church ladies retreat weekend

a couple of weeks ago i had the privilege to attend my church ladies retreat.

it was good times, let me tell you.

i was a bit nervous at first.

yeah, i'm social... in some ways...

but only when i'm with people i know really well.

does that make sense?

if i'm with people i don't really know i tend to be a bit awkward.

i'm working on it.

but the weekend was a good stretching experience for me.

getting to know some ladies in my church that i didn't know before.

our church is pretty big...

we have 2 separate services on sunday mornings and probably around 2000+ people.

you know how it is... 

you recognize a lot of faces but don't really 'know' or talk to all those people.

now it'll be different for me... and i'm excited about that!

so... our trip began with some snacks at the gas station with these 2 lovely ladies.

hello!
here's the awesome lodge we stayed in.
this is like rich kids camp, ya'll!
super fancy like.
the camp i grew up in was definitely not this modern!
so that was a nice change of pace now that i'm an adult! ha!

roomies!!!!

look, we even had bunk beds!!

we were lucky enough to do a beth moore bible study.

seriously!?

how awesome is beth?!

i always heard about how great she is...

now i really know!

the study we did is called, 'loving well'.

and it was very enlightening.

great for everyone!

here is my bad pic of beth and her texas hair on the video screen.

and we were completely spoiled by awesome food all weekend long.
the best part?
not having to cook once the whole weekend!
yayyyyy!!
oh yeah, and eating hot food.
oh man, it's the little things!

we could choose a few extra activities.
D and i did some journal making.
how can i resist pretty paper?

here's my finished product.

and here we are with both our journals!  :)

waiting for a session to begin.
we always got nice and comfy!
and even goofed off a bit.

it was foggy and dreary all weekend long.
but no matter... it made it cozy, in my opinion.

here was the awesome communion table.
bottles of grape juice and big loaves of bread.
you just got to rip off a piece.
i really liked the way it was done.
felt very intimate and special.
like it really was the 'bread' and the 'wine' at the real table.

the ladies in charge of the retreat poured the juice and it felt so communal.
we were our own little community that weekend.
these women were showing Jesus to me.

on the drive home i thanked God for the experience.

and enjoyed the last couple of hours of peace before kid time!

it was a great weekend and i'll definitely go again.

i learnt a ton about myself and those around me.

close to me... and not so close.

hopefully i will love better than i have in the past.

God is teaching me new things each moment of each day,

with the good AND the bad.

hoo boy!  

that is hard!

but i truly am thankful for that.

there was an awesome prayer that we began each session with that i have to share here.

it reminds me to stop what i'm doing in those tough moments and take a breather.

it is so true...

‘In this eternal moment, I am enough and I have enough.
I have complete access to You, this very minute.
I long to walk with you in the present, to fully engage with You in relationship.
I long to be able to say, ‘In this moment I rest in God.
In this moment, I find all I need.’

kindergarten here we come...

ok, technically not quite yet...
but we did get to take little k to school for a kindergarten 'open house' last week.
it was like a little date night with just mama, daddy and middle baby.
it was kind-of fun... just the three of us.
that doesn't happen too often although we're trying harder to carve out individual time with each girl.
so, off we went to big sister's school to check things out.

look how excited she was, skipping away!

she was very happy to see a couple of her friends from church and preschool.
although there are 4 different kindergarten classes, so we have no idea if she'll be with any of them. :(
for now we won't tell her that and we'll let her stay just like this...

each child got split up into different color groups.
little k was in the purple group (how fitting!) and this was their time in the library hearing a story.

we had to wait for another group to finish their bus ride.
this is what patiently waiting looks like.

they learnt to not step over the yellow line waiting for the bus.

waiting for our turn for a little bus ride around the block.

guess who chose the VERY first row?

listening to the bus driver explain the rules of the bus.
do you think she'll be an obedient passenger?

a typical face from my girl when there's any flash involved.  ha!
can you believe the 3 of us fit in one little bus seat?

right before we left i had to get a little shot of her in the hallway.
ain't she a doll face?!

i can't believe my 2nd child is going to kindergarten in the fall.
it seems like just yesterday she was born.
ugh!
i thought sending a 2nd one would be easier than the first time around but it certainly isn't.
i'm gonna miss my time with this little one.  :(
she's my little cuddle buddy, so affectionate and likes to help me with everything.
it's gonna be a lot quieter once she's gone.
thankfully it'll only be 1/2 days and i know she's more than ready to go.
that's the only thing that makes it good.
she's SO thrilled to finally go to big school too.
at least she won't be crying and missing me as much as i'll be crying and missing her.
such is life!
it'll just be a new normal.
now don't even begin to talk to me about how it'll be when i send #3!
oy!

bonnet baby

i can't resist a sweet bonnet...
and i especially can't when that bonnet is on MY baby!

try to disregard the HUGE owie on her face.  ;(

looks a little old fashioned...
just the way i like it!

coming back to the land of the living...

ok, so i got sick.
very, very sick.
it was gross.
it was painful.
it was like being in he**.
seriously!
it started out with crazy amounts snot.
(nope... i'm not gonna sugar coat anything... i'm just gonna THROW it all out there like that.)
i was blowing my nose like crazy all last weekend and through the week.
i knew a sinus infection was a brewin'.
i'm just prone to them, i guess?
anyhow, i knew it was coming.
sure enough, by tuesday and wednesday i was getting the tell tale signs.
dark snot (#1 of course), pain in my sinuses, bad headache, toothache, and the list goes on.
i neti-potted like mad.
didn't do the trick.
usually it works great.
but this time i was so clogged up that the water went no where.
so i looked online to try and find 'natural' solutions to sinus infections.
one of the most popular remedies involved apple cider vinegar.
specifically braggs brand and With The Mother.
whatever that means?
ever heard of it?!

i found hundreds of people commenting on how it was the miracle cure!!
i thought, "oh my word!  i need to get me some apple cider vinegar!  i'm gonna feel better right away!"
picked it up... put 2 tbsp in a cup of hot water and added a tsp of honey for flavor.
it tasted like... well... i won't write what it tasted like.
i'll just say it was bad.
real gross like!
i did it not once but TWICE on wednesday evening.
guess what?!
didn't work.
of course.
i'm one of those people that it does dick all for.
oh well.
i probably should have done it more the next day but the thought of it revolted me.
i just couldn't.
so, my sinus infection got worse.
not only that, but i contracted the flu bug that had already ravaged through the k girls.
great.
and my ear started to hurt.
badly.
went to the ER at 5:30am on thursday.
the doctor there was mean and surly.
it was a she.
give me a break lady!
i'm not here for a good time.  honestly!
she said "it's probably viral" and gave me a post dated prescription to take in 10 days.
10 days?!?  jeez... i felt i'd be in a coma in 10 days.
so i went home.
slept, fevered, slept, let the kids make a mess in the house, slept, fevered, oh, and blew my nose a TON!
this is what my garbage can looked like:

lovely, huh?
next morning, friday, i got woken up by my phone at 2:30am.
my clients called.
oh great!  what timing!
her water broke.
oh jeez!  not today!!!!  of all days... not today!!!!!
i met them at the hospital around 5:30am.
i wasn't sleeping anyway b/c my ear hurt so dang bad so i thought i'd check up on them.
not much was happening but i hung out there anyway.
shortly after, i walked dragged myself down to the ER b/c i knew my glorious doctor neighbor (he's awesome) was working.
i snagged him away to look in my ear... he said, "middle ear infection.  you need antibiotics ASAP!"
got my drugs, went back to my clients and stayed with them.
tried to do my best... but it wasn't good enough.
i had to call my back up to take over.
they were sad but totally understood i was in no shape to support them.
when she finally arrived just after noon i went straight home.
i started popping the T3's and went to bed.
oh, my bed...

full of extra blankets and 3 piled high pillows.
it was my sanctuary... and it was my prison, all in one.
i needed to be there, and only there, but i hated it too.
the rest of the day/night was a bit of a blur b/c i was seriously drugged out trying to avoid all the ear pain.
it was some of the most horrific pain i've been in, besides labour.
not kidding!
after a couple of days on antibiotics, i'm feeling much better.

although my ear plugged up a few days ago and it hasn't popped yet.
it's one of the most annoying things EVER!
i get such a headache from hearing myself talk all day.
plus there's ringing in my ears.
plus, the side effects from my drugs are ridiculous.
metallic taste in my mouth.  eww!
severe headaches.
dizziness.  hello... i'm drunk, it seems!
BUT, but... at least the severe pain is gone.
praise the Lord!
hopefully soon i'll be 100% better.
it's been a gong show around here.
my house became a total wreck.

well, the weather is warming up, at least so i ought to do some spring cleaning anyway.
the key will be... what can i delegate to my children.
hello child labour!
LOVE it!