Ten on Tuesday

1.  I went to a women's conference in Orlando last weekend.  It was a conference for women but not about  women, which was really nice.  I really don't need more advice on parenting or how to be a good wife.  I've read all the books.  What I needed was to be reminded how big my God is and how much He loves me.  And that He wants me to love other people.  And that he has given me everything I need in order to do that.

Resentment of what we don't have is the number one reason we don't use what we do have. (Paige Benton Brown)

(Google her and listen to any of her talks.  She is an amazing speaker.  Amazing.)

2.  I have been really excited about the Olympics this summer.  These athletes are so amazing and it's nice to have something I can watch with my children without worry of inappropriate content.  It also allows conversations about practice, dedication, hard work, and not giving up to take place organically.  My people tend to quit when it gets hard so I welcome these conversations and these Olympic role models. But it's the commercials from Proctor and Gamble really get me. Maybe you DVR and fast forward through commercials so I'm going to let you watch it.  (There are a few versions.  This one puts them all together.)

The hardest job in the world,

is the best job in the world.

(My goal is to see if I can get you to cry each week.  Are you crying or am I just a big 'ole crybaby?)
3.  Jay is at surf camp this week with Mimi.  Last year he did kayaking camp.  He brings his good friend and they have some quality Tybee time with Mimi.  She said they both got up on the boards today and they are already looking around for a used board to buy.  Mimi and Jay have a sweet relationship.  He is her oldest grandchild and she never had a boy.  I really like that she they get to have one on one time before the chaos of summer ensues.  (Part of the chaos is driving down from NYC as I type.  Can't wait.)
4.  Emory, Packy and I went to see Brave.  It was a really good movie.  The mother/daughter relationship was one of the central themes and it had a really good message.  I didn't cry until the movie was over, but I did cry.  When I first took Emory's picture I was prepared to write about how I was struggling with her.  Fast forward two weeks of not blogging and I am in a different place with her.  I am listening to her and not responding with anger when she loses it.  Talking to her in a calm voice when she is frustrated really works better than my previous method of screaming along side her.  (Still trying to break that screaming cycle in my family.)  She is growing up so fast.

5.  I am in planning overload.  Tybee 2012 is a few days away and I really want this year to be special.  (Every year is special but it helps to plan.)  Jay is now old enough to do some big boy stuff, so deep sea fishing is on the docket.  New board games, kayaks, books, crafts have all been bought.  My head is kind of spinning. Is it really a few days away???

6.

7.  I can never buy enough pens, notepads, books, and fingernail polish.  Ever.  

8.  I drove to Orlando with one of my friends and we met Betsy and one of her friends, who flew in.  The plan was to go to the conference and spend as much free time as we could by the amazing pool at the Orlando Hilton.  Amazing pool complete with lazy river.  Well, Tropical Storm Debbie put an end to all that.  No sun.  Just rain.  Hard rain.  We still had a great time being together.  And we only hit one parked car, could not get out of a four story parking garage after endlessly circling for about 15 minutes, and took a wrong turn on the way home and didn't know it until we got to Daytona.  Can't wait until the next trip Ava, Heather, and Betsy.

9. You know you have a good friend when she hands you a tiny tupperware filled with her most delicious cream cheese icing because she knows you like to dip pretzels in it. Yum.

10.  Summer is here and that means... SO YOU CAN THINK YOU CAN DANCE!  I have to admit that tears filled my eyes when Cat Deely said those words.  Sad, I know.
Favorite new dance in the kitchen song: Heart Skips a Beat by Olly Murs (You can catch him opening for One Direction, who I always like to call New Direction.  Yes, I relate well to 15 year olds.)
Favorite new mascara: They're Real! by Benefit

Ten on Tuesday

How can this baby be going into kindegarten?

1.  On the day we left Tybee, Jason took the kids in his truck so I could stay behind and finish cleaning up.  I left about an hour behind him.  I pulled into the gas station we always go to on our way out of Tybee and realized I didn't have my wallet.  No clue where it was. I had about a quarter of a tank of gas left.  Not enough to get home.  After finding my wallet in his truck,  Jason had some decisions to make.  Was he going to sit where he was and wait for me to catch up with him or come up with Plan B?  He went with Plan B.   Go to the next exit with gas (Metter, everything's better in Metter), find a "trustworthy" gas attendant, and leave some money with instructions to give it to me an hour later. (He tried to pre-pay with a card, but she wouldn't let him do that.) So when I arrived at the gas station an hour later the nice lady handed me $35 with my name on it.  I spent $32 on gas and a couple on gummy bears.  Who would have thought this plan would work?

2.  See the flag above Packy's bed?  My mom made it.  Eat your heart out Pottery Barn.  She found some old fencing at an antique sale and painted it.  Packy is very patriotic and loves the American flag.   This is one of my favorite decorations in my house.  I still have lots of bare walls because I am sticking to my guns about not hanging something just to fill space.  I have to love it.  This, I love.  Thanks to my very talented mom. 

3.  I am currently doing the Love Like Him study with the Do Not Depart girls.  It has been very helpful because loving does not always come easy or natural to me.  These follow up blogs really helped me examine how I love.
                 Love Like Him 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. It's not just how you show love but your motives too.  (Motives!  I say it the way Seinfield says Newman!.  Just when I think I've got it all under control I remember that my motives matter. Motives!)
                Because I love you.- I love how she personalized 1 Corinthians 13. 
4. And then I watched this. (Get the Kleenex ready. For real.)

I was in Sunday School last week with someone who said she was sure that we were at the end of times because everything is awful in the world. Nothing is getting better, only worse.  I totally disagree. I think God shows us every day ways that He is redeeming His people. He uses situations where we see no hope and then brings glory to His name.  How can you watch this and not think that God is still active in this world?
5.  Community.  I used to think of this as just the latest Christian buzz word.  Live in community.  I don't anymore.  I live community.
The Christian life is not a self-project. We are a people of God and cannot live the Christian life by ourselves. We live in community whether we want to or not, whether we admit to it or not. The Bible knows nothing of the solitary Christian. Having been created and saved we are now commanded to live out our creation and salvation in the community that Christ gathers by his Holy Spirit. Deuteronomy and Luke/Acts are major texts that ground us in this world, this community, in which Christ plays."
~Eugene Peterson

I have seen my community change alot over the past few years. I have my family community (immediate and extended), my church community, my gym community, my school community, and my community of believing girlfriends mixed in these groups and all around.  God did not design us to live alone.  He designed us to live together.  Bearing one another's burdens, holding each other up, rejoicing together, and sharing in our "like broken-ness".  This doesn't mean I have someone in my home every single night, but it does mean I am in close connection with people.  I want to know how people are doing; with their marriage, with their kids, with their walk with the Lord.  I pray for people.  I make myself available to people who are broken in the same ways I am, and share how the Lord has used these struggles to draw me so much closer to him.  I laugh with these people and cry with them.  I love their children.  I hurt when they hurt.  It's hard to feel all alone when you are living in community with other believers.  

6.  I went to the movies yesterday (alone) and saw The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. 

It was a sweet movie and I saw it with every woman over 70 in Macon.  

"Everything will be all right in the end. If it's not all right, then it's not the end." (Sonny)

I wanted an inspiring movie and since I journaled this morning and blogged this afternoon, I think it worked.  It is sort of Eat, Pray, Love meets Slumdog Millionaire.  

7.  Betsy has a hilarious friend named Kelsey that she once lived with in the city.  This friend now lives in LA and has a blog that has made me laugh out loud more than once.  Do yourself a favor and read her blog, Does My Minivan Make Me Look Fat?, when you have some time.  So funny.
8.  My plan for the summer is to have no expectations.  No lofty goals.  No extreme kid makeover projects.  Just have fun.  And sometimes have no fun. Sorry.  We will get our book reports finished before the first day of school and work on our multiplication, but other than that, I am playing it by ear.   I have tried to operate with a daily schedule in past summers.  That can work until I want to throw myself out the window.  Too much pressure.  We have been out of school for 1 and a half weeks.  So far, so good.  We have been to a pool almost every day.  It's my best chance of survival.  It's hot in Macon.  Really hot.  Now that Pac can swim, I can actually read a book part of the time.  It makes my people really tired and they seem to get along better in water.  Win, win.
9.  I am already sick of hearing Mama. Mama, Mama, Mama. Just don't say my name for about 10 minutes.  Just talk to me without saying Mama first.  (Packy said it twice while I typed that sentence.  For real).  It's worse than nails on a chalkboard.  (Jay- 3 more times.)  This Loving Like Him is hard when you hear your name over and over again.  Normally with a request at the end.  Love is patient.  Ugh.
10.  By the time your read this I will  be at Wild Adventures (or probably at home because you have totally given up all hope that I would actually do this on Tuesday).  Jason's mom and dad are taking our family and his brother's family for a summer adventure.  They kids have literally been counting down the days.

Trying to Catch Up

Let's catch up.
 In the last 3 weeks I have: celebrated my oldest son's 11th birthday (and my Dad's 60 something), been to two end-of-the-year bowling parties, hosted a wedding shower, attended a wedding (with all of my kids), sent Jay on his first overnight school trip, had Emory's ears pierced, had 8 trees cut down at my house, attended the elementary school awards ceremony (Jay made all A's), attended the 4k end-of-the-year program, baked brownies and cookies for teachers, baked brownies for a pool party, bought the teacher gift for the class I am the room mom for, took the boys to LEGOLAND in Atlanta, took the kids to a pool party on last day of school.  Then summer started.

This is my LEGOLAND story.

•    I love surprises.  I love being a part of a surprise even more.  A week ago I took the kids to school as usual but as soon as we got in the actual carpool line I suddenly remembered that Jay had a "dentist appointment" and told him not to get out of the car when Emory did.  Then I told Packy the same thing.  When Emory, who was in on the surprise, got out, I looked at Jay (and Packy) and said, "The real reason we aren't going to school is that we are skipping with some other boys and going to LEGOLAND in Atlanta."  The picture below was his reaction.  "Really? Are you serious?" We had so much fun.  I don't really want to promote skipping school but it was such a fun surprise and a great memory.

After the pool party on the last day of school we went to Tybee for Memorial Day weekend with friends.  Aside from having to take Bogey to the vet because he was chewing his tail off, we had so much fun.  I don't like to think (which is why Crossfit works so well for me).  So when you have a motivated person that says we are packing up the bikes and going to ride trails at Fort Pulaski, I just say OK.  No thinking involved.  Such a fun, easy trip, despite having 7 kids around.