Wow... long time since I've written.  Hubby and I have been back from our vacation cruise to Mexico for about a week.  It was totally awesome!  I love cruising and would totally recommend it to anyone.  We only got seasick on the first night. After that, we were fine.

Well, life seems to be going well.  I mean we're still crazy busy, but we had time to get away and just rest with each other.  I feel all ready to take on the busy-ness of life.  We had youth on Wednesday (first time since back from vacation).  And you know I totally forgot how much I missed those guys!  Everyone was saying hi to us and said they missed us.  It felt good.  And you know what?  I kinda missed the junior highers sillyness. It was so good to be back.  I can't imagine us doing anything else but this.  While on the cruise, I got to really think about what I want in the coming future.  And while I'm not going to get into a lot of detail, I think I've come up with a plan.  I'm a plan kinda girl.  Every Saturday, I wake up and say to hubby "So what's the plan for today?"  It drives him kinda crazy cause he's more of the spontaneous type.  But he understands that I need a plan.  I'm much more calm that way.  So now I have a tentative plan for the future.  Of course anything is subject to change and I'm totally open to whatever God has in store for me. 

Today I'm grateful for:

1.  Rain - in the desert, it doesn't happen too often and it's rained twice this week.  Really strange for this time of year

2.  Our Junior High Students - they remind me that it's ok to be silly and goofy.  It's fun to just stand back and observe them just being kids!

3.  My kitchen is spotless - I took a good hour or so and totally attacked it.  It looks fabulous.  I'm so happy!

4.  I went shopping and got good deals on 2 pairs of pants.  I really needed them!

5.  Date Night with Hubby. Went to the local drive in and had fun

I skipped kickboxing class today.  Leteica wanted to go to Victorville today and check out a youth group a friend of ours is running.  It was good.  Cold though!  they have it outside so it was freezing compared to Barstow weather.  And of course, we were wearing sandals and tank tops.  We about froze, but besides that, it was good.  I'm going to take a break from working with the youth for a couple weeks.  I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed.  I love working with them, but they can kind of wear on you after a while.  So I'm out for a couple weeks.  I gotta get out for a while before I just go crazy on some one.  No more kicking each other in the groin, girls talking about one another behind their backs or various other offences that are just getting on my nerves.  I need to re-evaluate my priorities.  I'm just way too busy.  I have the youth small group at my house on Mondays, every other Tuesday is the young marrieds small group at our house, Wedensday is youth night, Thursday is kickboxing and quillting, Fridays are football games, date night, etc; and this Saturday is a church work day in the morning and paradox workday in the afternoon.  Then we're going on a double date with our friends.  Then sunday is busy all day with 2 services in the mornings and paradox at night.  We're too busy.  I need a vacation.  And now they want me to start volunteering and manning the paradox office a couple times a week.  I'd love to, but I have to evaluate what I'm doing and come up with a plan.  I need to find a few things that I do well and do them.  Not spread my self so thin.  I do all that on top of working full time and volunteering in Sunday mornigns, paradox, wednesday youth and anyhting else that needs done.  Do I sound a little overwhelmed?  Guess I am.  Just kind of built up from the past couple of weeks and I needed to get it out!!!  Ok, I'm done ranting now.

Today I'm grateful for:

1.  The cool weather - even though I about froze in v-ville today, it's ok.  I'd rather be butt freezing cold than hot like earlier this week.

2.   Jimbo fixed our swamp cooler!!  Now it blows out cold air!

3.  Had a good time visiting orizantos

4.  They were a little less grumpy at work than than in the past couple weeks

5.  We had a student show up on our doorstep this morning.  he's going through a bunch of junk in his life.  Sucks that his life is crappy now, but cool that he came to us instead of some other options he could have chosen.

Today was an ok day.  It was my boss' first day back at work after her vacation and boy was she grumpy.  She got better after lunch.  But the morning was bad.  Our small group went well tonight.  We had some interesting discussions about the "end times" and the book of Revelation.  Pretty cool.  I'm tired and just want to hang out tonight.  Benjy leaves for a demoninational conference tomorrow.  He'll be back Wednesday night.  Not too long.  But I don't like being home alone.  Oh well, at least Jimbo (our "neighbor) will be here so if anyone tries to kill me, he'll at least hear it.

If you don't know, Jimbo is a guy at our church who suffered brain damage years ago from a motercycle accident. He's a really nice guy.  He needed a place to stay for the next few months and Benjy, me, and the trustees of the church decided he could fix up the "apartment" attached to our garage and stay there.  So technically, he's living with us.  But we have no responsibilities for him.  Like he doesn't get to come eat dinner, watch tv, and do his laundry over here unless we say he can.  But we're not going to.  I have no problem with him being in our apartment thingy.  But I don't necessarily want him becoming part of our "family".  Benjy and I are not home alone that much any way.  When we are, I don't feel like entertaining anyone else.  We need our down time and he's cool with that. So he has like a studio apartment there's a room with a bed, tv, his computer.  There's another room attached to it with a shower, sink, toilet, and a big closet.  He's got a pretty good sized fridge, a microwave, portable hot plate stove thingy and he has his own grill.  So basically, he's self sufficient and doesn't need to be in with us all the time.  Good.  I like him and all but I need my space.

Today I'm grateful for:

1.  My boss got in a better mood

2.  I got to write a "mean" letter to one of my suppliers.  They have been getting on my nerves and today was the last straw.  So my boss said to write him a letter, and let her see it and we'll tell him we're sick of him.  Ok, maybe not the most christ-like attitude, but I was fed up.  Actually my letter isn't all that mean.  I just made it a point to tell him we won't be treated like that anymore.

3.  We had a good small group.

4.  The kid who usually comes home with me on Monday nights for small group (after work) didn't.  I needed time to straigten up my house.

5.  My bathroom is clean!!!  I came home from work and scrubbed it down cause it was geting on my nerves.