Time to Stand and Stare: Back to the Present!

I am back from a longer-than-intended hiatus! The last few weeks have been...intense. Here are some events which have transpired:

* Vacation Bible School! I feel our church always does a stellar job with VBS, and I've been honored to be involved for several years. I get to run the games station! It's a blast. People say nice things like, "Wow - you are so good at planning games!" or "You have so much energy with the kids!" Really, all I have to do is capture their attention (nose goes), explain a game (Run around until you fall over! It will be fun!), and watch them go for it. They're all such great kids, and they seriously would run in circles until the end of the 25 minutes if asked. But that would be mean. :-) Anyway, the week was a blast, if a bit tiring, and I had wonderful helpers.

* My dad lost his job. I obviously feel sad for him already, but we had also just helped him move into an apartment with a 12-month lease. We're praying he secures another job quickly and is able to maintain the trust and peace he seems to have overall.

* Renting out the condo. Can't wait for that to be over. I don't mind a nice, clean place. I DO mind having it clean by a certain time to show it to a stranger who either will or will not show up. I've had about four no-shows, which I think is incredibly rude. I've probably shown it ten times, with two more tonight...

* Get-togethers with friends have been refreshing and wonderful. Some have produced sunburns...

* I have learned more about my personal friendship boundaries and how to recognize when someone is taking advantage of me. That's not going to happen anymore!

* We've researched and purchased a new washer and dryer for the house! We're trying to slowly hack away at the wish list for our house, but it will be gradual. Here's the shower curtain for the hall bath. I love it!

* The biggest, most exciting event was our 5-year anniversary on July 1st!! I can't even believe it's been that long. Crazy! It's awesome to look back and think about all the different ways God's blessed us! Shawn surprised me with a hot air balloon ride, just like the day he proposed! He got a Groupon which ended up directing us to the same company from 6 years ago! It was awesome.

My ring is bigger than it was, and our love for each other has grown and developed into a richer, deeper one. I feel so blessed to have Shawn in my life!

Here are some shots from then: