My Rapid Heart: Waiting for Winter

Hello all!
We have had the most amazingly warm fall that I can think of! Today is giving us a little hint of winter, cold and blustery with occasional light snow. But, it's November 12th, for pete's sake! It should be like that. And anyway, the forecast is calling for another warm up next week. I'll take it.

Speaking of warm ups, we're all gonna be super warm in a week or two. We are heading down to the Caribbean for a Disney cruise soon! The kids are over the moon, and Scott and I are pretty excited about it, too. We owe it all to Scott's very generous parents who gave us this amazing gift (along with Scott's brother and his family). The kids have never seen the ocean or been somewhere really warm in the winter. And now they get to do it with their grandparents and cousins. Perfect!

Life just continues to be busy. I'm trying to make a little margin by handing off one of my jobs - my blog job for Stafford Family Realtors. I really enjoy it, but enjoy my church job a lot more so it made sense to pare it down. I need and want to have more time for just getting house stuff done, being with my kiddos when they get home from school instead of working through until 5:00, and doing little projects like painting rooms, or making a dessert. Those things have gone by the wayside since I started working. I hope they come back. Margin is good.

School activities are ramping up. Cate is still doing piano and added band and choir this year, along with a book club. She'll start traveling basketball next week and Scott will coach again.

Clare is still in violin and will be starting up with the Archery Team in December which will go until March and include weekend travel. We'll be a split family for a while.

Cooper is liking school way better and I know for a fact its because God answered my desperate plea for the perfect teacher for him. Mrs. Sjodin is everything we could ever want a teacher to be for our son. So thankful. Cooper just started guitar lessons and he will be starting basketball in December.

I'm still trying to draw and paint once in a while. Again, need margin!! I was hoping to have cranked out a bunch of watercolors before Christmas but its just not happening. Still co-leading women's ministries, still leading community group. And now I'm leading a bible study, I'm volunteering an hour ever week in Cooper's class, and I'm on a couple of committees, too. I know, I know. I need to say no more often.

Scott is still crazy busy at work. Not much to report there.

Moto is fully grown and a very vocal dog. Funny. And sweet.

I hope this post finds you all enjoying some warm fall weather, and being thankful. I sure am thankful for so many things. Too many to count. God is so good and we are very blessed. Take care until next time!

Here are a bunch of pictures in no particular order.