days of nuwanda

Last day of school

I don't have much to say except it's the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! WOOHOO! (My Man started singing Alice Cooper's School's Out and I nearly barfed!) I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow and all summer long! I'm bummed that Grace's school does not do an official kindergarten graduation ceremony. They are having a small awards program in the classroom, but come on, that doesn't cut it! Jacob had a big graducation ceremony when he was in kindergarten 3 years ago--cap-n-gown, marching in, receiving diplomas--so I was expecting the same for her. Oh well. She picked out her fave dress and her cute little sandals and was happy as could be. She's been gathering the phone numbers of all her friends, so I have a feeling my phone's gonna get a workout this summer with 6-year old chatter. :)

Here's to summer!

Anniversary weekend

My Man and I got away last weekend to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary and basically to catch up. He's been back-n-forth to North Carolina on a project since starting his new job 4 weeks ago, which means we don't connect much. So we had our friend come stay with the kids while we stayed in downtown Indy near Circle Centre Mall, enjoyed eating at the Weber Grille, shopped our hearts out (Love the downtown TJ Maxx!), and saw The Avengers movie (which was awesome! Surprisingly enough, Hulk was my fave character). The weather was so nice--great for just walking around looking for the Jeep, which we temporarily lost in a parking garage...hahaha! That's a story for another time!

On our way home through Carmel/Noblesville, we checked out UrbanSpoon, a phone app that showcases local restaurants, and came across BoomBozz, a pizza joint with rave reviews. The place was packed, so we ate in the bar and got seated right away. We had the pretzel sticks, which were amazing, and a specialty pizza--half buffalo chicken, half greek. WOW! My Man is a pizza connoisseur and tries pizza places wherever he travels, so he knows a thing or two about it. And he couldn't say enough good things about the crust, which held up under a crazy amount of toppings. It became our fave pizza EVER in a matter of seconds, and we are making plans to go back w/ our other pizza-connoisseur friends. Wow, so good! We talked to the manager/owner, and found out BoomBozz has won international awards and was featured on the Food Network. Now we know why! They are a relatively new, small chain with restaurants only in IN, KY, and AZ for now, but I'm certain they are going to explode. 

BoomBozz waiters were wearing fun tshirts, which endeared me to the place even more. 

Fellow realistic mom

I love this blog posted by a Mom after my own heart! (You must read the whole thing, but here's a funny clip...)

My point is this. I used to worry that not only was I failing to do a good enough job at parenting, but that I wasn't enjoying it enough. Double failure. I felt guilty because I wasn't in parental ecstasy every hour of every day and I wasn't MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY MOMENT like the mamas in the parenting magazines seemed to be doing. I felt guilty because honestly, I was tired and cranky and ready for the day to be over quite often. And because I knew that one day, I'd wake up and the kids would be gone, and I'd be the old lady in the grocery store with my hand over my heart. Would I be able to say I enjoyed every moment? No.

But the fact remains that I will be that nostalgic lady. I just hope to be one with a clear memory. And here's what I hope to say to the younger mama gritting her teeth in line:

"It's hard, isn't it? You're a good mom, I can tell. And I like your kids, especially that one peeing in the corner. She's my favorite. Carry on, warrior. Six hours till bedtime."

People who pretend that parenting is joyful all the time are not living in reality, and I think we do a disservice to our friends when we wear the "I've got it all under control" mask. Parenting is work, people. Yes, there are these whopper rewards, in the form of hugs and smiles and precious moments when you see the handiwork of God in His precious creation. But anyone who says, "I loved every single minute of it when my son was a toddler!" is clearly unstable and suffering from amnesia. And I'm very suspicious of them. For real. :) 

Chicks!

Jacob's class at school had a 3 week-segment studying embryology and had a bunch of chicken eggs in a hatchery inside their classroom (in coordination with Purdue University). It seems a little odd for 3rd graders to even know the word embryology, but who wouldn't love cute little chicks hatching from eggs, right? 19 of the eggs hatched into cute little chicks, and the kids and I visited his class last week. Jacob adopted a little guy that he named Peeps who has a black spot on the top of his head. Very cute, and he didn't even poop on us. :)

Even more flowers...

Most of our flowers are blooming about one month early this year, after our unusually warm weather for most of March, but we don't mind. 

Happy Hour

S*bucks has brought back Happy Hour--1/2 off frappuccinos every day from 3-5 pm today through Sunday the 13th. Now this is my kind of happy hour. It's almost like they're celebrating my birthday early! :)

New job and more

A week ago my Man started a new phase of his career by joining a new company. He's doing pretty much the same IT consulting--content management, document imaging--this time strictly as a business analyst. This transition followed months of unease at work and more stuff I won't get into here. Bottom line was that he wanted to leave his job, wasn't sure how easy it would be to get out due to a stiff non-compete contract, and then finally decided to just stay put and enjoy the world of employment when so many others are out of work.

That was when God did something cool--he sent employers after him big time. In the span of two months, he had 4 companies pursue him and offer him a job, all w/o him having lifted a finger to search for a job. These were former customers/coworkers who had beey very impressed w/ him on previous projects. (It was a much-needed boost to his confidence, too.) It became so clear that we were not in control, that we were simply to trust and ride the wave and see where God was taking him, so we prayed and followed. This led to 2 in-person interviews--one in Dallas, one in Richmond, VA--both which were great, but the VA job won him over w/ their great team, and he started w/ them last week.

God also worked out the other details, including a nice response from his former employer when he left. They were sad to lose him, and gave no indication of any infrigement of the non-compete clause that we'd been so worried about. (They technically have one year to pursue this, but we don't feel they have any reason to.)

This new job is a great step forward and puts my Man right where he wanted to be--using his skill sets again, focused on the business analysis portion, plus opportunities to learn new products. He came back from this interview so pumped, I knew in my heart he would be taking that job almost immediately. Currently he's working on a team in NC and traveling back-n-forth each week. Not our ideal, but I believe that him loving his job is important, and we can manage at home. He won't be on the road forever. 

As an interesting twist on this story, the VA company has asked that we consider relocating to VA within the next year or so. We knew this when he accepted their offer, yet still took the job. People look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them I have peace about possibly moving 12 hours away from Indiana, to a place where we know exactly 3 people in the entire state (we have friends who moved there 2 years ago), to a state far from our family and friends, to a place where we have no real connections and know next to nothing about the area....but I really do have peace. And I know why--God gave it to me. I think He's been preparing us for this scenario for a long time, and again, wants us to simply trust in His good plan and be willing to go where He leads. God's fingerprints are all over this thing, and I have to trust that He's got some cool stuff planned up ahead. Pray with us!

Isaiah 26:3 (Amplified Bible)

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.

More flowers

 

Who knew making coffee could be this beautiful?

Wow, do I need one of these Scanomat Top Brewer coffee machines! Nevermind the price tag, it's iPhone compatible, so I can order a latte while sitting in my office on a cool iPhone app, and my drink will be ready in the kitchen in less than 2 minutes, thus saving me all the effort of having to make it myself. Oh and when I said nevermind the price tag, I really meant that. The price supposedly hasn't been released yet, and I'm guessing that if you have to ask, you can't afford it, much like a yacht or a small, private island. But really, can you put a price tag on ease, comfort, and hot coffee at your fingertips? I think not. Did I mention it's self-cleaning?

This promo video is awesome. I was utterly enchanted! 

Christian Compassion

This article is very cool--a staunch atheist and anti-Christian-activist becomes a Christian after a group of Christians show compassion and help him out. It's the kind of story we shouldn't be surprised by, shouldn't really make the news b/c it should be happening all the time to not be news-worthy, right? Sadly, no. We are all guilty of forgetting Jesus' revised version of the commandments in  Matthew 5:43-48

 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

...and I admit I get angry w/ people/politicians/celebrities and call them names like stupid, unintelligent idiots when they go around bashing Christianity and conservative beliefs and practices and want tolerance from us but won't give any. I get ugly. I show anything but compassion. And it's wrong, and I'm convicted of it. God's been doing a work in my heart about it big time in the last year. I even have a couple democratic friends!

Ok, I said that tongue-in-cheek, but seriously, growing up, I thought there was NO WAY Democrats could believe in Jesus. Republican always = Christian. My eyes have ben opened BIG TIME!

The end of this story is a guy coming to faith in Jesus, not just b/c some people showed his compassion, but b/c GOD did an amazing work in his heart, just like He did in mine. But let's face it--most stories do not end rosy. Most nonbelievers stay in their nonbelief, but Jesus' commandment is still relevant: "Love your enemies."

Lord, help me to show compassion to everyone, to love regardless of beliefs, political views, or associations. Show me how to love outside my comfort zone. Help me not to be a stumbling block to any searching for faith by my lack of compassion toward all men. Give me your eyes to see them as you see them, as sheep without a shepherd. And remind my arrogant heart of where I came from.