Catching Up

Every once in awhile, I come across a blog post on a beloved blog, simply catching us up on random details of her life. I find myself enjoying "getting the scoop" on what she's been up to, sort of like reading a newsy letter from a friend. If you enjoy those posts like I do, then settle in with a good cup of coffee/tea/cocoa/Diet Something and get ready. If those types of posts aren't your cup-o-tea, this is your chance to click on by. (And I completely understand! ;)

It is another overcast, cold Saturday following another cold-snap-Friday. Last week it was Good Friday that turned cold, and what followed was a FREEZING Saturday. And I mean freezing, as in snow flakes. We were to help with an outdoor event across town in an empty lot in a primarily Hispanic subdivision as an outreach for our church's Hispanic church. Last Friday night, in anticipation of the freezing temperatures to come and a day in which the wind chill would not leave the 30's, I actually hoped the event would be cancelled. Saturday night, I couldn't believe I had wished such a thing! It was indeed cold, we froze our toes and hid Easter Eggs with snow flakes swirling all around, but we had a fantastic turnout and a wonderful time. Over 100 people from the surrounding neighborhood came out for hot dogs, hamburgers, an Easter Egg hunt and a bounce house, and found out about the ministries at our church which are conducted in Spanish. We found out Sunday that a number of folks that had come Saturday were at our Easter service. Praise God! We also had a team of missionaries from Mexico from our partner church there, who got to see snow for the first time! I was chatting with one of them whom I had met when I was there back in 2003. I went down there to help with relief work after a major flood in their area. He told me (in Spanish, as he speaks no English) that the previous Wednesday, April 4, had been the anniversary of the flood. I understood every word of what he said, I couldn't believe it! I then proceeded to enthusiastically answer him... in French. Oh, my brain. I need to just pick a language and stick with it... The whole time I was in Mexico that year, I spoke fluent Franish. Frantic Franish, in fact. (French + Spanish)

We enjoyed a fun Easter Sunday with Luke's family over at his brother's house. The cousins enjoyed driving the golf cart all around, fishing in the pond, and (of course) hunting eggs. The (grown up) sisters had their annual Easter egg smack-down hunt. Last year I participated, but this year I sat out because I've not been working out, and was thus, too out of shape for such a competitive event. (Okay, I was actually still tired from the day before.) It was fun to watch, though! They actually did all end up on the ground at some point. It's serious, I tell ya. (Congratulations, Tina!)

Tuesday night the phone rang and it was my dear friend in China with whom I'll be staying in May. I always love talking to her at night. I'll be in my jammies getting ready for bed asking her, "So, what are you going to do today?" because they're just getting up! I still have the microwave clock set on China time since last summer when Bethany was there. It messes with my brain at times, sending me into a panic thinking I'm an hour late for something (they're 13 hours ahead of us) but it's fun to know what time it is in the place where our hearts and prayers are so often. It was wonderful to hear how they're doing and anticipating seeing them in about a month!

The kids and I resumed our school work this week, amid continuing efforts to box up, organize, sort through, clean out and pack. So. much. (too much) stuff. Luckily our subdivision is having its semi-annual neighborhood garage sale next weekend. I am having a major "spring clearance!" Last night we had severe weather and heard the tornado sirens sounding from across the lake and I thought as I looked in my dining room (where the garage sale stuff is living at the moment), "It looks like the tornado has already come through!" Regarding the weather, we survived. It was dark, scary, and loud. We had sideways rain and a bit of hail. The closet under the stairs was cleared of coats and prepared in case we needed it. The kids and I sat in a big chair (while Zac-the-weenie dog took up his command post under the chair). Luke and Haley-the-German Shepherd monitored the weather radar. Unfortunately, we did have to cancel an Awana Cubbie event last night, though. Hopefully we'll be able to get it rescheduled.

Today we are painting the upstairs bathroom and decorating it with some fun, new stuff my daughter-with-an-eye-for-decorating helped me pick out. We have a fun day tomorrow, with a China meeting and then our spring "Leader Appreciation Dinner" for all of our awesome Awana volunteers and their spouses before our Awana club night. Planning these events (for 150 +) is one of the things that intimidated me so much before we took this position, but yesterday as I was running around (ahead of the storm!) gathering table cloths, door prizes, centerpieces, and kids' activities for the leaders' kids party, I realized how much I really do enjoy it. I thanked God in the parking lot at Michael's craft store for giving me a love for what He has asked me to do. It is such a privilege to love on these incredible volunteers and to minister, in any way that I can, to the families in our Awana program. This week is the dinner, next week is "ice cream sundae" night, and the following week is our awards program. Then, that's it! Sprinkle that in with finishing our school year, packing for a move, staging the house and planning for China and that's my life in a nutshell. :)

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! I hope you have a blessed weekend!