CLEAN

While Chris was enjoying a conference with other like-minded leaders in Germany, the girls and I celebrated our week off by cleaning, cleaning out and cleaning up. Don’t be jealous!

While Addison has the deluxe pleasure of having her own room, the “little girls” (my Parker and Libby) get … (notice how diplomatically I worded that?) … get to share a room. In an effort to help Parker have some much needed pre-teen privacy, we have been in the process of redoing their room. Parker has traded her twin for a full-sized bed. We also spruced up old bedding with new and an old room divider with new paint. They (the “little girls”) actually painted the room divider themselves!

Now, before you start feeling super sorry for us little Cinderella’s we did get to celebrate at the end of the week by hosting a dear friend, Sheri, from Tucson, Arizona.

Sheri became my friend when we moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1998. She had two sons that became then 3 year-old Addison’s, playmates. Although our time together was short-lived, less than 2 years, God knitted us together. The strength of those stitches were seen and experienced during our weekend together. As we sat over coffee and pastries, and I rattled on and on about my deepest struggles and she sat there … ever so earnestly listening and offering pearls of wisdom … I praised God for the value of true, heart friendships! We did some sightseeing, drank some good coffee, ate a few pastries, but perhaps the most watering to my soul was the conversations around our dining room table just sharing life, laughing and reminiscing. I’ve often heard others declare that God uses His people to communicate aspects of Himself. God used my Sheri to communicate deep love and affection through the bonds of friendship. I feel so loved on by her … and my Father!

And, speaking of love … the girls have a Valentine’s Dinner planned for their Dad. Shhhh … it’s a surprise! It will happen tonight so don’t spill the beans! I’ll be sure to post pictures later!