Recuperating

Why is it that we always have to pay the price for being gone so heavily in the early days after we return? I've got so much to catch up on after being gone for four days. Laundry. Dishes. Cleaning. Work. Sleep. In hindsight, sometimes it hardly feels worth it.

But hey - what am I saying? Of course it's worth it. It's just exhausting making that transition from girls weekend to real life. Every time, it's exhausting.

My weekend in Portland was great. The weather cooperated, and we were even treated to a bit of blue sky. I saw some daffodils in bloom and just the beginning tinge of pink on some of the trees. In a week or so, they'll be in full bloom. I love spring.

The convention was sort of ho-hum. I don't know if it's because I've gone so many times, or if the quality is waning, but I just wasn't that thrilled to be there. Now the company? That's a different story. Hanging with my Mom and our friend Jan and my best friend from Eugene, Brooke was so much fun. We shopped. We ate. And ate. And shopped. And laughed. Brooke and I even crashed a dance for the Baby Boomer's Social Club on the top floor of our hotel one night. Now that was a sight. Good times.

It's another busy week. I had a class to teach last night, a birthday dinner to go to tonight, and a bible study game night tomorrow night. Then there's another class Thursday night and work on Friday, with my brother and his family showing up for the weekend late that night. Soccer games start this weekend, so we'll go to a game. I don't know how it happens, since I purposefully make every effort to not have our family be over-scheduled... but somehow, we just seem to get busier all the time.

Read a great book over the weekend. Encyclopedia Of an Ordinary Life in an amazingly inspiring book - in that it's just a simple record (in alphabetical, encyclopedic style writing) of one woman's life. I LOVE the concept - and my mind is reeling with possibilities of how I might implement an Encyclopedia of my life - and my kids' lives - and our life as a family. It's a great book - an easy read - and full of laugh out loud humor.

My favorite line? When she writes about a college professor who once wrote on a paper she'd turned in: "Don't impress. Express." Ah!!! LOVE that. It fits so many areas of life. Art. Love. Service. Worship. Great stuff. I've been searching for the perfect words to add to the walls of my studio. I think I've found them.

So I'm back. And up to my ears in schtuff I need to do.

Off to put the clothes in the dryer and start another load in the washer...

How was your weekend?