And the BEST sign of spring is....

SPRING BREAK! My spring break started today and a lovely day it was. Of course the weather was gorgeous (could have been warmer, but I still opened windows), and I was fantastically productive. Josh had to work so I was home by myself. I decided that I'd go ahead and grade that ominous stack of papers I brought home from work. I know... who brings home papers to grade over spring break? Well I did because the marking period ends the week we get back and I didn't want to be under the gun to get them all done then. So my thinking was - get them done today and enjoy the rest of the break knowing that you're totally caught up on grading. And that I plan to do.

I also thought of a lot of other things I wanted to do today while I was in the shower (where I do all of my best thinking). Many of them were spring-cleaning type things. I knew I wanted to wash our duvet cover and put new bedsheets on. I also had other laundry to do and wanted to mop the kitchen, dining room, and living room floors. I started by putting the laundry in because that could be going while I graded papers. I ate breakfast while watching Regis & Kelly-- something I otherwise never get to do. Then it was to the kitchen table with the grade book. As I worked I would check on the laundry, throw another load in, I made the bed at one point, chatted with Amberly online, ate lunch, and finally finished grading the papers. It was pretty much an all-day process. I finished with them around 3:30-4:00 and broke out the mop & bucket. I finished mopping just as Josh got home for the evening so we caught up on each other's days and decided to order some Chinese take-out (a favorite of ours). Josh is out getting it right now :o)

I was really proud of my productivity today. It felt great even though I was working all day. I feel like I'll be able to spend the rest of my break relaxing. Even if I hadn't done that stuff later in the week I would have been thinking about it because it needed to be done. I'd still like to clean the bathrooms, but at this point I'm saving that for another day. The rest of my break is shaping up nicely as well. We of course have Easter weekend upon us. We're spending tomorrow with Josh's family in PA, and then trying out a new church on Sunday. We haven't really attended a church since the issue we had with the pastor at my mom's church over the wedding. I knew I wanted to try out some other churches so we could find one we could attend regularly and my mom actually recommended this one. She listens to Christian radio and heard the pastor preaching on there. She enjoyed listening to him and found out that his church is right here in Columbia. She told me about it and I looked it up, so we're going to visit there Sunday. After church we're having Easter dinner at my mom's house. Monday I'm visiting my friend Amy who just had a baby about a month ago, and Friday night we have a dinner date with Mary Beth and Joe. Other than that my break is wide open... just how I like it!

I also want to take a second to share an answered prayer. I won't go into the details of it all, but for a while now my neice Lacy and my brother-in-law Chris (her step-dad) have had some difficulty getting along. Some times have been better than others, but just the other day they had somewhat of a falling out. Amberly told me what happened and while I've always worried about the two of them not getting along, this really upset me. With the situation being very much out of my control, I prayed - as I have in the past - that things would somehow change for these two, and my sister's family as a whole. I didn't get to talk to Amberly the next day but I spoke to her this morning and she shared with me that Chris had gone to our mom to talk about the problem that night. Amberly had to work the next day but when she got home Lacy told her that she "had a new life." She said that Chris held her and told her he loved her and apologized for what he had said. He explained that he didn't mean it and that he was just angry. I thought this was such a huge step for them, and completely unexpected. It showed such maturity on Chris's part and just meant the world to Lacy. I know from personal experience how difficult it can be to have a step-parent, especially when you feel like they don't like you. I couldn't be more grateful that Lacy would have a positive step-parent experience. It's amazing how a few small words can change lives. I know Lacy's life is changed, I hope Chris's is too.

Can I get an Amen? :o)