Week 22, Day 4

There was a murder tonight at the Four Deuces...Tonight a group of my friends got together to do a murder mystery dinner. It was so fun, and I totally recommend this to anyone who enjoys acting and has a fun group of friends! It was 1920's themed, and everyone dressed up in 1920's apparel. Everyone got into their characters, and had a great time. Afterwards, we played Mafia which we all thought was very fitting considered the theme of the night. I was the host of the party and spent a good portion of last week and this week getting ready to host tonight. My friend Lisa helped me pull together my costume, which ending up costing me about $15 total which was so affordable. My sister, who is a hair stylist, gave me a 1920's look with finger waves. It took her about 2 hours to do, so this definitely would have been hard to get done if I wasn't on vacation!

It has been so great to hang out with my friends from high school during vacation. We have been through a lot together, and we've become stronger because of that. Any time that we have together is a wonderful time. I don't know really what else to say other than I love my friends...a lot! Here are some pictures from tonight!

Week 22, Day 3

Today I was able to spend the morning and afternoon with my niece and goddaughter, which was so awesome! My niece is three, and my goddaughter is 2. They definitely are like two peas in a pod. They have so much fun together, and it isn't very often that they have a "play date," so this week was the perfect time because of my vacation. They spent quite a bit of time building a tower. It took them so long because every time they would make a tower using all the legos, it would fall over but they were very dedicated and kept going until they succeeded! We also attempted to play with a parachute. You can totally tell that I have worked at camp with kids because I immediately started to try to get them to play parachute games, but they insisted on using the parachute as a cover to play hide and seek with. They had so much fun, and I had so much fun just being with them. This last picture was an attempt at getting a picture of the three of us, but as you can see it didn't quite go as planned! I'm pretty sure these are the most adorable girls in the world : )

Week 22: Vacation Week

Hey, friends! How was your Christmas? I hope that it was awesome and filled with fun, family, and friends! I am naming last week "Homemade Gift Week Part 2." Those gifts took me forever to make. Last week consisted of basically doing crafts until the wee hours of the morning while watching the show Dexter. Yes, I like the show Dexter. It's funny because I end up fast forwarding through the inappropriate parts which sometimes can be half the show, but I really like the psychology of it all.

These pictures are some of the crafts that I made the last two weeks. I really had so much fun making them, and every one that I made was unique. The doves are the ones that I made for my family. The Spiderman one was for my friend Mike, and I honestly am the most proud of that one. It took me the longest, but I think it looks great, and Mike really loved it so it was so worth it! This Christmas I bought 4 gifts total: 2 for my niece and 2 for my goddaughter. Other than that, I didn't buy any gifts. I just made them for everyone, and it was so fulfilling to be able to give a friend/family member a gift that I had made intentionally for that specific person, that I made with love and hard work. I think this is what I will do for all of my gifts from now on. I hope that people enjoy them as much as I enjoy making them!

This week is vacation week, simply because I am on vacation this week! Many of you who read this blog know how much I have needed this vacation. The last break I had was in December 2008, my senior year in college during Christmas break. Ever since I graduated from college, I have been going and going without any significant break. I will admit that so far on my vacation, I have been thinking a lot about work. The week after I get back from vacation, winter programs start, and there hasn't been a good response from the community as far as signing up goes. That has been on my mind a lot lately, but I am really trying to just enjoy this vacation. Every day, my goal is to do something that I wouldn't normally do on any regular work day. And each day I will update you guys on what I've been doing. So far, it's been great! Yesterday, I traveled to Michigan to see my best friend, Lisa, who is home on break from Hawaii. We went thrifting for a 1920's costume for something I will be doing later this week (don't worry-I'll fill you in on Thursday!), went to see a movie, had a wonderful dinner, came back and played "Guess Who" and "Life", and spent hours talking and catching up. It was wonderful. Then today, we went four wheeling in the snow, which I haven't done for at least 6 years. It was so much fun, and definitely not something I would normally do. Lisa said she will send me the pictures we took, so I will upload those soon.

I have a hard time stepping back and relaxing, so this week will actually be a little challenging. Already I have been tempted to get on my work e-mail and continue planning our summer camp, but I have stopped myself. I need to find a balance, and let me tell you, I am horrible at finding balance in my life. There is a time for work and a time for letting go for a while and letting yourself be renewed and filled up once again so that you can go back and continue to pour out. I also have some thinking and decision making to do this week about various things, so if you think about it, please keep me in your prayers! That's it for now. Check back tomorrow for my next vacation adventure : )

Week 21: Homemade Gift Week

Hello, friends! Happy week before Christmas! It's gone by fast, hasn't it? Before we know it, we will be home with friends and/or family, celebrating Jesus' birth. Yay!

Last week went very well. Honestly, I feel like I didn't really do that much for Jen. I did some cleaning, took the kids for a night, and did the sermon this past Sunday at church. In the big scheme of things, I feel like I didn't even make a dent in the mountain of responsibilities that she has, but I know that it did help and I was happy to see her breathe a little easier last week. I love you, Jen!

This week, I am focusing on making Christmas gifts. For the past couple years, I have made almost all of my Christmas gifts to people. I've realized that instead of giving my friends more "stuff," I can make them something simple, yet something that I put work and love into. Last year I made picture frames with pictures of that friend and I plus some words of encouragement, why they meant a lot to me, etc. This year I'm making....well I won't tell you because I don't want to give it away! : )

I have been taking time during the day to work on these gifts, and this weekend especially, I am going to be a gift making machine! During this season, we always hear about the true meaning of Christmas and really it's not about getting presents or sitting on Santa's lap. I honestly don't care if I don't get any presents, in fact, I would prefer that I didn't. My friend Nate came to youth group the other night, and he told us a statistic that was shocking to say the least. I believe he said that is was about 400 billion dollars. Yeah. That's a lot. That's TOO much. And we know what happens to a lot of those presents. They get shoved to the side, they get worn twice then tossed in the bottom of the closet. Think about the things we could do with that money instead. The possibilities are endless. Every year when my family asks what I want for Christmas, I say nothing yet that never happens. I challenge you guys to keep some traditions at Christmas time, but change others. Maybe try making homemade gifts for everyone, or like some friends of mine- focus your energy and attention onto a family or friend that needs to be loved this season. So as you do your gift buying, just stop and think about the season and what really matters.

Week 20: Right Hand Woman Week

It's been awhile, friends! Hope you are all doing well and getting ready for the holiday! Last week as you know, I didn't do anything. I call it "It's the week after Thanksgiving, and I need to get back in the swing of things" Week. For all of you readers out there, let me tell you, it's difficult to make a goal every week and try to meet it. So, last week I gave myself a little break.

Can you believe it's already December? Before we know it, it's going to be Christmas, then the New Year. This season, especially for my pastors, is a chaotic season. My pastor Jen happens to be one of my best friends, and somebody that I really look up to. If you're reading this, and you're a pastor, you know the work that goes into shepherding a church. If you're reading this, and you're an officer in The Salvation Army, you know the chaos that kettles brings and the load that puts on the officers and the rest of the congregation. Jen somehow manages to raise three kids, run Kingdom Kids (kids church), teach young adult Sunday school, mentor various youth adults, run Women's Ministries, preach sometimes, keep statistics, do laundry, keep up with cleaning the house, and the tasks could continue on and on.

This week, my goal is to lighten her load a little bit. Instead of having a million things to do, I hope that this week, Jen has time for herself and that she can take some time to relax. This week, I am her "right hand woman" - I'm here to cook, clean, hang out with the kids, run errands, whatever it is that I can do to help. Those people out there who have extra time this week, I challenge you to think about a person in your life who could use a hand. Make a meal, clean a room, volunteer some time for a person in your life whom you love and appreciate. Maybe if we all do this, then everyone will have the time to stop and truly enjoy this time of year.