mamasoup

Haircuts

If you know my family, you know that we have hair issues. We have hair issues because all four of my children have had heads full of hair since the moment they were born. It is dark, thick hair that doesn't fall out like most babies who eventually have blond hair. Instead it just grows out white blond with the dark birth hair on the bottom. So then it looks like I color my children's hair when they are infants (I actually had someone ask me this question.) Also, our hair grows very fast so we have to get frequent hair cuts.

Well this week was hair cut week. All three girls got their "summer" hair cut this week. Kate's hair had already started turning green from the pool. Abi's was getting tangled too easily and Emma just doesn't let me brush her hair with out a brutal fit if it is past her shoulders. So here they are on Photo Booth showing off their new 'dos. (By the way, I think that Photo Booth is the greatest thing. My kids totally know how to do it themselves and have documented many precious moments for me.)

RLP Franciscan Retreat

I want to give a "shout out" to all of my new friends that came to Covenant for our first ever Franciscan Retreat this weekend. We had people from all over the country come to our little church in the woods and create a little community for a little while. I was amazed at how God orchestrated the details of the weekend.  The people who attended were the perfect people to be there. I was amazed at how quickly we all meshed together as if we had known each other before and were getting together after a few years apart.

I am serving as the "Retreat Coordinator" for these events. This is a job that I volunteered for and have really been enjoying. I get the privilege of helping everyone find their way here by plane, train, or automobile. (I think we even have someone riding down on their motorcycle for the next one.) It was refreshing to finally put a face with a name and "email voice" after over a month of communicating with some of these people.

I appreciated the openness of the weekend. Everyone was so willing to share and open up about where they were in their spiritual journeys and thoughts on God. I was encouraged and challenged to think about my heart and where God has been leading me this past year.  The resounding thought or word I had from the weekend was "simplify."  I am looking forward to exploring all the ways that I can do this:  with my money, my possessions, my time with my family and God, with my expectations of others and myself. I desire to live a simpler life.

One of the best treats was seeing Elisa and Shannon. It was nice having two people there who I had known before but hadn't been around in a while. Elisa's joy in getting away for awhile was contagious.  She just needed some time away. I can really relate to that.

Lastly, I want to share how thankful I am to my friends and neighbors who made this weekend possible for me by watching my children so that I could focus on some of the details of the weekend and participate as well.

Here I am again

It has been a long time since I last posted! I just haven't felt like I could take the time to sit down and share anything. I have even kind of given up checking my facebook page. I have just been very tired this last 5 months.  My job as a preschool teacher is wonderful and is over until next fall. However, I found myself so drained each day that the last thing I wanted or could do was to sit down and write something amazing or clever or "meaningful."

I think one of my biggest hangups about blogging is that I feel inadequate and awkward when it comes to writing and sharing my thoughts. I am married to an amazing, creative and linguistic guy who's posts are super meaningful and interesting. I also have two friends, Chelsea and Stephanie, who are writers. So naturally their posts are also interesting and creative. I am a math person and a sports person. I don't have very many creative ideas that just come to me. I don't tell stories very creatively. So basically I am embarrassed to post because I worry that people might judge me by what I write and then they may not like me and that would be bad. Because I really care what people think about me and I want everyone I meet to really like me and when they don't I get sad and it hurts my feelings. Whew!  Now that I got that all out, I think I can post again. Thanks for letting me vent!