MIRL

SO - I know I've been MIA from my blog for quite a while now! First, we had my BIL & SIL at our house for a super fun-filled week, and then we headed to IA to visit our families. But I hadn't had enough vacation yet, so when Hubby headed back to NY today, I decided to stay with his parents (and the kids) for another week. :) They're heading to our house in NY next week, so the kids and I will ride out with them then, and hopefully this will give me a chance to see even MORE friends and family during this week!

Speaking of seeing friends, I had TWO chances this week to get together with two of my bloggy friends who I often see on the internet, but don't often (ever) get a chance to see in real life! (In case you were wondering, MIRL means Meeting in Real Life).

The night we arrived at Hubby's parents house, his parents were helping with a conference at a nearby church, so we stopped by to let them see the kids before they went to bed (totally random and unplanned). When I walked in, I saw Sarah's husband, and even though everyone else was wearing dresses and suits, I just had to go into the fellowship hall in my jeans & t-shirt to find her! We were able to chat for a few minutes, and it was delightful! If you aren't reading her blog, you should be! She and her husband have just gone through a great crisis of faith, and I have been amazed at how she has praised God even through this time of pain. Her faithfulness is such an encouragement to me!

Then, on Saturday, Erin was able to work me into her busy schedule, and we got together for some delicious coffee at Panera, and some wonderfully delightful conversation! :) She's even sweeter and funnier in person than she is on her blog! :) We had a great time talking, and laughing together, and it was such an encouragement to me to be able to get together and just hang out for a little while! :) We actually got a picture of us together, too, which I shamelessly stole from Erin. :) If only my eyes were open... :)

You definitely need to be reading her blog, too - she is an amazing writer, hilarious at times, but perfectly serious when she needs to be - she always either makes me laugh or draws me closer to Christ - sometimes both. :)

I'm so thankful for these opportunities I've had to meet some of my internet friends in real life - what a blessing!!!

AWOL

I have been decidedly absent from my own blog these last couple of weeks. I've been living my life, and not worrying about blogging it. I've been finishing up camp, and all the office work that comes with a 'last week' of work (although I'll be sharing & explaining & 'training' for another few days, and also cleaning all my pictures & junk out of my desk at some point). I've been enjoying having my hubby home, since I don't get to see him much during the summer, and also enjoying taking time to sit and play with my son. I know he was with me all summer, but it's just not the same as when we're one on one, feet in the creek, or exploring all the wonderful places that crayons will draw (and wipe off) in our kitchen. As an aside, did you know that you can draw on your skin with crayons, and it will wipe right off? I didn't! But now I do. :)

Our family also took a trip to a local amusement park with our whole staff, where Z attempted to enjoy a couple of kiddie rides (pictures soon), and dipped his big toes in the kiddie pool at the waterpark. Also, the lowlight of our day was that Hubby lost his wallet. It came back in the mail today, sans cash. And, God was merciful to us in another way - SOMEONE who shall remain unnamed at this time but was riding in the passenger seat to the amusement park, left their window down ALL DAY while we were in the park, and yet NOTHING was stolen from our car.

I have had a little time to still enjoy reading and commenting on others' blogs these past couple of weeks, and I have discovered a true gem that is just rocking my world. Kelly was a roommate of mine in college, and we recently 'found' each other on Facebook somehow. While looking at her page, I noticed she had links up to her blog, and I began to read her posts. And, WOW. She is an absolutely amazing writer, with such a strong, sweet heart for God. I can't even begin to tell you how encouraged (and at the same time, convicted) I am when I read her writing. This and this are my two most favorite posts of hers. Part of the reason I identify so strongly with the things she writes about is that we each have a toddler, and we each have another baby due in December. So we both struggle daily with keeping patience and love foremost in parenting our toddlers, and also with the joy, uncertainty and slight overwhelmed-ness that comes with expecting our 2nd babies!

Sometimes I enjoy reading people's blogs because they're funny, or because I identify with them, or because I think their lives are so interesting, I want to read about them. And these things all apply to Kelly's blog, but the real reason I love to read her work, besides the sheer beauty of the words she crafts, is her heart. Her passion and desire to serve Christ through her parenting, writing, and every area of her life is woven into every gorgeous sentence she shares. So, go on, check it out!

I'll be back with more of my own mediocre 'writing' in a few days, I'm sure. :)