Crazy Eights

Although this crazy world of cyberspace can potentially be fraught with danger, it can also be a blessing. For example, I have been blessed with "meeting" new friends in the blog world, many of whom I have discovered to be dear, sweet, fun ladies. One such person is Annie at Having a Ball. She's a wonderful mom and an all around fabulous woman. Someday I'd love to meet her in person.


Anyway...Annie tagged me in her Great Eights post. So here we go:


8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:
(In order of their expected and/or planned occurrence)...

1. Warm weather--surely it will come soon.

2. Family trip in a couple of weeks to Kentucky via Nashville. We'll visit a museum in Nashville while Mark works. In Kentucky, we'll have the pleasure of spending time with family and friends. One main purpose for our visit to the Bluegrass State is to share in a special commissioning ceremony for a friend who is headed to Africa to work as a missionary pediatrician. He's headed Home. We went to boarding school with him. I would love to put "Going Home to Africa to visit him so my kids can see where Mom and Dad grew up" on this list, but since there are no such plans (as of yet), I'll save it for a future list.

3. Every year there are any number of reunions occurring in various regions of the world. Well, that's not news. But these are opportunities for those of us who went to boarding school at ICA in Africa to get together. We don't always go to them. But this summer there are two here in our area. One is this coming weekend. It's a small one, but a couple of my very dear friends (1 an old roommate) will be coming. My brother-in-law is hosting a second reunion later this summer. It will be people from an "older" class, but I still remember them (even if they don't remember me since I was just a little kid then!).

4. I LOVE VBS, and I always volunteer to be in charge of the Bible study teachers. Although I'm looking forward to VBS, however, I'm more looking forward to it being over. I feel very disorganized this year, and I'm getting a little stressed out, especially since we will be returning from our trip in #1 at about 10:00 pm the night before I have to be at church at 8:45 AM.

5. I'm sooo looking forward for this school year to be over. I have those end of the school year blues.

6. I'm sooo looking forward to the beginning of a new school year. The last of all of my curriculum came in today. I'm having a great time looking through it all and planning.

7. Someday having another date with my husband. A date means with the children NOT in the same building, not just having the children sit at the table next to us.

8. I am so looking forward to growing in the Lord and to continuing to become the mother and wife that He wants me to be. I'm learning slowly but daily about patience and about what it means to serve my family. In so doing, I'm enjoying the blessing of getting to know my family--specifically the kids--better and of discovering what a joy they are to be around.


8 Things I Did Yesterday:
1. Taught Sunday School.

2. Found out that next week our church is doing a combined service at 11:00. Translation: No 9:00 service. Which means: We don't have to teach. Which also means: We get to sleep in.

3. Took a nap. If it hadn't been raining, we would have played volleyball.

4. Enjoyed nems for dinner. Nems are Vietnames (cooked) spring rolls. We called them "Nems" in Africa. Mark makes them taste just like home.

5. Watched the "Survivor" season finale.

6. Wrapped presents for Jacob. His birthday is Wednesday, but he opened presents today and had his celebration today.

7. Examined the hermit crabs' new habitat for signs of life...as soon as they got their new digs, they decided it was time to molt, so they dug under and have been incognito for a week. One did resurface last night, but now he has vacated his shell and, I guess, disappeared into another one. From my research, I've learned that they should be left alone during this time, which is difficult for curious little boys and girls (and curious moms). Michael asked how long they would be out of commission. I said, "Four to five weeks." "Forty-five weeks?!" he said. "How many days is THAT?!"

8. Watched a couple of MASH re-runs because I couldn't sleep on account of #3.


8 Things I Wish I Could Do:
1. Play the drums.

2. Play the electric guitar.

3. "Speak" in sign language. We're going to begin learning a little this year...I have a DVD that teaches praise song signing.

4. Go back Home with Mark and the kids. I want the kids to see where we grew up, and I would love to go out with Mark since we have never been out together as a married couple.

5. Go to Italy.

6. Catch up on my scrapbooking.

7. Draw/paint/be artistic.

8. Be more "out of the box" with the kids (as my bloggy friend Annie discussed), more spontaneous with school stuff and with life stuff in general.


8 Shows I Watch:
1. Chuck
2. NCIS
3. The Mentalist
4. Survivor
5. Psych
6. Burn Notice
7. In Plain Sight
8. My Boys


8 Bloggers I'm Tagging:
1. TeacherMommy at Diapers and Dragons
2. Mitzi at The Road Less Traveled
3. Nikowa at Knowledge House Academy
4. Courtney at Life on Courtney Lane
5. Mare at Mare's Musings
6. Crossview at Down on a Red Dirt Lane
7. Dina at 4 Lettre Words
8. Mama Knucker Hatch at Our Golden Apples


So here's how to do this 8 THINGS thing: Mention the person that tagged you. Complete the lists of 8's. Tag 8 of your wonderful bloggy friends. Go tell them you tagged them!