Stream of Consciousness and Weekendy Things (a few days late)

If you haven't already figured it out, I'm never on the ball. I love writing. It's an art, along with photography, that is on my bucket list of things to explore and go deeper with. It's an art I would love to excel at if you will. It would be perfect if I carved out time on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to sit down and just write. But my life is not perfect. It is usually disheveled and messy and chaotic and beautiful. It usually means the cracks of my life are being filled up with living (or procrastinating on the couch while I scroll through pinterest to avoid cleaning my house). Either way, maybe the summer will be the time to establish the habit of posting regularly. Maybe.


Our weekend kind of flew by. It was cramped and busy and fun and all the things that remind me that summer is right around the corner. Back in March, my friend Jenni came to church to talk about the Royal Family Kids' Camp that is being hosted in NW Iowa this summer. It's a camp for children in the foster care system who have been abused and neglected and just need some Jesus and some lovin in their lives. They need to know they matter. Dan and I have spent the last 9 years of our relationship figuring out how we can be part of mission projects like we were in high school when we are busy parents with full time jobs. I've always thought that local mission projects were perfect. Their blessings are just as bountiful, but you are close to home. Not to mention, foster kids have always sparked a passion in my soul. I know that God has called us to be part of that ministry. I don't know what the future will hold for that, but I know that right now we can make a difference, even if it's just a week at camp.

What does that have to do with the weekend? Well, we got to attend training on Saturday with a group of people who will be our teammates for the week. We knew like 3 people there, so it was kind of intimidating being as everyone else seemed to know one another somehow. I'm excited for that. I'm such a social butterfly. Making new relationships is something I thrive on. I love getting to know new people and learning their stories. I'm so excited to build new friendships.

Because of this training, my mom took my boys overnight on Friday night so we could be back in Sioux Center bright and early. Jaedyn was at a friend's house overnight, so it worked out perfectly to have our April date night with our daycare already built in. We went to a comedy club at Rookie's Sports Bar. It was a lot of fun to catch up with each other for an evening.

We lucked out because the kids all wanted to stay another night at the grandparents', so we had an impromptu evening to ourselves. You know how we love last minute. I got to spend an evening having supper and wonderful conversation with a good friend, and after Dan played basketball, we got together with some friends who just happened to have the ability to hit the town, and we enjoyed a few hours of foosball and pool and laughter. It was a blast.

Our bookend to the weekend was filled with a Palm Sunday program, a family Easter dinner and best of all, a surprise birthday for one of the most wonderful gals I know. It's hard to believe she's 21. ;) Love you lots Dawn!!

And here are a few stragglers that I couldn't help but include!

New Spring hair do. Come on Spring. Just come on!

Beautiful morning sunrises after Body Pump

Even though the first three days of this week have been mass chaos. My children have driven me up a wall. Two have lost technology privileges. We are dealing with girl drama. Trying to teach our girl that it's okay to not always get to hang out with the girls, especially when you aren't even around to hang out. It's a hard lesson that even us adults are learning all the time. Everybody has other friends, and sometimes your friends will hang out with each other when you are not around, and that doesn't mean they like you less or that they don't want to be with you. It just means that they are hanging out. Period. I'm hoping we can instill confidence in our little girl to see that you don't always have to be with the group to be in the "group". Better yet, I hope she learns that everybody can be "in the group". Anyways, I'll save that for another day.

Today is Wednesday. Last day of the week for me before we head out for Easter break. I'm letting go of big plans and hoping to just roll with the punches this week. I'm excited to just be and spend time with my kids. If we get to doing some big things, great. If not, no sweat. We'll make memories. We always do.

Happy Hump Day to you!