I admit it...

I admit it, things have been a bit "driven" for me the past week.  We signed on our house last Friday, started moving last Saturday and Sunday, and finished moving on Monday (yeah! - thanks to everyone who helped with the move and watching the kids!)...if you have ever moved, you know the feeling, phew! we are in the house...and yet you look around at all the boxes you have sitting EVERYWHERE and say to yourself, "there's still all THAT unpacking to do!"...well, I just went into unpacking mode, "driven" by my mental "to-do" list of what needed to be done...partly, well mostly motivating was my parents' arrival today.  Not that they cared if anything was unpacked or settled, but it was just good motivation knowing I had to make room and at least unpack the main things so we could carry on in our daily lives and not feel scattered...which I did, I finished with my mental, to-do list an hour before they came...I paced myself throughout the week, but it's been tiring - my mental to-do list wore me out!  My admission, my confession, although I didn't feel very stressed throughout the week or very overwhelmed really (for the most part, don't ask Eric about the hours during the day between end of nap and dinner, those were the roughest this week!), my to do list was "driving" me....I had a choice to allow my list to drive me or me drive the list to completion on my own terms keeping an inner peace and peace with my family.  That's my confession, unfortunately by today, I'm realizing that my list drove me, I did not choose well!...meaning I let the busyness of unpacking and getting settled and getting ready for my parents "drive" me where I slowly became more distant from my desire to create an attitude of thankfulness and became subtly reacquainted with, well, ungracious thoughts - ungracious thoughts to myself and more importantly to those whom I've been entrusted - my family.  You know our family gets the least of us when we try to run on empty -- and I'm talking about empty that comes from not being aware of God's presence and his work in our simple daily lives.  So just as I was so hopeful in turning a new page before the move  and remind myself to make a choice to reflect through the challenges and joys of the day - I went into my "driven" mode and slowly, subtly I didn't even realize that I was not choosing well (why else does my 3-year old not always make the right choices?  Mama doesn't always make the right choices either - case and point - Mama give more grace to mama and your family!)  Does this make sense to anyone?  So I'm faced with a choice tonight, to move forward, to remind myself I do not have to continue in the direction I was heading.  I have a choice to be thankful, to reflect, to consider it joy whatever I find myself in today and tomorrow.  It's amazing how much my soul is lifted when I hand write what I am thankful for at the end of the day or even throughout the day.  It's the simple things that make such a difference!  So I'm moving back to the center, of Christ within me, and am thankful that if I allow myself, I can always be drawn back to his grace and peace.  Phew, what relief!  So today started with O-H-I-O football and we have in the making in our home, some little BUCKEYES!!, I just had to share these with you!  I have a lot to be thankful for today because we are living in our new home which I love and has so much more space; college football has started!!; and my parents so eagerly drove 12 hours to spend the week with Stanley and Clara, and AHEM! maybe Eric and Kendra, too.  We have a fun week ahead of us, a change out of the routine, looking forward to it!!  Here's a few pics from the day, and may you be reminded, too, of the things in which you can be thankful!  Choose well!

Squeeze!!

My cheese-y girl!

Go BUCKS!!

Clearly, a daddy's girl!

Stanley threw around that football, yelling TOUCHDOWN
all afternoon! :)

Playing with daddy!

Thatta girl!  She's got the "H" in O-H-I-O

Such brotherly and sisterly love!

And, there you have it, the week started out with a BANG!  Grandma and Roger Dean
sleep on the couch while Stanley shows them around on the IPad, don't worry Stanley, they
will get more sleep tonight and be ready to go tomorrow!

These are just a few of my moments today that I have to be thankful for...
thanks for stopping!
Coming soon...
some pics of our new abode!
Stay tuned!