5 months...

already!
Today, I tried rice cereal for the first time.It wasn't nearly as tasty as my fingers. I also rode in the stroller as Mommy and Daddy went running at the lake. That was good. I mostly looked around but eventually, I fell asleep. And I played on my mat with my crinkle book. It was a pretty good 5 month birthday.

Dinner for 60

Tonight, our lifegroup made dinner for 60 people at a ministry in Oak Cliff called The Well that serves mentality ill and disabled people. It was incredibly fun and energizing. Seriously. And it was so good to take my eyes off of myself and my petty problems and help someone else for a little bit!

We had the use of a commercial kitchen, so with a few people cooking meat, a few chopping vegetables and a few others doing various other things, we easily got the food prepared and then could join the worship service. After, we served the meal buffet style. It was nice to look each person in the eye and ask them how they'd like their tacos and joke with them and treat them well. Many of them looked like the kind of person that a normal person (like me!) would avoid or be afraid to engage with because they didn't have everything together. But they're people, deserving of love and mercy, and capable of giving love and mercy in return. So many told us thank you and how blessed they were by the meal. And many were just excited about chips and queso and cookies. And that's good too. It was a fun night for all. :-)

Labor-free Labor Day Weekend

We had a great Labor Day weekend. Eventful, but relaxing.As easy as playing with our toes. :-)

Saturday morning, we had good workouts, Casey on the bike and me with Zumba and weight class at the Y. Then we went to the 1st of two church picnics (celebrating ACC Dallas/Mercy Place's 10 year anniversary) and it was fun to chat and see some folks that had moved away in recent years. Then Casey & I went to the office so he could work a little (so, a little labor) and I did lesson plans (but I got to hold Sweet Pea while working on them, so it hardly counts as work.) Then we went to dinner at the Blue Goose with my parents to celebrate their anniversary.

After that, we went home and I baked cookies for Sunday's picnic. Four dozen cake-mix cookies. I love cake-mix cookies because they're insanely easy...but still tasty and homemade, which is always better. Unfortunately, only 3 dozen made it to church, as the dogs managed to pull down a tray and gobble them up while I was out of the room. Stinkers.

The church-wide picnic the next day was fun, (my cookies were the first to go!) and to top off a nice afternoon, I got a pedicure. Pretty pink toes. :-) We went to bed early. Excellent.

Monday was the best of all. The first cooler day of fall, all three of us went running at the lake. It was a great morning to run. Sweet Pea was awake and watching the whole time, but very chill. It was great to be out running again like old times. Casey ran 10 miles, and me six.
We relaxed a little outside before going to Barbec's for breakfast. Mmm...beer biscuits. We did grocery shopping and cleaned house too, and even had time to rest and relax, and then go back out for a trip to Central Market and spend an hour at Curtis Park, sitting on the bench where Casey proposed to me more than 6 years ago. Wow, have things changed in 6 years! I can't imagine how things will be in 6 more years.