Trip to DC

Last week Michael and I flew to Reston, VA which is just outside of Washington DC. I had a few motives for this trip. First, I was able to spend some great time along with my sweetie. I didn’t have to fight with the kids for his attention. (and he only worked on his computer some of the time. . I also had a chance to visit At Play Cafe. They are a play cafe in Reston that serves to provide an entertaining place for kids to play while moms connect over coffee or snacks. This place is similar to the facility that I am opening next fall. On Thursday Michael and I attended the Whiteboard conference. Basically it was a conference where a lot of church planter and pastors gathered to hear 8 innovative and passionate pastors from all over the country. I was really inspired by a lot of what was said. I will share more of my thoughts on that later. I will say that I met some great pastor’s wives at the luncheon and was encouraged once again that I am not alone! I had some great friends who helped with the kids and Michael and I came back refreshed.

summer is officially here

Wow! I can’t believe the school year has already ended. Lauren just became a 1st grader. Emma will move on up to the 3 year old preschool class and Matthew is that much closer to being a big boy. We enjoyed the Memorial Day holiday with hot dogs on the grill and a visit to the neighborhood pool. The kids have been dying to swim and they had a blast. It is nice that Lauren can swim on her own pretty much this year. Emma and Matthew both love the water and spend most of their time playing in the wading pool or kicking around on rafts. We had beautiful weather and I have a feeling that I will be going through a ton of sunscreen this summer.

God is so faithful

Just when I am at my whit’s end and i think the we aren’t gonna make it, God once again proves His faithfulness to my family. Michael and i have been tithing and committing our lives to Christ since we got married and time after time, God has been there and provided for us. But like a lot of people, we need reminders and this past month was one of those times. We are working hard to live by a budget and become 100% debt free. By the second week this month I just didn’t think we were gonna be able to have enough for groceries let alone extra money to put towards becoming debt free. Anyway, in frustration i got a little ticked off at God that we were still struggling even though we were being faithful in our giving. Well, once again, He reminded me of His promise to take care of our needs and to bless us beyond our expectations. By the end of the month, we not only had plenty for our budget, we were able to pay off a lot more than we originally planned. Our Tax refund and stimulus money came at just the right time. I know it’s an old saying but God can really make our finances add up to whatever He wants.

My little ballerina

I attended the Steps of Faith spring concert today. My oldest daughter Lauren performed beautifully to Butterfly Kisses (ballet) and Showers of Blessing (tap). The show was full of the little 3 year cuties who couldn’t really remember the right moves to the experienced ballerinas who amazed me with their talent. Julie Reeves and her staff do an excellent job of teaching the technical skills as well as praising the Lord through dance. I am very proud to be a part of such an excellent and Jesus-focused ballet studio. Kudos to Julie and her staff for a great semester!