The Plunge.

I'm taking the plunge, folks! It's been over 7 yrs since I started this blog and I've been feeling the need for change. I've had ideas about starting a new one for awhile now, and I have. Over at Wordpress. Sorry, Blogger...

From now on, visit me here: andreachilds.wordpress.com.

(I'll admit, it's a little sad to say goodbye to this one...it's been a long time! But ok, it's just a blog. See you on the other side!)

praying...when life is hard or confusing, and such

I appreciated reading Sarah's thoughts here about prayer this morning...

what i notice

On these oh-so-rainy fall days, this is what I notice and smile about...

the look in the eyes of a six-month-old learning to eat solid food.

and the relief found in the bottle when he's tired of that strange new stuff :)

a dinosaur raincoat

savored chocolate chips, melting in the hands of a 2 1/2 yr old who's potty training.

a six-year-old who does care about the puppy he (usually) hates because now she's sick.

clean sheets on a bed.

sharing secret whispers with a toddler.

the tickle monster.

pesto made with my garden basil--delightful.

excitement shared with others about trips and travel.

puppy cuddling.

fall knitting.

boots for splashing in puddles.

an eleven-year-old who thinks she's sixteen.

browsing through Food & Wine in the late afternoons at work.

the feel of deep-down cares and concerns not lost or forgotten...but...dormant?

conversations with mom about who I am (and who I'm becoming).

vanilla chamomile tea after work.

candles burning.

small (and big) things my heart thanks God for; so much taken for granted.

and--last but not least--rain down the gutter when i'm falling asleep...

A Bucket List--of sorts

This isn't exhaustive, nor is it in any particular order. You might think some of them are strange. I'm ok with that :)

1. Take a photography class

2. Develop pictures in a dark room

3. Publish a piece of writing

4. Take a dance class

5. Participate in a bike race

6. Backpack a portion of the AT

7. Adopt

8. Really grow a garden (no more container garden crap)

9. Visit Isle Royale again

10. Tour a vineyard

11. Canoe the boundary waters

12. Learn wood stripping/refinishing

13. Work/volunteer (more) with refugees

14. Visit a refugee camp

15. Involve myself in advocacy (someway/how)

16. Take another pottery class

17. Spend several days in a monastery

18. Draw/paint something to be proud of :)

19. Make what I can

20 Always: get out more

21. Go to Finland

22. Lead (co-lead) a church small group or Sunday school class

23. Travel/backpack around South America

24. Buy a fixer upper (and all the how-to's for fixing it up!)

25. Teach

26. Keep myself teachable

27. Volunteer with relief/disaster response

28. Have a family

29. Teach my kids to love the outdoors and to adventure

30. Travel up the coast of Maine

31. Visit Pearl Harbor

32. Give of myself for others every day

33. Never forget the needy

34. Never grow indifferent to those with "more than they need"

35. Never presume I don't need

36. Learn to live simply (but deeply)

37. Read to people who can't

38. Go on a hot air balloon ride

39. Visit Africa again

40. Never forget God is a God of presence

41. See Peter Mulvey and Jeffrey Foucault perform together in concert

42. Keep gratitude and humility close

43. Keep doing things that scare me

44. Learn to white water kayak

45. Live close to the earth (without that being weird, haha)

46. Read at least three new novels a year.

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need."

-Luke 12:31

Linking

I appreciated this short post about love and marriage this morning...