Addition

Back in March our church youth pastor ask if we'd be willing to host his girlfriend for the summer. Riley and I discussed and decided we have plenty of room and it would be fun to have a house guest!

Riley & I worked hard during May to clean out the spare room (Matt even helped some) and Amanda arrived May 25th car packed to the rim. Right away she fit in with our little family.

She and Matt grew up together in the small town in northwest Pennsylvania. Matt attended undergraduate school in Nashville and just finished his first year of seminary here in Kansas City. Amanda has been attending a small college in Ohio.

Before she arrived she decided not to return to her school in Ohio, but rather move to KC and got to cosmetology school. My first thought was that she was altering her future for a man .... (big no-no) but I soon learned that she was really just looking for a change in life. KC offered her the chance to get away and make anew, and Riley and I are excited to be a part of it. Unfortunately, she & Matt decided they were better off as friends.

Having her around the house is a blessing. She is a big sister to Riley and huge help to me. One of the best parts is that I've become more disciplined about eating dinner at home. It's much easier to resist the temptation for carry-out or dining-out when I know I have help at home. Often dinner is prepared when I get home and family dinners are enjoyable.

Next week she is taking Riley shopping for school clothes. This is a win-win situation because I despise this annual chore and I think those 2 girls are really looking forward to it!

In a month or so things will change. Amanda has lots of free time right now only working 18 hrs a week. She and Riley will be headed back to school and free time will be scarce for the both of them. I'll be running Riley around to her various activities and Amanda will be working in the evenings.

iNeed2Change

Our pastor started a sermon series titled “iNeed2Change” and today’s focus was Attitude. This will be one that hits home for me .

My intent when I started to blog 3 years ago was not to portray my negative side, which often dominates me. I live a pretty good life, but recently I have been in retreating deeper into my content little circle peering out at the bigger world around me with negative eyes. If I let my mind wander I naturally see the glass half empty, everything from global issues like society’s decaying morals to petty minor issues such as neighbors not treating their growing crops of dandelions.

My sister told me I need to blog more, though when I’ve felt like blogging lately, it has been a desire to convey my attitudes about things that irk me rather than how I see life positively. In addition, my life has been pretty routine lately and not exciting enough to share :) I got to work, come home, cook, clean, workout, and relax a bit by reading, playing on the computer or watching TV. Sometimes the order of these activities is mixed up a bit, but generally that is my typical weekday.

Now I don’t share my negative opinions much, but I do believe in karma. Could it be that my two accidents (toe and bike wreck) this summer have been a result of negative thoughts? Maybe when a friend confides that they don’t understand why their diet isn’t working all the while eating a bag of butter pretzels, maybe I should tactfully explain instead of sarcastically thinking “DUH!!!”

The message at church today was how to live life with a more positive attitude. Does complaining really help solve problems? Attitudes are contagious and removing negative people from your life while still showing God’s love will have a positive impact on how you see life. From today forward I am going to look for the half-full glasses. I’m happy that my friend recognizes the need for a healthy life even though the implementation of a diet isn’t successful.