Summing it all up

These last few weeks have been a little CRAZY to say the least!! This afternoon as I sat down to update my blog I was a little unsure where to start...

I started with downloading the pictures that were on my camera...pictures that have been sitting waiting to be downloaded for two weeks. I know not an eternity but normally I don't leave pictures on my camera that long.

Here are some highlights from the last two weeks chaos that we call "everyday living"!

These from our game a couple weekends ago. The boys are still loving every minute of soccer and our team is improving every week. We aren't the best team in the league but our boys have come a long way and are really showing a lot of teamwork!

Two Saturdays ago, I attended the final crop at the Daisy Bucket. My dear friend, Cassandra, has sold the retail portion of her business in order to pursue her wholesale line of products full time. It was bitter sweet to say the least! I'm very excited for her and the new direction of her business but a little sad to see one of my favorite scrapbook stores closing it's doors.

Since it was the last one you would think I would have been motivated to get a ton of layouts done but I spent so much time just hanging out that these ended up being my only creations for the night!:)

Then a tough beginning the next week that led to this post...HERE. A busy week.

And then I was off to Camp Elkanah! Which I mentioned...HERE. It was a GREAT weekend with some great women. The message was AWESOME and the speaker was extremely real and easy to relate to. There were some powerful stories shared and my reaction to the weekend was somewhat emotional. I attribute some of the emotion to lack of sleep. Katie already discussed the contributors to the lack of sleep...HERE. There were definitely a lot of good laughs.

Her message from the book of Jonah. I have about 10 or so pages of notes from her message but one thing that really stuck with me was this...there are three things that will last...three things that have eternal value...God, His word, and people...three things that will last beyond what this world has to offer.

This was exactly what I needed to hear. I love how God is beyond understanding and yet at the same time so personal. He knows the universe inside and out and yet also knows my struggles, my questions, my journey. I am being pulled in a million different directions every day. That's just where I'm at right now in my life.

The reminder I needed was this...when this world fades away, all that will be left will be God, His word, and people (through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross)...I need to evaluate each situation I come up against with that simple truth as my perspective.

Even though I returned physically exhausted, I was spiritually renewed and that made all the difference for me last week.

Another CRAZY week flew by and then something I truly look forward to...a weekend with NO PLANS...save one soccer game!! And even though the week was CRAZY it was not without JOY!!

A friend with perfect timing and a note of encouragement and these beautiful flowers...sent just when I needed them the most!! Thank you Dorothy!!

Dinner with my mom and dad. Always a hit at our house when Grandma and Grandpa come for dinner!!

A sweet son who spent 38 Husky bucks at his class auction to purchase this for me!:) How can you not love that!!

And to finish off the week a win for Bulldog football. I love going to the games with my little family. The boys are so into it!! It's just a good time...nachos, football, marching band, cheering crowd...I LOVE it all!! A perfect end to a not so perfect week.

Saturday I took a few minutes in the morning before the soccer game to grab some shots of the last flowers of the season from my flower gardens. With October just around the corner it will soon be time to cut back my roses and clean out the flower bed for the winter.

And then we were off the play soccer. The boys did AWESOME!! They were passing the ball to each other so well and scored several goals. It was very fun to watch them finally see some success!!
their mascot and number one fan!!;)

Then it was back home for some chores...oh the joys right?!?!? One of those chores happened to be put away summer clothes and get out the fall clothes...you know, get out the stuff you've been saving, see what fits, see what we need...

That equaled a spur of the moment trip to Old Navy...a HUGE discount...50% off our entire purchase...doesn't get much better than that!!

A trip to Costco for my favorite cheese...which is too expensive to by at Wal-Mart these days.

And then home!

So here I sit at the end of the weekend with not as much done as I wanted but ready to tackle the week ahead.

I'm starting this week with a clear head, a purpose, and as I look to my right at these...

I know I'm right where I'm supposed to be doing exactly what God intended for me to do.

Blessings to you all in the week ahead! May God grow you and stretch you in ways you never imagined. May you know the love, the comfort and the mercy that only He can bring.