Hodgepodge

This weekend was good, but tiring. Saturday Trever & I went out on a double date with our oldest son Andrew and his girlfriend Amanda. We went to a seafood restaurant, where we all ordered different variations of low country boil, mine had clams, theirs had crawfish. There are just a few things I can't bring my palate to accept, like raw oysters or crawfish. It's like I have a mental block against such things. It's odd, since I usually like trying new and different foods.

Afterwards, we went to the movies. We let Amanda pick. She chose the Lazarus Effect, which honestly, was not the best movie. But that wasn't the point, the point was spending time with Andrew and Amanda, and we did. I over-talked, which I tend to do when I discern that someone is nervous and having a hard time making conversation. I was afraid I overdid it, but later, Andrew thanked me for keeping the conversation going.

Yesterday we got up at a ridiculously early hour and got ready for church. Church was good, even though Riley was singing so loud he actually threw me off a couple times. I couldn't help but smile, that boy sings with all his heart and I love it. Dylan played drums and did a great job. Before church, he begged us to get him a ski mask so nobody could see his face. We told him that people would be far more distracted by Jason leading worship than they would be at Dylan, but he seemed unconvinced. Still, we clung to a firm no-ski mask parenting strategy, and won out in the end.

Today I am going to attempt to take Liberty out to see a matinee showing of Cinderella, and one day this week I promised Riley he and I could go get coffee. It is important to me that I give all my kids special me-and-mom-only time. I've found over the years that it has helped cement my relationships with them individually.

I had a good phone call today with my dad. That makes me happy. He said he has a box in his garage of some basic start up coin collector materials, and he plans to mail them to my kids, which I think they will love, just as I did when I was a child.

My mom, sister and Ryan (my sister's boyfriend) are coming up this weekend to be with us. I have set aside Friday as a Spring Clean-Up sort of day. Andrew has acquired another part time job, doing carpentry type stuff around his school hours, but I am going to let him know tonight to clear his day for Friday. We need all hands on deck.

I've lost my Bible. I mean, I have several, but I've lost the one I want to read out of. It's a newer translation called The Voice. I like reading different translations to discover subtle changes and nuances in the scriptures. I read The Message one year, and while I wouldn't use it as a study Bible, I actually thought it was great. The Voice is in the same ballpark.

I've kind of hit a slump in my reading and know it's because of Facebook. I spend too much time on there and know I need to back off a bit. Maybe I'll set a timer or something. Trever and I have talked about it and really, there are a lot of better things I can be doing with my time. I enjoy being able to stay in touch with my family and friends, but I don't need to be online for hours at a time. I recently revised my friends list as well, mainly deleting people I never interact with anyway.

We got our Phoebe a collar that gives a buzzing sound when she barks. So far, it has worked really, really well. I am hopeful. She is the sweetest dog, but does NOT like strangers, so if she sees someone walking outside or if we invite someone inside, she goes ballistic. I guess the real test will be when Ryan comes in this weekend. She has been around him a couple times, when we've gone down to my mom's house, and she was just about beside herself.

I finally got Girl Scout cookies in every variety I'd been hoping for. Now I am in the process of keeping part of my stash hidden and eating them at night, after the kids have gone to bed. My hips will not thank me but summer is coming and I will put in more time swimming to pay for it.

I've been asked to do an art worship performance on Easter Sunday. I've never really painted in front of people like that, only my kids, so I'm a little nervous. I told Trever I would like to go purchase a couple really large canvases to practice on, since I'd prefer to have a large(ish) canvas to work on live, so everyone can see... I may need another easel too, one that will hold a canvas that large. I still haven't decided whether to use acrylic or oil paints.

I've been binge watching Modern Family. We are almost finished with season three. We try to watch several episodes each evening, so we can get caught up. It is a riot, one of those shows where I actually laugh out loud. My shoulder blades and trapezoid muscles have been really achy lately. I bought some massage oil and if I'm being very nice Trever will give me a wee massage. It helps, but I wish the knots would just stop coming back. I'm not positive why I get them so bad. I wonder if I just need to drink more water, and why that seems like such a difficult task to me at times.

I've also been pondering the scripture that admonishes believers to be sober and vigilant. I was thinking about how my brother, after he left the army, struggled with an anxiety disorder called hyper-vigilance. Basically, he wasn't able to sleep, because he was always hyper aware of every tiny thing, real or imagined. Obviously, in a physical sense, this is a bad thing, but I wonder if it's a good thing, spiritually speaking. We are meant to be awake and ready, rallied to attention with immediacy if necessary. Just a thought.

I can't decide if I should try to squeeze in a short nap or drink another cup of coffee. I'm afraid if I go to sleep, I won't be able to get myself sufficiently waked up in time for the four o'clock matinee. Coffee it is. Going to brew a cup now. Thankful for my Keurig, and this season's Wicked Winter blend. It's pretty strong stuff. Might get me through Cinderella.

Love,
Amy