May in review

here's a bit for me to remember may:

• spent the saturday before mother's day hanging out with my mom. checked out the etsy-rain craft fair - i'll definitely do that again!
  
• went on the leadership journey 2011 trip to california.
  
• disneyland!!
  
• got my "vision" back. more on that later.
  
• what i read: courageous leadership
  
• finished & submitted my application for ordination!
  
• began planning our kids ministry team dinner, happening june 9.
  
• spent part of memorial day weekend at the lakehouse w/ the fam.
  
• relaunched our community group for summer quarter - trying something new: dinner! it's fun to contribute a part of it and not have to think about cooking dinner for ourselves that night! way less work than i expected, actually.
  
• started getting our back yard into "haven"-shape. two garden beds are being built, the hammock is soon to be set up, bbq is out and ready for love, and we dusted off our fire-pit for the first time this season!

March AND April in review

behind, as always.

march, in review:

• adopted a dog! he's SUCH a doll. also kinda crazy. we've actually decided the right term for him is "enthusiastic".
  
• photographed the classical concert for Choir of the Sound
  
• started dog training because he's a maniac.
  
• made some serious progress on the quarterly goals i set in january at creekside.
  
• decided to start memorizing scripture along with our breakfast club kids to earn points for the big summer "b.c. bash". loving this challenge!
  
• reading: diana gabaldon's "voyager", blackaby's "experiencing God", maxwell's "developing leaders around you", "spiritual leadership" by oswald sanders, and "leading at the highest level" by ken blanchard. (a few of those have been in progress for a few months)
  

april, in review:

• it's official! i finished my last class! the 3 year program that has taken me 10 years to complete is done.
  
• my application for ordination is complete, and will be in the mail soon (followed by a big exam this Summer and an interview this fall).
  
• went to my favorite ministry conference a few weeks ago, getting to meet a leader in the kidmin field who has impacted my ministry the most. love coming away with new ideas and feeling recharged.
  
• repo'd a pool table - bet you'd never guess "repo agent" was part of my job description. (neither did i.)
  
• went rollerskating for an all-church skate night. bad idea. the last time i rollerskated, i was 5. i'm pretty sure i was awesome at it then. i'm not now. one lap around the rink, i'd fallen twice and i was done!
  
• had our first Good Friday service at church - such a beautiful remembrance.
  
• celebrated our 3rd Easter at the new campus, with a record attendance of nearly 600. such an exciting day!
  
• finishing up dog training (or "doggy brainwashing" as we've called it). wish i thought it was helping. selective obedience only, dontchya know.
• finally got rid of all the (s)crap we've had leftover from tearing down the patio "awning" and taking out the "fireplace" and chimney. two ambitious dump runs made possible by a good friend with some spare time on his hands.
• matt is patching up the hole in the wall from the fireplace, now that we've decided we don't need to install a new one.
  
• heading tonight to jet city improv to celebrate a friend's birthday.
  
• reading: gabaldon's "drums of autumn", "leading on empty" by wayne cordiero, blackaby's "experiencing God" and "spiritual leadership" by oswald sanders (yes, still)
  

February in Review

(This 3x per week thing is not working out so well.)

• Matt gave up "screens" for the month, and within 5 days, because God is just that amazing, he had a new job. Related? Hard to say, but choosing to believe so.
• Celebrated Valentine's Day simply - dinner out the weekend before, and then babysitting for friends so they could enjoy the night.
• Won an ipod touch at a meeting i didn't even want to go to...
• Matt started his new job, and is working 6 days a week for a season.
• Launched a third service at Creekside.
  
• Decided to adopt a dog... adoption pending.
• Went to Leavenworth with mom & family. They rented a cabin for the weekend and we played hard - sledding and snow-shoeing.

Judging by the length of the list, one might think it wasn't much of a month, but boy was it! More later...

2010 In Review...

January

• Celebrated my 27th birthday with a whole week of fun. Three syllables. Sounds so much older than two.

February

• Welcomed our nephew, Kole, into the world.
• Took the first course in training for foster/adoption. Not sure if this will lead anywhere, but it may, eventually and in God's time.
• Sold a bunch of stuff on craigslist. Yay!
• My aunt, JoDee, visited from Turkey.

March

• Took a few key leaders on our team to the NW Ministry Conference - my favorite conference of the year!

April

• Worked together with MLT businesses for the first MLT Egg Hunt. Fun & simple way to serve our community!
• Visited the Tulip Fields with Marisa & the girls.
• Took Matt's mom on a "Mother's Day Picnic" with Marisa & the girls at Ballard Locks.

May

• Joined the camp leadership team to help with planning games.

June

• Surprised my dad to celebrate his 50th birthday.

July

• Had our first sleep-over visit with the girls! Crafts and baking!
• Spent the 4th of July at the Lakehouse with the family.
• Took 14 kids to summer camp.
• Took a trip in the Kayak with mom down the Skagit River from Sedro Wooley to Mount Vernon.

August

• Celebrated 6 years of marriage.
• Said goodbye to my kitty, Fugue, after a long battle with a sinus issue that had turned cancerous.

September

• Celebrate with our friends Michael & Lani as they welcomed their first, Gideon, into the world.
• Built & launched "Club56" - a new way to minister to our 5th & 6th graders.
• Began my first consulting relationship with another church looking to grow their Children's Ministry.

October

• Joined a book club.
• Had the girls over to spend the night.
• Worked with MLT area businesses to host a Trunk 'r Treat.

November

• Finished my 3rd class for this year, meeting my school goal! 3 more to go!
• Crazy snowstorm the week of Thanksgiving cancelled my first attempt at hosting the big dinner! Went to mom's instead - went sledding for the first time AND played golf in the snow!

December

• Learned that my aunt, JoDee & her husband, Paul, will be moving "home" - well, to the west coast at least, to California. Good enough for me!
• Babysat Gideon for the first time. Man, he's cute, and now my confidence with babies is so much stronger!
• Rearranged our pre-K&K classrooms to accommodate our awesome growth.
  
• Flu knocked me out 4 days before Christmas, putting me 2 days behind in preparations for just about anything...
• Had the girls for three days, two nights. Swimming, Christmas lights, crafts, baking, cooking, playing!
• Had planned a special New Year's Eve party for my mom's 50th birthday, but the Worst Migraine Ever caused her to call it off yesterday. Instead, we drove north and met them near the Lakehouse for dinner.
• Rang in the New Year with Michael, Lani & Gideon.