
1.5 tsp Dijon mustard
(optional: add feta cheese to the dressing)

*the original recipe calls for garlic powder but I just ignored that and put the real stuff in.

I've been chopping up romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, peppers and feta and adding some of that scrumptious dressing and eating it regularly for lunch.  YUM.

Blessings to you for a wonderful day!

~Stacy

Grateful: Monday, April 18

{snippets from my journal: One Thousand Gifts... and still counting!}

1462 | Audra, in her pink tutu... twisting her hips and watching her skirt twirl

1463 | Audra, who is indignant if I happen to call her "baby girl".
"Mommy: I'm not a baby. I'm Audra."

1464 | the delight of Isaac, who finished his chore today in time for the timer! (Hooray, budders!)

1472 | Tonia's posts on peace: here and here.

1477 | Mark's friendship with Andy and Erik, and their weekly breakfasts together.

1488 | That Isaac (7) always takes my hand when he's walking beside me.

1489 | The cheery bouquet of daffodils Mark brought me. And the bouquet of lilies and freesias he brought at the same time~ all because I'd said a few days before that the only thing our living room seemed to be missing was some spring flowers (thinking I couldn't wait for them start blooming in our yard so that I could cut some and bring some in!)

1492 | Brisk, early-morning walks (and talks) with my mom.

1500 | Your faithfulness, oh God~ in helping me find things! (papers we needed for taxes: lost, then found!)

1502 | Audra's face... and hands... and legs... after about 15 minutes of finger-painting!

1503 | The sound of someone mowing their lawn (Spring!)

1506 | Waking up to the song of the birds each morning

1507 | Getting to meet Sandi, from A Mother's Musings~ someone I've been friends with online for *years*... (We met for breakfast, and talked and talked and talked...! It was such a blessing to meet her!)

* * *

Uninhibited

Recently we visited a different church and we knew no one. I was curious- in a very social-experiment type of way- what it would be like. I've gone to the same church my whole life, and other than a few times in my grandparents' churches when I was a child, and a baptism here and a dedication service there, I haven't attended many other churches. So I was curious.

Now, it's not like we can slip into a service and not be noticed. There are SEVEN of us. Toss our adopted kids into the mix and we're noticeably... different. Not to mention the fact that it was a small church, and our presence there that morning could not be missed.

During the meet-and-greet time a young woman came over to me and was just so warm and friendly and engaging. I've thought about that conversation so many times since then. She made me feel so welcome, there, in that unfamiliar space. I liked her instantly, and I felt so invited in. Surely she had some close friends in her church, other women she could have walked over to and talked to; conversations she could have picked up from the last time they had spoken, or details to cover about gatherings or events with that person or the other. But she noticed us and came over and extended warmth and kindness to us.

I am challenged as I wonder if I would have done the same. So often I turn to the people I know; to those I already am in relationship with. I've been reminded this week of the verse in James that says not to show favoritism. Sure, the context of that verse is the rich and the poor, but really- isn't it showing favoritism when I continually turn to my friends after church and talk to them, and them only?

That same Sunday morning there were some other young moms with their children-- one or two little ones apiece, and I noticed that they shyly observed our family from afar. I didn't say anything to them and they didn't say anything to me. I had the sense that they might have liked to meet us, but... didn't, maybe from shyness or insecurity.

I didn't go over to them, because in truth, there wasn't much time. But even if there had been time, I don't think I would have moved in their direction. I would have said the customary hellos to the people nearest me and then busied myself with my children, wrapping myself up in the security of caring for them. Why not? - I ask myself? Why not walk on over and introduce myself to them? Surely we have a lot in common~ they with their little ones in baby carriers or on their hips, I with mine. My reasons... I don't know them. I've never seen these people before in my life. I feel shy and vulnerable in such a new place with all these new-to-me faces. And-- what if I never see them again? And~ this reason, too. This gut-wrenchingly honest one: What if they don't even want to get to know me?

And so I sat with my insecurities and maybe they sat with theirs.

I've thought a lot about this, how I want to peel off the layers of fears and insecurities and self-consciousness and just be free and uninhibited to love and reach out to others and take those first awkward steps forward and smile and be kind and really- just be who Christ has created me to be: confident and carefree (of myself) and full of care (for others).

Make it so, LORD. May I consider others, always, before myself. Give me Your eyes to see, give me Your love to lay aside self and step forward in uninhibited kindness to others. Make me more like you, Jesus, I pray!

This is a great week

Today we celebrated Isaac's 7th birthday~ with balloons and gifts and for breakfast: Swedish pancakes with syrup and whipping cream, sausages and fruit smoothies. With pizza for lunch and meatloaf, sweet potatoes and applesauce for dinner. With a trip to the library and time to play in the back yard and lots of time to play on the living room rug with Legos. With birthday kisses from his little sisters and the Happy Birthday song sung all day long. With phone calls and emails from those far away. With hugs and smiles from loved ones gathered round our living room tonight to celebrate our boy. With lemon cake and lime sherbet or chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. We are so thankful.

Tomorrow is a regular school day.

But Thursday? Thursday is not regular at all. I get to drive to the airport to pick up one of my dearest friends and then we're going to stay at a hotel for TWO blessed nights and just talk and pray and laugh and sleep and eat.

I know.

I feel incredibly blessed. God is so good to give me (us!) this time, and Mark? Such an incredible husband to let me do it. [Michelle's husband, too! {Thank you, Chad... for letting her come!!!!}]

What's great about your week?

Friendship

These are powerful words about friendship. Please read them.

Ann's words reminded me all over again about the power of word and deed when relating to women.

It made me grateful for the wonderful women God has woven into my life, and it made me want to treasure them, and to exhibit the same kind of love and faithfulness that Ann's friend showed to her when she made her that promise of friendship.

One of the great things about having friends who blog

is that I can direct you over there to see/read about our family vacation (shared with their family, which is why they're blogging about it. But since I never did (blog about it)... it works out quite nicely. Plus, Mike takes better pictures. :))

From our prayer bowl...

...and from our Father:

Go here.

!!!

To California and back home again

This past weekend, we went to visit Kendra of Preschoolers and Peace, who is married to Andy at The Mango Times. They are friends with Lisa, who has no blog but ought to. We also were able to spend time with Dana from The Sunny Side of the Room.

I found Kendra's blog shortly after I began blogging (four years ago) and have been an avid reader of Preschoolers and Peace ever since. I was drawn to her blog because Kendra is a lover of God, a devoted wife, a homeschooling mother to many and an excellent manager of her home.

I admire women who have embraced their calling to be a wife, mother, and keeper of their home~ and found in Kendra someone who is doing exactly that, but a just a little further ahead of me in this journey. I have found such encouragement and practical help from Kendra's ministry, and it was wonderful to finally meet her (and her family) in person!

Then to get to meet Lisa and Dana (also women I've come to admire over the years)... I count it a privilege to have had the opportunity to meet them all.

Amy and I (plus our cute babies) arrived on Friday and met up with Kendra, Lisa and Dana that evening for a memorable (Mm!) dinner. Dana kindly chauffeured us and we were able to do a drive-by of her home and meet her cute children. Then we went to Lisa's and met her family and toured her home.

On Saturday morning we took part in a Homeschool Encouragement Day that their church puts on~ and definitely came away encouraged and refreshed. What a wonderful event this was, and it definitely sparked an idea in our minds to do something similar in our area for fellow homeschooling mamas! We spent part of the drive back to the airport brainstorming ideas and making notes.

Saturday evening was spent at the Fletcher home, where we were able to meet this guy, his parents, and the great Fletcher children. We were fed delicious Armenian food, a homemade ice cream recipe that I've been talking about ever since I tasted it (seriously. I'd like a vat of that right now) , and: I finally got to try the famous Fuzz Buzz, which- incidentally, is every bit as good as it is talked up to be.

Sunday morning before flying out we were able to join these new friends at their place of worship.

It was a wonderful weekend full of encouragement, warmth and hospitality~ and I am thankful. But would you believe that I did not take ONE picture of any of that? I had my camera with me and everything, but the few times that I remembered it I was busy with Audra or something and just did not take a picture. Grr!

I'm so thankful to have been able to spend such extended time with my dear friend Amy, too~ what a joy to have lots of time to talk (without interruption!) And wow- none of this would have been possible without Amy's husband Mike making every.single.travel.arrangement and plan and giving us the best itinerary and being the best go-to person on the other end of the cell when we were stuck wondering how we were to find the rental car place or whatever. (Thank you, Mike!)

Indulge me for a moment and picture Amy and I, our two babies, two strollers, two carseats, and two giant suitcases. The babies were either being carried by us (I love my Ergo.) while we pushed everything else, or they were in the strollers while we carried or pulled the other stuff. There were definitely a few moments of "this is crazy!"ness. But we are quite capable girls, and we made it and we're SO glad we did it.

Now. Get this: while I was doing all of that, Mark was home with our four older children who one-by-one got the stomach flu. By Saturday Mark was feeling pretty ill himself, so he spent the better part of the weekend either caring for our very-sick children, or lying on the couch feeling pretty miserable while watching our children. What a guy.

Oh, I am thankful to be home! I was up early this morning and just waiting- literally with bated breath- until the kids woke up so that I could see them and hug them.

Isaias crept up first, checking to see "if you were home from California yet". He sat on my lap and gave me the lowdown on his throwing up and how it got all over everything (poor Mark!), on daddy reading TWO chapters one night of Prince Caspian to them, and of sleeping in the tent. (Yes, they still did the backyard campout.)

Then he scurried off to play and I heard Adelia. I ran in to get her up and hug that precious girl of mine who spent the rest of the day saying "Mommy" every 2 minutes and between those 2-minute segments saying "up" while stretching her arms up to me.

Ella was awake, then, too- and smiling and hugging me, and wanting to tell me about the four books she'd read while I was gone and show me her book reports and tell me that she was tired of "being the boss of everyone" and was glad that I was home. [Sunday night she was solely in charge of dinner and all of the younger kids while Mark was laid up on the couch; she was tired of being the "adult".]

Then Isaac wandered in, asking me where something was as if I hadn't been gone for three days and I told him to get over here and give me a hug because I missed him so much. Then he remembered, and gave me proper hugs and then promptly showed me all the Lego things he and daddy had built (an excavator, a dump truck and a flat-bed truck; like the ones they've been watching work across the street this past week).

Then Audra woke up~ and I wouldn't have missed that moment for the world. All of the older kids crowded around her and kissed her and talked about how big she was and she smiled and cooed and remembered again the glow of being loved so well by them.

Mark called in sick so I did get to take care of him today, afterall~ and also washed everyone's bedding, gave everyone baths, went grocery shopping and stopped at the library with our oldest four, and fed everyone well, all day long. And I gently reminded Audra that she actually does not need to be in mama's arms all day long, today, even though she has been for the past few days.

A full day. I am tired but so happy to be right back where I belong.

~Whew~

Wow. It's late. Mark is sleeping beside me on the couch. I am off to bed. Still praying I won't get struck with the plague that has visited our home these past few days!

A trip!

I'm headed out of town this weekend, with my dear friend Amy and her littlest guy, Justus. Audra will be with me, obviously.

I'll tell you all about it when we get back!

In the meantime, here are some recent photos:

{All of the kids on a neighborhood walk}



{Ella reading to everyone but Adelia (who was already down for her nap, which is just as well, since she cannot sit still for the life of her!)}



{Ella and Audra}



{The most handsome guy in the *world*, and Audra. Also, the man who will be solo-ing it this weekend with our oldest four. He's promised them a backyard campout and they're over the moon with excitement for a weekend of play with daddy.}



Oh, I'm gonna miss him!

The more the merrier

One of the many joys of parenting is doing so alongside of our friends Mike and Amy. Amy and I have been friends for decades and I love it that our children are growing up as friends, too.

This picture was taken in September of 2007:


And this one was taken earlier today. Almost all of our kids are pictured. [Amy is pregnant with their fifth, so really there's one precious child missing from this picture.]


[Click on the picture to get a better view.]

And, really, Mike-- what gives? How is it that it took you about two minutes to get such a great picture?!

I love all these kids so much.

Friends and photos

We've been blessed this week by a visit with these two:


That's my friend Michelle and her daughter Erica. (We met Michelle during our adoption of Isaias. They also adopted from Guatemala, and we traveled to meet our boys at the same time.)

Here's our first family picture since Audra has been born:


I know it. It doesn't really count since you can't see Audra, but she's there- behind me in the stroller, sleeping.

And here was our attempt to get a cute picture of all five of our children together. Out of eight photos, this is the best one. I get that that's hard to believe, but you should see the other seven. If I weren't so lazy, I'd post them just for laughs. But you're just going to have to trust that they are awful.


I think in this one, we'd just reprimanded Adelia for something, and she is beginning to tell us how she doesn't like being reprimanded. Isaac is nonchalantly wondering how Audra is faring. I think Audra is expressing how much she loves being a part of our family (so... not so much, then, at the moment). I'm pretty sure Isaias is clueless that we even are taking a picture. And Ella is posing and pretending that everything around her is just fine, thankyou.

We'll have to try that again someday. Maybe if we bribe them with treats next time we'll fare better.

Okay, I can't help myself. Here's the worst of the eight photos. I do not even know what is going on with Isaac in this picture. I really don't. But this picture should make every single one of you feel much better about every single one of the pictures you've ever taken of your children. I'm just glad I can help you out with that.

A few things...

1. My dear friend Amy blogged about our joint Christmas gathering here. [Pictures included; thank you, Mike!]

2. If you haven't yet seen pictures of Kimmie's sweet new baby girl, please click here to go check out how utterly adorable she is. What a wonderful gift from God; this little beauty.

3. Our girls' name is finally chosen! Mark and I are now decided. I say that with a bit of trepidation, as we were "decided" before on a different girls' name, but... I think this one is here to stay. And it better be, because if you'll notice in my sidebar? "Only 22 days to go..."

So now we're set: boy or girl, we're ready for you. And nope, I'm not telling our names. (I do, however, plan to post a contest here within the next couple of weeks, where you'll be able to guess baby's gender, date, weight, etc. So stay tuned.)

4. Next weekend Mark and I are going away, overnight-- for a little rest and relaxation before this baby comes. I cannot even wait. :)

I think that's it. I've got one child hollering from his bed downstairs, another having a fit on the couch next to me, another on the floor, fussing, and another- reading quietly in our bed. Time to get started on this day. Nevermind that it's 8:55, four out of the five of us are still in our pajamas, and I haven't given a thought as to what's for breakfast. ~sigh~

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Rejoicing...

...with my friend Kimmie, who recently accepted a referral for their new daughter from Ethiopia!

...with Mrs. M, who recently welcomed sweet Eli into their family!

...with dear Beverly, who just welcomed daughter #2: a beautiful little girl they named Shana.

Congratulations, sweet friends! And for the rest of you? Stop by and congratulate them, would ya? :)

God is so, so good.

Day 6

... of the [visible] chickenpox [recognizing that she probably had the virus a few days prior to us seeing any spots] is the worst yet.

She's had a fever since yesterday, and is fussy and tired.

She's been up during the night for the past three nights for hour-long increments, and Mark and I are exhausted. (I know, I know... everyone keeps saying it's good preparation for baby #5.)

But we'll be glad when this is over and we have our sweet pox-less girl back.

Our friends Jake and Talia brought dinner over last night: yummy comfort food: soup, biscuits, and (best of all!) roasted garlic. Thank you, sweet friends.

Justin and Cutzi brought their cute two over a couple nights ago, for some chickenpox exposure. Cutzi came bearing treats: homemade apple crisp and ice cream to share. It was so funny-- as Steele and Adia came in, chattering about the chickenpox (or- as Adia called it: chickenpops or something equally cute), they were talking eagerly about it as if it was a treat we had for them, and as they left, Cutzi and Justin had them say, "Thank you for the chickenpox!"

I'm thinking they won't be so thankful when it hits. If it hits.



Judging by these pictures, though, we think Steele has a pretty good shot at getting them.

Montana recap

First off, congratulations to you, Christin (and Jet, and girls!) on the birth of your beautiful Alana Joy!

We're getting back into our routine, here at home. We even have two days of homeschooling under our belt, and we're off to a good start.

Here are a few pictures of my trip to Montana with Michelle.

This is what we saw a lot of:

{photo}


Michelle, coming from Indiana, was literally misty-eyed over scenes like this out the car windows. I didn't really share her emotion over it. It looks barren and dry to me, but then I live in beautiful Washington, which has hills and green trees. And water. And mountains with snow.


We did take a little day trip here, though:

{photo}

and saw this

{photo}

which even I thought was beautiful.

Here we are:


I am so very thankful for all the time I was able to spend with Michelle (who flew from Indiana to Seattle just to make the road trip with me!) I love that girl. (Her only fault is that she lives so stinking far away.) She is a kindred spirit in every way, and I have so much respect for her heart and love for Jesus and her love for Chad and her children. And she's a LOT of fun.

This would be Beth on the big screen, bringing us God's Word in her black and white geometric-print jacket.

{photo}


The conference, during worship:

{photo}


Beth spoke from Isaiah 32:1-8, specifically on the difference between a fool ("nabal") and a noble.

Prior to the weekend, I had prayed several times that God would use that time, and the things Beth spoke, to speak directly to my heart. I prayed that He would open my ears, mind, and heart to absorb whatever it was He had for me. He was so faithful to answer my prayers. The final morning in our hotel I was able to review my notes and journal about all the things He spoke to me. There were several "bullet points" I came away with. [Many of which surround the fact that I am often a fool. :)] Thankfully I serve a mighty God!

Home

Michelle and I got home yesterday from a whirlwind road trip to Montana:

30+ hours of driving, (over 2000 miles!), hours of conversation, a Beth Moore conference, and a little site-seeing on the side. (I discovered early on that Michelle is the type of traveler that likes a map on her lap and an eye out for those brown signs that invite you to pull over for a "Scenic Look-out" or a "Historical Monument". :))

We had a great time, and I'll post pictures soon.

I came back home to a (clean) house full of my favorite people on the planet: Mark and the kids. They did great while I was away.

Although no new cardboard structures are up, daddy once again proved that he's the most-fun parent: he set up our tent indoors so the kids could play "camp-out" and they played in there during the days and got to sleep in it one night. The other nights? They took turns sleeping with daddy in our bed.

And- further proof? Here's a snippet of an email I received from Mark while I was gone:

We had a long breakfast. I would say late, but we started at a decent hour (8:30). It just takes a long time to make and eat the entire Revolutionary War in pancakes (redcoats, colonists, American and British flags, cannons, cannonballs, horses, boats, trees for the colonists to hide behind, and -- because I spilled an extra red blob of pancake batter on the griddle -- blood.) We didn't finish until almost 10 or so.

[And we wonder why Isaac is always playing with his food. ~smile~]

Another thing worth mentioning: Addie is saying "mama". (Mark worked hard with her on that while I was gone.) She now says it all the time, and it is very cute, but I'm pretty confident she has made no correlation between the word mama and me. :) At least not yet.

We took Michelle to the airport this morning and now we'll settle back into normal life.

How are all of you?

Guess what?

I get to go on a road trip with my dear friend Michelle!

She is flying here, and then we're renting a car and driving to MONTANA! (Montana because there's a Beth Moore conference there this weekend. Otherwise, I am very sure that Montana wouldn't be our first choice for a retreat locale (my apologies if you have strong affection for the state.) But this was the weekend we could both do it, Beth Moore was high on our list of events, Montana was where she happened to be speaking, and so we planned our trip around that.

I am looking forward to... hours of uninterrupted talking time with Michelle, stops for coffee along the way, rest, eating out, hearing Beth Moore and taking lots of notes, worshiping, and finally- coming home to see my family again (oh, I will miss them!)

Mark will be home with the kids~ all of them~ for the the next four full days! He'll do great and they'll do great. Actually, they'll do more than great because when daddy's home the schedule is a little looser and it's a well-established fact that daddy is way more fun than mommy could ever hope to be.

As excited as the kids will be to see me home, I'm sure it will be short-lived because taskmaster-mommy will be ready to get back into routine and start school, and I'm sure they'll be wishing their time with daddy had been even longer.

In the meantime, the blog will be quiet. I'll be back next week.

Have a great weekend!

[Below: Update on our hen, Missy]

Will you join me, dear readers...

in praying for Beka?

[click on her name, above, and follow the link to her latest post.]