Soup, anyone?

Yeah....I know that in this photo it looks pretty darn UN-appetizing, doesn't it? (I apologize for the poor photo quality...gotta love cell phones!)

And oddly enough it is the very thing that I look forward most to every Friday morning....to get me through three hours of the most boring class that the University offers......boring, boring, poke-my-eyes-out-with-a-dull-pencil boring. But I take heart in knowing that 1/2 way through we will be given a 10 minute break in which I will treat myself to this $3.25 bowl of deliciousness. Clam chowder from the coffee stand at the college.....oh yeah, we've hit the big time!

In fact this past Friday my fellow soup-loving classmate & I even joked about how pathetic it is that the most exciting thing in our lives on Fridays is some meger looking clam chowder served in a styrofoam cup. Talk about bad attitudes...........

So I come home and I read Jody's blog & find the link to Angie Smith's blog. Angie & her husband are facing a trial unilke anything I can even begin to imagine.....their story has touch me beyond words....you just have to read it for yourself.............. This woman is such a pillar of strength in such a dark time.

And then I finished writing my paper on Elie Wiesel's Night. The book chronicles Wiesel's time spent in Auschwitz during WWII. If you haven't read it, run...don't walk....run out & buy it! Powerful beyond words. And as I was proof reading my paper, I realized that God was silently showing me something like this "Hello? Stacy? Do you hear me? I know you are bogged down with all the little 'things' in life & that you are tired.....but don't forget you are also very blessed."

Yep.....I am tired...more tired than I have ever been.....between commuting to Anchorage for school 4 days a week, all my school work and then running a family & household and all my countless projects and commitees at the kids' school plus doing the parent thing alone 50% of the year....I am beat! But really what do I have to complain about?

So I guess The Big Guy was trying to give me an attitude adjustment in a kind and gentle way. My Friday morning bowl of soup isn't pathetic at all.......and I have to be grateful for all of these little blessings.....each & every one.

Do you ever have those times that you find these little lessons are all around you when you least expect it ?

Okay...back to my school work! Have a great week:)

Move over Wedding Crashers......Mommy Crashers Are in the house....

So Saturday we had little R's 6th birthday party at Bouncin' Bears, the new 'cool' place to have a party around here, especially for the 12 & under crowd. Well we had a huge turnout (29 kids...that is including the siblings of all the kids we invited......seriously this place is popular) & the kids had a BLAST! However, the attendent told me to let her know if "anyone comes in with a present" that we don't know?

Huh?

To make a long story short, she tells me there is a 'ring' of moms who are trying to crash parties........yep, crashing the parties of 6 year olds. Why you might ask? Well, it is like $7.00 a kid to go to Bouncin' Bears for "Open Jump"that is held throughout the week (& on weekends if no parties are scheduled). Well for the convience of people who might want to attend Open Jumps on the weekends the management has posted a schedule on their website to let them know when parties are scheduled.

So..................instead of forking over say $21.oo if a family has three kids & waiting (like decent folk) for an Open Jump opportunity, these schmoes are showing up to some unsuspecting kid's party with a $5.00 present in hand, hoping to save themselves 16-or-so dollars......and hey they might even score their kids a cupcake, juice box & goodie bag in the process...................uhm, can you say L-O-S-E-R-S! And I guess this hasn't just happened one time....it has become a regular problem! Good grief!

And an update since my last post......I lived through last week's Lit. midterm, but now I am prepping for NE Asia in the 21st Century midterm tomorrow night & Western Religion for Wednesday! Ugh....................such is life................