moving slowly

Due to being 8 months pregnant I've had to put myself in 2nd gear. To be honest, it's nice being forced to go in slow motion. I find myself just sitting and watching the kids play and soaking in what is happening around me instead of just being busy. I've been sure not to have to rush anywhere because I just can't move that fast, and if I'm forced to I get snippy. This has been very good for Spencer because he likes to stop and look at things on his own time. Like yesterday I stood and held my grocery bags while he looked at his book reflect off the van. I wasn't in a hurry so I didn't care. I think God has blessed me with extra patience and alleviated some moodniess (Doug must have been praying for this). Our house is in disarray because Doug is painting the office and finishing some projects. Usually the mess would drive me crazy, but it isn't.
Here are some pictures from the Race for the Cure we did last week. We "raced" with our dear friend Janna, pictured with her husband Jim.
The top piccture is for all you people who keep lying and saying I'm small...seriously!! The last picture is me letting Spencer pee along the walking route. Some of you may take issue with me letting him do this, but aren't boys supposed do that?

This is an unauthorized post

DC here...yeah, I know i'm probably committing some sort of "blog foul" by posting to Carol's blog, especially since she doesn't know i'm doing it. it’s risky on a couple levels – first, it may be my only post here as she’s likely to change her password. Secondly, I’m going out on a limb with you because this is one of those stories where you sort of had to be there. I hope you can engage your imagination and relive the experience with the laughter we did yesterday.

We were on our way to the Race for the Cure. Given the fact that 45,000 people are signed up, i'm guessing it's going to be a 2 mile walk just to get to the start line for our 1 mile "family walk". Factoring in the heat, the likelihood of fits & breakdowns from the kids, and carol’s general state of fatigue, i envisioned her sitting down at approximately the .5 mile mark and demanding that I find a way to get her home without anymore walking. With this vision in mind all morning I determined to practice expert husbandry to avoid the inevitable situation. The plan was for us to both take our cell phones. I would drop her & the kids off close to the start line, then find a place to park – likely more than a mile or more away. after parking i would call her to determine her location and we would meet up to start the walk. you with me?

so here's where things get sideways...we're running late. we need to meet our friends (near a particular landmark) in less than 45 minutes and we just left the house. I realize half way there that we both forgot our cell phones. "Shoot...we won't be able to call each other" i say. "that means we'll have to park and walk together" i added. Fears of the scenario I described start setting in.

clearly without any processing of the situation carol responds "well, I could just ask someone to borrow their phone so i could call you". (do you remember that neither of us have a cell phone?). I sit in silence for a moment then look at carol with a confused/disturbed look. She realizes she’s said something silly but hasn’t figured it out what. She says “what?!”. So I reply with a simple question….”you’re going to borrow someone’s phone?” to which she responds “yes”. Then I say, “who are you going to call? Do you want me to also borrow someone’s phone so you can call me on their phone? But wait, how would you have their number?”

If imagination doesn’t let you experience the laughter of the moment I’m sorry. It was classic. Sort of reminded me of telling someone “ask me knock-knock”…think about it and try it this week - leads to some interesting looks of confusion!

Good Friday

On this Good Friday take time to think about Jesus' suffering. The tears he cried in the garden before He was taken away to be arrested, accused, beaten, mocked, nailed to a cross and the time He was separated from God, feeling the weight of the punishment of our sin.
I was also thinking about God our Father and how He had to watch His beloved Son go through this suffering.
Now think about how we deal with the sufferings we experience.

Hebrews 12:1-4

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.

Pictures from Retreat

The best part of my time of liberation last week was visiting a convent in Cincinnati. The convent (or you could call it a retreat house) is part of the Vineyard church. An awesome married couple, Dave and Jody, live there and run the house. We arrived Thursday afternoon and left Friday around 11am. We spent our time there reading, sipping tea, walking around the Vineyard church (where we took the stain glass pictures), napping, and enjoying the hospitality of Dave and Jody. The house was completely quiet because we were the only ones visiting. It's very refreshing to have no electronics, no distractions, and forced peace.
I hope you are taking time this Holy week to contemplate the events leading up to Jesus' resurrection. Doug and I read the story of the last supper to the kids before our meal last night and we passed around a wine glass of grape juice and a bread roll for the part when Jesus told the disciples about his upcoming death. Spencer was very reluctant to drink the juice because he thought it was wine. Spencer added to the story that God had to wear a crown of thorns (he is starting to remember what he learns at Sunday school:)
This week I was hit by when Jesus wept over Jerusalem after being welcomed into the city by the waving of palm branches. He wept and foretold the city would be destroyed eventually because the people didn't recognize the coming of God.
Do we recognize the coming of God in our lives? We have eyes that just see the physical and filter our thoughts with knowledge and common sense. Are you open to seeing with eyes for the spiritual and trusting your imagination to God?

Liberated Carol

The precious children are in Terre Haute since yesterday until Saturday with their Grandparents. So, that means I'm free! Yes, I miss them when they are gone. When they are gone I think of their sweet faces and laughter. But, I'm keenly aware that I'm enjoying wonderful peace. No fighting, no one asking me for something every two minutes, and no tantrums (even from me :)
So, what does liberated Carol do? Yesterday I read some of my book "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison, took a nap, and then read some more. Doug and I went to dinner at Greek Isles and then popped in on a friend who lives downtown.
This morning my body wouldn't let me sleep past 7am, but it was still nice not having the kids rush in demanding their milk and fighting over who gets to lay between mommy and daddy.
At 11am I'm going with Doug to the Fashion Mall. He has a business meeting at The Cheesecake factory, and I guess I'll eat greasy pizza from the food court. Then we are off to Cincinnati. We are going to stay at a retreat house tonight and then spend the day at IKEA tomorrow. Yes, two very different experiences.
Saturday morning we will be here and go to Patachou for breakfast. Then off to a wedding that afternoon.
So, you may not care what a liberated Carol does but I find all this freedom very exciting!