Spring Break

Barbara and Karim are very dear friends of ours. We met through church, and have had many an adventure with them. Barbara is a pastor, and right now she's appointed to a small church in South Texas. Karim has kept his job near us, with the hopes that someday soon (please, God!) she'll be appointed closer to home. Karim spends weekends with her, but it's hard during the week. She's in a small town, far away from the people she loves. And while she likes many of the people there, she's still quite lonely. So, when we can, the kids and I load up and go invade her all too quiet town. Which is what we did the first few days of spring break.

One day, we went drove to Corpus Christi. We had planned to go for a walk on the jetties or boat docks, or go see a movie, but ended up on the beach. We were all wearing jeans - clearly not well planned. Still, the first beach experience of the year is always the best!! So we rolled up our pants legs, and enjoyed it.

(Thanks to the position of the sun, I could only get photos from behind.)

Soaking wet and covered in sand!!!

No towels. No change of clothes. Oh, well. That happens sometimes when spontaneous fun occurs.

Another day, we went over to see King Ranch. At 825,000 acres, it is the largest ranch in the US. To put it in perspective, it is almost the size of the state of Rhode Island!! Unfortunately, we didn't have time to do the hour and a half long tour that they offer. It was fun to learn more about the ranch.

The "running W" is the symbol of the ranch, and is branded on all cattle... and just about anything else they can put it on!! :-)

Barbara and me (in the bright, bright sun)

Cow!!!!

We live in Texas. We see cows all the time. But for some reason, it's always fun getting close to them.

It was a great visit, although short. I always feel our crazy, loud visits help her appreciate the quiet and solitude a little bit when we leave!

More coming about Barbara and Karim. We are celebrating Newroz - the Kurdish New Year - with them this weekend.

Arg!

Oh, my poor blog, how I've neglected you! I'm so sorry, I got sidetracked by something new...

Curse you, FaceBook!!!

OK, that's partly true. Mostly, I just haven't felt inspired to write anything lately. I'd sit down and think and ponder, and nothing would happen. Rats!

I thought about just posting some random photos here and there, but nothing really spoke to me.

Life has been full of "busy-ness". I'm going and doing all day, and it's all kind of a blur. So, I'm trying to slow down. Working on focusing on the important stuff, trying to let go of the stuff that's stressing me out.

And most of all... I'm really trying to stop procrastinating! I think of the wasted time, the stomach aches, the nerves, the guilt that all come from putting things off. I've really been proud of myself for the things I've checked off my list lately. But it seems that for every one thing I check off my list, I become aware of two more that need my attention. I'm taking deep breaths, and just keep moving through the list. Trying to stay intentional, and not worrying.

On a side note, I don't know why my paragraphs aren't spacing properly. I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with the formatting, but something's off. Sorry about that! It looked great when I was typing it.

Now for some good news... school gets out for Spring Break today, and I ma SO looking forward to it!!! I should have some fun stuff coming soon!! Thanks for hanging in there with me!!

Ashes to Ashes

Today is Ash Wednesday. Many people will be giving up chocolate, sodas, and the like for the next 6 weeks. But at the Ash Wednesday service tonight, our pastor had a different suggestion. She suggested taking on something positive during Lent. Actually, 3 somethings. Something for your body, something for your heart, and something for your spirit.

Something positive for your body. Boy, where to start??? But, you know, it could be something as simple as being grateful that you are healthy. Or making those appointments for physicals, and dental check ups that we've put off. Or it could be the ever-popular eating better or working out. What positive step will you take for your body?

Something positive for your heart. Strive to be more generous and loving with those around you. Here are some thoughts she offered for this category:

Hear and Understand

Even if you disagree, that doesn't make the other person wrong.

Acknowledge the greatness in others.

Remember to look for others' good intentions.

Tell the truth with compassion.

There's some good stuff there. We can all show each other more grace.

Something positive for your soul. We could probably all stand a little work on our souls. Our pastor has suggested journaling during Lent as a soul-check. What about praying more? And remembering to take time to listen for God's response? Ask yourself that age-old question, "Is it well with your soul?"

I plan to do something active everyday (body), to have patience and take more deep breaths before speaking (heart), and read my Daily Grind devotional and the Bible everyday (soul).

How about you?

Visions of Summer

Winter is drawing to an end, but we probably still have some more dreary days ahead of us. So, here is a reminder of what's to come. These were taken in Beaverton, Oregon when visiting my amiga mejor, Kristy.

Hang in there!!!

I'm Back!!

Ugh! Between me being sick, my son being sick, and just a whole lot of feeling scattered and stressed, I am wondering where the last couple of weeks have gone! Holy cow. Hoping to pull myself back together... soon!

Yesterday, my son's class went to the Witte Museum in San Antonio. I went along with them. It was very fun. I got an extra kick out of it, because I used to be the events director years ago and haven't been back in a long time.

How many 8 year olds fit in a dinosaur footprint??

Umm... hey, guys, you might want to look behind you!!

The Sky Bike was a huge hit.

Although we didn't have time to see the Genome exhibit, this poster cracked us up...

Fun at the HEB Science Treehouse...
Don't look down!!!
Yikes!!

We made lots of new friends...

And sat on a chair of nails!!!

You know my favorite part? Even though he had all his buddies with him, he said, "Mom, I'm so glad you're here!" And as we were climbing the stairs, he reached out and held my hand. I know these moments will probably become fewer and fewer, so I savor them when they do happen!!

My Kids Rock!!!

I have been sick for several days now, which has not been fun. Some nights I dragged myself out of bed to fix dinner, other nights, I let Patrick and the kids fend for themselves with pizza or chicken nuggets.

Saturday morning, I managed to drag my coughing, sneezing, fever-y self out of the house for the pinewood derby. After that, Mom needed a nap!! When I woke up, my son asked if I felt like eating dinner that night. I hadn't eaten much other than broth for days. I told him I thought I might actually eat something that night. He said, "OK" and ran out of the room.

About 20 minutes later he called from the other room and asked if I was ready to come to the kitchen. I figured that meant he was ready for me to fix dinner, but when I came out I was greeted with...

A handsome young waiter (with a dashing mustache) and his adorable assistant!

The sign on the table read...

"From scratch. Yummy. Always Unexpected."

I'll say!

And what, you may ask, do an 8 year-old and a 5 year-old prepare for dinner? Well...

Multi-Grain Cheerios, whole wheat bread, garlic breadsticks, beef jerky, peanut butter cheese crackers, part of an energy bar, yogurt covered cranberries, banana, peanuts, and for dessert: clementine orange slices, 1/2 a guava-mango poptart and Smarties!

By the time we'd finished eating this fine meal, we had full tummies, and our hearts overflowed.

Pine Wood Derby!!!!

Saturday was the much anticipated Pine Wood Derby for our Cub Scout Pack. The boys have been working on their cars for a month now.

For those not familiar with it, here's what happens...

Your little guy is given a car kit. It contains a block of wood, some wheels, and nails to put the wheels on.

Great thought goes into what the car should look like. There is usually consultation with Dad and friends.

Once the design is decided, the block is taken to a helpful grown-up for cutting. This is a very tense time, requiring close supervision and inspection...

Well done, Mr. Brown!! Thank you!

After a little sanding, comes the very important weigh-in. The cars need to be as close to 5 oz. as possible.

Hmmm... 2.5 oz.... we're going to have to add some weights!!

Race Day!!!

The car is painted, weighted, and all weighed in. We're ready to roll!!

He took 4th place in the Bear Cub group.

Great job, buddy!!