The First Day of School

Night Owl: Morning Person

What am I? I'm a night owl AND a morning person. I also count napping as a hobby. How can this be?? As a teacher, through the summer it is exceedingly easy for me to become a night owl. I can stay up until 1 or 2 am without any effort. BUT, if I have something to accomplish, it probably isn't going to get done at night. I do my best, most focused work, early in the morning before anyone is up. I've been up for 90 minutes now and I've made headway on work I've been putting off all weekend. The house is quiet and dark. My coffee is hot and creamy. I've had a productive morning already and the rest of the family is still asleep. I stopped to blog, though, because it just seems like something I want to share...this conundrum of late to bed, early to rise. I will say, though, early mornings like this do bring early nights, and since today is the last, last, last day of summer...the last hours of summer...it looks like grandma bedtimes will begin tonight.

Quiet

Our girls have had a hard time sleeping since we went to Texas. It probably comes from being out of routine, but nonetheless, for 3 weeks in Texas I only slept through the night 2 times. All the other nights one, or sometimes both, needed me. Since returning home it's been a little better (a little more routine) but they are still up during the night at lest twice a week and they are rising EARLY, usually up before Alex leaves for work.

This morning. This. Morning. This morning his musical preparation of sugar jar clinking, coffee cup stirring, water running, chicken sizzling DID NOT WAKE THEM. They are sleeping, peacefully, and he has been gone 20 minutes!

I've had TWENTY MINUTES of a quiet house, all to myself. I thought that deserved some documentation on the bloggity-blog. Oh, yes!

So, while I should be working, I'm going to take a little time to enjoy my coffee and write some thoughts.

Ah. Do you hear that? Me either.

Silent blessings.

Sunday Funday

Today we spent the morning visiting our cousins' church for the baptism of their three little angels. It was nice to visit a new church, and it gave me greater affirmation of the ways that our current church fits our family best - not just because of what's familiar, but because of the style of worship, the friendliness of people, communion, even the sermon (which I sometimes struggle to focus on...). One thing they did that I loved, though, was to take the children out for a lesson during the sermon - so I actually got to listen to this one!

As the babies were being baptized, the pastor gave each of them a cloth to dry their heads. Although I was raised baptist, I was "sprinkled" as baby when my family attended a Lutheran church. That cloth made me remember that I still have mine that my mother saved - and when I looked at it at home later I found that my baptismal birthday is just around the corner. Such a sweet momento.

After church with my cousins' family, we changed and quickly headed to our own church to celebrate the arrival of our new Vicar. Our church had a BBQ picnic on the lawn, and I have a little girl who loves BBQ. It was great to visit - to be missed in a congregation of 400 - and to return to fellowship with our people.

I am blessed.