Working Woman

I got a new job. While I have never stopped working over the past 3 years...I am actually going to get paid to work again...amazing! I don't exactly know what my title will be, but it is somthing like: "On-call Cabana Person" for our apartment complex. It will mostly be weekends and evenings. I am excited about this job for many reasons: 1) I'll get a paycheck, 2) Jeb will watch Liam while I am working (so we won't have to pay for child care which also means that they will get Father/Son quality time), 3) I am on-call...so that means I can say yes or no to any given evening or weekend job depending on our schedule, 4) Commute time is about as long as it takes me to put my shoes on and walk through the apartment courtyard. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it! Maybe it isn't my dream job and it's not going to make me rich, but it sure does feel good to join the paid working world again.

Retreat

re·treat /rɪˈtrit/ –noun
1. the forced or strategic withdrawal of an army or an armed force before an enemy, or the withdrawing of a naval force from action.
2.the act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy; retirement; seclusion.
3.a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy: The library was his retreat.
4.an asylum, as for the insane.
5.a retirement or a period of retirement for religious exercises and meditation.
6.Military.
a.a flag-lowering ceremony held at sunset on a military post.
b.the bugle call or drumbeat played at this ceremony.
7.the recession of a surface, as a wall or panel, from another surface beside it. –verb (used without object)
8.to withdraw, retire, or draw back, esp. for shelter or seclusion.
9.to make a retreat: The army retreated.
10.to slope backward; recede: a retreating chin.
11.to draw or lead back.

I think everyone needs a retreat every now and then. A retreat from the daily grind. A retreat from work. A retreat to get away. To relax. To reconnect with yourself. To enjoy creation. To talk to God. To be at peace. To reunite with friends. It's funny how being in youth ministry, there are so many retreats and weekends planned for teens to do all of these things above. They value it and we can see a difference in their lives after such a weekend. But I think we need things like this even more as adults...as pressures and responsibilities rise. But adults are probably the least likely to take that much-needed get away because of everything tying them to home. In 2 weekends, Jeb and I are retreating. It is the youth ministers retreat at Delano Bay Christian Camp. It gives us that peace and relaxation and restoration that we need. We have been going for about 4 or 5 years now and every year we enjoy God and His people. Where is your place of retreat?

Happy Valentines Day!

Love is in the air today. I went to the grocery store early this morning to buy my son's Valentine's day gift. I carefully picked out a cellophane balloon and a $.99 box of chocolates. My son really loves candy, and especially chocolate, but I don't want him to eat a ton. So I figured the 4 chocolates in his little Valentine heart would suit him fine. And he did love it! But I am not writing this to talk about my son, I am writing this to talk about the love that was in the air at Safeway. It was 6:45 am and there was a thick line of men lined up at the only register open...and they had their flowers and chocolates in hand for their Valentine. I hear a lot of people saying that they think chocolates and flowers are cliche' for Valentine's day, but personally I think it is sweet. So maybe he didn't make a homemade card and write sonnets along with burning a CD of love songs, but I just think it's sweet that they are showing love in the way they know how. Maybe it is predictable...but it is a way of expressing love to another person. So my Valentine doesn't do the chocolates and flowers...he's way more creative than that...but I just want to say that even if that was all he did for Valentine's Day I would appreciate it just the same. Happy Valentines Day people.

Altar Boyz

We went to see the show Altar Boyz with some friends last night. We laughed through the whole show, it is a crack up. It is about 5 guys who express their faith through song and dance on their "Raise the Praise Tour"...in boy band style. Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan, and Abraham (he's Jewish) sing about camp girlfriends, getting calls from Jesus on their cell phones, etc. The show isn't meant to mock religion. But in their show they also exaggerate some of the different showy and trendy worship out there and really make it look ridiculous...and in reality there is some truth to the fact that worship can be extremely entertainment-driven. Overall, very funny. If easily offended, I don't recommend it.

For those of you who have been following the story of our friend Steph (read some of my previous blogs), this is the email that I received from Steph's Mom yesterday:

Hi Everyone,
Stephanie had a CT scan today. Some of the nodules got smaller but a number of the ones that were small got much larger. It appears that the cancer has gotten resistant to the chemo. We don't have the final report from the radiologist (with measurements, etc) but for now the plan is to meet with the docotrs in a couple of weeks to discuss futher treatment options.

Steph is still busy finishing her coursework for this last semester and she and her friends are putting together a Relay-For-Life team again for this year's Relay in May. She's keeping busy and keeping her spirits up. I will be taking her to visit my family in Hawaii next week.
Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks!
Kathy


I am so frustrated. I have been praying and hoping for her to be healed so completely from this cancer. It is discouraging to pray so fervently for something and for it not to happen. It makes me upset because I believe God has the power to heal her and take this struggle away from Steph once and for all. But He didn't....at least not yet. She is going to have to fight this more. It is painful to watch her struggle with this. And in the midst of her struggle, she gives me hope because of her faith and courage. Steph really helped me when she told me that she finally started to pray again and that's when the chemo started to reduce the size of her cancer. But what now. How discouraging this would be to find out. She's only 15.

Lord, please heal Stephanie's cancer. Heal her completely. Heal her soon. Give her hope. Be near her and comfort her. Hear my prayer.

A family of shoes

It reminds me of Goldilocks and the 3 bears...except instead of bowls of porridge or beds...it's Big Daddy shoes, Mama shoes, and teeny-weeny baby shoes. I know it's cheesy.