Wednesday, February 8, 2012

A bit of life here...

Hey there!

First off, a note to self: my premise that it is fine to work out when battling a cold is wrong, wrong, wrong!  I had a "long" run scheduled for this past Sunday (7 mi) and even though I was quite certain that I was coming down with the cold that the children were battling I decided to run anyway.

The run with Tom actually went pretty well, but as soon as I got home I realized that I had a temperature.  sigh.  So I rested the remainder of Sunday and ended up taking it pretty easy on Monday as well... you'd be proud of me!  I even skipped my early Masters' Swim class, which I *never* do.  I thought I acted quite mature.  ; )

Today I was feeling much better so I was able to get out and run again.  I really, really love being able to run with Tom!  He is much faster than me (and of course he didn't have to take 4 months off from running to have hip surgery like I did last fall) but he patiently slows down to spend the time with me.  He does most of the talking and I do the majority of the panting, but it works!  He likes to talk and I like to listen, so we make a good team.

And now, as is quite typical for me... some random things that have been on my mind of late:

I *love* seeing my boys read to each other!  The vintage Cowboy Sam books are a perennial favorite around here.


What do you think of my new Flemish Giant bunny?  Meet Mr. Darcy!  He is the "husband" for Miss Elizabeth Bennett... the doe that we purchased last fall.  Isn't he handsome?  I loved this picture of Jon checking him out. 


May I most humbly say that if you are not in the habit of practicing hospitality, you are *really* missing out?  Tom and I have always loved opening our home and inviting other families over to eat with us.  It is, admittedly, a lot of work, but the rewards are so, so rich!  Recently we were blessed to befriend a Muslim family.  Mouad works at a local McDonalds where Tom likes to get a salad for dinner when he is working at night as a policeman.  Mouad is from Morocco and his wife is from Syria.  

We invited them over to eat with us a few weeks ago and had so much fun hearing about their heritage and customs.  They were *so* grateful that we had invited them over.  Do you know that in the 7+ years that they have lived here, no one had ever invited them over to eat?  No one!  

They insisted that we all (all 12 of us!!) come over to eat with them last week.  Again we had so much fun and enjoyed Syrian food.  Mouad's wife joking informed us that we *really* didn't want to eat Moroccan food... Syrian food is *so* much better! After tasting her food, I would have to agree.  It was *so* good!

Here are Tom and I as we were leaving Mouad's home last week~ the children had already piled into our van, but thankfully I had Gabe snap a quick photo of us with my iPhone.  

I recently came across this fabulous post on hospitality that I'm sure you'll enjoy.  Sandy clearly articulates many of my thoughts on hospitality, so rather than repeat what she says, I'll just direct you to her fabulous post!

I'll just tell you this: don't wait for perfection to risk having friends (both new and old) over... I like to keep my house picked up, but it is *not* perfect~ we have very old, worn furniture, walls that need decorating, floors that need sanding and refinishing, and in addition, I don't think that I am a very creative cook, but honestly folks, its about loving people, not about impressing them.  Open your home and heart~ you'll be the one who comes away blessed~ I promise!


Finally, I am planning on charging up my camera tonight and documenting a "day in the life" here tomorrow~ not a whole week like I've done in the past, just one day.  I'll be photographing our life tomorrow with the intention of including a more detailed look of what our life is like right now in my Project Life album.  Also, I frequently get requests to share what our schedule is like right now, so I will post our schedule as well here.  (for what it's worth~ we are not very typical!)

For some great inspiration on documenting "A Day in the Life," check out Ali's post here.


4 comments:

  1. HI Susan,
    How beautiful is this!!! That family you had dinner with is such a beautiful family. I'm working on practicing hospitality. I've told new friends at church that they're welcome to come over anytime!!! So far, no one has come over to visit...but I think that will change with time!!! I'm also praying hard through this whole process, because I want to glorify God in my home...and make it a place where people can feel encouraged!!! Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather :)

    p.s. I'm going to check out that link to the article on hospitality :)

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  2. ~Good for you, Heather! I'm sure that God will bless your desire to open your home to others! Perhaps you can invite one of the families over at a specific time for a meal or dessert. You'll have a wonderful time!

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  3. Sorry you got that cold. Nasty. :( I hope you are all better soon! (Although, it's a good excuse to just relax a little more, don't you think?)

    I agree with you on your thoughts on hospitality...it IS always a blessing! And no, the house does not have to be perfect...it's about showing love, not showing off! :)

    I will enjoy reading about your schedule. Thank you for being willing to share.

    Love to you!
    Camille

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  4. Thanks Camillle! Love your quote... "It's about showing love, not showing off." : ) So true. so true. Have a wonderful week, my friend!

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