finding the time.

I find it so difficult to sit and find the time to write.  I desire to, but I get so caught up in catching up with everyone else's blogs that I forget to post in my!  I am learning, very slowly, how this whole blog thing works.  I even checked a book out at the library to help me!  Kind of funny, I know.  But, I plan on figuring it out though, and soon I will be a consistent writer! 

 

I have had a good week this week.  It's been busy, but good.  I got to dye my god-daughter's hair yesterday.  It's a long story, she is 15.  Her mom had her at the age of 16 and I was a big part of their life when she was young.  She was the flower girl in my wedding, at age 4.  Time went on, I started my own family and we lost touch.  After coming back from Morocco, her mom has leaned on me for some help and we have stepped in.  I pick her up from school everyday and she spends the afternoons with our family.  I pray with all my heart that God grabs a hold of her heart. She needs him so desperately and I pray that I can be just a small reflection of Him to her.  It isn't always easy, but I hope and pray that she finds Him.  She got out of school early yesterday and I took her to the beauty store.  We found some fun stuff to dye her hair, which she has been wanting to do.  I knew if I didn't help, she'd buy some cheap stuff and really mess up her hair.  She wanted red and she has black hair which is not easy to color.  I wanted her to do it right, so we tried!  It was a lot of fun for me.  One, because I don't really ever get to do a girls hair. Two, I got to spend some good time with her and get to know her a little better, and three, in case you didn't know, someday I want to really learn how to cut and color hair!  So, I enjoy it!  But definitely need some training, I think I got bleach and hair dye everywhere! Hahaha! 

 

 

A fun weekend

I just have a minute to update.  I have to say I love boys! 

 

I got to have my nephews this weekend-that is 7 boys altogether!  Wow!  That's a lot of energy, but we had a blast.  We took them to the community center on Friday for open gym and the kids got to play ping pong, basketball, jump on a trampoline and run around.  Normally, in this setting because all of my kids had a playmate I would have watched them play from the sidelines and "relaxed" for a minute.  But, because I have been challenged to engage myself more with them, I got right out there with them!  And, it ended up being really fun.  I played wall ball with the bigger boys, nerf hockey with the little ones, and then shot hoops with everyone!  I laughed a lot and it was fun watching all the boys get their energy out, not to mention I was burning calories in the process too!  That's always a great thing for me!!!

 

Saturday was pretty much dedicated to soccer watching and church!  It was a great weekend!  And did I say, I LOVE those BOYS!!!!  All of them.  They play so well together and it is such a delight having them all with us.  People think I am crazy to cram 7 little guys into this small house of ours, but it works great and it really is so fun, lots of work, YES, but really enjoyable! 

 

Well, that's my weekend in a flash.  I'll write again soon when I have a little more time!

This journey...

So, I did it!  I started my own blog. 

I am nervous, excited, and trying not to waste to much  time focusing on it.  So, it will be a work in progress and gradually over time I hope to figure out how to make it look a little nicer, add some pictures, decorate it a little and just make it a place for me to come, that I enjoy. 

I am not a great writer.  I don't always know how to use words right or punctuation for that matter. I don't have a great education background.  I am not very computer savvy.  I often can't keep my thoughts going the same direction.  I don't type fast enough to catch the words in my mind.  I don't have a lot of humor and tend to be more on the serious side!  I really don't know what the heck I am doing on here. 

But, what I am, is a mom, a wife, a friend, a sister, a daughter, a granddaughter and most importantly, a follower of Jesus.  He is my Father, my king, my savior, and my love.  (Although, I must admit here that you can't always tell that looking at my life. It is often messy and ugly.)  I love God and desire more of his presence in my life.  My heart is to glorify Him in all that I do!  I stay home with my kids and everyday I am so incredibly thankful for that gift.  It hasn't always been easy, but it it truly a gift.

God has really been speaking to me or challenging me lately with some things.  I get so completely overwhelmed with household tasks.  Cleaning, laundry, dinner making, taking the dog out to go potty, exercising, trying to create healthy meals, just living this thing called life.  I often begrudgingly do those tasks and resent it.  My heart will literally feel heavy because I have allowed it to overwhelm me.  I claim that those things take my time and waste it while I watch my kids play and entertain themselves at a distance.  But really, they don't.  I have control of my time and need to start making the most of it.  I am challenged to live more simply.  I am challenged to let these tasks that clutter my mind and my hands go.  I am challenged to learn to simply sit, play and wrestle with my boys, engage in meaningful conversations with my husband, to spend more time with Jesus, and take the time to ENJOY my life.  To laugh.  To embrace the many blessings he has poured out. 

My boys are growing so quickly and I am so convicted that some day when they look back they will remember me as a mom who was just busy with other things other than them.  I don't want that.  I want them to see me laugh with them, to stop when they call my name, to snuggle, to read, to engage in conversations, and to BE present with them.  It's a work in progress, but I must admit/confess, (whatever you want to call it) that over this past year I have not been very good at doing that.  It also effects other areas of my life.  I get focused on all the "to do lists" that I forget to stop and enjoy all that I have been blessed with. 

That is why I have chosen to call this 2enjoythejourney.  I want to have a place to come that reminds me of this, that I can share my simple delights, my thoughts, my convictions, funny stories, things that I have learned to pay attention to now that I am learning to take my focus off of the busy tasks of the day.  I am in the process of de-cluttering my home, and the unnecessary things that take my time.  (I just got a great book, Organized Simplicity simplemom.net by Tsh Oxenreider to help me!)  I will probably fail at times, but it is a journey...