Spontaneous Saturday

The weather forecast stated that the high today would be 60 degrees. The high for tomorrow is 30 degrees. Obviously I had to drag my family out of the house today since I know tomorrow we will be tucked safely in our heated house under a pile of blankets.

We started our day off at a cute little German restaurant for breakfast. They have a buffet that I love because it includes homemade sausage, pastries, waffles, biscuits, and some yummy not homemade eggs. Also they have freshly made breads and sweet treats for after breakfast.  Today we had an extra special treat.

A life size gingerbread house. Yes it is real gingerbread...using 50 pounds of royal icing!

We then rolled ourselves out to the car and opted for a hiking adventure at our favorite outdoor getaway. We drove an hour to get there and as we pulled into the state park realized there was still snow and ice on the side of the road.  We braved the elements anyway and began our hiking adventure. We found places of pure sheets of ice and, found ourselves skating, dancing, and laughing on the slippery slopes. Because of the bare trees and higher water levels, we were able to see a spring that is rarely visible!

After hiking our normal route, we decided for a path we hadn't traveled before.  It was beautiful, scenic and ridiculously muddy. A couple of times we blazed our own path to get out of the mud. The Rev. even slipped on some ice and almost fell down the side of a bluff carrying our daughter. (Luckily all are fine) When we got to the top, the kids were amazed at how much they could see.  Little Miss said, "Momma, I can see everything up here."  It made me a little sad to realize that my kids had never before experienced the awe of standing on top of a mountain (or a 30 foot bluff/plateau thing). They were also introduced to cacti which completely freaked out Little Miss.

Then we headed into one of our favorite small town diners for dinner. We ate in a back room with our very own fire!  It was wonderful and reminded me of how important it is to get out of the house whenever possible. No laundry got done, the dishes are still in the sink, the floor needs to be vacuumed but today was more important than any of those things. If that means outside people are going to judge my disheveled home, then so be it!  My time with my children is limited and I choose to cherish these moments!

Intentional Advent

Who doesn't love Christmas? All the presents, caroling, hustle, bustle and general excitement in the air. There's Santa, reindeer, elves and maybe even some snow.

And the parties...oh, the parties. There are work parties, church parties, friend parties and family parties. Sometimes there are multiple parties of each kind not to mention a school party for every child you have. And, of course, you have to make each one...it is a part of the season after all.

Then there are the people. People of all kinds come out at Christmas.  People that cut in lines to get the cheapest TV. People that come out of the mall after spending thousands of dollars and walk past the carolers at the red Salvation Army buckets. People that worry about getting every person they know a gift but don't think to donate food to a local food pantry or stick a toy in the toys for tots box.  Many of the people call theirselves Christians. They are the same people that demand schools be able to keep Christ in Christmas or put up signs saying "Jesus is the reason for the season," but they miss the point. The point isn't so much about the birth of baby Jesus and buying gifts for everyone to open on that one designated day, but more about preparing for the birth by readying our heart, mind, and soul for the coming of our Savior by remembering and living life like Him.

With this feeling already nagging at me in November and realizing that advent would be short this year, I vowed to make my season of advent mean more.  I decided to do this by taking the themes for each week of advent and posting a picture on Facebook that illustrated that theme in my life. The process has made my advent season mean so much more.  It seemed as though my life actually embodied the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love without any extra help or hard work. I have been preparing for the birth of my Savior and treasuring every moment along the way.

It's been very intentional. Intentionally preparing for the hope that Christ's birth brought, and continues to bring, to a world and individuals lost in poverty, hunger, sorrow or pain.  Intentionally preparing for the peace that Christ's birth brought, and continues to bring, to a world and individuals struggling with hate, violence, mental illness, or angst. Intentionally preparing for the joy that Christ's birth brought, and continues to bring, to a world and individuals focused on the negative, money, or gaining power. Intentionally preparing for the love that Christ's birth brought, and continues to bring, to a world and individuals no matter who they were or what situation they found theirselves in. Period. 

Make your advent intentional. Maybe you look up a different scripture each day of the week that uses the theme word for the week. Maybe you light the advent candle for the week and pray about how the theme fits in your life. Maybe you create a daily photo blog that shows where you saw the theme in your daily life. Whatever you might decide to do, be intentional about preparing for the hope, peace, joy, and love that Jesus brings to us.