When did I become Type A?!

As a kid, I was known among my family for being super messy person. My mom gave up asking me to clean up my room everyday and opted for asking me to clear a path to my bed every night and to close my door before company came over. And oh, heavens if Nannie was coming over...

(Yes, that's a corded phone and the VHS of Home Alone)

(I cleaned when I knew Nannie was coming over)

(I mean, I even had this poster:)

Love it or leave it, y'all.

All of that changed when I went to college and realized that the matchbox dorm room I was given was my bedroom, living room, kitchen, dining room, and study. That began the beginning of my clean-freak days. My suite mates would try to move things around on my desk to see how long it would take me to recognize that things were moved. My senior year, I was our sorority's housing manager. Which meant I cleaned the kitchen. No words, y'all. None.

When I was in grad school, I lived with my brother and my "rent" was being his housekeeper. During the summers, I cleaned my parents' house too. However, something happened when it became MY house to clean: it wasn't fun anymore.

(Like, when I was a kid, I always loved cleaning my best friend, Ashley's, room and she loved cleaning mine. Odd children)

When I started teaching, I would teach full time and go to classes in the evening to complete my Spanish certification. At the same time, Lee was finishing his masters, and we were doing good to eat 2 meals at home a week (Including our weekly Dominoes run after my Monday night class.) (Gosh, when I think about how little we were home and our diet and *lack of* exercise program, it kind of *really* disturbs me.)

Fast forward a few years and our degrees are done (cue the angels singing), and I am a working mother who THRIVES on a routine and has a rigid cleaning and laundry schedule (thanks to Mia for teaching me about The FlyLady). My friends laugh about how I'm the OCD one. My mom is still fascinated that I WANT to be up early (I mean, as a kid, I had to go to afternoon kindergarten because I was so difficult to wake up.) to get my day rolling.

With school being back in session, I am having a TIME readopting my schedule. During the summer, I kept my laundry schedule going, but I had forgotten that it's toes to the fire from 5:00 am - 9:00 pm of constant on the go. 

And I only have ONE kid. ONE! 

HOW DO YOU WORKING  MOTHERS OF MULTIPLE KIDS STAY SANE!? 

I'M NEARLY IN AN OCD PANIC ATTACK! (Breathe. Breathe.)

Anyway, we have two soccer games this week, which adds to the chaos. But, I'm ready. My first full week of school (preceding Nina's 3rd birthday and Vol kickoff) will not beat me! Now, off to the busy schedule of the grocery store, playing doctor (my creativity with this game is running out), cooking dinner, laundry, cleaning zone 5, planting peppermint, hopscotch, bath time followed by book time and cuddles, and trying to fit in last night's episode of Sister Wives (Now THAT is an idea for cutting the schedule!)

In other (and MUCH more important) news: IT'S FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!!! This is my cooking attire for the evening! GO VOLS!

Holy and Dearly Loved

I love blogs. I have a blog reader on my phone where I connect to fitness blogs, religious blogs, blogs of friends... I think it's because I love people. Blogs are basically today's journal, but for the world to see.

My first blog to which I devoted my time was Beth Moore's Blog. This year, I accepted the Siesta Memory Verse Team challenge where you memorize scripture every 1st and 15th of the month. I did it in 2011 and made it to March. This year, I have been much more diligent with the Holy Spirit revealing Himself to me so much through the scriptures.

This weekend, we were out of town at a beautiful wedding for our friend, Jill and I was a little late getting my verse posted. Tonight, as I posted it, I was rushed back to my wedding day as one of my favorite, strongest, sisters in Christ read this scripture at our wedding ceremony. Lee and I chose the scripture to be our reading, but it wasn't until today, as I reheard Rhonda reading this scripture in my head, that I was so blessed to not only have her READ the scripture, but live it out. Rhonda and her husband and children are serving as full-time missionaries in Bolivia. Anyone who knows Rhonda, knows that she embodies this scripture. And as I have the privilege of working with them from the US, I am continually influenced by her spirit, her willingness to serve, to raise her children knowing The Lord, her love for people (both at home and in South America), her service to God's Kingdom, and her ministry. I am so grateful for our friendship and her mentorship to me- not only as a pastor's wife, but as a daughter of Christ. I love you, Rhonda!

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." -Colossians 3:12

The Pain of a Calling

Yesterday morning, I woke up a little after 7:00, rolled over to turn on the Today Show, grabbed a cup of coffee (we had just started brewing a new bag of my favorite coffee: Seattle's Best!), and grabbed my phone to continue my daily embarkation into the world of social media. My newsfeeds were peppered full of mothers' lamentations about where time had gone and cute kids with new clothes, new backpacks, and not a complaining eye about heading back to the world of education. (Disclaimer: there were no pictures of high schoolers. They will still complain. Trust me.) My home county started back this week, but my current county doesn't start back until next week. Hence my slight giggle as I saw other counties going to school and I was just going to refill my mug. ;)

Flashback several weeks ago when I saw my summer vacation slipping away from me. I began to feel sad about the constant feeling of stress that comes with being a full-time working mom. About barely seeing my pastor-coach-husband as soccer season begins to eat his time and his thoughts. And about the early mornings. At which point, I started my yearly financial analysis where I started to scrutinize our spending to find spots where we can make cuts to justify me quitting my job to stay home full time with Nina. 

(I feel that she would not be happy about this since she has told me several times in the last few weeks that she missed Mrs. Heather. I asked if I was boring. She never replied. She didn't have to.)

However, a funny thing happened to me this summer (not funny "haha", but funny "yay God!"), I was given a different perspective on our family's life of ministry. In the past, I always thought that I was a teacher and Lee was a youth pastor. (I have joked that one of us should have married for money...) After seven years of marriage, I started to look at things differently: I wasn't a teacher, but a minister to students in the school (who also makes them learn a ridiculous amount of vocabulary and conjugate verbs in 14 forms. Grin.) I looked back at when I decided to be a teacher and realized that it wasn't a choice made for the high pay, immense respect from society, and the short work hours (insert sarcasm where necessary). I chose to be a teacher because it is what The Lord called me to do. Nina asked me, "Momma, what is your job?" I told her, "I'm your momma and a teacher." "Why?" (A question I hear quite often these days) "Because it's what God asked me to do and I said 'yes'". The same week, at Sunday School, one of my adopted sons, Jesse, said "I don't think you should ask God to change your situation, but change your perspective." And that week, my perspective changed to tell me that my situation shouldn't. 

When Lee and I were first engaged, I heard him preach a sermon about how, as Christians, we are all called to full-time ministry. Maybe not in a church in the "traditional" setting of ministry. Maybe not preaching sermons or wearing suits. But maybe in a classroom, an office, a hospital, at home, or wherever God has called you. 

As much as I can't change my spiritual gifts, my talents, or my calling, I can definitely change my perspective. And I'm grateful to start a new venture into my calling soon. Sometimes "taking up your cross" can come in all forms. I'm ready. 

Summa, Summa, Summatime...

Every year, in May, I start to fantasize about the summer months. As a teacher-mom, summers are my survival mode. I begin to comprise a fantasy about cleaning out the garage, getting rested up, days on the lake, books to read, and most importantly: tons of quality time with my sweet girl. However, I am married to a wonderful youth pastor who is also a soccer coach. Essentially, all things family-wise must be completed by the last week of July because the first week of August means that my life is occupied by finding the rogue sock in the car that is making it smell like a dead rat. And rotten milk. And wet dog. You get the picture.

My first week off of school was a lot of catch-up around the house and getting ready for the beach. (What a great way to start the summer!) The beach was awesome with my parents, brother and Nannie. We headed to the "West Virginia Beach" of Myrtle. Nina was big enough this year to enjoy all aspects of the beach, but her favorite was definitely the pool. We stayed at the same hotel when she was 11 months old and I was overcome with how much she had grown since we were there last!

For several years now, I have been struggling with horrible sinus infections (mostly continuous). After enduring allergy shots for over a year, with little improvement, my doctor ordered a CT scan which revealed that my sinuses were basically swollen shut. While at the beach, the doctor called and scheduled my surgery for two days after we returned from the beach. It was a surgery I was deeply dreading (both physically and financially), but was so excited to not feel sick all of the time. Surgery went well and ended in an unexpected repair of my septum. It was a 3 week recovery and those of you who know me, know that it was a horrible 3 weeks for Lee, too. (Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep me still?!)

Speaking of, four days after surgery, we were scheduled to be at the church camp that we all love so dearly for two weeks (1 week for the week that Lee is the director and 1 week for the week my dad is the director). Recovery at Cowen wasn't an easy task, but a task I was ready to take on. Grandparents kept Nina for a few days since I wasn't allowed to lift more than 10 pounds. Many naps and lots of pain meds later, Nina was able to come to camp (Definitely not her first time, but the first time she was cognoscente as to what was going on). She has fallen in love with a place so so near and dear to our hearts (The place where we met, got engaged, and lived for the first year of our marriage).

  Two weeks was awesome, but so so exhausting. (Did I mention I had surgery four days before going?!) A few days of rest, laundry, and pretending to be a normal family in the summer (What is normal?!) Lee headed off to Cedar Point with the youth kids and I soaked up a few last days with my Beanie before heading to Alaska for an extra special wedding (Alaska has its own post: coming soon). Until this point, I had never been apart from her for longer than 3 nights and that was due to surgery. Alaska would be for five nights. I felt similar to the way I felt when I went back to work after maternity leave. However, with Nina going through the "only my mommy can do anything" stage, I knew it would be good for her, her daddy, and darn-it, momma needed a break! We both did great and were so excited to be back together (Reunited and it feels so good...)

So, after hardly being home all summer, luckily, soccer season has forced us to finally be home and pretend to be a normal family (Did anyone ever define "normal" for me?!)

I'm sure in the next few weeks, Lee and I will say what we ALWAYS say in August "Next year, we won't schedule our summer so full." But sans surgery, it has been a pretty great few months!