Thank you, thank you, thank you!

What a week! 

Since last week, we've had many adventures and many places to be grateful. Here's a smidgeon of what I'm grateful for today.

1. Independent woman

I took both kids to Wal-Mart this week. I had my list and Claire had a few items she wanted for a recipe she was working on. I left her on the baking aisle with her list and told her I'd be right back. When I returned, she was consulting with a Wal-Mart employee about her list. She had located this giant, at least 6' 5" male employee, and wasn't intimidated at all. She confidently told him what she was looking for and he was helping her find it. He told me how impressed he was with her confidence and intelligence. He said she was as smart as the kids on The Parent Trap. I took it as a compliment.

2. Coffee study break

I have a few unscheduled hours on Thursday mornings. It's dedicated homework time. This week,  however, I took the study session to Avoca coffee shop. The shape of the steamed milk alone makes me happy.

3. Laughter, again

Although, frankly, I laugh all the time, there were three times this week that I laughed so hard I lost my breath. I am lucky to have so many funny people in my life. (I'm married to one of them.)

4. Cute kids

Claire has two American Girl dolls, (Thanks, Grandma!) so she and Paul split them up to parent them one on one. Paul was super cute being a dad and Claire was super cute being a mom. Notice how Claire's glasses match her doll's? Totally coincidence. 

5. Wheel of Fortune

I love watcing Wheel of Fortune with the kids. We work as a team to solve the puzzle. Soon, they will be better than me.

6. Staying afloat

Mid-terms and papers are on the horizon, and I anticipate having to crawl into a hole until those get done, but for now, I am staying afloat with all my responsibilities. Family, jobs, homework, home stuff. It's all in balance right now and I'm grateful.

7. The Pope

This week at the gym, I have been grateful to watch all the exciting Pope press coverage. It's much better than the violence usually covered by the media. I'm not Catholic, but I'm a fan of this Pope. Even his car is cool!

8.  Family time

Last weekend we had some long-lost cousins in town. They haven't been lost, but they haven't been around the DFW area since I was a kid. We had an unofficial family reunion and we all had a great time! Swimming, talking, and hanging out at another cousin's new coffee house. It was awesome.

9. Private Coffee House

My cousin Maddie just opened up a bakery and coffeehouse in Waxahachie. It's called the Back Porch Coffee House. It's been her dream to open a bakery, and now she's got one. The whole family filled the place up on Saturday. You can check them out at the super long link. http://waxahachietxcoc.weblinkconnect.com/events/Ribbon-Cutting-ForBack-Porch-Coffee-HouseTuesday,-September-22,-2015,-1000-am-4156/details

10. Weird illness

Poor Paul missed a day and a half of school this week for a weird illness. He had a fever the first day, but the second day we just kept him home to make sure he was okay. He was. Instead of nursing him, I supervised his Lego playing and reading. I'm grateful he just had a fever and wasn't miserable at all.

No, Thank you!!

Happy Saturday! I started writing this post yesterday morning, but had to rush off to my 8 a.m. theology class. It's still important to me to be conscious of my blessings, so here's my list for this week:

1. Fallish weather

It's not brutally hot any more, and I am thankful. Yesterday I sat on a patch of grass in the shade and journaled. Feeling the grass underneath me and the breeze, even though it was in the 90s, felt like fall had officially arrived.

2. Birds

I wear dorky birds in my hair when I work at school. It started out for me....How can I be stressed or grouchy if I have a bird on my head? But then I realized it made other people giggle, so I started doing it more. I had not, until this week, ever taken my birds to Brite Divinity School. It's hard to have a serious conversation with a woman with a bird clipped in her hair, so to be serious, I hadn't worn them. I wore a bird this week and no one on campus missed a beat. It was just like "Oh yeah, that's Sarah. She's a little bit goofy, but oh well." 

3. Homework time

Every day after we walk home from school, the kids and I sit down at the dining room table and all three focus on homework. They are old enough to do their homework mostly independently, so we all sit together and think, think, think. 

4. Free lunch

On Tuesday I went to lunch with the church staff. We went to a brand new restaurant in Weatherford and it was delicious. Then a couple from church came to eat lunch as well. They bought all of our lunches. Woohoo! There IS such a thing as a free lunch. I had one this week and I am grateful.

5. Mr. Fix It

We need a new mattress on our bed, but we just don't have time to go buy one right now. I was complaining about back pain the other day, so Adam engineered some sort of reinforcements for the bed frame. We still need a new mattress, but thanks to his engineering mind and some 2X4s, we aren't waking up with back pain any more and can survive until our calendar allows us to get a new mattress.

6. Venus Fly Trap

A few months ago on an impulse, I bought a tiny Venus fly trap. I water it every day, hopeful that one day it will replicate the Venus flytraps of cartoon reputation. Although it doesn't move independently like in cartoons, it caught two flying insects this week. It's been fascinating to watch. One of the bugs is still sticking out of the leaves. I'm curious if that part of the bug will just fall off or eventually get sucked in. Either way, watching a plant digest a bug is fascinating. The plant came with a note not to feed it actual meat. Good to know

7. My personal library and our Little Free Library

We are bookionaires. (It's like being a millionaires with books.) We have books in every corner of our house. I am fortunate that since I'm such a fast reader, I am able to keep up with my theological reading as well as reading books for fun. As soon as I'm done reading a book, I put it in our Little Free Library in our front yard. We've met many neighbors that way and love sharing our love of literacy.

8. A drive long enough for pod casts

Because it takes me about 35 minutes to get to my church work, I'm able to keep up with several pod casts and friends' sermons. It's like I attend news conferences and several churches all at one time in my car.

9. Space to breathe

Adam took the kids on a Boy Scout's fishing adventure this morning. I have been left at home unattended. So far I've done some laundry, some homework, and some work-work. I've also had some space to breathe and think and pray and I am grateful.

10. No complaints

I have absolutely nothing to complain about right now. Everything is right in my world and I am grateful.

Thank God it's Friday!

Woohoo!

Here's what I'm thankful for today:

1. The best part of a three day weekend

Last weekend was a three day weekend, so this week was a four day work week. It's Friday! Hallelujah!

2. Friends that make time for me

Some of my favorite people are the busiest. I am grateful that I was able to connect with several of them this week via email or in-person chats. I always feel more grounded after touching base with friends I haven't seen in a while. I also feel energized after talking and listening to people about real joys and real problems. I also had lunch with my favorite friend, my husband. 

3. Keeping caught up with homework

Another school week down, another week I was able to complete all my homework! If you would like to read my UMC Book of Discipline, you can borrow it at the end of the semester. I am fascinated by it! 

4. Surprises

I have another friend who sent me a giant happy book. I checked the mail on Tuesday and there was a huge box for me. My friend Jennifer had sent me volume 1 of the best Bible dictionary available. I was ecstatic! (See picture? Excited!) 

5. Labor Day weekend perfection

Last weekend we had family and other loved ones come over and swim and eat and laugh. Several times I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. Listening to discussions of certain presidential candidates almost made me spit water across the back room.  Yelling girly words to distract the men from listening to our conversation was hilarious as well.

6. First presentation down

Yesterday in my Methodist History and Doctrine class, I made a presentation about a John Wesley sermon. I was anxious, but it went well. If you would like an explanation of John Wesley's views of "Circumcision of the Heart" let me know and I will share a beautiful handout with you.

7. Grown up conversations with kids

I called the house yesterday from campus and spoke with Claire. We had the best conversation. It's so fun to hear her speak like an adult, advocate for what she wants, and be silly. I am so proud of both of my children and their beautiful hearts and hilarious personalities.

8. Miracles of time and space

Yesterday when I woke up, I realized it was one of those days with a milion puzzle pieces in my schedule and not a clue as to how they would all fit together. But through the miracle of the time and space continuum, I finished my homework and presentation, made it to class, and made it to both meetings I had to attend. I also met Adam and picked up dinner for the kids. By the end of the day I felt like I had lived two days.

9. AC repairmen on call

We love our air conditioner repairman. We love him! If you need a recommendation, please let me know. He'll be featured at Casa Boyette today because something is wrong with our unit. 

10. Connecting the dots

I'm taking two classes that are focused on history right now. It's exciting to me to go back and re-learn some history that I've known for years but through a theological lens. I love stories about the Tudors, but now I'm learning about the role of the church in the Tudors history. And connecting the dots between the first churches and the history of Methodism and history I've known before gives me pause and several "aha!" moments.

Thanks, Again

Today we wrap up our second school week, and I am thankful.

Here's my list for the week:

1. Catching up with friends

By this weekend, I'll almost be done catching up with everyone I lost contact with over the summer. I am grateful for the various rhythms that the changes in seasons bring and I'm grateful for several friends that keep up with me and keep me grounded. I have a good mix of friends I listen to and friends that listen to me. I am thankful.

2. Connecting the dots

In Theology class, we are learning some church history. In Methodist History class, we are obviously doing the same. What is exciting to me is taking history that I've known my whole life and connecting it with what I'm learning today. I understand a more complete picture this way.

3. Pumpkin spice coffee creamer

Starbucks isn't serving Pumpkin Spice lattes just yet, but I've already bought the flavored creamer and am enjoying the tastes of fall.

4. Swimming

We are so blessed to have our very own swimming pool in the backyard. The kids favorite after school activity is walking home and immediately getting into our swimsuits. We swim for a bit before we come in and do homework. It's just enough to reset our minds and our body temperatures. I love living in Texas, where I can swim and drink Pumpkin Spice lattes in the same day.

5. My blender

For uses that were certainly purely academic, I bought a sturdy blender in college. Nearly every day I still use the same one, now making healthy fruit smoothies for breakfast. It's entertaining to me to think of what I used to put in my blender and what I get excited about now. 

6. My new owl

At the local elementary school where I work, I'm known for my fancy hair ornaments. I buy fake birds at Dollar Tree and wear them in my hair. This week, my friend Teri became aware that I didn't have a fall bird for my hair. I've been wearing spring birds in the fall. Thank God she remedied the situation and now I have a fall owl. 

7. Three day weekend

Woohoo! We made it to the weekend, and now we have time to catch our breath and catch up before our  third week of school starts.

8. Not having to worry

Claire's teacher told me this week how much she enjoys having her in class. I thanked her. Paul's teacher told me this week how lucky I was to have two excellent children. I thanked her as well. I am grateful that our children are loved and appreciated beyond the walls of our home. I am thankful that already, they are loving, productive members of society. 

9. Teamwork at work

At church, I am grateful to work with people as a team. It's exciting to see when one of us starts something or has an idea and then the others pitch in and make it happen. We all have different gifts and I am grateful that they compliment each other. I'm also happy to be part of the team at school and be one of the people that works behind the scenes to help.

10. Being in the right place 

My schedule takes me to a different place nearly every day. I'll work at church, then school, then go to class, and home. I am grateful that in each one of these settings, I feel completely at home and in the right place for me. I have loved ones in each location and each setting fits me perfectly in a unique way. I am humbled and grateful.