Sunday Sentiments

 

One of my writing prompts this week pushed me pray about the things that hinder me.

Ouch.

I hesitated before exploring that one in writing. It's kind of like praying for patience. I never leap into that one. ;) 

But I took some brave steps forward into asking God to reveal to my heart the things that hinder me.

I'm not here today to write about all the specific things I wrote and prayed about that day, because some of them were deeply personal, but I do want to share a couple of things that happened in those moments. 

I found myself praying that God would free me (and us) from chasing dreams that fly into the wind so we can chase the ones that are grounded in Him.

Until I saw the words on the screen, I didn't even know it was a prayer of my heart. (I learn a lot about myself and life by writing out my thoughts.) Ryan and I both love to dream about our lives and the future, and I believe many of those dreams are put in our hearts by the Lord Himself. I don't think He wants to stifle our dreams. But I do think it matters that we pray for dreams that honor Him and not just chase wildly after everything that pops into our heads.

And then I wrote this:

Help me to see, with great clarity, the things that are hindering me. Perhaps there are more things, even now, that are holding me back, and I can't even see them. Help me to see them. Help me to WANT to see them. Maybe I don't really want to see what the clarity means...but what it means is FREEDOM. A chance for change. Show me and free me to see and become more. 

It's a bold prayer. 

I don't regret praying it, and I meant every word, but I do recognize that it's a bold thing to ask. It could be costly.

My words are few today, but I challenge you to pray a bold prayer too. What is hindering you? 

The Saturday Six

 

I've been updating some of my shopping and wish lists lately, so I thought I would share some of the finds with you today!

One.

When we moved into our house in Kokomo, we found that the previous owners had installed a very business-like gold "No Soliciting" sticker in the front window. I noticed a lot of them in the neighborhood, so I'm guessing at some point, that was a big issue. We didn't like how the sign looked, so we took it down, and I can't remember more than a couple of doorbell rings in the whole four years we lived there. But HERE!!!! My goodness. We've only been here four months, and we've already had at least two long-winded, ill-timed solicitors showed up. I am over it. (The second one woke me up from a nap, which is not something I would really ever advise.) So I've been hunting for signs that convey the message without looking like we are a business. This one from Etsy is currently in the lead. I actually also really like this one, but it is pretty wordy, so I fear the very real message I'm trying to convey might get lost in the shuffle. 

Two.

Over the last few years, I've been trying to move our Easter decor away from eggs and bunnies and more toward the actual reason for Easter. We have a couple of art pieces I love that convey the message of Jesus' resurrection, and after this one popped up on my social media feed a while ago, I added it to my wish list. I LOVE everything about it, from the aesthetic to the message. (We are definitely keeping all the eggs we own, though. I learned one year that they can keep kids occupied for HOURS.)

Three.

Do any of you wear the blue-light-blocking glasses that are non-prescription? I have listed these on my Amazon shopping list, but I have never actually tried any. As a bit of back story...I do not wear glasses or contacts. My vision is better than perfect, though it's not as amazingly better-than-perfect as it used to be. Sad day. I am not ready for readers or even a light prescription, which is fabulous, and I have no complaints about that. But I do love glasses as an accessory. I have loved them ever since I was a kid. (Back then, they sold clear-glass "Attitude" glasses, and I had some and loved them. I wore them to school, got in trouble from a teacher's assistant, and wasn't allowed to wear them to school anymore. I think that was the first time I begged my parents to tell the school to back off. They both worked in the school, so my argument fell flat.) Since I do spend so much time on my computer and phone, the blue-light-blocking glasses intrigue me - plus they could double as an accessory. But I am just wondering if anyone has tried them and has a review on how they work or don't work? 

Four.

I saw this candle on someone's social media feed and had to put it on my wish list. How cool is the design!? Plus, it's unscented (unless you get the citronella version) and made from beeswax, so it's not a terrible candle for you! It's based on the courting candles of yore...when they burned down to the clip, it was time for the suitor to go home. (Ryan can stay.) 

Five.

One of the ladies I follow on Instagram recommended this neck massager - and I've had it on my wish list ever since. She's an artist and spends a lot of time painting, so her neck/back/shoulders are often tight from extensive painting sessions. I have a feeling if I owned this, I'd never let it out of my sight. 

Six.

And finally, this is in the running (ha! See what I did there?) for a rug for our foyer. We are doing fine without a rug, but I think this would be a sweet completer piece to that area! I have another one that I'm looking at too, but I think this one would coordinate perfectly with our living room area rug, which isn't that far away from the foyer! 

Update on July Goals

1. Try out some regular office hours at Love INC.

I spent the first week of the month in the office each day with Ryan, filling in for his office manager while she was on vacation. It was incredibly helpful for me to sit in that role to learn (by immersion!) how the daily operations go. I really enjoyed it, even though at times, it was overwhelming to figure out how to make it run smoothly. (It probably didn't help that Ryan said he had never seen the place as busy as it was the week I was there - ha!) After that, I spent one day each week in the office and worked the rest of the days from home. The two environments are very different, and there are pros and cons to each. But I enjoyed the change of pace, for sure. Maybe sometime I'll do a post about the difference in the two environments! 

2. Return to a regular workout schedule.

Remember how great I felt after a month of stretching? I didn't feel quite as great (even though I kept the daily stretching!) after adding workouts back into the schedule. WHEW! Even though they were manageable in every way (time, intensity, equipment, etc.), they also made me so, so sore. And then I got an actual hamstring injury. Ryan advised me to take a few days to recover, and I listened to him. After all, he's the one with the degree and the one who has to work on me when I get hurt! The whole thing taught me quite a bit about the purpose of working out, as I shared yesterday! Ultimately, I hit the reset button on the workouts and decided to keep pursuing a search for something that works better for me. (More on this in another post?) So to officially update the goal, I did work out some this month, but it did not happen every day, and I still haven't found the final answer on my next plan. 

3. Continue making plans for our tenth anniversary. 

And....done! Well, mostly, anyway. We started the month by making sure all our lodging reservations were secured, and then I moved on to mapping out the itinerary. It is done in its main form. The disadvantage of planning so early is that most places haven't released their event schedule that far out. (The bonus of getting married in the Christmas season is that holiday celebrations are underway no matter where we go. But not every location had their festivity calendar listed yet. I found what I could and worked it into the schedule. I'll keep checking as we get closer to see if I need to do any tweaking!)  We are both super excited about everything we have planned! We would be wishing it here in a hurry if that didn't mean wishing away the rest of our warm summer days.

4. Try one fun hair thing each week.

The first week of July was the last week before I got my hair cut and colored, so I had to be pretty careful about what I did. No need to accentuate the roots, right? I did a half-pull-back thing that I actually really liked. It kept the hair out of my face nicely while I worked at the office!

By the second week, I had gotten my roots touched up, so I had a bit more freedom. I did a couple of braids on one side the day we went to the fair. We were running late as we left, so I didn't get a picture until the end of the day, and it was starting to look a little bedraggled by then. Ryan said it had looked more polished at the start of the day.

The third week, I tried a Dutch braid that morphed into a ponytail. I did this the day of the parade we attended, because the forecast said it was going to be suuuuuuuuuuuuper hot, and I wanted everything out of my face. I am rusty on my braiding, but I thought it turned out pretty well, considering! 

And the fourth week, I did a twisty thing that kept the hair out of my face but still looked sort of professional. I did this on a day when I was both hanging out at home and representing Love INC for part of the day, too!

5. Do a couple more of my top ten house project items. 

Well, I didn't get the painting done. That's a sad day. I really did think this might be a good month for it, but we'll try again another time. I did, however, get all the window candles put in windows. (Now we just have to get new batteries for them.) I did not have enough to put them in ALL the windows, but it's a start. Some day I'll get more. I also put lamps in the guest room and am very happy with how that turned out. 

6. Work on decorating Ryan's office at Love INC.

This will be a continual work in progress, but it's a fine start. The paint color in his office is challenging for decorating. It's a very bright green (even though it's light, it's still REALLY bright) and doesn't match much of anything we own. We don't have a decorating budget for the office, so I'm relying on things we already own or things I can find thrifted/inexpensively. I have put a few things in there to make it feel more like home for him, and I have also begun a list of things I want to look for to continue making it a better looking room. 

7. Start my Love INC training. 

I did this! You know what I learned first in my training? Those two years at WillowBridge really helped put me in the right frame of mind to understand the work of Love INC. God wastes nothing! The training I did this month was an online, introductory, self-paced module that taught me about the philosophy of Redemptive Compassion and the work of the Clearinghouse Coordinator, which will ultimately be part of what I do in working with Ryan. I really enjoyed the speaker and learned MUCH from what she had to say! What I did this month is the most I can do at this time. I have some other trainings coming up, but I have to wait for them, because they are live (either online or in person) and have to be done on specific days. This was a great start, though, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to start learning more specifically!

Other

 * I went through all our scrapbooks for the first time since we moved and put everything in order, made sure nothing was missing/unaccounted for from the move, and put them away in proper order. I also finished/ordered three more books, since there was an unlimited pages sale, and started on our next chronological album. I also knocked out an album of a trip from a few years ago that I had never scrapbooked. There's a whole story behind that, but completing this project was good for me in a variety of ways.

* I also went through all my old journals for the first time since we moved and made sure none had gotten lost/misplaced in the move. I put them all in order and made a mental note to read through them sometime just for funsies.

* Paula inspired me to crack down on my cleaning schedule, so I returned to that in full force this month. (I blogged about my cleaning schedule here, but I had slacked off on the weekly division of chores. Thanks, Paula, for getting me fully back on track!)

* I recreated most of the signs for the Love INC office so they would reflect the new logo the national office released earlier this year. I had so much fun making them! 

* While I was creating, I also made a number of promotional items Ryan can use when he speaks at churches and events. I made a couple of fun infographics for him to share with his board, to show what he's been doing throughout the month. I really enjoyed all the creating! 

* I did a lot of research on the whole wardrobe project I started back in June. I learned so much and began looking at clothing through new lenses of what ACTUALLY works for me. I started sorting through my clothes to see what needs to go and what I should bring in to replace them. I'll do a post about this sometime. 

* Ryan and I were able to speak at the Rotary Club this month (for Love INC), which we did not know about at the beginning of the month. But we were able to put together a presentation, and I thought it went really well. And then a week later, we spoke at a church, too! It was a quick time of sharing, but we were able to be there to meet some of the local people. We really enjoyed both things!

What I Learned in July

I know we have a couple more days left in July, so it's entirely possible I'll learn something else before it's said and done, but I wanted to give you a goal update tomorrow, and then Monday starts August! So today I'll tell you the things I've learned (so far) in July. 

* A group of pandas is called an embarrassment. (Also cupboard or bamboo.)

I actually don't remember now where I ran across this little tidbit of information. (It's also entirely possible that I've learned it before and forgotten it, so this might be a refresher!) I don't know if I saw it on social media or TV, but regardless of the source, I still think it's strange. If you go out to herd sheep, do you go out to embarrass pandas? 

* If you have trouble with a ring sliding off, secure it in place with a thin silicone ring.

It hasn't happened too often, but there have been a handful of instances in my life when my engagement ring has fallen off and gone missing temporarily. (The most recent time was over a year ago at WillowBridge, and I found it in the landscaping! It was a cold day, I had walked outside, and it had slipped off my hand and fallen into the ivy along the sidewalk.) A few years ago, we tried to get a metal piece to attach to it to help it fit better in cold weather, but they were insanely expensive. I have a personal conviction about ever taking off my ring for any reason, so I don't want to take it off even to replace it with a silicone ring when I'm doing outdoor activities, etc. But I saw an idea this month to purchase a very thin silicone ring and slide it up against your ring to keep it in place when your fingers are cold, and your rings are likely to fall off. That idea appealed to me!

(I remember when we were doing the waterfall excursion in the Dominican Republic, and the water was FREEEEEEEEEEZING. I swam with my hand balled into a fist to keep my rings in place!)

* If you don't want a turkey gobbler in a photo, put your tongue on the roof of your mouth when you smile. 

I saw this one on Instagram! You know how it goes when you smile for a picture and then get frustrated by a double chin? If you put your tongue on the roof of your mouth when you smile, it will help eliminate that. I checked, and it really works! Now I just have to learn to do it with my mouth closed so it doesn't look like I'm sticking out my tongue between my teeth mid-smile! 

* It's important to know why you're working out.

One of my goals for the month of July was to return to regular workouts. I'll talk more about this tomorrow, but the short answer was that it did not go well. Rather than ONLY getting irritated by this, I tried to turn it into a learning experience. I read a very helpful article that pushed me to examine a handful of things, and one of those things was why I was working out. Was I doing it to check off goal boxes? To lose weight? To get stronger? 

Early on in the month, I got a pretty ugly hamstring injury, and Ryan advised me to take a break until it was better. I was not happy about it, because at that point, my goal WAS to check off boxes, but I knew he was right about taking a break if I wanted to heal. So, during my break, I found the helpful article and challenged myself to find a better why for working out, Ultimately, I realized I wanted (more than anything else) to become stronger and feel better about myself. And I really want to enjoy whatever it is I do for exercise. 

I also had to remind my Type A self that sometimes a workout is from life and not from a video. The day we reseeded the yard, I planned to still do a workout video, but by night, I couldn't move. I had done a neighborhood walk with Ryan and Lexi that morning. I had walked four miles on the greenway with my friend that afternoon. I had helped scatter straw over the entire yard. I had walked 20,000 steps and lifted/bent/carried...all of it. That is a workout. It's important for me to remind myself that workouts exist at all because in general, we don't move and work like people used to in daily life. If I have a manual-labor-intensive day, that really IS still a workout! 

This whole part of my life is still a work in progress, but I'm learning things that matter for the long haul, and that makes me happy. 

* I need new shorts.

I cannot tell you how many times this month I looked at pictures that popped up in my Facebook memories from 11-12 years ago and said to Ryan, "Hey! I'm wearing those shorts today!" TIME FOR NEW CLOTHES, BEKAH!!!!

I've actually been working on a new wardrobe plan, so new shorts (and other items, too) are on the list. You know, there's something to be said for clothing that has enough quality for longevity, but there's also something to be said for knowing when something needs to retire. These shorts need to retire. ;) 

* Our lives now allow for side work if we desire.

The work we did for the last two years was so all-encompassing that there was absolutely no room for any kind of side anything. Prior to WillowBridge, I did some freelance writing once or twice a year for the Wesleyan Church, but I had to decline the offers to write while we were at WillowBridge, because I didn't have the time to put in the research and writing time. (Devotional writing is a very specific genre that is SO challenging for me, because the word count is minimal. A lot of work goes into whittling down the message enough to fit in the space while still conveying something of value.) I'm grateful that somehow I remained on the list of people to contact for writing assignments, and this month I accepted one! 

In addition to that, we've been considering how we might do some work on the side, both for the fun of it and to supplement our income! To even have the freedom to consider this is something new and delightful. I am thankful for it. Dreaming is one of our favorite things, so this is extra fun. 

* There should be a whole course for people who buy brand new homes, so they know how to advocate for themselves when it comes to yard and landscaping.

I look forward to the day when my writing material does not revolve around yards. We have learned a TON in this yard-growing process, and unfortunately, much of it has been a costly learning experience. Ryan is experienced in yard work, he does lots of research, and we are fairly intelligent people, but we had a lot to learn that would have been nice TO learn before going through what we just went through. 

Maybe someday I'll write a post about it, but this is an area where we definitely wish we could have learned what to ask for, fight for, and advocate for. It would have saved us so much in time and money. 

Day in the Life...July 2022

 I had fun documenting our day in June, so I thought I'd do another one this month!

Tuesday, July 26, 2022
Ryan is 43, Bekah is 44, Braeya is 16, and Lexi is 8 months old
The high for today is 80 and it's sunny

* Ryan gets up super early to check the yard to see if it needs watered. The dew is heavy, and he plans to mow tonight, so he decides not to do a morning  watering and turns off the sprinklers for today so the grass will be dry by tonight. He takes some time to read his Bible and pray while I'm still sleeping.

* I get up and throw on some clothes - actually a sweatshirt and capris, because it's in the low 60s at the moment. Though it hasn't been QUITE as hot the last couple of days, it's still not been sweatshirt level, so this feels strange. Somehow, even though I've only been up for two minutes and haven't had coffee, I remember we need a refill on Lexi's poop bags in our walking bag, so I do that while Ryan gets Lexi up. We head out on our walk, which is pretty and sunny! Lexi is FULL of energy this morning!

* We come home and Ryan cleans off Lexi's paws (which she now offers on command...it's so cute!) and then I bring her inside to feed her breakfast. She pushes that Kong all over the floor, getting every last piece of food out of it. While she's distracted, Ryan and I make the bed, open the rest of the blinds, and I change our little perpetual calendar to today's date. 

* I grab my laptop and take it to the kitchen table to do some work, and I turn on Good Bones for Lexi to watch. (This show is set in Indianapolis, if you're not familiar, so I enjoy watching it as much for the familiar scenery as for the renovation work itself.) Ryan starts getting ready for work, and I pour my first cup of coffee and get my first water glass out to drink up for the day!

* I pull up Facebook to do the daily post for Love INC and see this picture in a memory from nine years ago today. Ryan was driving The Asphyxiator (which we no longer have, praise the Lord!) to work and the hood flew up while he was driving! He had to pull over and tie it down with the only thing he had: an orange extension cord. I do not miss this truck, but I do giggle at the memory. 

* Ryan warms up leftover biscuits and gravy from this past weekend and sits to have breakfast. While he eats, I pack his lunch for today - which is leftover soup I made yesterday. (It was a new-to-us recipe called Spring Chicken Soup. It's pretty good!) Soup, crackers, leftover Texas Sheet Cake from the youth group fundraiser on Sunday, and some snacks! 

* He has a few minutes before he leaves for work, so Ryan unloads the dishwasher, puts away what he can, and puts the rest on a dish mat to finish drying. Meanwhile, I'm on to my second cup of coffee. 

* Ryan leaves for work and I make PB&J toast for my breakfast. It's one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast, currently. I use all-natural peanut butter and organic strawberry jelly on sourdough bread. DELISH. I scroll Facebook and Instagram while I eat my breakfast, and then I take a look over the list of things to do today so I can choose the order. 

* One of the things Ryan and I have in common is that both of us had a sister named Lori lose a baby to stillbirth (before we were married). Today's is Ryan's niece's 14th birthday, so I text his sister to let her know I'm praying for her and remembering the baby with her today. Then I text Ryan's brother to wish him a happy birthday. I also send a quick text to Lynnette, who came to visit yesterday, sending her the pictures I took during her visit. I kind of forgot to send those until very late last night, and I didn't want to wake her up, so I waited until this morning. 

* I decide to start my day by beginning the next step of training for Love INC.  It's an online, self-paced training called Clearinghouse 101. This training is specific to the work I'm doing with Ryan. I do a couple of the sessions and then take a break to get ready for the day. I say hi to Braeya on my way into the bathroom. She's asleep on the chair.  

* I take a shower (hair-washing day today!) and when I get out, I find a text from Ryan with a screen shot from a local paper, announcing his new position at Love INC. So proud of him!!! I'm really warm from the shower, so I refill my water glass and get busy on my second 32 ounces for the day. I get dressed and decide to straighten my hair today instead of doing it curly. It'll take longer today, but it will also last for up to 5 days. I will be glad later I put in the work today. 

* While I work on the hair, I listen to a Marco Polo from my friend Jamie and send one back to her. I normally would put on my makeup at this time too, but I have a feeling I have an upcoming conversation that might make me cry, so I hold off on the face. No need to do it twice! When I come out of the bathroom, Lexi is super happy to see me and has tons of hugs and kisses awaiting. I put some granola in a cup for a morning snack and work on a few more things for Love INC. 

* After doing several more training sessions (and having some more coffee), it's almost time for lunch! I plug in the laptop to make sure I don't lose it, grab the charger to plug in my phone (Marco Polo drains it) and take a break to warm up my lunch and feed Lexi her lunch! I'm eating the same thing Ryan is having - and I do a little internet surfing while I eat. Lexi polishes off her lunch Kong and goes back to the couch to watch the Christmas movies that are now playing! 

* I finish eating lunch and put away the rest of the dishes that had been air drying on the counter since this morning. Ryan calls just as I finish, so I talk to him while I dust the house! We talk for the remainder of his lunch hour. It's so fun to hear him share all the stories from his morning. He's made some new contacts in some area agencies, so he wants to fill me in! 

* Ryan has to go back to work, so we hang up the phone and I decide to do my Bible study. I just started the fourth of five studies in Genesis through Precept Ministries. I'm reading about the account of Isaac marrying Rebekah and the births of Jacob and Esau. While I study, Lexi watches me over the back of the couch - hanging onto her stuffed duck!

* After I do my study, I pause to check my email and answer messages. I notice a couple more Marco Polo messages have come in - so I listen to those and answer. One is from my former WillowBridge co-workers, and her little girl always wants to talk to me when she messages, so it's fun to hear "HI BEKAH!!!!!" And the other one is from a friend who paused to pray for me during the message - what a sweet gift! I decide to make a little chai treat since it's not such a super hot day, so I make that during my Marco Polo festival. 

* Next up: I do my daily free-writes. I have two writing prompts every day. One is general and one is from a Scripture passage. I spend about ten minutes on each one. One of today's prompts is a lot of fun, and the other is crazy convicting. Toes stepped on!!! I complete those and remember that I have not made Wednesday or Thursday's social media posts for Love INC. I work about a month ahead on posts, but the Wednesday and Thursday posts each week often hold time-sensitive information, so I make them much closer to real time. This week I'm featuring the church Ryan and I spoke at on Sunday - so I pause to make the graphics and write the texts for each one. 

* I give Lexi her afternoon snack and then sit down to hang out with her for a while. She's entertained herself so well all day! Ryan calls at the end of his day to let me know he's coming home, and Lexi is waiting at the door when he arrives. She is SO EXCITED to see him!

* Ryan makes our afternoon smoothies for us, and we rest while we drink those. (We switch off making them, but he takes a turn today.) We love our smoothies!

* Ryan wants to go out and mow the yard/weeds, so he changes his clothes and heads outside. While he's mowing, I write the love note for his lunch tomorrow and clean all the fruit we bought at the grocery store so I can make new smoothie packs. Can't run out of those! I end up with 13 bags for the freezer and am happy with that.

* I was supposed to have cleaned the bathrooms yesterday, but we had company and I didn't get it done. So I clean both bathrooms and then start my third glass of water for today. Ryan is almost done with the mowing and trimming, so I check on what time he wants to eat dinner. We're just doing an easy salad kit for dinner, so I can have it ready in just a few minutes. He says he is ready as soon as he finishes the yard, so I come inside and start assembling the salads. 

* Yes, I know it's evening, but I have a meeting to go to, so right around dinnertime I put on my makeup and some earrings. Ryan comes in, we give Lexi her last Kong of the day, and then we sit down to eat dinner and watch Chain Reaction. We both do pretty well on tonight's puzzles! 

* Ryan turns on the sprinklers, since he's done with yard work and the yard has dried out again. They get to work, and he takes a shower. Humid day here + yard work = sticky, sweaty mess! He also starts the dishwasher, because somehow it managed to get full again throughout the day!

* I gather up my day planner and purse, make a travel mug of coffee, and prepare to go to my meeting. It's for a women's conference taking place next month. I'm not a speaker for this one, but I'm part of the planning committee. The meeting is about 25 minutes away, and I need to swing by a church near there to take a picture for Love INC before the meeting starts. 

* The meeting is in this really cute building that has exposed brick walls. Love it. It lasts about an hour and a half, and we spend that time trying to nail down the specific schedule for the day and other details - like food and door prizes. 

* While I'm gone, Ryan documents his evening, which included...climbing on the roof??? He said he noticed some nails scattered on the roof, left behind by the builders, so he climbed up there to get them down. He spends quite a bit of the evening monitoring all the sprinklers, too.

* When it becomes clear I am not going to get home in time for the evening walk (sadness, because I needed the steps!) he goes ahead and takes her around the neighborhood.  While they're out, a little Yorkie pulls up its yard stake and tears down the street after them. Ryan has to disentangle the dogs and walk the Yorkie home, ring the doorbell, and notify the owner that her dog has run away. I'm not entirely sorry I missed that drama! 

* He also takes a picture of the sunset for me, while he's out on the walk, because he knows I'm missing it in my meeting! After my meeting ends, I hurry home and receive endless kisses from Lexi - and from Ryan, too! :) 

* Also while I was gone, our neighbor stops over with some flowers and mint from her garden, so Ryan puts them in a vase for me! So pretty! 

* Ryan does his set of evening chores: refilling the dog food Kongs, setting up the coffee pot for the morning, refilling the Keurig reservoir, and emptying the dishwasher again. While he does that, I work on the blog, finish my third water, and have a little trail mix for a snack. We also talk over our plans for tomorrow, which have changed. 

* We sat down to watch a show called Edge. It's just the third episode. It's a documentary-style show about people who do intense expeditions. This one is about mountain climbing. Terrifying and fascinating all at once. I keep working on the blog while we watch. 

* When I finish the blog, I do my journaling for the evening, and then it's time to do my stretches. Ryan documents that for me, since we realize I've only been in one picture this whole day - whoopsie! 

* We put Lexi to bed and then it's time for US to go to bed! My last move is to write down my to-do list (as much as I know it) and document my prayer and praise section for the day!