We got to go to church with my parents at West Houston this morning, which was fun too. We haven't been back in a while and I always enjoy it. After church we went to brunch with them and had some time catch up and talk. It was a quick morning because we had our first family meeting at our house at 11:15am, but I'm glad we went even so, because it feels like every weekend has something, so any weekend we wanted to visit would probably be a little rushed. At both West Houston and at First Colony apparently, part of the sermon was about slowing down, having some margins in your life, stopping to smell the roses. I think God is trying to tell us something.
We ended our 7 week small group series on Grace today. For the last 7 weeks everyone's been brown bagging it after Bible class and meeting either at our house or the Blackburn's, one of the other couples in our group for lunch, a quick Bible study and some hangout time. It's been really relaxed and fun just to get to know everyone a little more. And, most weeks most couples in our group have been there, which has been good. Today we just talked about the direction our group wanted to go etc, which was encouraging.
Saturday was a kinda crazy day. Landon went for a 65 mile bike ride all around Houston, and a run. So I guess he's recovered enough. :) I went to a cloth diapering class, which was actually really helpful, and hung out with my mom a little, which is always fun. Then, that night we went out with some friends to celebrate some of our sweet friends. It was Jenna's birthday and Matt had just taken his PE exam the day before, so we all went out to Lupe Tortilla to celebrate--it was a fun night. We just sat around and ate and talked and laughed for a few hours. Always fun.
We started our childbirth classes this weekend--we're doing a six class series with an instructor certified basically in the Bradley method, a natural childbirth method. While the first class was a little more of an overview and some info that we didn't really need, overall it was really good and I think she has some good things we can learn. And, we found out that we was induced when she had her baby and still had her without any drugs--and her baby was over 9.5 lbs, so that gives her a lot of credibility in my book. :) I'm excited to learn more about it over the next 5 weeks.
This weekend I've had one of those times when I just feel crazy and like I'm so different from everyone I hang out with. I don't know if anyone else ever feels like that or not, but yesterday I was just in a funk I think. Does anyone else ever feel like that? I don't know; maybe it's just me. Most days I don't care but for some reason I just got tired of feeling like that. I'm thankful for my mom who's dealt with it too and my sweet husband who's supportive and loving, even if he maybe does think I'm weird sometimes. :)
This weekend I got to walk both yesterday and today, for about an hour, and it was so nice. Mentally, I just feel so much better when I work out and I miss it when I don't. Landon and I both basically took this week off from working out though, since he was still recovering from his bike crash, and had a honey do marathon week, where we got A LOT of projects done around our house. Though I'm glad all our our weeks aren't like that, it's one of our favorite types of weeks, because it feels so good to cross so many things off the list.
This weekend though, I was glad for the time to walk and think. This evening, as I headed out, I just had this weird feeling, like I didn't have a sense of peace about things, though I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was. I was feeling guilty/worried about things is the best I can put it, though not about any one specific thing. Anyway, I put on my Caedmon's pandora station and just listened to praise and worship the whole time and it was just what I needed. And, I heard Laura Story's new song, Blessings. The lyrics really stuck with me, especially the end of the song.
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home,
It's not our home
‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise
It just made me think. I love the line that says that the pain of this world reminds our heart that this world is not our home. As I was walking and just feeling this sense of unrest, it really resounded with me and was a sweet reminder that when we get to heaven, it won't be like that. There will only be peace and the fact that we don't always feel that now just means that this world is not our home.
And, I love the part that talks about how sometimes we need those dark nights to know he's near and how the things that we think are trials are sometimes blessings, and--though she doesn't say this in her song--the things we think are blessings are sometimes really trials. While we haven't had anything awful to deal with lately, there have definitely been trials we've been dealing with, and while it wasn't fun, I know there were a blessing and drew us closer and closer to God and made us stop and think about what He was doing in our lives. It makes me think of something Lee, a sweet woman at our church, told me during a class I took. She said that her and her husband are really trying to remember that it's all good--everything that happens to us, the good, the bad--it's all good because it comes from God and He has a purpose for it. I've been thinking about that a lot lately too. I want that mindset, but it for sure doesn't come naturally, to me at least.
And, on a totally unrelated note, the best news of the weekend--some of our very best friends has their sweet little baby this weekend! Little Reese was born Friday night around 7pm and is SO precious! We're going up to DFW for our maternity pictures the last weekend of the month and we can't wait to meet her! Seeing Blake and Morgan with her and realizing that they're parents makes it very real that Aedan will be here before we know it!
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