A Day Off

Taking a day off today.

No, really.

Okay, well...sort of.  I do have to work tonight, playing for an associational event.  And that means I have to go pick up gear and do set up and sound check and all that.  It'll be a four or five hour investment.

Some other week, that four or five hours would simply top off my normal workday.

But not this week.  I'm learning to be just a bit more self-protective, recognizing that the world will continue to spin whether or not I frenetically struggle through the day.

So I'm letting go.  I'm staying home and doing some much-needed housecleaning/keeping/organization.  Some of this is absolutely necessary; the weather has finally turned chilly, and we're still pulling out shorts and t-shirts.  Time to climb up into the attic and sort through the winter clothes.

Some of it is just a search for peace.  I need some quiet stillness, some moments alone with God.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to text my boss and say, "I need a day off" without fear of repercussion or recrimination.

So off I go, into my day-at-home.  Of course, I have a sick kid upstairs in my bed (David stayed home yesterday, today it's Sydni; general malaise, coughing, headache), which keeps me in "mother mode".  But that's okay.  I can handle that...

ImpACT

Sitting before a hot cup of coffee. Exhausted, as usual. But...

I am so proud of my church. We worked today, another ImpACT project. See the paint on my hands? I was privileged to work all afternoon.

We went in two waves - one after 9:30 service, one after 11:00.

We blanketed Bell Road and the Powhatan Lakes neighborhood.

Twelve houses had agreed to participate.

We put all new windows in a home that had nothing but tarps over cracked and broken glass.

We painted entire houses.

We rebuilt decks.

Replaced toilets.

Pressure washed siding.

Landscaped.

Spread mulch.

Removed trees and stumps.

Among other things....

And we met some awesome people.


At the house where I worked all day, the homeowner - Freddy - was a great and friendly guy. He told me that some of his neighbors scoffed at him. "Nobody does something for nothin' ", they said.

He hugged me. "But I'm going back to tell them it's true. Thank you so much."

We helped people who could not help themselves with tasks that seemed insurrmountable in their eyes.

But nothing is impossible with God.

I feel a little like Michelle Obama, when she said, "For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country." I have been part of church after church since I became a Christ-follower. For the first time in my life, I'm part of a church that puts its money - and its sweat and blood and time and effort - where its mouth is. I'm part of a movement - a community - that values and honors the basic human dignity in every man and woman more than it does church attendance and offerings.

I am so proud of my church. I am so honored to be part of God's kingdom. I am so thankful for my friends and fellow believers.

I am filled with gratitude.

S-H-A-N-N-O-N!

I cracked Shannon's laptop open this afternoon to do a bit of work on her machine and discovered this amusing picture as her desktop wallpaper. Last week during the homecoming festivities, Shannon signed up on play Powder Puff football. Her siblings organized a core of suppporters who showed up willing to a) bare their midriffs and b) paint a letter on said midriff. I saw them all getting ready, even drove them around and helped get them organized - but I didn't get the full effect of the 'cheer' until I saw this picture.

Just in case you need assistance, that's brother as the'H', sister as the 'a', other sister as the 'O' and baby brother as the exclamation point.

That's some spirit.

The Photographer In Action

She takes all the pictures.  She discourages me from using my "piece of junk camera".  She is a bit of a camera snob, firing away with her Canon digital in one hand and the Nikon 35mm in the other.

But she's good.  She knows what she's talking about.

And she is cool, to the nth degree.

And I snapped a few shots of her when she wasn't looking.

An Applicious Day

We went to Carter Mountain Orchard today.  A 60 minute drive to Charlottesville produced some great conversation - included some heated political debate and discussion.

The weather was perfect - absolutely beautiful.  Virginia in the fall is spectacular.  

We haven't been on the road much - at least not like we used to, when we made monthly jaunts to Ohio or West Virginia to see Lonnie.  As hard as it seemed at the time, we realize now how much we miss the opportunity for frequent road trips.  Listening to music, reading and napping, having sometimes-intense conversations - it's all part of the fun.  I'm really thankful for a day off and an opportunity to see the countryside.

And pick apples.

Sarah took about 487 pictures.  Here are a few.

The leaves were beautiful; they are just beginning to turn.  Sarah caught a great shot of gold here...

Big Red!  This car has been such a workhorse; close to 200,000 miles and still trucking!  

Syd was literally hanging out the car window as we drove down the mountain.  Sarah encouraged her every step of the way...anything for a photo!

Ah, my girls....

Foraging for fruit...we were lazy pickers, but we ended up with a bag full.

My youngest daughter....

David is never very interested in posing.  But he liked the pumpkins.  We brought one home - all 30 pounds...

Brawley Boy And Best Friend

"Mom, can we 

PUUUHHHHHLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEZZZZEEEEEEE 

go get some water ballons on this REEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLY 

hot day?"

Brawley Girls

It's homecoming week.  There's been a lot of energy, wild dressing and craziness.  Not sure if anything productive has happened at school, but they sure have had a great time.