#100HappyDays. Thankful Thursday

I am having a problem with this 100 Happy Days challenge.  How do you possibly choose just one thing per day that makes you happy?  Every day I sleep in a bed that feels like a pillow.  I snuggle with Res as my iPad music alarm goes off every morning then soak in my giant tub.  I get ready in my wonderful closet choosing from tons of great clothes and shoes.  I am reading a book called Trash about a boy who lives in a trash dump.  He feels bad for a boy who only has one outfit because he has two.  I really am grateful every day for all I have been given.

This week alone I have so much to be happy about.  Our Trubilee egg hunt on Saturday was a huge success.  I got to hold Karlisha's baby for over an hour.  Then at our TRU kick off, we had over 200 people!  They were excited and hungry for God.  We reconnected with old friends and friends who live in the community we didn't know did!  And we've built amazing relationships with our TRU core group so it's a blast to worship and serve alongside them.  

That's Pastor Dave, btw, being chocolate slimed at Trubilee.

Every Monday I get to go to work with the most amazing people.  This is secretary appreciation week.  I love them so much, and Angela, and Marvin and Tracy, and this year, Alexis.  I love my sped staff and all the teachers.  

On Tuesday I got to share my Cambodia presentation with 5 social studies classes!  It was so awesome!

Tuesday nights I get to spend with our TRU Connect group.  I look forward to it each week.  We are so real with each other.  This week, I walked to Jeff and Carmen's.  She served us an amazing meal and peach sangrias.  We chatted and laughed then learned about God.  We wondered as ewe were chatting if any of the other groups were discussing times that their spouses had vomited on them!  Yep, we are real.  I asked Bryce if he would be my food accountability partner and he said yes.  He said, " you won't have to text me about Tuesday because I already know you cheat very Tuesday!"  It was hilarious.  Then he asked what he was supposed to say when I text him that I've cheated and people were throwing out suggestions to him like, "You fat B-----!"  We laughed so hard.  After group I got to ride on the back of Jeff's Harley!  

On Wednesdays I get to be a part of FCA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  We have such an amazing group of kids.  It encourages me every week.  The kids teach and we just give a little input.  

Then on Thursday after work, I get to be with my girls, the Homestead girls.  I look forward to this time each week, to,hear their struggles and how God is helping them and to see their growth.  It is truly amazing.  I will take a picture today.  

On Fridays we go to Chipotle and eat.  I usually go to bed early.  Scott is an amazing, understanding, supportive husband and I am truly grateful for him, too.  We laugh together a lot.  Last night we watched American Idol together on the back patio.

Then the weekends are for relaxing, getting things done(which I like to do), friends, Adelle, talking to the kids and rents on the phone, and TRU church.  This Sunday we get to go back to our Westview small group as we've truly missed them.  I can't wait to see them and catch up with all that's been going on in their lives.

I live a very blessed life.  This 100Happy Days challenge will continue to be a challenge, but only because I have to choose!

Life is What You Think

I truly believe in that, life is what you think, both from my Social work training and my faith, but also by experience.  I preach it all day long.  So I pay a lot of attention to my own thoughts.  I used to think a lot in to do lists, what do I need to do, what did I check off, what have I accomplished today.  It really is no way to live life.  It creates anxiety and an occasional feeling of satisfaction.  So as read the Word and live out my faith, I am now thinking more relationally.  Who can I serve or bless today?  What does God want me to do or think today?  It's awesome.

  There is just one small problem.  Don't judge me.  I find myself thinking in Facebook statuses.  Do you?  I've just started that 100 happy days challenge so each day I have to take a picture of something that makes me happy and post it.  That's cool, because it makes me think about happiness which fits with my faith and I share it, which also fits with my faith.  But I also just think in Facebook statuses.  Thank God I'm able to control that urge and only actually post these thoughts about once or twice a week, unlike some people on Facebook I know.  I realize people aren't interested in my day to day thoughts and daily life.  For example, I just had a thought, "first world problem, my fingernails are freshly polished and I have to go poop."  Aren't you glad I don't post these thoughts?  People probably don't really care about what makes me happy either.  I know my daily Bible verses annoy many of my Facebook friends and family but I don't really give a rats behind. :).   And then about weekly I feel these blog posts coming on.  Then I just have to do them.  At least people read these more voluntarily.   And today's included my random status thoughts also.  Oops.

Life

In Spanish, one says I have...51 years instead of I am 51 years old.  I like that better.  I have 51 years of experience under my belt.  I've learned a few things.  I can't possibly blog about everything I've learned so I will just put a few.

Change is inevitable.  It is rarely easy but not worth the time to spend energy trying to fight it.  I've learned just to go with it.  In my experience, it usually works out ok, sometimes even great.  Not easy.

People come into your life and move out of your life.  Scott and I used to be reluctant to let people close because it hurts to have people leave.  But truly, life is about relationships.  It's important to appreciate the people in our lives at the moment.  I've learned that I need to be intentional about relationships with those God has put into my life, even if it only turns out to be a season.

I ain't gonna lose any weight.  I can try to be healthy and fit but I have learned to accept this body and make the most of it.  There isn't any point in trying to stress out over it.  

Let go and let God.  I have always been a person who tries to control everything.  Maybe that helped me in parenting, who knows.  But I also felt quite a bit of anxiety when I couldn't control things.  With lots of work by the Holy Sprit, I now realize, there are not a whole lot of things worth getting my panties in a wad over.  

Not everyone is going to like you and though they may actually appreciate you, very few will take the time to say so.  I have learned that it really doesn't matter what people think!  I can get all the approval I need from my Savior and He is most happy to remind me of it anytime I ask.  

It's ok to say no.  Goes along with the previous one but in this to do busy crazy society, I know I need to slow down and just hang.  Oh, yeah, I can get to feeling guilty about that, but, so what.  No, I'm not signing up for that and that and that.  And I can't really talk right now, I'm hanging!  I'm a better person when I take time out.  And say no.

I have more wisdom in there, but can't think of it now.  

Today I noticed this awesome bird nest.  It belongs to some beautiful cardinals.  I'm gonna leave it.  Maybe there will be some babies to watch while I'm hanging.  Looking forward to doing quite a bit of hanging on this patio as the weather warms.

Home, Jet Lag and Busyness

It is good to be home but busyness has hit so hard, sometimes it seems unreal that we even went to Cambodia!  The first week home I felt like I was in a dream state during the day, I was grumpy in the evenings and I crashed early each night. It took a few nights to be able to sleep hard all through the night but then I did. I still feel tired, and am visiting the chiropractor two times, but overall I'm amazed at how well I've recovered from the trip and travel. I spent a lot of time last weekend making a keynote presentation of the trip and met with Deb and Ken after church to debrief. 

We are such a short time away from the TRU opening!  This weekend we set up and have a "soft opening" or practice run with Westview folks. My role at church will be front door greeter and I'm pretty excited about it!  Our small group for TRU is going well, too!  God is truly moving !

Leah is coming home this weekend to wedding plan!  There was an email waiting for me from Leah when I got home saying, "Let's get crackin!"  Leah's wedding dress has been hanging in my closet waiting for her to try on for three weeks!  Leah's ideas are so awesome!  We need to make a to do list and budget and get rolling!

Homestead is going well, too!  One of our gals who stepped away has returned and the other five gals are doing well. One got married this week!  We have a volunteer training this weekend that I'm speaking on tonight. It is a blessing to be able to be a part of this ministry. 

Adelle is doing well.  it's been hard to get enough time to see her lately and I had to have my friend Alexis fill in for me while in Cambodia. I will have a graduation party for Adelle in May. Her schedule is busy too with special Olympics and prom and her Interpersonal Skills class. 

Joel is crazy swamped trying to finish up. We go to LA for his graduation the 2nd week in May!  Hannah is doing well but broke!  She leaves for Lander for her artist in residence at the Art Museum May 1 and is anxiously awaiting details for that. She is hopeful about job possibilities there instead of grad school. 

So life is super busy but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with school getting out. I hope once TRU starts life will slow down a bit, too!  I miss key people in my life, family, our Westview small group friends, my parents!  I don't even get to see enough of Scott!