Reflections and Responses

Last weekend John's dad Steve and step-mother Karen came to visit. Steve and Karen live in a quiet, rural town in north Alabama. We absolutely love to visit them because we can't help but relax the second we step out of our car and into their cozy world. We have a great time when we are there and it's a nice escape from our norm. We had a really nice visit with them while they were here, and we enjoyed some fun Atlanta outings. In fact, I felt like a tourist myself at times because we hit spots I don't frequent on typical weekends. It was great to be with them and to step outside of my usual weekend routine. In addition to exploring the touristy places, it was interesting to see them take in the sites of my daily landscape. Watching them, I felt like I was seeing my environment through a visitor's eyes, and their observations helped me consider things in a new way. I think it's healthy to observe others responding to what you consider normal, and it is good to s

1. Our AC is fixed temporarily. 2. My husband is an excellent homeowner, great at taking care of repairs and organizing contractors. 3. John's dad and stepmom are coming to visit this weekend. Excited for time with them and for hosting our first out-of-town guests. 4. Thankful for God answering prayers and for amazing friends He has placed around me. 5. We're also celebrating John's mom's completion of her Bachelor's degree this weekend. She amazes me - finished her degree at night at University of Phoenix while working her very busy job and dealing with a long commute. 6. I have been a bit restless lately. 7. I'm making some cherry muffins tonight and excited to see how they turn out. 8. I'm annoyed that our cat AJ had been making some marks on our furniture. 9. Truly that may be the most random, disconnected blog post I have ever made. :-)

“God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.” — Max Lucado One could interpret this quote a variety of ways: 1) God loves me = awesome; 2) God desires greatness for me = awesome; 3)I need to change = ouch; 4) I should be aiming for Christlikeness = great, but difficult a charge I like this quote a lot. It sums up how I feel about myself: grateful and confident in who God has made me to be, but unfinished and far from where I'd like to be. On the surface, that sounds great. It seems positive that I don't want to become stagnant or get so "comfortable" with myself that I stop pursuing growth. However, something bad happens. The high-achieving perfectionst rares its ugly head in me and turns the healthy desire of self improvement into a very miserable, self-centered place... this mindset of "I can be better" leads me to set super high standards which I fail to meet, resulting in warped thoughts