I love three day weekends! The first quarter of school has been positive but tiring, and the economic stress of recent weeks has served to make all of us feel the fallout in some way or another. The weekend couldn’t have come soon enough and with gorgeous weather has been practically perfect. The extra day allowed me the time to work in the yard and cook a birthday meal for Daniel. After dinner Don and I hit the hammock to catch a little breeze, view the full moon, and dream aloud about creating a patio area in our backyard since we love being outside so much. We could do the work ourselves right? A little digging, level the ground, build some steps, lay the bricks, put in some landscape lighting, add the greenery, and voila! Patio! I’m not gonna lie, it sounds easy when I say it. Maybe someday.


Don worked a double shift this weekend, so Marla and I’ve been enjoying each other. On Saturday, we walked down to the St. Mary Magdalen Community Festival with some new friends from school and today I pulled vines out of the yard while she played all around me in her long dress and fancy shoes. The vines took most of the afternoon and I found myself deep in the foliage tracing them back to their roots, then tugging, pulling, and yanking them out until my pile was about 4 feet tall.

The best part of the weekend came after dinner and bath time when Marla and I decided to put on some fun music and dance around the house. With no one else home we turned it up and giggled and moved to the beat for about 10 minutes and then decided to finish it off with a little yoga to the same music. Definitely not a peaceful workout, but very fun!

It is good to be able to take the time to relax and pursue a little joy in the midst of a busy season and stressful times. One of the myriad blessings of our lives is that through our life experiences we’ve found ourselves left with a mindset that we’d often thought about but heretofore had not achieved— living one day at a time. We still think of and plan for the future, but are trying to live more in the moment with one another, the ones we love, and our Lord.

I’m thankful for the rest, for the gift of fresh perspective, and for spontaneous moments of dancing.