I LOVE Blogs

I don't really know what the difference is between a website and blog, so I asked "The Google", which is what Lawrence's law partner says to do whenever someone has a question about something.  Most definitions I found said a website is more static, while a blog is an informal media for sharing news, information, views, and ideas about a niche topic.  Well, whatever the definition, I've found myself over the last few years becoming increasingly addicted to blogs.  It started with a few scrapbooking blogs, and while looking at those I stumbled across a few other blogs, and before I knew it I was reading four of five blogs on a daily basis.  I would say these days I check in on about six friends' blogs, two scrapbooking blogs, two blogs of people I don't know, but whose blogs I found a few years ago and think are really cool (so I feel like I know them, is that creepy?), and my current favorite, The Pioneer Woman (she is so funny, and her site is amazing).  I find all these blogs so inspiring...they lift me up and give me ideas...they make me more creative and motivate me to try new things.  I love to read people's thoughts and travel along on their journeys.  Pictures, ideas, rants, recipes...no matter the topic, I love it all. 

I LOVE Book Club

In the fall of 2005 some friends and I started a book club up at Hurstbourne Country Club.  Throughout the summers, several of us would notice each other reading at the pool, and after much talk, we finally put a date on the calendar to meet.  Our first selection was "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd.  Five years later we are still going strong.  We meet once a month (except in December) for drinks and dinner in the ladies "tee" room at Hurstbourne.  The group ebbs and flows...some members love "chick lit", others love classics, some epic dramas, some mysteries. We try to pick varying selections to accomodate the different tastes.  There are two things I really love about book club.  One is that I've been exposed to a lot of different books that I would never have otherwise been exposed to.  Two, is that I've gotten to know so many interesting women from the club, who I also otherwise probably wouldn't have crossed paths with.  It's so refreshing and fun to talk about something other than our husbands and children.  I confess there are many women in the club who I never thought were very "deep", because we tended to have shallow, surface conversations while standing around a swim meet or pool party (they probably thought the same thing about me!).  But in book club, you are exposed to an entirely different side of people...their opinions, insights, ideas...you learn about each other, and I always come home enriched.  Whenever I think about paring down my calendar, taking book club off is just not an option.  Reading and discussing the books is something I really love.

I LOVE Having a Girl AND a Boy

I never really gave much thought to what the make up of my family would be.  I grew up with just one sibling, but that didn't really shape how many kids I thought I would one day have.  Lawrence always wanted two, no more, and no less, and he also wanted one girl (first) and one boy.  You would have thought he custom ordered our children, because that's exactly what he got!  I always wanted a girl, but I wasn't so sure about a boy.  Since my only sibling was a sister, I didn't have much experience in the boy department.  Now I can't imagine my life without my boy.  I sometimes am sad that Sarah doesn't have a sister (because I love having one so much), and conversely, John doesn't have a brother.  But God did a cool thing and gave Sarah two girls cousins her exact age, and He gave John three boy cousins, ranging in age from 18 to 9.  So really, what we lack, He always provides.  


Boys and girls are different, and not just in the obvious ways.  I wouldn't say Sarah is a real "girly-girl", but I love going through the various stages of girlhood with her.  The Disney princesses, American Girl, Hannah Montana, lots of sports, it's all been fun.  John is rough and tumble, competitive, loud...like a boy.  He is eating me out of house and home, and he loves to hang out and watch TV with no shirt on (my pet peeve!).  I like to think about what each one will be like when they are grown...Sarah says she'll maybe be a pharmacist (nice and stable)...John says it's the NBA or NFL for him (the PGA would be okay too).  They are different, they are fun, and I love experiencing a girl AND a boy.

I LOVE Bible Study

I haven't been in a formal Bible Study since last winter, and I really miss it when I'm not participating in one.  It's just that life has been so busy since this summer.  I was telling Lawrence the other night that one sports season has just faded into another.  In the spring it was baseball, then All Stars, then swim team started, and I remember saying "as soon as swim team is over we can slow down."  Then a week after swim team ended, football started, then field hockey, and then a week after that all ended, the winter swim season started.  And basketball!  Oh my goodness, have I ever seen so much basketball as I have this winter?  Lawrence told me a few days ago, "Just hold on...in one more week swimming and basketball will be over."  Ummm, honey.  Hate to bring this up, but baseball starts in about two weeks.  And here we are full circle.  I know to not let these things be the priority in my life.  I know my time with God is more important.  But I'm tired.  And someone needs to be picked up.  And where is John's uniform?  And what pool is Sarah practicing at tonight?  What are we eating before practice? Is it my night to drive carpool?  


Well, as God often does, He is working through my friends to slow me down.  Denise mentioned she wanted to do a Bible study, and Katie picked this one:

This could not be more perfect for me right now!  We met last week, and the first video hit me right between the eyes.  I know where to look to help me prioritize competing demands...and it's great to be making time again for something I love.

I LOVE a Trip Down Memory Lane

Today I had a free afternoon so I thought I would put that time to good use and clean out my office/scrapbooking room.  This was a terrible thing to try to do in one afternoon, as evidenced by the fact that I can now barely sit here at my computer because I have so much junk piled up around me.  I cannot believe how much stuff I've let accumulate in this one room of the house.  I'm really not a pack rat, but my old pictures, albums, craft supplies, etc. have gotten out of hand.  Anyway, while tackling this chore I came across these two old boxes of comic books (do kids still read these?) and books from my childhood.  The fact that the comic books are in a Ziggy Latch Hook kit box tells the story that I've always loved crafts, and the books made me laugh.  Judy Blume (LOVED her books) and a book about the hot TV stars in 1979.  That's Marie Osmond on the cover (John Travolta and Shaun Cassidy too).  There is absolutely no reason to keep these things, but I can't bear to toss them out.  Maybe I am a pack rat.  Or maybe I just love to take unexpected trips down memory lane, and I know if I keep things like this I'll always know the way to get there.  

I LOVE My Godson, Oliver

Tonight was a real treat...I got to spend the evening with my 10 year old godson, Oliver.  Oliver is the son of my oldest childhood friend, Mary Oliver Humke.  We met in the fourth grade and were inseparable until we went to different high schools.  Through the years we always remained close, and it such an honor to be Oliver's godmother.  Tonight we went to a Stage One production of "Tuck Everlasting" down at the Kentucky Center for the Arts .  Afterwards we went to Graeter's for ice cream and milk shakes.  Oliver is a wonderful young man, and I love spending time with him.  

I LOVE My Job

I have a love/hate relationship with working outside the home.  Truth be told, I'm a homebody...I like to be at home, puttering around doing chores, scrapbooking, watching TV and reading books and magazines.  However, other than for a brief time after John was born, I've always worked outside the home.  I say "outside the home" because let's face it, all wives and moms work inside the home...they're just not financially compensated for the work they do.  I hate it when people act like "stay at home" moms don't work.  Anyway, although I would prefer to be at home all day, I feel blessed to have a fantastic part time job that brings me satisfaction in so many ways.  First of all, it's flexible...although I work a pretty set schedule, I'm able to come and go as I please.  Second, the work I do is in my sweet spot.  I love to administer things, and my job is a lot of project management and administration.  Third, I have a great boss who shares my same values and is very respectful of my desire to balance my work and home life.  Fourth, I work with a lot of fun people who have become dear friends over the last eight years I've been here.  And fifth, my office is five minutes from my house (so convenient!).  Sometimes I get whiny, and I complain I have too much on my plate, and why can't I stay home and blah, blah, blah, but honestly, this job is heaven sent.  I know deep down I would miss being here and would miss the relationships I've built.  I would miss the sense of accomplishment and contribution I feel after completing a large project, and I guess I would miss the financial aspect of it too.  I feel very lucky to have landed here...in a job that I love.