My blogger account is back! I don't know why it locked me out, or why I can get in again. I know there are better blog platforms out there, but I'm currently too lazy to learn them. Look for new posts soon!

Wednesday was a big day for PreacherDad and I. We were interviewed by "the powers that be" in order to move along in our process towards ordination. (It went well, by the way.) During my interview, I was asked whether my ministry or my family was my highest priority. I don't know what they wanted me to say, and I don't think I could've actually answered the question and been happy with my answer.

I eventually said something along the lines of "Gee, I really hate to choose they are both so important, but I guess I have to say family, because Baby J only gets one set of parents and he didn't ask for them to be in ministry." But it was a lame answer, and I keep wondering, should I have to choose?

I don't really think of my ministry and my family as separate lives I'll eventually have to choose between. I am PreacherMama... it's one word. The two are inseparable. Motherhood has forever changed my outlook on the world and my vision of God and my approach to ministry. Likewise, being pastors affects everything about the way PreacherDad and I raise our child. He will grow up influenced by our theological preferences, meal-planning revolves around committee meeting schedules, and we had to be intentional to choose a discipline philosophy that would allow us to be consistent whether we are at home or in the midst of a crowded room of parishioners.

So, if you come here for just the cute mommy blog posts, or solely to read about what's happening in my ministry, I fear you will meet with some level of frustration. For now, I've decided that I will neither change nor apologize for the fact that this blog is both/and. It is both a ministry blog and a place to brag about the fact that I'm raising the cutest, most enjoyable child I have ever met.

Sorry Folks.

Sorry everyone. Our fall has been insane. In addition to working out life with 2 full time working parents, we had to move just before Thanksgiving because signing a lease without carefully checking out the house first was a very bad idea. We did have some fun holiday time with J, checking out Illuminations at Botanica, driving through Christmas light displays, and jamming to great music at Preachermama's church, but at present I don't have any pics to upload. Christmas week was a pretty big bust at our house. J got a stomach virus on the 19th, and at some point in the week developed a bladder infection as well, which came to a head on Christmas day. We've made 2 trips to the ER this week and we're just exhausted. We're now going to have to schedule some tests to see if the infection is an indicator that there are more urological abnormalities than we knew. I'm hopeful that there will be a time coming soon when I'll have some fun posts to share.

Recentering

Last week I left for a continuing education event in Chicago. I know that continuing education is not a spiritual retreat, and perhaps the epicenter of one of America’s largest cities is an unusual place to find solace, but somehow, the trip was a real time of re-centering for me.

I left with a brain absolutely reeling on a million levels. Both my Senior Pastor and I would be out of town, and I would be the only one reachable by phone for the week. Baby J decided, on the day I flew out, to try out biting at daycare, resulting in a concerned phone call from his teacher. PreacherDad and I are both still adjusting to our decision to move… in November… to a place half the size of our current home. It’s all enough to make one nauseous.

But in Chicago… I had time.

I haven’t had time in ages. I had planned to work some while I was there, but shifty internet service meant there wasn’t much I could accomplish.

So I walked.

I walked along Michigan Avenue and around the Ohio Street Beach.

I shopped our beloved Trader Joe’s and rode the public transportation system. (I even rode the 147 right past my old neighborhood and sighed with nostalgia)

I stayed up late drinking decaf and catching up on life with friends, and my soul was deeply renewed.

My parent friends soothed my anxieties with their own tales from the trenches. My preacher friends rejoiced with me in the blessing of an appointment where I feel like a respected team member. Friends who hosted me on my last night reminded me that a warm, inviting home doesn’t have to be a 3-bedroom house with a yard and a fence.

I was hugged.

I told dear friends I loved them and heard it back.

I cried with a woman I consider more a sister than a friend over the difficult task of discerning God’s call… still.

When I got on the plane to come back, it was not my head but my heart that was full.

I am giving thanks for that time and for each and every person who contributed to it, and I pray that it will sustain me until May.

Gallery of Art

The last few weeks have been crazy busy. PreacherDad and I are actually pretty proud of ourselves that we've not yet actually forgotten J at daycare or left him in a car or something, because the back and forth of our work schedules is insanity.

Needless to say, there've been no lazy saturday afternoons for great adventures and picture taking, so J's fans will have to settle for a taste of his daycare artwork.

B is for Bird....

James loves birds! He used to sit at the window in Plainfield for long times just watching the robins play in our yard. Last May, we took him to Lincoln Park Zoo and while everyone else was watching the Gorillas, he was pointing and squealing about the sparrows that hang out in the Gorilla habitat. He just loves them.

The other day Ross and I went with him to the zoo for a couple of ours, and since it was just us, we wentthrough the australiahabitat that is mostly birds. He had a blast listening to all the birds' evening calls and looking for them. I took a bunch of pictures while we were there, and am thinking of making him his very own book of birds.

But there were also some other cool things, like the wombats who run loose inside the Australia exhibit....

And it was pretty warm out, so we finished the evening with a popsicle, which is always a hit! I also had to get a picture of his unique sense of style. He's been picking out his own shoes lately, and decided that what this outfit needed were some red sneakers. Rock that individuality kiddo...

Just a little late summer Zen

We had a nice warm night, so we took J over to a local park with a great fountain, but the water was a bit cold. He had a blast anyway. Enjoy this video of J.