Last Week

Last week sure flew by. Here's are some day-by-day glimpses. . .

Monday night we had a trip to IKEA, trying to scope out what we might need for the new house. It's been fun thinking about the new space. The place is really coming along . . . the exterior has been repainted white, all the overgrown bushes were torn out, the kitchen has been completely gutted and awaits new cabinets (and everything else), the walls have been spackled and sanded, . . . and we're going over often to see the progress. It's almost unfathomable to have someone else doing all the renovations. I must say we're pretty thankful though -- my back and muscles are thankful! We'll post some pictures soon.

Tuesday night was a meeting at church: a Worship committee meeting. (Both Brian and I are on this committee). Our church has had a traditional service and a contemporary service for many, many years. And, our pastor is looking to make both services a blend of music -- some contemporary and traditional. And, that is what our committee is discussing -- this change. It's been a hard transition for the church so far -- many of us quite particular about worship style. It's undeniable that music impacts our worship in a very large way. But, I think we're all learning what it means to unite on this -- realizing that it's really a matter of the heart (not a particular music style) and that ultimately worship is about God, not us. It's amazing how we can often think, "Oh, I couldn't worship God with that type of song." Instead, we ought to ask, "How can we glorify God and draw near to Him in this worship time?" I think it's been challenging, but it's been a good challenge. It's funny -- no one likes change . . . and this can be particularly apparent within the church, . . . but God is working.

Wednesday night, I had the senior high girls over for doughnut-making and then Bible study. I got the doughnut idea from Erin . Let me tell you, these were a hit! You get some cans of biscuits, lay each biscuit out on wax paper, punch the center out with a soda bottle cap, place each one in about 1/2" of hot vegetable oil in a frying pan, cook until golden brown, place on a paper towel to blot off some oil, shake in a bag of powdered sugar (or whatever you want). And, waalaa . . . warm and yummy doughnuts . . . that we all enjoyed. They are admittedly quite rich.
Then, we had a study on women: a helper by design . . . how God has created us to be helpers in whatever phase of life we're in. And, we talked about the positive and negative connotations people (and our society) has with this . . . and looked at all the Scripture passages where God and the Holy Spirit are referred to as Helper . . . and talked about the high calling of a helper . . . and discussed women in our lives that we view as helpers . . . It was a good study. We touched on a lot more . . . more than my hands could type on here :). A good challenge -- especially for me as a relative "newlywed" . . . clearly seeing my calling as a helper.

Thursday night . . . was dinner with Jenna and the season-premiere of The Office. I must say that I've only ever seen it twice . . . so this was my third, . . . unlike most people who I know how are addicted to this show. (Really, I'm not very committed to anything on t.v.). I definitely enjoyed it though. I think you need to work in an office to fully appreciate it . . . I often now invision various conversations while I'm in my cubicle at work :).

Brian and I then enjoyed a date night together on Friday night -- much needed after a busy week. It was dinner at Uno's . . . and watching the Phillies game while I gave Brian a haircut. Believe it or not, it was relaxing and fun.

Saturday morning was the WIC (Women in the Church) Kick-off Breakfast that my step-mom and I had planned. It's a time for women to learn about the events for the upcoming year, and hear about all the ministries they can get involved in. And, a time to get inspired and to enjoy fellowship together. We had about 45 women, and I brought a new friend at the church. It was such a great time -- I love helping women connect and feel like part of a community. God is so good! And, I'm excited about a bunch of our new ministries. (I created the flyer to the left for our WIC event).

Then, it was off to lunch with Joy, my little sister! Oh, it's wonderful to catch up with her, and hear about her 13-year-old life in middle school. She is such a little ray of sunshine in my life. After lunch, we were off to a Mary Kay party for her and her friends . . . learning skin-care for their teenage faces and how-to with makeup. You can imagine the fun they had! Then, I headed home to prepare dinner. Rachel Watanabe came over for the evening and we enjoyed a wonderful evening of chatting, eating, and chatting some more. It was so great to see her, and I'm so glad she's close by now!

And, I'll top off last week by saying . . . Sunday sports provided a rollercoaster of emotions . . . those Phillies are awesome . . . and those Eagles are . . . umm, concerning.