Today was a day that I could definitely bypass and be quite relieved. This was the day that Mooshu, the puppy, pooped on the fireplace hearth for the billionth time and right in front of J (no shame), ate crayons, coffee filters and tore up a box of soap (praying that the soap isn't in his stomach). The hilariousness of it all is that he is now at my feet, snoring. I guess being naughty is exhausting! I have discovered that when I am feeling stressed (which has been quite often lately), the best place for me to be is alone. When I'm alone, I talk to God, myself and even dogs and birds that I walk past throughout my day. Yesterday, after really struggling with the messy house syndrome, I went upstairs to the bedroom to scream, cry, and let it all out. Instead, I walked into the bathroom for a kleenex to wipe the tears from my eyes and I saw a ladybug crawling on the floor. I picked it up and started talking to it. I gently put it on the bonsai tree  (that I'm praying won...

Dear Ev'Yan, Just writing the blog post title almost made me cry tears of joy! You are 25 years old! I feel like just yesterday you were a little girl. In honor of your birthday, I want to share a letter to you that I wrote in your journal when you were 4 years old. "My beautiful little girl, you're so full of wisdom and questions and yet at times, you talk as if you've walked on this earth before. You're growing up to be a little lady. You love play makeup and fingernail polish. You still have a constant desire to wear a dress. It can be 30 degrees below zero and you will put on a dress. You are now accepting my "no's" with just a poked out lip. You are very independent and very helpful and sensitive. You cry very easily. You hate cleaning your room. You love waffles for breakfast and your favorite candy bar is a Butterfinger. You have a heart for homeless people. The other day, you gave all of your money to the Salvation Army bell ringer. Yo...

It has been quite awhile since I've given much thought about the things I've learned but if you were inside of my brain, you'd say, "Whew!" Here are the things I've learned..... 1. If I start the day with my shirt on backwards, other disasters are on their way. 2.  My niece Mariah got her driver's license. Yay! Gasp. She is OLD ENOUGH to get her driver's license!! 3) Having a husband that shares making dinner during the week is a dream come true! (Love his German potatoes and steak!) 4) I won't panic when food or pills get stuck. It only makes it worse. I pause and breathe in and it slowly dislodges. 5. Dreams and goals can change overnight. 6. Raising teens can be a selfless and expensive job. I'm ready to hit the fast forward button. 7. Some people collect antiques and other cool things...my co-worker is collecting -itises. Tendonitis, tinnitus, talk about her cats-itis and other ailments. Every week, a new malady pops up and sh...

I was talking to some of my girl friends from high school the other day and I discovered we shared something in common.....being in limbo. A few of us shared that as we get older, we want to know that we accomplished something BIG. Then, others shared that they don't know what they want to be when they grow up. Me? I'm struggling with getting older. I feel so much older, especially when talking to kids. I tend to get more "deer in headlights" looks when I talk now...sorta like I'm speaking a totally different language. I am stuck between accepting what is and wanting life to be simple and non-complicated. In fact, I almost wish I could have "boring",  just for a little while. I feel drained from the chaos and constant motion in my life. I want more, but then again, I want less. Less noise and mess and more happiness and laughter. When J and I got married, I left what was "normal" to me and into a place where I am still adjusting. (Sometimes...

I went to the mountains with about 30 something teens at a church youth camp. I took it easy...or at least planned to take it easy until I discovered that teens work on a different speed limit than us older folks. I am still feeling the exhaustion from being there. But it was well worth it! I can't tell you how re-ignited I was being there. J and I were the guest speakers for Saturday service and together we tag team brought the message. It was incredible to see the kids intently listening. (Then again, it may be the fact that each time I said the word "taste", J threw out candy for them to catch.) Strangely enough, the moment I arrived, J told me that my eyes lit up....that he could feel my excitement. I felt like that there was no better place for me to be at that very moment than to be there, ministering to the teens. I was able to be myself completely although I learned quickly that I needed to take it slow. After going through the "soul train" style...