Joy in the Journey

Last year we had a lovely camping trip with friends at Crater Lake. Of course there were a few bumps in the road (for some reason, the three other families were put together at the campground and my family was out on a totally different loop!), but there are in every trip. We had fun times and took great pictures. When we were planning our camping trips for this summer, I thought that our friends were interested in going back to Crater Lake this year, so I put in on the calendar. I also wanted to take the kids to see The Oregon Caves since my four-year-old just grew tall enough to pass the minimum height restriction, so I figured we would see the caves and camp the first night in that area, go to Crater Lake the next day, and then camp somewhere in highway 138 or at Diamond Lake the next night or two. It was during the week, so I figured we would be able to find a spot somewhere. It would be adventurous to be gypsies for a bit. But as we got closer to the dates, I found that none of ou

Can I get an amen??? Last Sunday morning was awesome. I rolled out of bed and the baby actually stayed asleep, so  I was able to get so much done ! Not just for that morning, but in prep for my upcoming camping trip. I even got lunch in the IP while the big girls were getting the baby dressed. And yes, I was still a little late for church, but I didn’t really care because I was feeling like a rock star.  Ladies, this Sunday stands out because there have been sooooooo many that have not went this well. Like, literally hundreds of them! I am usually the hot mess that shows up ten minutes late with at least one child either wearing mismatched shoes or pants that are too small or has breakfast in his hair (or all three!). My seven-year-old does not understand that collars go on the outside  of your shirt, not tucked in, and I often don't realize that he hasn't fixed it til the end of the service. And my teen is going through a phase where she thinks sweatpants work for church (Lord

Confession: I caught myself fantasizing in church this Sunday. image from Abstract Wallpapers It wasn't about unicorns or castles or magic...I was just thinking how it would be really nice to be able to sit through an entire church service without having to take care of anyone else! To close my eyes and surrender in worship… ...without having to nurse or chase the toddler around... ...without having to separate two brothers that keep having a foot wrestling match or remind my son for the 50th time not to put his feet up on the pew in front of him... ...without having to track down my OCD son who is hiding under the table in the empty nursery because he is still upset that he didn’t have any clean jeans to wear to church and he had to wear shorts instead… ...to be able to sit through a sermon uninterrupted and just feel like the rest of the congregation… Do you ladies ever fantasize about things like this? I catch myself doing it quite often. And you know what? It always just makes