Reflections on a good weekend...

Wow. Lots going on lately. Gotta use my beloved bullets...

• We took the kids to Silverwood on Thursday. I know. Not very many people know that there's a theme park in Northern Idaho. But there is. It's small, and cheesy, but it's also not completely exhausting, and the lines are never very long. I had a headache all day, but loved watching the kids enjoy themselves so much. E. rode every roller coaster in the place - his first time tall enough to do so.
• Work was fun on Friday. I'm slowly but surely getting organized and finishing up my class samples for the fall schedule. There's a ton of new product coming in - lots of fall and holiday papers and goodies. Fun. I'll share some pictures tomorrow maybe... I'm having so much fun with new products.
• Church was great this morning. Our church is largely made up of college students, so after the summer of being a fairly small congregation, it was fun to see all the returning students show up this morning. I love my church.
• Met several new people this morning... somehow I managed to get up out of my chair and go introduce myself. I don't know why that's so hard for me, but it is. I literally cringe during the greeting time, because it's so awkward for me - it's always my least favorite part of any church service. Anyway - I just knew God wanted me out of my comfort zone today. And I was obedient. And guess what? I was blessed. Hmmm.
• We're hosting a going away party on Tuesday for a sweet couple from our church who leaves next week to be missionaries in Siberia. Yes. I said Siberia. We're having a luau - to send them off with memories of warm weather and tropical fruit.
• I ripped a hole in my most favorite-ist pair of jeans on Saturday. Right in the butt. You could see my pink underwear clear as day. I was so sad. When Asia and I went out for dinner I made him take me to the mall so I could replace them. That's how much I love these jeans. Levi's 515 Nouveau Boot Cut, folks. Best jeans ever. There are some things in life I'm just not willing to live without, and these jeans are one of them. (I suppose if I were the one going to be a missionary in Siberia, I'd have to adjust that line of thinking eh?)
• Remember my bad day on Wednesday? I'm ready now to tell you about it. It's laughable now, but at the time I was SO overwhelmed. It all started when I decided to trim the dog's nails. Darn it all, I cut one too short and cut the quick. I'd never done that before. You know how when you get the teeniest tiniest nick when you shave and it bleeds and bleeds and bleeds? Well, a dog's quick bleeds like that. So on Wednesday, when I cut it, it bled. We wrapped up her foot, cleaned up the blood, and waited until it stopped bleeding, then went about our business. Ten minutes later, it was bleeding again. I cleaned it up. Waited for it to stop bleeding. A half hour later, it bleeds again. But the kids are distracted and don't notice it until Gracie has literally spread blood over every surface of the basement. The couch. The carpet. The stairs. The walls. Her body. Blood everywhere. From.one.little.toenail. And so went my day. I finally just had to put her in her crate and leave her there. At least then if it bled it was only getting her blankets dirty. Every time I thought it couldn't possibly still bleed, I'd take her out, only to discover bloody footprints. Again. The dog was stressed out, I was stressed out, and my washing machine was stressed out. Ugh. From now on, I'm paying someone else to cut the doggie nails.
• My hair has gotten to be quite long... I don't know if you remember that I've been growing it... this is the longest it's been in years and years and years. Saturday before my dinner date with Asia I dug out my hot rollers. I wasn't sure if I would like the result, so I was ready with my straightening iron, but I loved it. I looked like a movie star... I've got lots and lots of hair, so when I curl it, it's quite voluminous and fluffy. I won't go to that much trouble often, but it was sort of fun to feel (dare I say) glamorous... who knew?
• I'm looking forward to this last week ahead with the kids home... lots of little projects we need to accomplish, so it should be a busy, full, fun week. It's probably one of my favorite weeks of the year, this week before school starts. Good times.
• Thanks to those of you who prayed for me this week and sent encouraging emails. Love you all... and God is good. Smooches, friends!