An invitation...

...to think about things a little differently. Actually, I think this is more like an invitation to participate in an exercise to change the way our brains tend to work. I came across this quote the other day and it has definitely challenged me:

"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered."
- G. K. Chesterton

How prone I am to this way of thinking! A trap, really. Why is it that a deluge of rain on my first mountain biking adventure turned it into unforgettable fun while slow checkout lines or waylaid plans always throw me into a frenzy of frustration?

(Actually, that's probably a bad example. The deluge of rain made it impossible to ride. We were forced to walk/push our bikes through the sludge for the entire second half of the "ride". Of course I would enjoy walking a bike rather than riding it - the likelihood that I would go careening into a rock was considerably reduced! Of course that would be my preference! But, I'm sure you get my point.)

Anyways. Anyone up for starting an adventure club with me?

A Message for David J. Godec:

PS - Notice how the sweat band shows up so clearly in the picture? Eewww. Now that's just nasty.

I Lost 5 Pounds Today.

How in the world, you might ask, did I accomplish such a feat? (Especially while pregnant?)

I cleaned out my purse.

Yep. I'm embarrassed to say, but it really was that bad. A task that had become long overdue.

What got tossed?

• 2 Dum Dum suckers
• a huge stack of receipts, already recorded and totally unnecessary
• several old grocery lists
• a fig newton (still in the wrapper, thank God) that was smashed beyond recognition
• an empty tea tin that I don't want to get rid of - it's pink and it's the kind that pops open when you push on the center!
• 2 of my cocktail rings that must have gotten in the way so I pulled them off
• a half-eaten granola bar, thank you Owen (still in it's wrapper, too - whew!)
• an empty package of gum
• Caleb's half-eaten package of animal crackers from Sunday School
• my envelope of ultrasound pictures (Oh, beautiful fig!)
• parts that broke off of Caleb's scooter - these have, honest to goodness, been riding around in there since mid-July. I had no intention of putting them back on. They're completely unnecessary parts, but apparently I felt they were important enough to lug them around on my shoulder for 3 months.
• May's cat collar that's too big and keeps slipping off. Hey! I figure if it's in my purse at least it's not getting lost somewhere in the house where it'd be really hard to find!

Last and worst of all...

• a really embarrassing amount of dry cat food that was rattling around in the bottom of every pocket - the result of a feed-the-cat-on-the-way-out-the-door disaster of cat food flying through the laundry room. Ugh.

Like I said, this was definitely overdue. Next, I guess, it's my car. I don't think I'll tell you what I find in there, though. I'm horrified to think of the discoveries that await me. All I will say, though, is that I'm sure the things I find in there (like the things in my purse) are mostly not my fault. Boys...ick.

The Prettiest Fig

It is my immense pleasure to present to you one of the first pictures of Taylor Baby #3. Or, as she (we're speaking in faith) has lovingly been referred to lately, "Fig". According to the website I've been following during this pregnancy, that's about the size of a baby at 11 weeks...a fig. Only one and a half inches long, but oh-so-incredible already. It was breathtaking to watch on the screen as she squirmed and wriggled inside of me. Such huge movements for such a teeny body, and I don't yet feel a thing. So weird. It's only been about 9 weeks since conception and already her little body is almost completely formed. Her job now is to continue to mature and grow like crazy. She even has the beginnings of fingernails and tiny little teeth buds. It blows me away!

What an incredible gift, to be able to carry new life inside of you. To know that, in your belly, a new little life is growing, developing and being nurtured. Jesus, I thank You that Your hand has been on this little one from the very beginning and that You continue to watch over her, shelter her and protect her. Keep her safe as she grows and develops inside of me, and I thank You that for all of her days, she will be led and taught by You.