10 Year Trip-Part 6

The next day was a stop at Cozumel so we had an early breakfast and headed onshore. We usually ate breakfast at the buffets because there was so much to choose from and the lines weren't that long. Here's Stacy below in one of the dining rooms enjoying his daily double dose of chocolate milk. Who says adults can't have chocolate milk, right?



Stacy had a work connection that gave us all kinds of tips and instructions for doing a cruise right. He ended up being more like a private tour guide and recommended a private day beach club in Cozumel called Nachi Cocom. There were probably never more than about 50 people there so it really felt like we got to enjoy our own private section of the beach and ocean.



The water was beautiful and while I was content to lay on the beach, Stacy did some exploring. He saw plenty of fish and even a little stingray which was enough to send me back up to the beach. The food was great, I finally got my Mexican fix, and I think I could have stayed there another couple days.



Any relaxation that was achieved that day, though, was pretty well erased when we were on our way back to the ship and our realtor texted us to tell us we had gotten an offer on our house that we were trying to sell. The rest of the evening was spent communicating with her and negotiating a contract on our house. Communication on board the ship was tricky but we managed to pull it off and by noon the next day had sold our house from the middle of the Gulf of Mexico! Not a bad way to end a vacation!

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10 Year Trip-Part 5

We stopped at Progreso, Mexico for the second full day on board. The Carnival Ecstasy docked for the day as well so here's a shot of the two ships side by side. The Pier was a five mile bus ride away from the city, on which our bus got a flat tire. When he just kept driving on the flat we realized why the buses look in the condition they do!



We took a bus tour when we got to the city. Not a super impressive city but shopping and bargaining in the market was fun. Below is one of the "nicest" homes in the city. They call it the "Wedding Cake House" because of it's tiers and latticework.



There were lots of places along the beach to stop for drinks or food so we stopped at this little beach side restaurant for a drink before heading back to the boat.




Back on the boat, every night the dining staff does a different song and dance about halfway through the meal. If they aren't enjoying themselves, they do a very good job faking it! The cruise staff was mostly from different countries, Indonesia, Philippines, Latvia, Ireland, England. We asked our steward a little about his role on the ship and life back home. It seems that most of the workers sign on for 6-9 month commitments, leaving their family at home. Much like the military service, and although they don't get paid much by American standards, their earnings are often enough to care for their entire extended family back home.



Every night there was plenty of entertainment to choose from: musicians, comedians, magicians, dancers, etc... The Theatre shown below was where most of the main events happened. It was a beautiful three story theatre complete with a super swanky chandelier. We certainly didn't feel like we were on a boat when we were in this room. We snuck in at one point to snap the picture below and were quickly told to leave--apparently they were practicing the magic tricks for that night's entertainment so we were seeing too much of the illusion! Ooops!



And of course, as always, waiting for us that night...

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10 Year Trip-Part 4

The first full day of our cruise was spent on the ship en route to Progreso, Mexico. We spent most of it lounging in the sun and reading. Our room looked out the very front of the ship onto a deck that often felt like our own private deck.



There are tons of things to do on the ship, one of which being a nine-hole mini golf course. Nothing extravagant but it was a fun break in the day.



Dinner that night was more formal and I was surprised by the amount of women wearing formal evening gowns. Guess I missed the memo on how to pack a formal evening gown in a suitcase. I overheard one woman in the bathroom say she brought an entire suitcase full of just shoes. Sheesh!



There were several things that surprised us about our cruise including how much is not included in the "all-inclusive" deal (alcoholic drinks, soda, wasabi sauce for your sushi, etc...) The other surprise was that despite how many times we heard previous cruise-goers say, "Oh, you don't feel the ship move at all," we definitely felt the ship move. There was a rainstorm after dark the formal night and we both felt woozy enough that we were glad we brought Dramamine. We went to one comedy show and called it a night early because apparently "less-drowsy Dramamine" is not all that much less drowsy.



We had a new little friend waiting for us this time.

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10 Year Trip-Part 3

After boarding the ship we were quite awestruck by the size of such a vessel so we took some time to explore a little before having lunch. The view below was the main Lido deck where most of the action took place during the week. Parties, games, contests, movies, etc. There was almost always something happening here.




We never did venture down the water slide. We tried out the hot tub which was nice but while the ship was moving it was breezy enough that you didn't really get hot enough to need to cool off in the pool or slide. Several people did of course, but we were content to just lay in the sun and enjoy the sea breeze.



After lunch our room was ready so we took a few minutes to check it out before the ship disembarked. Tight quarters, but we had a window that looked out onto the balcony at the very front of the ship so that was nice. We didn't really spend a lot of time in our room because of all the entertainment they had on the ship.



The view of the New Orleans skyline from the ship as we sailed off.



We thought we were going to be able to watch the coastline disappear into the distance the first night but were surprised to discover that we had about a six hour journey down the Mississippi before even reaching the Gulf. Needless to say, we only watched the sun set and then headed in for dinner.




This little guy awaited us when we headed to bed later that night!

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10 Year Trip-Part 2

Monday morning we walked down towards the French Market. The streets along the way were so pretty with lots of gorgeous balconies and stately buildings. We overheard a tour guide say that apartments in the French Quarter run about $1200/mo. and have a 5-7 year waiting period.



We walked past Jackson Square on the way, a park dedicated to General Andrew Jackson, the commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans. Beautiful lush vegetation in the middle of a "tight quarters" area.



We stopped for beignets (french doughnuts) and chicory coffee at the insanely popular Cafe DuMonde. Apparently chicory is a root added to coffee as a substitute. It is a long standing New Orleans tradition which developed when the port (the second largest importer of coffee in the 1840's) was blockaded off during the Civil War. It tasted fabulous to me and the beignets were the perfect complement!



After breakfast we walked up the levy and took a gander at the Mississippi on the Moonwalk, a scenic boardwalk named after the mayor who created it. Below is a view of Jackson Square and the Saint Louis Cathedral in the background.


The Saint Louis Cathedral is the oldest continually operating Cathedral in the United States and it. was. Beautiful. So much of the culture in New Orleans centers around beauty, the arts, I've never seen so many talented musicians and artists on the street. There is a sense of awe and appreciation that makes one just swell with joy that talent and giftedness like that even exists.



After walking down the Moonwalk we stopped into the French Market, a giant open air market with everything from fresh produce to a flea market.



Unfortunately, many of the vendors weren't yet open but there was booth after booth of people setting up for the day like this one. I can't imagine the well-oiled machine it must take to set this up day in and day out.


We stopped by the Casino on our way to the Boat for a burger from Fudrucker's and headed to the River Walk to get to our ship. The River Walk had a great Mardi Gras party feel to it as evidenced by this statue and tour boat.



Next stop: Carnival Triumph!

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10 Year Trip-Part 1

A friend of mine suggested a while back that I blog about some of the trips we've taken and places we've been. We are hardly world travelers or anything but we do try to be intentional about getting away together. We made a goal when we got married that we would try to visit all fifty states together during the course of our marriage. (And as long as we're dreaming I'd love to visit 50 other countries as well!) Our belief is that traveling together creates a bond whether the travel is good or full of mishaps (as long as you can have a sense of humor about it).

Our belief was backed by some recent research as read about on CNN.com:
"Psychological research suggests that, in the long run, experiences make people happier than possessions.

The study looked at 154 people enrolled at San Francisco State University, with an average age of about 25. Participants answered questions about a recent purchase -- either material or experiential -- they personally made in the last three months with the intention of making themselves happy.

While most people were generally happy with the purchase regardless of what it was, those who wrote about experiences tended to show a higher satisfaction at the time and after the experience had passed.

A sense of relatedness to others -- getting closer to friends and family -- may be one of the reasons why experiences generate more happiness."

So, last week we celebrated our 10 year Anniversary by taking a Cruise through the Gulf of Mexico. It was our first cruise, my first time being in Mexico and we had a fabulous time.

We cruised out of New Orleans so we drove down the day before to be able to experience life in the French Quarter.


Bourbon Street at night was certainly scary interesting and something I can say I did and won't plan to do again.


We did love this sign, though, for one of the shops along the strip. One of W's "baby" terms for "yesterday" was "yesteryear" up until about a year ago. This sight just brought back a little fond nostalgia and we thought we'd capture it to validate W's originality.


We found a classic New Orleans Jazz performer and sat to listen while sharing our first New Orleans fare: Classic Royal Croissant Sandwich from Cafe Beignet. Steamboat Willie set the tone for a great week ahead and after a long day of driving we headed back to the hotel before our big bon voyage the next day!

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Air Show

S took W on an impromptu, spur of the moment trip to the Air Show last night. We've been wanting to take him for years but just never made it a priority. We happened to see a commercial on T.V. this week and after looking into it S decided to brave the heat.

Can you tell W was just a leeeetle bit excited?



It was really every boy's dream complete with tractors, monster trucks, helicopters and parachuters. It was clearly planned by men or moms who know what boys like!



Here he is pretending to be a patient in the Apache Medical Transport Helicopter.



Can you find him?


L hasn't quite developed the love for machinery that W has so she and I stayed home and did things that were a little more her speed:

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29 Gifts-Day 29!

My gift today was to leave an encouragement card with some of my favorite teas to the woman I share office space with. Since she uses the office on the days I don't, we really only see each other at our monthly staff meetings. She's had a pretty rough few weeks as of late.

When she asked in our last meeting, "Who counsels the counselors when they are having a hard time?" my gears started turning to come up with some way to be a blessing to her. I hope my gift encourages her to be good to herself as she spends so much time and energy caring for others.

Well, there you have it. 29 gifts in 29 days. Well, except for the one gift that I still can't remember. At this point I've resigned myself to the fact that it is lost forever in the dark recesses of my memory.

I thought I'd take my last post to recap a few of the lessons I have learned through this experiment:

-It's a lot easier than I thought it would be to find small ways to give, especially financially.

-I worry about my life and future much less when my thoughts are focused throughout the day on what opportunity I will have to give that day.

-When I do give, it surprisingly makes me feel like I have more instead of feeling like I'm left with less.

-I truly do have an abundant life with lots of opportunities to share my blessings with other people.

-I'm so sold on this whole idea that I intend to start living my life in increments of 29 day giving cycles!


If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!

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29 Gifts-Days 26, 27 and 28

My gifts Saturday were fun as well. A longtime friend of mine recently moved into a new house. We stopped by for lunch after my sister and I had run a Freedom Fest 5K together. I had fun putting together a little housewarming basket for them and enjoyed getting to see them happily settled into their gorgeous new home.

Later that night we attended a party for some friends of ours who are moving out of state. I put together a little travel activity bag for their daughter to keep her busy on their long trip to their new home. Sometimes our life feels like a revolving door of friends moving in and out. But we're always thankful for the way these friends bless us even if it's just a short time they are part of our lives.

Yesterday was a busy but fun day. My gift was a spontaneous subtle one at church that morning. Someone had forgotten to prepare snacks for the toddler room so since I was available I helped quickly get some together while the toddlers waited as patiently as toddlers can. It looked like they had about 20 2-3 year olds in their class that morning and having taught the toddler class next door for years I know how very crucial snack time is to the Sunday morning routine.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning and spending some time with family cooking out and waiting for fireworks that night. The 4th is always a long evening since our kids usually go to bed at 8:00. Keeping them occupied and happy until 9 or after can be a bit exhausting. Our fireworks display that night got rained on but not rained out so by the time we got home we were all a great big sopping mess of Off bug spray mixed with rain.

Tonight my gift was a birthday present for my little niece who turned a big 3 yesterday. She had a great little princess party and the cousins had a wonderful time fighting over all the new toys!

Join me tomorrow for my 29th day of 29 giving!


If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!

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29 Gifts-Days 22, 23, 24 and 25

My gift on Day 22 was to send an email and spend some time praying for a dear friend of mine who is really in the trenches of motherhood right now. This friend has actually taught me so much about giving and generosity because of how abundantly she has given to me over the years.

In fact she just sent my husband and I a gift card to Starbucks for our 10 year anniversary. I don't know many friends who do that kind of thing so she is clearly a thoughtful person. Anyway, she has two young children and is certainly feeling the demands of being a stay-at-home mom.

My gift on Day 23 is actually rather embarrassing really because I can't remember what it was! I have been wracking my brain all evening trying to remember and can't for the life of me. I know I gave something but have no idea what it was.

Rather than drive myself crazy with guilt and frustration over what it was, I am choosing to let it go. I'll probably wake bolt up right in the middle of the night tonight and remember so maybe I'll include it with my next post.

My gift yesterday was to donate my change to the Ronald McDonald House when I bought a smoothie at McDonald's. I bought the smoothie for my friend who was watching my kids while I had a staff meeting. I considered letting that be my "gift" for the day but since I was receiving something in return for that gift I figured it might not "count." Not that any of you are keeping track anyway.

My gift today was to leave my quarter in my cart when I returned it at Aldi. If you've ever shopped at Aldi, you know what I'm talking about. I remember when Aldi first began charging for cart use and what an uproar it was. I didn't really understand why people had a problem with it because you get your quarter back when you return your cart.

Anyway, our small town lone homeless man often sits next to the carts and waits for people to leave their quarters in the carts which he then collects. When he's there I try to remember to leave it and I've seen several other people do the same. I actually think he probably makes a killing doing that.

Although he wasn't there today I thought it still might be fun to make somebody twenty five cents richer. Or maybe they'll pay it forward and leave it again for the next person to enjoy for free.

Seems like kind of a dumb little gift but for some reason I was kind of excited to see who would get my cart. I have to imagine I looked pretty silly driving really slow out of the parking lot and gaping at the Aldi carts with a goofy grin on my face.

I finally decided before ever getting to see who took my cart that I better focus on driving and not get into an accident. Hitting someone else's car would probably put a damper on that gift giving experience.


If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!
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29 Gifts-Days 19, 20 and 21

I've spent much of the past few days on the receiving end of this 29 gifts experience rather than the giving end. A friend of mine had passed along a gift certificate for a photography session to us that she couldn't use so we did that Saturday.

We went out to Funk's Grove where a local photographer took some fun candids of our kids. I'm anxious to see how they turned out because even though our kids can be painfully shy at times, I think they were really getting into it by the end.

My gift that day was to take my son to see Toy Story 3. We don't often go on "dates" unless it's to doctor or dentist appointments so this felt like a special treat for him and I. If you've seen it, you know it's a bit of a tear jerker so I was trying my best to regain composure at the end before he noticed me crying and asked "Why are you sad, mommy?"

When I told him I felt like Andy's mommy and sometimes I just wish I could always be with him, he was quiet for a minute and then said, "Next time, I want Daddy to take me to the movie."

Way to ruin my moment, kid.

He did ask to sit on my lap about a third of the way through the movie, though so I enjoyed snuggling him through the rest of the movie. And I'm pretty sure he enjoyed going with me after all.

When we got home we got out the new slip n' slide I had bought them a couple nights ago and we all had fun cooling off on a blistering hot day. It took me back to my childhood and the sore, bruised body was worth the laughter and giggles.

Sunday was a pretty quiet day at home after church and my gift was to make my family peanut butter cookies. OK, so they were just a Betty Crocker bag mix. But just the same, my son helped me every step of the way and it was a fun bonding experience for he and I. He even learned how to wash the dishes for the first time ever so I hope I can continue to capitalize on the novelty of that for years to come!

Since today is my birthday the giving has been done by everyone around me, to me! My husband made us a french toast breakfast, my mother in law is watching the kids for me this afternoon so I can do some second hand store shopping. I love hunting for treasures and have already found a couple gems.

I plan to go out again this afternoon, pick up the kids and go out to Cracker Barrel as a family tonight. My gift today was to give my change at one of the second hand stores to help the homeless.

I have noticed during these 29 days that giving in small increments like that is so easy, painless and hardly felt at all. Why haven't I done that more in my life? Even if nothing extravagant is accomplished through this experience I hope I at least have started developing a habit to give in those small consistent ways.


If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!

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29 Gifts-Days 16, 17 and 18

My gift on Day 16 was to leave payment for the next person who came after us at the pool entrance. I'm not sure the cashier quite understood what I was talking about though because she just stared at me with this blank look on her face and said, "mmkkaaay." Interesting to wonder about what strangers think of this giving experience. They seem receptive but with a hesitancy that says, "Either you are some weird stalker person or you are an unusually kind person." I hope I can live up to the latter.

My gifts yesterday were fun, fun, fun! I threw a little impromptu, low-key birthday party for a friend of mine. She is part of an informal playgroup that meets whenever our busy schedules allow.

It almost didn't happen at all though because one of the girls I was planning to invite had her baby 6 weeks early, another ended up leaving early for their vacation and then the guest of honor almost canceled as well! Thank goodness she ended holding off on her other plans and came anyway.

It was a small group but a fun morning complete with cake, and all the typical birthday fare. My gift to her was a jar of Nutella because we had just been talking about how much we love it but don't often indulge ourselves with it.

Yesterday was also my husband and I's 10 year anniversary so I know this will sound really weird, but my other gift was to let my husband book a cruise to celebrate this milestone. Yes, I hear you, "How is enjoying a relaxing tropical vacation a gift to anyone other than yourself?"

But I had some reservations about this trip. Finances are always a concern, considering we're hoping to buy a home sometime in the next year or so. But of course my king of deals husband found a steal on this cruise and we can drive to the take-off port in order to save money on airfare.

My counseling income has been more than usual lately and with the few yards he mows we should be able to recoup the money within a few months. So although logistically it seemed to make sense I was struggling with it looking selfish for us to use our money that way instead of putting it towards a house or spending it on our kids.

Which brings me to my next reservation-the kids. I've never left our kids for more than 5 days and this trip will be almost 7 full days away. Again, the guilt. So those two reasons are why it was a gift for me to say yes to my husband on this. He's been dreaming about doing this for years now so I am choosing to put my reservations aside and even allow myself to get excited about this trip.

Today's gift has been to have a "yes" day with my kids. Some days it feels like all I say is "No" and "Go to your room for time-out." I think if I had a penny for every time I have said those words, we could take a cruise every month.

So today was:

play dinosaurs even though I have counters full of groceries to put away? yes

turn the music up loud in the van even though it makes my ears bleed? yes

play in the parked van, push all the dashboard buttons and pretend to drive? yes

go shirtless after nap even though you're a girl? yes

pick out a new "yellow" (which in L language actually means pink) shirt after you're done being shirtless even though the actually yellow shirt you were wearing before nap is miraculously somehow still clean? yes

play the same monotonous "save me from the lava" game on the slide a meeellion times because I love to hear you giggle and laugh hysterically? yes, yes, yes

I sure do love my life.


If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!

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29 Gifts-Days 14 and 15

Yesterday's giving was a little more subtle than compared to some of the other days. I spent some focused time praying for my sister and niece as they were facing a stressful day of doctor's appointments.

My sweet niece is entering that awkward stage of moving from childhood to womanhood. I don't have fond memories of that stage of life and figure prayer is about the best thing I can do to help ease that transition.

I also spent some time doing some planning/prepping for some gifts I'll be giving later this week so stay tuned for those!

Today's gifts were twofold. I had coffee with a friend who is experiencing a dark life hardship so I bought her drink and gave her my listening ear.

My other gift was to myself. Today marks the 5 year anniversary of what would have been our due date with our first baby. Every year on this day I do two things:
1. Clip a pink rose to enjoy inside from the rose bush we planted in memory of her
2. Bake an angel food cake in memory of our "angel"

These things always feel like a gift to myself.

A gift to validate the pain and grief we experienced.

A gift to remember the sensitivity we have gained because of that experience.

A gift to remind me of the hope and joy that comes in the morning after a long dark night of sadness.

If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!
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29 Gifts-Days 12 and 13

We got to spend some time yesterday with friends of ours who moved away a couple years ago. Since they moved they have adopted two little boys from Haiti. That in itself was an amazing God story.

They started their adoption process before the earthquake thinking it would be another 2-3 years before they would actually get to bring their boys home. Then the earthquake happened and within two MONTHS they were traveling to Miami to pick up their boys! God has done so many amazing things through this situation and it has been awe-inspiring to see it all unfold.

My gift yesterday was to take some of my son's outgrown clothes to them for their boys. We have been so blessed in that area with how many hand-me-downs we have received. My sister has a son three years older than W so I rarely have to buy him a single item of clothing. So far we have received several hand-me-downs for my daughter as well but I must admit, I can't keep myself from still shopping for clothes for her.

In the book one of the statements the author makes is this, "Gratitude keeps my heart open." This is has certainly been the case when it comes to material items for our kids. I've been so grateful for how well we have been provided for and it makes me want to be keenly aware of who else I could pass along these items to. Plus it just seems like a good use of resources: to use, and pass along them along for re-use!

My giving today has been easy and plentiful. Being Father's Day and having the world's best father for a husband makes the giving come naturally. We had fun showering Daddy with his presents this morning although I think he knew what they all were before we gave them to him. Being four years old and keeping a secret does not go hand in hand.

We'll have my in-laws over for dinner tonight and spend some time honoring these great men in our lives. It is unfortunate how rare it is to find good, strong men who are fully invested in their children's lives and I feel blessed beyond belief to be on the receiving end of that gift.

If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!

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29 Gifts-Days 10 and 11

My gift yesterday was to let my kids play the little coin game with the build up of nickels in my wallet when we went out to eat at Taco Bell/KFC. They love to put change in and spin it to watch it fly. The money goes to helping provide education for at risk youth so we killed two birds with one stone. Helped others AND I got to say "yes" to the barrage of "Can we, can we, can we???"

My gift today felt like a bit of a risk. We celebrated Father's Day with my family this evening and my gift to him was a book called She Still Calls Me Daddy: Building a New Relationship with Your Daughter After You Walk Her Down the Aisle by Robert Wolgemuth. I realize it's been 10 years since I walked down the aisle but I thought the application would still be the same. I felt a little vulnerable giving him this and I'm not exactly sure why.

Maybe because I haven't read it myself yet so I don't exactly know what all it says. Maybe because I was afraid it would seem like kind of a selfish gift: "I want you to have this so you can learn how to be a better dad to me." Or maybe it's because my dad and I haven't always seen eye to eye. Especially during my rebellious teenage daughter years when I was so foolishly convinced that all my boyfriends knew more than my dad.

My dad's life hasn't been easy either. He has lived most of his life with an ugly digestive disease forcing him to have numerous surgeries and live on a ridiculously restricted diet. He worked in a job he hated for over 30 years for several reasons: in his generation you didn't job hop, you gutted it out; for the health insurance; to provide for his family; and to be able to retire early. These two life trials together in a lot of ways created a perfect storm that left him little energy.

And yet somehow he was present throughout my life. Taking us to gymnastics every week, coaching my softball team, riding long bike rides with me, teaching me how to fish, throw like a boy, mow the yard. He is the epitome of Mr. Fix It and our home was always in tip top shape thanks to his skill and expertise.

It's fascinating to me to realize that as much conflict as my dad and I have had over the years, I married a man with a lot of similarities to him. A disciplined work ethic, a natural handy-man, a lover of the outdoors, a man who takes pride in the women around him. I was often embarrassed by all the bragging my dad did about me and now that has just shifted to being embarrassed by all the bragging my husband does about me!

Either way, I know I am loved by both of the most important men in my life.

If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!

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29 Gifts-Days 8 and 9

I've decided that since this gift giving experience is more about giving the gifts than about the blogging, I'm going to cut myself a break. I'll try blogging every couple days and see how that goes and maybe even end up only blogging every few days. We'll see.

Yesterday's gift was to be purposeful about spending undivided attention time with my kids. Their grandma, who usually watches them on my work days, is on vacation this week so my husband and I juggled our work schedules to be able to cover the times I'd normally be gone. This allowed me to have most of Monday and Tuesday with them at home.

Monday I found myself distracted and busy after a busy day Sunday so I wasn't very "present" with them. Tuesday I decided I was going to be intentional about giving them my attention. While my son watched a video I played pretty ponies, dress up, kitchen and more with my daughter in her room. My favorite is when she insists on bringing me pretend refrigerated milk and chicken nuggets. Not sure why the milk always has to be refrigerated but she asks me repeatedly if I want it from the "fidgator" until I say yes. "No, thank you" is apparently not an acceptable answer.

I had checked out several new books at our library that morning at story time so I spent time with my son reading through those with him after my daughter had gone down for a nap. Lately I've had a one book rule with him because he asks so many questions about each page and picture that it can take 20-30 minutes to get through one book. But yesterday I just relaxed and enjoyed the hour or more connecting with him.

I certainly noticed that when I am more open to investing in them their attitude is more calm, relaxed and less defiant. It was a fulfilling gift for all of us.

Today my gift is a small "tribute" to my mom. I know she reads my blog and true to any loving mom she's my biggest fan and cheerleader. She, like me, is filled and encouraged by words of affirmation so I thought I'd take a few lines here to brag on her.

She came down for a few hours today and bought us McDonald's which has become a bi-weekly ritual for us. Every time I am with her I am reminded of what a selfless, sacrificial woman she is. It seems sometimes as though not a single thought goes through her mind without first thinking about what her children or grandchildren might need. In fact, just the other day when my daughter was trying to mooch food from my plate, I thought, if I was like my mom I would willingly give more and then some to my daughter. I want to be that selfless.

She's had her fair share of heartbreak and pain in her life and yet still she strives to be a woman of God, living a life of quiet service to Him. She is almost always working on some kind of sewing project, blankets to donate to babies in third world countries, pillow cases for children who are in the hospital, hats for chemo patients. The countless hours, money and energy she has invested in other people is not seen by very many people but is just a testament of her humility and desire to stay out of the spotlight.

In so many ways, mom, you are my hero and I hope I can be half the woman you are when I grow up. Love you.

If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!

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29 Gifts-Day 7

Wow, the first week of gifting is already over! The gifting has been a lot easier than I thought and I don't think I'll have any trouble at all making it to Day 29.

The harder part has been coming up with blog-worthy posts about the gifting so we'll see if I make it all 29 days with that.

It has been so refreshing to find myself daydreaming about what or how I could gift. There are so many ways I could be using my mental energy (I'm a worrier at my core) so using my free thoughts for coming up with creative gifts is so much more energizing than spending that time worrying. It's just feels great to be always mindful and purposeful about other people instead of focused solely on my own junk.

My gift today was to send a get-well card to a friend of mine having surgery today and leave a voice-mail message for her. I've spent some time praying for her throughout the day too. I'm really hoping her recovery is quick and painless and that she feels everyone's prayers in a big way today.

If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!

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29 Gifts-Day 6

My gift today was to buy my husband's favorite pastry for him while doing my grocery shopping. I laid it on the counter with a little note and it was several hours into the afternoon before he finally noticed it. I knew he would have a big reaction so I had been anxiously awaiting his realization.

I was in the midst of cooking supper when he saw them and his reaction certainly met my expectations. My husband presents as a very cool, calm, collected, quiet type in most circles but at home he is a loud, goofy, sometimes slightly obnoxious (said with all the love in the world, sweetie) character.

When he saw the package he let out a whoop and grabbed me for a big smooch. What followed gave me a chuckle.

Luckily, our kids haven't reached the age yet where any P.D.A. by their parents is totally gross so W just sat at the table watching the scene unfold. Hubby continued his song of praise for me and finally turned to W and said, "Just so you know, you have the most amazing woman in the world for a mommy."

Dramatic pause.

Crickets....chirp...chirp...

And finally W just replies with,

"Why?"


If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!

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29 Gifts-Day 5

"When I give with an open heart, I receive the profound gift of humility." This quote from the book puzzles me. I've always had a hard time understanding humility.

Dictionary.com defines it as a "modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc." It seems as though receiving the gift of humility is a paradox. Once you've received it, if you know you have received it, that kind of contradicts the definition. Is someone who knows they are humble, really humble?

I hope that this gift giving endeavor does help me have more of an open heart and allows me to receive humility. But I guess I also hope I never see myself as a humble person so I will always be striving to be more humble.

I've been grumpy today. I don't know if it's the heat or conflict with my kids or what but it's been harder to have an open heart today.

I went to several garage sales this morning and had to force myself to be friendly with people. Making small talk doesn't come naturally to me and I always feel awkward at garage sales when I don't make a purchase. But one of my gifts this morning was to say something kind to each garage sale owner even if I didn't make a purchase instead of just darting off with my head down avoiding eye contact.

I also told one of the people to keep the change when I bought a few things. I had one guy do that for me when I did my garage sale earlier in the year and found it to be a refreshing change from people who want to bargain and negotiate on a .25 item. I even actually had someone return a .50 item because they couldn't figure out how it worked. Come. on. Really?

Anyway, I have already noticed how this gift giving effort has forced me to think about my mood. I don't want to be a grumpy giver, that defeats the purpose. So today I choose to let go of my grump and be at peace instead.

If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!

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29 Gifts-Day 4

I am a lover of words. I love to read words, I love to listen to words and I am finding how very much I love writing words.

My husband and I just had words last night. Not conflictual words, as that statement usually indicates, but encouraging words. Words that connected our souls and allowed us to process our relationship. We have been so busy lately and it had been way too long since we had just carved out time to talk about us.

My love language is words of affirmation. When people give affirming words to me they soak into my spirit in a way that refuels me, energizes me and fills me. That's why you'll probably see that a lot of my gifts over these 29 days will be words affirming others.

We naturally tend to give to others what we ourselves crave. But I also think our culture is severely deficient in this area of affirming words. Why is it so hard for us to tell another person how wonderful they are? Is it too much risk? Too much vulnerability? Too much humility?

Whatever the reason, or however uncomfortable it may make me, I want people to feel good about themselves when they are with me. I want people to walk away from time with me and feel lighter, more encouraged, empowered.

My gift today was to send words of affirmation to a friend of mine who is having a very rough start to her summer. I wrote a note and included a couple tea bags of my favorite kinds of tea in hopes that she will be good to herself and take time to relax. I also called her and left a message telling her of my concern for her and that I'm praying for her. It's always hard to know what to do for far-a-away friends who are struggling but I hope this brightens her day at least a little.

If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!

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29 Gifts-Day 3

When we were dealing with infertility/pregnancy loss issues several years ago, joy was a rare commodity. So much of my world revolved around my medications, my cycle, my body, my hormones, my hopes, my disappointments, my, my, my...

A wise friend of mine spoke words to me that helped me change my perspective during that time in my life. I don't remember the exact conversation but she basically told me it looked like I was living a pretty scarce life when God had an abundant life waiting right in front of me.

It took a while for me to wrap my brain around what that meant. But soon I began to see how I really was living life out of a scarcity mentality. The picture I got in my mind was of people during the Depression era. I'm sure not everyone lived this way during the Depression but the overall impression I get is that because they didn't have what they wanted or needed they clung so very tightly to the meager things they did have.

The opposite of that, abundance, is living a life so full of blessing that you can't help but let it spill over into other people's lives. The picture I get here is of someone standing in a waterfall filling their cup over and over and over. Letting it spill out continuously, unable to keep it from ever emptying.

I want to live that kind of life.

I loved that this was a theme brought out more than once in the book. "...if you feel yourself giving out of obligation...you are in scarcity mode. You end up feeling drained and burned out...out of balance."

"When you give from a place of service, honesty, and fullness, you are left feeling revitalized." This is living life abundantly.

My gifts today were first to buy my kids some pool noodles. W was quite envious of his friend's from yesterday so since they were only $1 at the dollar store I felt justified in indulging them. They've already had lots of fun using them in the kiddie pool in the backyard and beating each other up. I love summer.

My second gift was an idea I stole from my mom. I bought a bag of m&m's at the store and after checking out told the cashier to enjoy them on her break. She certainly looked surprised, said thank you and that was that! Nothing earth shattering, but I got a fun rush from doing it and I bet she's enjoying a fun sugar rush on her break today.

If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!

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29 Gifts-Day 2

One of the lessons learned in 29 gifts is about the importance of receiving with grace. Some people have a really hard time receiving gifts. Ever given someone a compliment only to be met with, "Oh, sheesh," and a whole string of explanations why you shouldn't have paid them that compliment? Why does it somehow seem more comfortable to react that way at times rather than just with a simple, "thank you"?

The author of this book hi-lites the unexplainable phenomena that occurs when you start giving: you start getting. Not in a "I'm only giving in order to get" kind of way. Perhaps it is more of a mindset change. When you give from a place of gratitude you begin to see life differently. You begin to notice all the things in your life that you could give away: your time, your money, your possessions, your love. So maybe it's not necessarily true that the more you give, the more you get. Maybe it's actually the more you give, the more intensely you NOTICE all the things you get.

I noticed that today. A sweet, long-time, dear friend sent me a message today in response to this 29 gifts experience she's been reading about on my blog. Her words were so very affirming and I will cherish them in a way that perhaps I would not have if I had not been NOTICING all that I have.

My gifts today so far have been subtle. My first gift was that I called a couple friends to invite them to the pool. One was unable to go, the other was already planning to go. I wasn't going to call anyone because I thought we might want to test out the pool experience for the first time this year without friends around to up the ante. My oldest son is very shy and when I am distracted talking to others he tends to act out and vie for my attention.

Everything went fairly well until the end, leaving fun places is often a problem. W had one of his oh-so-fun out of control melt-downs when it was time to leave and eventually I just had to carry him out kicking and screaming, strap him in his carseat and go back in for my bags and towels. Quite embarrassing. However, in the midst of it I actually thought to myself, "OK, my gift to him is that I'm not going to lose it with him. I'm going to remain non-anxious, handle this like an adult and not scream at him as soon as we get in the car." What I really wanted to do is lay down on the pool concrete and kick and scream and cry too!!

We made it home, discussed his consequences, he apologized, said he was tired and is now napping. I have decided my third gift for the day is to not let this frustration ruin my day. I could mope around and pout and hold this against him the rest of the day. But I don't like me when I do that and neither does my family! I don't know if this third gift is more for me or for my family!

If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!

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29 Gifts-Day 1

A large theme throughout 29 gifts is the author's experience with an African spirituality that fueled her giving experiment. Although I may not agree with the beliefs or divination rituals of this type of "religion" I appreciate the focus of living life generously.

In my own Christian faith I am a firm believer that we only have the ability to give because we were first given to. 1 John 4:19 says, "We love because He first loved us." It is only out of His love that we are capable of giving love to others.

I need not have been worried about forgetting to give a gift during this first day of my giving cycle. I was amazed at how many opportunities I was given to consciously choose to give.

The first gift I gave today was to write a few encouraging words to some spiritual mentors of mine who have been experiencing their fair share of tragedy. The humorous part of this is I realized halfway through the day that I worded my message incorrectly to them and the meaning was significantly altered because of my mistake. I went back later in the day to correct myself and hope they can find encouragement from my letter and maybe get a laugh as well.

The second gift I gave was to donate $1 to the Lou Gherig's Foundation that the CVS cashier asked me about at the end of my transaction. Those type of questions usually just irritate me because most of the time I hang my head in shame as I mutter "no thank you" under my breath, grab my receipt and run for the door so the person behind me in line doesn't think I'm a cheapskate (which I guess I am.) Anyway, even though $1 is really not a big deal it felt good to be able to say confidently, "Sure!" and know that this was part of my conscious choice to give.

If you are wondering what I'm talking about with this "29 gifts" read this post here and consider joining me in this movement!

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29 gifts

Visit 29-Day Giving Challenge

My mom loaned me a book a few weeks ago called 29 gifts by Cami Walker. She explained briefly to me that it is about a woman who developed Multiple Sclerosis and her journey to come to grips with it. I have to admit I wasn't all that excited to read it because I thought it would just be another depressing story. Since I spend my work days as a counselor listening to depressing stories I usually try to avoid such stories in my free time.

However, as shallow as this sounds, the cover was pretty cute so I decided to dive in during our recent camping trip. Within the first two chapters I was hooked and finished the book within a week. The author was diagnosed with MS one month after her wedding and within a couple years of rapidly declining health she plummeted into a fairly severe depression. Someone suggested to her that she begin a 29 day giving cycle in which she seek to give a gift to another person for 29 days in a row.

The rest of the book describes how this process changed her life and helped her begin to live her life focused on others instead of her own illness. I was so inspired by the book I've decided to begin my own giving cycle starting tomorrow and chronicle my journey on my blog.

My biggest fears in starting this are
1. that I'll forget and get through my day without having consciously given a gift to another person.
2. that I won't have time to blog every day.

However, I have thought about the book every day since I finished it more than a week ago so I'm guessing I actually won't forget to give a gift. Also, if I don't have time to blog every day then I guess it won't be the end of the world if I have to double up entries.

So if I've got you curious you can keep checking back here or check out the author's website here. Let's get gifting!

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Sponsor child

We sponsor a sweet little girl in Haiti who is entering the 6th grade. She attends a school that S and I visited while on a short term missions trip during college. We often get letters from her, school homework papers, pictures, drawings and report cards. She's a pretty smart cookie and it has been very fun to see her personality mature and develop over the years.

I think she has asked in every letter she has written so far, when we are coming to visit her. In her last letter she asked if we had heard about the earthquake they had there (as if we may not have heard about the tragedy that killed hundreds of thousands of people) and told us a little about her perspective on it. It was inspiring, to say the least, to hear about the earthquake through the eyes of an 11 year old who praised God for protecting her family in Port-au-Prince.

We received our most recent packet of papers from her last week and in it was the following writing assignment that made us laugh and left us a bit puzzled.

"One time when I was little my cousin held me on her lap. I had a diarhea. She didn't know that. While I was laughing and screaming, and poop on her lap and she was mad at me. She said she will not hold me on her lap again."

I guess I can't help but be proud since she got a 92%!

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Camping

Camping is always a bit of a detox experience for me. I never realize until we set up our home on a dirt ground how very dependent I am on things like a toilet that flushes, TV time for the kids, a shower that I can control the temperature of, TV time for the kids, laundry accessibility, the internet, did I mention TV time for the kids?

But surprisingly it doesn't take me too terribly long to stop the twitching withdrawal symptoms and begin to really enjoy the simplicity, the purity and the community of camping with friends.

S has always clarified for me that car camping is totally cushy compared to wilderness camping. The past two years we have even been borrowing my dad's pop up camper which is practically like staying at the Marriott compared to what he would prefer.

But I think he would admit that the following moments were fully enjoyed even in the luxury of a pop-up camper:

L's first canoe trip


Petting a King Snake


Simplicity


Why can't they always treat each other like this?


L and B's trike gang


Hiking


W and G navigating an abandoned boat


Two scraped knees later and countless mosquito bites equal what I would consider to be a pretty successful and fun trip.

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