Labor Day Weekend Recap

My family came into town last weekend (minus Courtney, Tim & Isaac--missed you guys!), and as always, it was so much fun that I got homesick when they left. Something about going from seven people in the house down to just two makes the house seem so empty.

Deric and I kept our guests busy. We usually have a project for them to help with, plus meal preparations tend to take up a good chunk of time. Eating is a very serious matter. ;) We also watched Rio (my new favorite Pixar) and Unknown (highly recommend-- it threw me for a loop).

Saturday started off with a two mile run for Sarah and me.

After the run, we pulled into the driveway to see our parents yanking up all the crab grass in our flower bed. I love them. Mom, Dad, you're free to come visit any time you want!

 Deric, Dad and I headed to Lowe's for supplies and then spent the afternoon building and upholstering a headboard. (More on that later.) Everyone's help was required at some stage of the process, except for Foo who had to write a paper. But she's forgiven.

For dinner on Saturday, we learned how to make sushi. Mom, Dad, Joe and Zandra make sushi pretty frequently back home and Dad told me how much fun they have doing it, so I asked him to teach us. Turns out its easier than I realized, but it does require quite a few supplies and ingredients.

 

We hit up Menchie's Frozen Yogurt for dessert. This place is literally my heaven on earth. I get the same combination every time: alpine vanilla yogurt, strawberries, kiwis and gummies.

 Sarah's frozen yogurt. She's better at portion control than I am. :)

Mom & Sarah

Deric & Chad

Dad & me

Mom & Zandra

Zandra & Joe. After I took the picture, Joe pointed out that Z 

didn't actually give him the taste she's "feeding" him. :)

We went to church Sunday morning. Sarah headed back to school after church, unfortunately. She missed out on some serious pizzas...

That's one of four pizzas. Four pizzas for six people. Yum. I'll never make plain pepperoni pizza again. These pizzas were gourmet and made my pizzas look pitiful. (How's that for a little alliteration?)

On Monday morning, we went to breakfast before the family headed back to Virginia. Deric, Chad and I left for Lexington about the same time to see Deric's parents and brother's family. The timing for the weekend worked out perfectly so we could see both families in one weekend, which will probably never happen again. 

And now we're back to the daily grind. The house still feels a little empty, although it is nice not to have quite so many dishes to wash!

Couch to 5k, Week 5

Week 5 required a different run each day. The first two days, I felt really good and felt like I was making some progress. But the third run of the week was a two mile run with no walking. That was a huge jump from the previous runs, and it kicked my tail. My sister Sarah ran with me since she was in town for the weekend, and she kept me moving when I was ready to quit and walk for a few minutes.

But as discouraging as it was to be that tired, I was very proud of myself. Never in my life have I willingly run two consecutive miles (excluding my middle school soccer days). While Sarah and I ran, my thoughts kept bouncing between "I'm so exhausted!" and "I can't believe I'm on my second mile!" It was a good feeling. The pain in my legs, ribs and stomach was another story. ;)

Proof! Two miles, 22 minutes.

Notes in the Margin 9.3.11

Mom's suggestion of the title 'Notes in the Margin' was perfect, since I always find something to write along the margins, so that's what I'm going with for this series!

This week, Jason talked about the concept of the church being "one in heart and mind" as mentioned in Acts 4:32. This section of Acts describes how the people in the early church shared everything they had. Everything. No one among them needed anything because the church took care of its people. Unfortunately, I can't imagine sharing everything I have. I'm willing to share food, some of our money, open our house to weekend guests...but everything? Verse 36 mentions Joseph/Barnabas, who sold land that he owned and gave the money to the church. I assume it was all of the money from the sale so he was then without his land (which I assume means he was without his livelihood if he farmed) and without any money to save from the sale. That's sacrifice. 10% of our income, food, and occasional weekend guests doesn't seem like sacrifice in comparison to Joseph's sacrifice.

In Jeremiah 32:38-39, God says about the Israelites: "They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them."  Jeremiah doesn't mention singleness in the context of sharing possessions, but when I look at the two passages together, I gather that sharing all of my possessions with my church family will be for my own good and for the good of my children. Maybe that's a stretch, but maybe its not. I think all Christians know that being generous is a good thing. And generosity comes back to bless us, as do most hard lessons we have to learn.

I'd heard the story from Acts about the believers sharing their possessions. I know I need to be more generous, but I'd never actually changed my habits after hearing the story. But now combined with the promise from God in Jeremiah, I feel more willing to change my habits because that promise is right there: this is for your own good, Ashley! While this lesson can be learned in the context of generosity, its absolutely applies to all areas of our life. If the church comes together to be "one in heart and mind", that unity will bless us and our children. I'm alright with that. :)

September Goals

I mentioned in my last post that I've recently realized blogs can provide great accountability. So, as clearly described in the title of this post, I'm going to post a few goals I'm making for myself for the month of September. I don't usually make goals for myself-- I don't even do New Years Resolutions. But I'm gonna  see how I do with a few goals this month and see if it actually makes me more productive.

So, my goals for September:
1. Try one new recipe each week.
(Just realized-- that's already done! I just finished making Tidy Mom's Homemade Pizza Rolls. I'm on a roll already!)
2. (Re)memorize Isaiah 52:13-53:12. Its a long passage, but its the story of Jesus and its powerful. I had to memorize it in college for my Prophets class two or three years ago, so hopefully it will come back to me quickly.
3. Refashion one t-shirt (inspired by Pinterest).
4. Finish Couch to 5K training and run a 5K.
        4b. Run at least 4 times each week.

See that? Autumn begins in 22 days!

Back in the Swing of Things

Today I started as the primary teacher for our church's Mother's Day Out program. Its two days a week with the three year olds, and while its temporary until I find a full-time job, its nice to be back in teaching. Its nice to be back in the world of skinned knees, endless questions, recess, childrens' books and coloring pages.

I've been gathering ideas on Pinterest for the coming weeks, and here are a few I'm excited to do:

color matching with cars

pumpkin art for the unit on fall

chalk tracing

(wet q-tip over chalk)

letters of the week

seasons for the transition from summer to fall

And there's so much more! I wish Pinterest was around back when I was student teaching.

Tonight is also our first meeting for womens' Bible study. We're going through Beth Moore's Living Beyond Yourself study, which is about the fruits of the spirit. Its nice to be back into the season of small groups, football games, and all those other good things that fall brings! Now we just need those cooler temperatures...