Pre-Vacation Week

The week before a vacation is always so busy. I know it's my fault. I try to cram as much into that week as possible. This week is no exception.

My plan for the week was:
Monday - Senior High English Co-op, school, ballet for Grace, Faculty meeting at 7, football meeting at 8.
Tuesday- field trip to the zoo
Wednesday - Go to Atlanta to spend one last day with my sis-in-law before she moves to San Francisco
Thursday - pack, pizza party for the youth
Friday - co-op, home to clean and finish packing
Saturday - finish everything up in an unhurried fashion.

What actually happened:
Monday - as planned
Tuesday - zoo field trip, but on the way home the olders remembered they needed Halloween costumes so we stopped off at the Thrift Store for a couple of hours. Then a trip to Sam's to return some stuff. Then Amber called to tell me her brother I've not seen in years is at her house and do I want to stop by? Absolutely!
Wednesday - stomach virus. No Meghan. I cry.
Thursday - finish all the kids' co-op for Friday. Shove pencil under my toenail, by accident I assure you. Hand off all the football bins to Coe. Pizza party.
Friday - Co-op, meet Coe at Sam's to give her gift card I should have given her yesterday. Take Mags and Brody to pediatrician for sickness. Go to pharmacy. Drop girls at the Hansen's. Get home an hour after people get to my house. Make lists with the help of dearest Tilly.

Notice that ZERO packing got done. No house work either. Van is also disgusting.

Plan for Saturday (today) -
Clean house. Kids are working industriously.
Pack. Ehh. Some is done. Still need suitcases out of the attic.
Finish school assignments to post, print directions. Internet is messed up. Call company and they fix it.
Purge van. Need to invent vehicle enemas.

Bright spots? Pandora radio. G coming for supper! Vacation starts tomorrow. Yay!

Fellowship of the Saints

There are times when church planting is very lonely. Times when you feel forgotten, marginalized or even abandoned. This is true of every church planter I've ever spoken with. It is in those times that I become so self-focused my eyes are completely crossed. There are short moments of this and there are the seemingly endless days of this. I have experienced both.

And then God moves.

God is so gracious in his movement. He reminds. He disciplines. He teaches. Sometimes in the quietness of my heart and sometimes in the public display of himself.

Things in Springville have been going so well. I see how we are becoming family to each other and loving each other so well. I spend most days with friends from here. We watch each others kids, trade recipes, go to the movies. It's great.

Burt preached once about fellowship not just being person to person but also church to church. That moved me to thought. How does that even work?...  I'll tell you.

It's knowing that while we were sleeping, 2 churches across the Atlantic were praying for us. It's getting an invitation in the mail from another pca church inviting our women to an event. It's someone stopping by with excitement in their face and exclaiming, "I was going home to Georgia and saw your sign. Our church prays for you guys every Sunday!" It's when another church has to have a cut off on their sign up sheet for a work day with us, even though they live two hours away. I could go on and on and on.

God moves. And we are encouraged. He is so good to us!

Planning Another Trip

I love planning trips. I was talking with my Dad this week about this. We think planning is part of the fun of going somewhere. Gas stops, menus, outings, it's all part of the fun.

This time last year I was heavy into planning our family trip to England. It does not seem like a year. My kids talk about it all the time. Either it's the people, the church, the mall, the walking, the food, something. They loved it there. So much so that some people believe God has called us to move there as missionaries!

This year, on the same date - October 28th, we are going to Ft. Lauderdale to see my first cousin and his wife. I am so stinkin' excited. I love Brad and Mandi. I love talking about kids, churches and theology. I love that our senses of humor are so similar. I love everything about them.

Plus, they live in South Florida. Less than an hour from Miami. Where it's still sunny and warm. We're going to see the Everglades and the coral reefs of Key Largo. And we're going to church with them at their new church plant. It's going to be awesome.

Chris is flying down and back. He can't take the 14 hour drive and it would be awful for him to have to take 2 of his 6 off days just to travel. The kids and I will drive. We're going to leave a couple of days before Chris and spend some time in Orlando with our friends the Blairs and LaFountains. That will be fun! We'll all end up in Ft Lauderdale on the same day.

I have been studying the maps and planning out our food menu. I've already started buying snack food for the drive. I'm also harassing Ty into getting his permit so he can help with the driving. Some people think all this planning ruins the trip but I say nay-nay. I love the planning and the anticipation. Bring on the empty suitcases and the lists!

He's so cute. Especially when he's reading Augustine.

My Home

 The above picture is a view of the street on which we live. The leaves are just starting to change colors. I love the curve! That's my driveway on the right. I was coming back from a walk... when you come to my house, you come down that hill and the drive is on the left.

 I was walking at the Springville Park and saw this beautiful blue herron. I wonder if they are still endangered? I also saw the usual three ducks and some gigantor snapping turtles.

 While I was walking the kids were playing. Sophia and I finished up our teaching really early, so we let the kids (13 of them) walk from the church to the park. That's over a mile, but it's sidewalks all the way. I love living in Springville. Where else (but in England) can your kids still walk everywhere?

This picture is just so I can have proof that I kept two ferns alive for an entire summer!!! Yay, me! I've never done that before. I have to give credit to Tilly for telling me how to manage it. But look at it! Isn't it lovely!?!? I also kept two geraniums mostly alive too. There may be hope for me yet!

First Day Without Facebook

Other than a few episodes of withdrawal, so far so good. I found myself not quite knowing what to do when I had a few free minutes.

I think I'll give you a timeline of my day.
7:00 am- wakey wakey, followed by a walk
8:10- wake the kids
8:30- Bible
9:00- math with Brody and Gracie, followed by reading and science
9:45- Maggie and Ty leave for anatomy
12:30- leave house. Drop off Brody at the Lee's and pick up Hannah and Daniel
1:00- English Co-op starts
2:30- school ends and the kids walk to the park
3:45- Ballet, drop Gracie off and run to gas station and Walmart
4:30- Pick Gracie up and stop by Karen's house
5:15- arrive home, cook supper
6:30- Family Night! We decide to give Time Bandits a go. Eeh. It's okay, I guess. Terribly sacrilegious.

The park was lovely. I took a picture of a blue heron and all the kids playing. It was one of those beautiful, perfect moments.

Dinner and a movie with the fam is one of my favorite pastimes. I love being with my kids and snuggling up to Chris.

All in all, it's been a busy but good day. I feel like I accomplished so much more by not checking my Facebook every thirty minutes.

Now to decide if I should go to a weekly football meeting... hmmm...