{great weekend}

it has been pretty much near-perfect. well, it is until i think about because of all the fun i had that led to all of the work i am so behind on and wasn't able to do - but, i am NOT letting myself go there. i am pretty certain i will be able to tackle that work even better now that i am more equipped. :)

but, friday - SHOULD have been a non-eventful day. only three simple things on the to-do list before our women's conference at chuch: work, pick up scott's new glasses and deliver some pictures on the way home. the end. well, due to a vast change of course for the day that could not be averted - chaos followed. and, typically, i can actually thrive in chaos. seriously, i am a little concerned that if i did not have massive doses of chaos - could i even function? but, the day spiraled out of control - i cannot even put it into words - some of it outside my control, some of it within my control - and, i failed tremendously on that one. the entire order of the day was changed and i had to begin calls to family members to pick up boys, care for the boys, change plans of sitters, etc. late into the afternoon, i decided i would skip out on the conference. my tmj was in full force at that time. no amount of ibuprofen/muscle relaxers would work. i did not have my appliance with me - throbbing pain. as i zoomed home at to at least get my mother dropped off, scott was insistent that i go on to church. i refused, i was no longer up to it. i no longer wanted to sit there and be refreshed. i wanted to go home and curl up in a ball and basically feel sorry for myself. absolutely, pitiful, huh?

well, i decided to go. i raced in to get ready. the kids were picked up and schedules once again rearranged. i actually got to sit down in a resturant with angela and was met by another friend. i was breathing again. it surprised me how the horrid details of the day began to be forgotten.

let's just say, i almost missed out on a huge blessing. lysa terkuerst was an amazing speaker. her testimony. her words. her humor. her humility. her love for God - spoke directly to my heart. i can't believe i almost missed out. i laughed, i cried, i worshipped, i sat stunned.....it was an amazing evening. and, maybe it was because we (especially I) could relate so much to her. not to all of the specifics of her testimony and yes, angela did giggle at me more than once in the stories that only seem to happen to me......because, hmmm....they seem to happen to lysa as well - stories of white hair, dead hamsters, white shoes (in my case two different shoes), etc. a great night. the next morning..........the rain, the cold, the fact i was exhausted.....well, i didn't allow myself to entertain the thought of staying home too terribly long, but, the fact i had failed to set the alarm clock led to a frantic race to get back to church by 9 am. another incrediably great day. totally refreshed with a new determination to get even more on track.

then, we again went out last night for a sweet fellowship with dear friends from church for a surprise birthday party. on an aside, big kudos to dr. nick for pulling this one off. i will forever chuckle when i recall "angus cows only moo at midnight." very clever.

church today. again, amazing. the end-times, not necessarily the most settling thing to study, but, very exciting in its own way nonetheless. and, when i would start to panic about some of the things he was saying about what the future could and will possibly hold......i immediately pulled from what lysa spoke to us yesterday about fear. so, i turned to God immediately to overshadow the fears that were creeping in. and, it worked. and, why wouldn't it? a promise from God himself.

so, today, i am in my home (albeit messy from a busy weekend), but completely content. and, as i type that i am indeed ignoring the fact that the boys are having a heated discussion. i have great music on, a warm home, four new books from the conference to read (when, i do not know, but, i will), thoughts of an incredible weekend, intense plans to simplify - my heart is very full. that is a great feeling.

one thing i did read this weekend. a simplified version. apparently there is a vast difference in sunrises. if you have a "perfect" sunrise, it is when the sky is filled with the immense colors cast onto the clouds. you cannot have that "perfect" sunrise if you have a perfect sky - a sky with no clouds. if you don't have any clouds, the beautiful colors and hues have nothing to be cast upon. it rises and it is over. end of story. it is boring, uncolorful and there is nothing spectacular to see. you miss the beauty. the dark, heavy clouds give it the beauty. the more there are, the better. how true is that?