My mind is CONSTANTLY going. Is that how it is for most people or is it just some girls? I know there have been times in the past that I have asked Bo what he is thinking about and he honestly says "nothing". The funny thing is I believe him and wish I could think about nothing as well! If I'm not thinking about Bo and being a good wife for him, then I'm thinking about Emma Catherine and trying to remember whether or not I put her name on her snack before taking it to daycare? Then there is the house and what in the world am I going to do about toy storage - yeah, haven't taken the time to solve that one yet. And don't forget the unending projects and chores around the house. Oh, and my job, family, and friends. Just because I don't speak to all of my family and friends daily, have no doubt that you are in my prayers!
Well, lately I have been spurred to think about some other things, perhaps deeper things. I went to the Women of Faith conference last weekend with my coworker's wife. This sweet friend and her husband have guided Bo and me through many parenting decisions and they have really challenged me to grow as a person. Conversations with Nathan at work have encouraged me to grow spiritually, to workout harder than I ever have before, and to strive to be the best person I can be everyday. And Mary is always there as a shining example of a great mother, wife, and friend. She is constantly answering questions through email and she lets me pick her brain about everything when we do get a chance to get together. I will be honest that I don't always follow their advice, but I always appreciate their input and point of view! And I have to admit that I often come back later to say, now I understand why you said that =) But the thing I love most about these friends is they don't tell me what I want to hear, but they tell me what I need to hear.
A lot of the speakers at the Women of Faith conference seemed to be telling everyone what they wanted to hear on so many topics. Andy Andrews was the only one that left a final message saying (paraphrased of course) I expect you to take back with you what you have heard this weekend and use it to better yourself. If for no other reason than because I'm selfish. I have children growing up in this world and it is a small world. What you do has at least an indirect (if not a direct) effect on everyone else in this world. One story I like that Andy told was about himself and a friend. One day, in very cold weather, the friend pushed Andy into a freezing cold pool. Andy was way past angry as he rose to the top of the water. The friend told Andy to get himself out and he would explain why he had pushed Andy in the pool. As they sat down together the friend said to Andy, you are going to have someone push you in the pool everyday for the rest of your life - it is up to you to choose how you will rise out of it - you can come up screaming and cursing - or you can come up laughing and decided that you are going to learn something from the experience. I won't say that Andy Andrews is a perfect speaker - because sometimes his style was down right annoying and I didn't always agree with him either, but he had some points that I liked!
Now if you don't know who Anita Renfroe is, you need to! This lady made me laugh so hard I almost wet my pants =)
You can google her stuff or look on you tube: Wrinkled Ladies for the wrinkled gals I know! Momisms as well as Romeo and Juliet for the parents I know. AWESOME stuff!
I have more on my mind, but won't bore you all with the details now. However, I cannot guarantee I won't bring up other stuff later!
