Woke up to a sick child.

Puke in bed.  On daddy's side of the bed.  (Phew.)

My back was getting better on Sunday; I thought I was actually returning to normal.  But Monday proved otherwise.

I miss normal

But I'm gradually makin' my way back to it.

I got to enjoy lunch at one of my favorite local restaurants with a friend from high school (and college) who I hadn't seen in awhile.  We shared stories.  We ate chips.  It was a nice break.

Then I stepped foot in a chiropractor's office for the first time.  Though still in pain, I did notice increased range of motion and movement, so that's good.  I've got a second massage appointment scheduled for later this week.

By the time I got home Catherine was back to her usual overactive self.  I know that makes her sound like a bladder, but it's the best word I can think of to describe my girl.

She even went with Daddy to the local grocery store for some goodies before the weekly sales ended tonight.

She was back to herself, and I was kind of missing the quiet, calm, cuddly girl from this morning.

After awhile she was asking me to rest with her on the couch.  "Lay down on the pillow."



It was nice to snuggle for a bit.  Then she got up, wandered over to Daddy, and wanted to cuddle with him.

This really should have tipped us off.  For whatever reason she prefers to do her puking on Daddy.  (Did I train her well or what?)

A moment later, we heard it coming.  All over Daddy.  All over Catherine.  All over the floor.  And projectile on the chevron ottomans.

(insert sigh here)

I've learned to be ok with "used" condition to my furniture.  Even my couch.  Though maybe not quite my chair.  Yet.

So, something a little more lighthearted today even though I'm still in pain.

Today is Friday.  Everybody loves Friday.

Why?

Because it's the beginning of the much anticipated weekend!!  Well, every day for the next couple months is like a weekend for me.
          
Why?

Because my husband is a teacher!  It's been one challenging year, but summer vacation is now his reward!  Way to go, honey!

School ran extra late this year due to an abundance of snow days.  Then this week we've been hosting a couple guys from SpringHill Day Camps as they have worked at our church all week.  It's been a blast for our church, for the campers, for the staff, and for us!

Catherine and her new buds Jason & Davis

I love hosting!  Sometimes I forget this when I get caught up in the day-to-day normal stuff of my life at home with a toddler.  It's nearly impossible to get any housework done when Catherine is around.  And 95% of the time Catherine is gone I'm out with her!  So, our house is very "lived in".  And there is no hiding that.

My mom came over last week to help me get organized and ready to host the boys.  We turned the living room into a bedroom.  I borrowed extra bedding, and we made good use of all the towels we got as wedding gifts.

We got extra groceries and made sure to have snacks on hand - healthy and not so healthy.


 I left notes on the mirror in the guest bathroom throughout the week and made sure everything was comfortable and welcoming.



One of the things I've been meaning to do for weeks finally got done knowing guests were coming.  I set up a coffee station in our kitchen!


I inherited this cart quite awhile ago from my generous friend Bria.  I was trying to set up my own place after moving back to the area, and she was so helpful in assisting me.  I decided it would be a perfect piece for a coffee station for awhile.


We take our coffee pretty seriously around here...


We take our coffee add-ins pretty seriously as well.  We like to have options...

 

And we like to have flavors...

Yes, those might be tears in my eyes.

I can't remember when exactly it first started.
I was working at the non-profit at the time.  So somewhere between 2006 and 2010.

Back pain.

Excrutiating back pain.
Debilitating back pain.

Not really sure of the cause.
Or the cure.
Other than time.  And rest.

Since then it's returned a few times.
Including today.

So I am stuck in bed.  And in SO.MUCH.PAIN.  Like can't-even-stand-up-or-bend-over pain.

I'm thinking of all the things I will miss out on now because of this.  How I have to rearrange things in my schedule.  How to try to deal with Catherine while being confined to a bed.  She showed up at one point in my bed completely bottomless.  No idea what happened to her diaper.  But I managed to put a clean diaper on her all while laying flat on my back.  Not gonna lie - I was pretty impressed with myself.

I don't put this on facebook.  I don't tend to go public with pain.  But it's the truth.

I don't like admitting my weakness.  I'm not good at asking for help.  I have a hard time praying for myself.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.  ~ 2 Cor. 12:9-10
 

Thursday night.

Trash night.



"Honey, did you take the trash out to the curb?"  "Honey, can you put new trash bags in the trash cans?  Please?"

10:00  Bedtime

Routine

Routine is comforting.  But it also gets boring.  How do I find the balance?

Tomorrow is the last day of school.  Finally.

Then Routine goes by the roadside.  Wayside?  Curb?  I don't always remember quotes and phrases.

In fact my memory is sadly awful.

A new season begins:  Summer!!



Time for staying up late and sleeping in.
Time for ice cream and an inflatable kiddie pool.
Dining al fresco.
Time for adventures and spontaneity.  Vacations.  Road trips.  Making memories.
Family time.  Sunshine.  Beach time.
Sunscreen and mosquito repellant.
Maybe even camping.  Finally.



It will fly by.  No, seriously.  Summer Break is only two months this year.  That makes my heart break a little bit.  If I dwell on it it's over before it even began.

So I'll stop to enjoy it.  I'll slow down to soak it up.

I'll relish the noisy neighborhood, because it means kids are living and loving summer.

I'll appreciate the dirty laundry and dirty hands and dirty fingernails, because it means my toddler is making memories.

I'll savor the flavor of fresh fruits and vegetables, because it means the Lord has provided a bounty in our own backyard.

I'll inhale the aroma of a multitude of flowers that are mixed in the same bed of dirt as weeds that need to be pulled.

I'll pause to cherish the moments.  All of them.

So, I was just thinking I may have just made the best choice by adding pretzels to my ice cream (oh yes, I did), and it got me pondering more about good choices, as this is a new theme for our two-year-old, independent, spirited daughter.



     1.  Making today a two nap day
     2.  Buying Surprised by Motherhood by Lisa-Jo Baker


     3.  Emptying out the fridge
     4.  Going to my sister-in-law's MOPS group last week and hearing my friend Bria speak

   
     5.  Participating in a Girls (and kiddos) Night
     6.  Making Josh my husband - because who else would let me have a two nap day?!
     7.  Accepting and believing that Jesus loves me.
     8.  Unplugging for a getaway weekend
     9.  Registering for Ladies Craft Night
   10.  Seriously, pieces of pretzel sticks mixed in with a scoop of caramel turtle custard from Culver's - SOOOOO good!!

Had a great weekend away with my side of the family.



Lots of relaxing, reading, and renewing.  I was away from my computer and internet and cell phone for 48 hours.  It was magnificent.

The sun was out today, and it warmed up to the 50's.  We got to play outside when we got home.  I ignored all the dirt and mud attaching itself to my daughter.  Something I really struggle with, but I just force myself to pretend it's not there.  I know it's fun for her, so I put aside my issues.

I must have picked up a cold though.  My nose won't stop running, and I feel just so run-down.  I hope to go to bed early tonight.  I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow that I have been trying to obtain for months with so many things coming up to cancel it.  So I'm determined to get my one hour of bliss tomorrow!

One more week til Spring Break!!

Wow, what a day!  With my spirited toddler at her grandparents for the day, I had dreams of going vintage and resale shopping in Elkhart with my good friend Kate.  But now I'm thinking the day would have been less stressful if I had instead stayed home with the toddler.

It started in a most bizarre way, as Kate's first words to me were, "Did you know you have a huge chunk of ham in your driveway?"

In case you were wondering, the answer was no.  I did not know.

But she was right.


Up next was a soft pretzel from Ben's.  Great choice.

But next came hitting the worst pothole on US 33.  Hard.  I saw it at the last second and tried to dodge it, but I wasn't fast enough.  Sigh...

I saw my hubcap or something go rolling in my rear view mirror.  I knew it was unfortunate.  But then the car started shaking.  Darnit.  My tire was ruined. I guess this is what I get for pawning off my daughter and trying to have a day of indulgent shopping.


So glad my friend was with me, as my thinking slows down in situations like that.  She suggested to manuever my car around and turn off 33 and head into the Kohl's and Target parking lot.

Hey, if you're gonna be stranded, Target is a good place to be near.  Am I right?

So we made it into the lot by a huge dirty snow pile.  From there I spent a few minutes on the phone trying to get answers on our insurance coverage.  I spent more time listening to menu options than actually talking to a real person.  Finally got the answer I was expecting - no coverage.  I had recently heard about my friend's experience with pothole damage costing him over $1,000.  Just dandy.

I knew I couldn't bother Josh with any of this because this is one of his busiest weekends for work, and there would be nothing he could do to help me anyways.

In life I believe it's helpful to have connections with certain kind of people.  For example I'm glad I have a Lawyer Friend and a Police Officer Friend and a Doctor Friend for their occupational expertise and advice.  I quickly sent a text to our Car Repair Friend for his advice.

Unsure how else to spend the time, Kate and I walked to Target.  Of course.

After browsing the $1 section, I saw our Snow Plow Friend heading out of the store.  I quickly remembered he's also a Construction Friend, Handyman Friend, and basically a Jack-of-all-Trades Friend.  I yelled out his name across the store.  When you're desperate, you don't care about decorum.

I then proceeded to watch the fastest tire change I'd ever witnessed.  He gave me the name of a great place where I could go for a fix.  I put air in the spare (Josh should be so proud), called the tire shop, and left Target without even shopping and still with my unfinished Ben's pretzel from about 90 minutes prior.

Kate kindly kept me company at the tire shop, for which I am so grateful.  It's not the sort of place I'd really want to hang out alone.  They had "Friday the 13th" playing on the TV in the waiting corner - no separate lobby or waiting room; we were definitely just hanging out in a garage for an hour.  I was so grateful Catherine wasn't with me there.

After watching them do things I didn't know were possible, the guys were finished and gave me a bill. $60 later we were on our way out.

A non-moving train kept us extending our visit to the other side of the tracks for awhile longer, and we then reached the sad conclusion that we didn't have enough time to do any of our shopping in Elkhart.  Sigh...

What a day.


But boy am I grateful no one was hurt in our drama on the road.  Grateful there was a safe parking lot nearby that we made it to.  Grateful that our friend and I crossed paths at precisely the right time at Target.  Grateful for his DIY skills and recommendation of the affordable tire shop.  Grateful Kate was with me and Catherine wasn't.  Grateful all of this could be taken care of without having to add another stressor to Josh's day.  And grateful for that Ben's pretzel, which I finally finished eating.

Now, what to do with the ham...