Ever since we’ve been married, my parents have supported the Chaplain and I by keeping the kids so that we can go away by ourselves about once a year.
Last year at this time, we were spending a week in Portland, Oregon together. In fact, it was the first time since I’d become a mom that I’d spent Mother’s Day away from my kids.
The trip felt like an escape for many reasons. The Chaplain was at a stressful, demanding job. I was eight months pregnant with Seven. We had a busy home life. We were tired and tense.
I’d planned the trip on the back of a trip to Portland I’d done with my dad and siblings in 2014. We’d gone to celebrate my dad’s 60th birthday by climbing Mt. Hood. The week was spent hiking, with the mountain climb in the middle.
Building on that, I hoped to revisit my favorite trails, and try one or two new ones. I also wanted to spend some time in downtown Portland, which we hadn’t had time to do on the 2014 trip. The Chaplain and I both had some ideas and recommendations for places to check out in the city. And I really wanted to see a Pacific Coast sunset.
Above, me at nursing school graduation in 2007, with Two, who was 3 weeks old.
This past week, I went in for several hours of continuing education to keep my nursing credentials current. Due to some weirdness on my employer’s website and their internet sign-up for the class I was taking, I wasn’t sure until I arrived in the room whether or not I was even at the right building.
I was running a couple of minutes late. My education had to be completed by the end of the month or I would no longer be allowed to come into work. I had snagged the last spot in the class at 3 a.m. during a recent night shift.
What if I showed up at the wrong place for my class? Driving somewhere else would make me even more late! What if I couldn’t attend the class and had to find another one?
One of the things we did at our marriage intensive was learn the Care Cycle. The idea is, you are in charge of you. When you are feeling upset, triggered, or stressed, you should do a little self care before looking to others for help.
I took the diagram they made for us and made a simple printable with a blank spot for adding personalized info to the “care package” section – those are the actions you can take to feel better. 
I made them for all the people in our family who are potentially aware enough to use it, although we haven’t finished filling everyone’s out yet.
I find that small kids meet their own needs pretty well. 
The photo above is of me in Branson, MO, wearing the pants I show how to alter below.
If you got the title reference, you know that I watch American Idol. I enjoy music reality TV. It often results in goosebumps. It’s full of feeling and movement and unexpectedly special moments. Know Pentatonix? We saw them first on the Sing Off, a show where acapella groups competed, nauseatingly hosted by Nick Lachey.
I was excited when I saw Idol was coming back. In fact, while I don’t know Katy Perry’s (the new token female judge) music well, I really like her. As a fellow PK (BOTH her parents were pastors), I feel like I “get” her. And she has such a great spirit.
Even though it had been two years since Idol last aired, the Chaplain or I would make a Randy Jackson reference almost weekly. His “For me, for you, Dawg,” just doesn’t have a better translation in American English. Also, “I don’t know, Dawg.” or “That was pitchy.”
To get back to the Sing Off, we enjoyed that show so much that when they went on tour, we bought tickets and went to the concert. I am almost embarrassed to admit it. But it was such an adventure. I was fascinated to see who else watched the show (a whole theater-full of people, as it turns out). The concert was fantastic, and sticks out as one of my favorite date nights.
Where am I going with this? *grin* Stick with me.
About a month ago, I watched War Room with my husband, mom, and three oldest kids. I didn’t know much going in other than that it had to do with prayer. It was tough to watch. I’ve felt the weight of spiritual warfare in our own house lately, and that is a big theme in the film.
One of the powerful effects of the movie was learning to think about the prayer closet as a literal thing. Sure, in the past people may have prayed in closets, and it’s even biblical. In the movie, it’s one of the central themes.
So when I came upstairs recently and found my daughter in her closet, asking me if I’d noticed what she was doing (I hadn’t), she stopped me dead in the middle of a rant when she showed me her prayer closet.
