Reporting in

Been awhile since I gave a general report, so here goes:

1) The snow has completely melted, with the exception of large mounds of grey glacier-like "ice crust" that remain until what seems like July... these are the results of snow plow placement. It's especially weird to observe these mountains on a sixty degree day. They really WANT to be gone, they just take so darn long to trickle away.

2) I am feeling extremely motivated to make our outdoor property prettier. The trouble is, I cannot seem to pair back (no pun intended) all my imagination is throwing at me. It makes good sense that there is no realistic or financially-feasible way to re-landscape the front, move a couple bushes and trees, build a patio for our firepit, install a border around our mulched areas in the back, prepare a massive vegetable garden, buy all the accessories (flower boxes, an indoor-outdoor rug, etc) to make the perfect deck, and paint the entrety of our house all in one season. And yet that's what's going on in my head. One project at a time, Tricia. One project at a time.

3) There are so many people near and dear to me - AND distant and not as close to me - who are hurting right now. Sometimes God gives me the right things to say and the right acts of service to support. And sometimes I just feel so darn helpless.

4) Spring Break at school is just around the corner (begins Friday) and I'm all out of steam. So are the students. I drew a picture on the board yesterday to illustrate how I've felt the past couple weeks: a tug boat pulling behind it this huge cruise ship. I'm trying so hard to keep them all motivated. But, honestly, when the bees are buzzing and the nights are lighter and the spring is in the air, it is SO hard for them to focus on the volume of a recangular prism. I long ago learned the key to motivation at this point in the school year: candy.

5) Gma Decker is coming in town during Spring Break. Aunt Jo is coming after that. And after THAT, Scott and I are escapading to the island of St. John, where counsins Steve and Jennifer will be wed (clarification: they are not cousins to one another... we just have already indoctrinated Jennifer into the family and call her our cousin too. HA!). The following statement just makes me laugh, even as I prepare to type it: I am marrying them. Reverand Tricia Arthur of the Universal Life Church (it's an online program for those wanting to serve in the capacity of a wedding officiant) will preside over the wedding. Wish me luck! Should be a ball.

6) Sullivan and Jackson are really getting to know one another. Just yesterday, I caught them playing together. Like REALLY playing together (to be compared to Jackson getting a project going and Sullivan incidentally and innocently destroying it). It's cute.

7) A woman by the name of Suzanne is our newest angel addition to the fam. She is now watching the boys in our home. So Scott and I take off while the boys are sometimes still IN BED. Let's just say mornings are incredibly different now! No garbing them up and shipping out so rushedly. Suzanne is making life a whole lot easier. She also is quite creative. I came home today to find dyed eggs on the counter! Jackson was very proud.

8) I'm really jazzed about some professional directions seeming to take shape. I still very much cherish teaching...sometimes I grow teary-eyed thinking about how much of a chance I have to impact those young people. That said, I also have had this growing passion for emotional wellness - in all people. Specifically, I feel drawn to working with women. Currently, I facilitate a group of nine women, connected to the Mothers and More Chapter I am apart of here in town, in a 12 week journey called "Finishing Your Puzzle." Long story made short: It's a set of exercises and discussions that get us all thinking about the changes needed in our lives to make us the best us. In general, I just love to dig and reflect and contemplate and analyze life and am obsessed with making sure it's fulfilling. I could see this passion playing out in the form of life coaching, clinical counseling, wellness coaching, retreat-planning... who knows!

9) We found a church! It's been a long journey finding the right fit, but Scott and I finally feel very comfortable at Mount Olive Lutheran Church. I had a heart-to-heart theological discussion with the lead pastor before the holidays and he didn't balk at my crazy thinking about God (I don't think it's crazy, but probably there are many who might!). He was very affirming and it made me feel like we can fit into a progressive community of believers like this one; I just was searching for faithful believers who wanted to know God more, but acknowledged that we can never know what that means entirely. Pastor Peter is all about that line of thinking. Yey.

10) I think I'm typed out.