Equal Press Time

I needed to post a picture of Jane! Here is one from last fall, sorry it's not current, but it was just too darn cute to pass up. I've been looking through scads of saved images and realized I haven't printed pictures in a long time. Great......that's going to cost me a small fortune next Target shopping trip.

gratuitous pictures of my kids.....just one of the perks of blogging.

Addicted to Sunshine!

Turns out I am addicted to sunshine! How else can you explain why I agreed to play outside on a day it was barely in the 40s! I've decided I don't really mind the number on the thermometer as long as there is sunshine.....and my girls.....to bring me JOY!

Scooter girls!

Kate's birthday is December 27th(pics from her party to appear soon) so that means cool gifts like a new Barbie scooter don't get played with unless there is a little sacrifice.The cold weather didn't slow her down a bit, and the gloves and coat were added protection against falls!

Big girl on a little scooter......

Here's to more sunny days in Crazytown!

Can I get an Amen to that?

Sibling Rivalry

My brother leaves tomorrow morning for a business trip to
Costa Rica. The pictures below are where he will be staying.
jerk.
let me re-phrase that.....
lucky jerk.




Well, I may be a jealous sister, but I am also insanely proud of my brother and his well deserved trip to Costa Rica. John has been working for The Roasterie coffee company for 5ish years. He is the lead barista for The Roasterie Cafe in Brookside, and is in charge of all the training for the cafe. He got this job because he cares. He cares about coffee, from the bean to the cup....start to finish! He also really, really gives a crap about producing a quality product. He knows how to make cool latte art and is a nationally certified judge for barista competitions.
And he is the only Roasterie Cafe employee asked to come on this trip.
It's because they know it will be money well spent.
Please pray for his safety and that this trip brings him JOY beyond compare.
I love you my brutha!

A Big Loser

I was a big loser this week, probably the biggest. But not in a "Yes! I am the Biggest Loser!" kind of way. More like, "crap. I am such a big loo-ser!"
I fell off the health wagon this week. Not only did I fall off, but I did a few mid-air flips(which would normally be amazing, but not when you are falling off an imaginary wagon) hit my head on a rock, and scraped my knee and my nose.
It was a brutal week in the areas of weight loss and exercise......and I'm a pound heavier to prove it.
"One lousy pound?" you ask......but when your overall goal is 5 lousy pounds, gaining the 1 blessed pound you had actually lost is HUGE.
Next week I have got to do better. My body can't take this kind of imaginary abuse.

Let the Sun Shine!

"Mom, come here....quick!"
uh-oh, Jane has done something naughty. or messy. or both.
I run(who am I trying to kid.....I walked fast) into the living room to find my beautiful blonde middle child standing with the curtains pulled wide open.
"Look, mom....... THE SUN IS SHINING!!!!"

"Can we go outside to play?"

I forgot how much JOY sunshine can bring to my day.

Night at the Improv

Apparently they will let just about anyone talk to youth these days......
Last night I had the chance to be the "opening act" for the youth group at church. It was a total honor, and by the end of the night, a humbling experience.
My topic?
Suicide.
Last fall the youth director asked me if I would do a presentation and create a Bible study to address youth suicide. And last fall it seemed like a good idea.......
Talking about suicide? No problem, totally a comfortable topic for me.
Talking to young, impressionable minds, in a large forum atmosphere? "Holy" crap.
It went awesome. I am not saying I was awesome, but the night was.
The kids were engaged in the topic, they asked questions/made comments, and they had stories. Lots of personal stories.
I am SO naive.
and SO glad I didn't vomit all over myself from anxiety.

Maybe I'll Just Give Cash

The more I watch the news stories from Haiti, the more I am realizing that relief work is not for me....at least not right now. Not to say that it isn't in my heart, because it is. And anyone that knows me, knows that fighting for the under-served populations are a big part of my life.

Nope, it's not that I don't want to help, because I do. It's just that my way of helping would be..........TO ADOPT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE ORPHANED CHILDREN AND BRING THEM HOME WITH ME!!!!!

So, maybe I had better just stay home and send money.