A Sunday

I must start by saying that I truly look forward to Sundays. I am SO thankful to be able to take part in an awesome church each and every week. (http://www.themovement.org/)

But, just for fun, I thought I would do a timeline of my most recent Sunday.

5:30am- 1st alarm for Jeremy to wake. Snooze 1 time. Actual wake time is 5:45. (although this is "Jeremy's alarm time", I am the actual operator of the alarm.)

6:30am- 2nd alarm which is actually for me. This is the ONLY day I actually sleep later than him. My actual wake time is 7:00. (the snooze button is my friend)

8:50am- The kids and I rush into church. The fact that I am rushing is quite hilarious since I live 5 blocks from church. But,in my defense, at the last minute I painted my daughters fingernails and toenails. And, this was no easy task since she has nubs for fingernails. (nasty habit)

9:20am- After worship, I have my first round of impromptu announcements. (yes, I do announcements)

10:45am- I touch base with Jeremy at the conclusion of the service and rustle up a snack of some sort. Then I snag a coffee from the coffee shop to warm my chilly self. I must say, I LOVE wandering this converted warehouse I call my "second home. There are so many people and faces moving about doing whatever job here and there. This morning, both my kids are tailing me like little ducklings. My 13 year old was pining for, and received a Monster. (yes, bad mom) And, my 11 year old daughter patiently waited for a hot chocolate. (she was spacing out her sugar since we have complimentary doughnuts that she indulged in at the 9am service)

11:00am- The beginning of the 2nd service and a second round of announcements. A few more laughs this time. I am thinking the 11 o'clockers are more awake. And, the Nebraska in me wants everyone to smile and have fun so, suddenly, I am fulfilled.

11:30am- This is my time to return to one of my loves...families. I absolutely love random conversations, welcoming people and making kids smile. I think I consider it a challenge. (the making kids smile part afterall, I love to talk) So, during the 11am service I just walk, look, and talk. Today, I settled in the 1 year old room since I was determined to help a little boy, Hunter survive his separation anxiety. But, since I really don't know Hunter and he loves his mom and dad way more, I failed. But, Samantha ( on her first visit) conformed and fell asleep on my shoulder. Another mission accomplished.

1:00pm- I corral the family and figure out what is going to happen next. Apparently 2 kids are coming home with us and at the last minute a woman I have never met needs a ride home from church. Since it is not really out of my way, I send the kids with Jeremy and drive Becky home myself.

1:20pm- I serve leftover pizza for the kids and quick lunches for Jer and I. At this point, my 13 year old jokes at the cleanliness of the house. This is obviously sarcastic since a) he would never notice and b) there are dishes, pizza, salad, bags, and leftovers strewn about the kitchen. So, Jeremy takes Noah and the 2 extra boys to play a pick-up game of basketball and this translates into a perfect time to clean.

2:00pm- After tidying up, wiping down the bathroom, changing the laundry and vacuuming, I am on to my final task: swiffering the kitchen floor. As I am doing this, I notice little "kool-ade" spots on the floor. Oh my...Chewie, our toy poodle, is in heat. Crikey. Off to Petco for puppy diapers. Grace and I wander the aisles and I shoot down request after request for doggie dresses, turtles and hamsters.

3:30pm- The boys return from basketball and Jeremy and I retreat to our room to read and sort connection cards for the next hour.

4:30pm- My backyard is now occupied by 6 boys playing basketball. Since I actually feel responsible for at least 4 of them (per their parents' arrangements) I decide it is time for dinner. I am quite proud of my smorgasboard of food: chicken nuggets, fries, tater tots, carrots and dip, chips and salsa, goldfish, sliced apples and leftover pizza. And then...I made cookies! I am not even this good on my best day. The Suzy Homemaker angel was surely making a visit to my house.

5:00pm- At this point, I realize that my husband should be treated to a "real" dinner so, I throw chicken breast on the Foreman grill and steam some veggies. I must say, this easy, ready to micro, steaming veggies thing is pretty sweet. It makes me look like a pro.

6:00pm- Jeremy is off to church again and I clean up dinner.

6:26pm- At the last minute, a kid who a) has never been at our house but, b) just ate dinner with us and c) was apparently walking up the street when he heard noise and decided to stay for a while asks for a ride home. No problem really, thank God church is just around the corner.

6:30pm- I step into the sound booth for a quick hello to Jeremy and announce my arrival to our third service of the day.

6:55pm- Phew, I finished my final round of announcements. I am joking somewhat since my duty pales in comparison to Jeremy's commitment to delivering a concise "God heard" message form the Lord. But, somehow I do feel the personal need to extract a laugh or two and make a little small talk with a thousand or so people.

8:00pm- Home again, at last. It would seem to be a time to relax but, behold we are having 2 kids sleep over since it is a holiday. Yay! Thankfully they are 13 and very good kids. After a final round of food, Jeremy and I retreat to our room. Our home is a little under 1500 square feet so, our bedroom is our only quiet spot on a night like this.

The funny thing about a day like today is the push and pull of being overwhelmed and fulfilled. Yes, it would be nice to coast on through but, tackling the day and adjusting my perspective turns out to be much more joyful. As you can imagine I awoke to a bit more work with cinnamon rolls, turkey bacon, eggs and toast. But in the end, sitting in my semi-quiet room, I listen to my kids laughing with their friends and I figure it is all worth it.