a thank you post

Today's blessing:
Generosity

Today was the last Sunday my family and I spent at one of our church homes. For the past two years, we have been so blessed to be a part of Living Waters. The community has opened their arms and their hearts and allowed us to experiment, learn, and grow.

They've endured our crying child and botched choir solos. They've assured me (over and over) that P is always welcome in the service or the choir practice no matter how much noise she makes and that, no, they don't mind taking her off my hands for a few minutes so I can use the bathroom/get a drink/grab my folder/sit and breathe.

They've given me confidence. They've helped me believe that I will be able to handle being a pastor's wife. They've enthusiastically sampled all of my new dessert recipes. They've given my husband every opportunity to grow - from high school youth group to confirmation to adult ed to leading worship. They've watched our baby grow and assured us every week that she is, indeed, one of the cutest kids on the planet. (Really, what parent does't love to hear that?) They've watched us grow as a family and embraced us every step of the way. What a blessing. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

We'll definitely be back to visit!

And, really, you should come visit us, too. It's not that far, and we have lots of space. Please come visit! Really!

baby's first race

Today's blessings:
A rain cover for my jogging stroller
The kind man who helped me get P over the log in the middle of the course...twice!

It's a good thing my kid is pretty easy going. I would be willing to bet that not many 15 month olds would be content to sit in a jogging stroller for 42 minutes (42! I'm pretty sure we did the big loop twice and ran extra!) going over the bumps and rocks and roots so mommy can say they ran their first 5k together! Did I mention that it's mid-50s and raining? What a trooper!

I know it may sound silly to some, but this was a really cool thing for me. My dad and I used to run together. I was in 6th grade when we ran our first 5k and he ran his first marathon. We said once that we were going to run a marathon together in Hawaii. He doesn't run anymore, but I still haven't ruled it out. Maybe P could run in his place and he can cheer us on from the sidelines.

to the rescue

Today's blessing:
Being needed.

Sometimes we just need our mommies and daddies.

When I was young I used to have bad dreams. Mostly about fires that couldn't be put out with water and giant vacuums that pinned me in the corner of my bedroom and tried to suck me up. Pretty terrifying to a four year old. There were many nights I would take up residence on the floor next to my mom and dad's bed. Sure, this put me closer to the vacuum, but I was with Mommy and Daddy. What could happen to me in their presence?

Tonight was one of those nights P needed her mommy and daddy. Yes, we're tired. Yes, she was up for two hours in the middle of the night last night. Yes, we had long days of work and semester-end projects. No, neither one of us has slept through the night since she was born nearly 15 months ago. (Maybe daddy has once or twice, but not much more than that!) No, neither one of us minded one bit staying up for an extra hour and a half passing our not-so-little toddler baby (I can't do it yet!) back and forth to assure her that we were both still there and safe.

Sometimes you need to sacrifice just a little more sleep to cuddle your little one. Then blog about it.

more than recipes

Today's blessing:
Chocolate chip cookies

Recipes should be hand written, and that's all there is to it. Recipes are more than just ingredients on a piece of paper or cardstock. There are memories associated with them: a favorite meal, a special dessert, even an inside joke. There's something special about a recipe being passed down through generations.

When I got married, my mom bought me a recipe box. She said she was so sad that she didn't have many recipes in her mom's handwriting, and she wanted to make sure that didn't happen to me. Since then I've added recipes from my mother in law, Grandma, an aunt or two and some good friends.

If you ask me to share a recipe, I'm probably going to hand write it. It's more personal. It may take a little bit longer, but it'll be way more meaningful.

Do you have a good recipe to share? I'd love a copy, and I'd even trade you my killer chocolate chip cookie recipe for it! We'd probably have to get together for coffee or something to exchange...what a shame that is!

Which reminds me, Mom, I have that chocolate chip cookie written out for you so you can discard the printed copy with the messed up formatting!

fmf: brave

Today's prompt: Brave

Go

Small as it may seem, this Five Minute Friday mission is a big step for me. I am too much of a perfectionist sometimes, especially when it comes to writing. I want to get all of the words exactly right. I can't tell you how many times I've deleted a post because I couldn't seem to convey every thought perfectly how I wanted them.

But perfectionism is not the point. Sometimes there is a message that needs to be shared, and if I wait until I can do it "right" I may never get it out there. Today's FMF word is "brave." I am giving this post to you completely unedited. It goes against so many of my normal tendencies that I'm a little nervous for it, but here goes.

Friends, don't be afraid to dive into something new just because you're afraid you won't be able to do it "right." If it's something you love - something that brings you joy - then just do it! If you wait until you can do it perfectly, it will never get done. I promise.

Stop

This is my new experiment, and I think I had fun with it! Check out Lisa Jo Baker's blog for more info or to join in the fun yourself. And thanks to Anna over at girl with blog for introducing this to me!

mission statement: part one

Today's blessing:
Spring. Finally.

When I was in college I worked for ResLife. Aside from having an odd obsession with rocks (any of my other Auggie CAs remember that?), we seemed to be big on mission statements. A mission statement defines  a company, organization, or person's reason for existence. That's a pretty big deal.

Yet, I suppose it makes a lot of sense. Defining your reason for existence? Probably not the worst thing you could spend some time doing.

I remember feeling like kind of a cheater, but I took my mission statement straight from the book of Colossians:
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. -Colossians 3:17

It perfectly stated how I wanted to live my life; why should I reinvent the wheel?

Well, I think it's about time I decided what I want to do with this blog. That's right - I've been writing (somewhat sporadically) for over a year now, and it is long overdue. Over the next few weeks, I will be formulating a mission statement. It may sound simple, but anyone who has ever written a mission statement knows that there's more to it than most people think.

For me, the hardest part of a project is getting started. What tips can you share with a person who has trouble corralling their thoughts?

on being humbled

Today's blessing:
A kid who always greets me with a smile and a "Mama!" (or sometimes a "Dada," which I'll take, too) after a long day of work.

Friends, I am disappointed in myself. I allowed myself to play the martyr, and, if I hadn't gotten caught before clicking the "Publish" button, I could have hurt a lot of people who are very dear to me.

I threw myself a little pity party; a "Woe is me, I don't get to spend every minute of every day watching the miracle that is my perfect child grow and learn and explore even though for some reason I feel entitled to do so. Why do they get to stay home and play all day while I have to work?"

Entitlement...what a nasty trap that is. "They" are the stay at home moms and even work from home moms of whom I am often jealous. Let me state, right now, that I know there is a difference. Also, I know that "stay at home mom" is a full time job in itself. I have tremendous respect for those women. Yes, I am jealous of them at times, but not because I think their lives are so much easier than mine. I once read a comment that one of my facebook friends shared that said "If you think being a stay at home mom is so easy, why don't you do it?" I wanted to throw something. But that's another entry in itself.

Then there are the work from home moms. While I do not get to spend as much time with my baby as some of these moms, I do have the luxury of leaving my work behind me every day. Once I get home, it's all about family (and some cooking and cleaning, of course). My work-from-home cousin once said that it would probably be better for her son to go to daycare, because then he could play with the other kids instead of watching another Mickey movie.

Yes, I have it good. My work is fulfilling and fits into an 8-4 schedule. My baby gets to spend her days in the second best situation I can imagine. She doesn't resent me for leaving her, and she has great friends to play with. My husband is great about saying, "Let's play with a baby this evening, and I'll do the dishes tomorrow." He's also great about saying, "Let me take the baby so you can go for a run/do some writing/take a shower."

I've said it before, but I'll say it over and over. My daughter is raising a mommy who is so grateful for every moment she gets to spend crawling around on the floor or holding tiny fingers so a little one can practice going up and down the stairs or making goofy noises while propelling a spoonful of yogurt towards a tiny five-toothed mouth. Yes, my life is good.