Hi, it’s me. My name is Kelly and I used to write a few thoughts here on this blog every now and then! 🙂 I couldn’t believe when I logged on to this site today and realized that it has been almost two months since I last posted an entry. That is definitely a record in the 3 years that I have been blogging! 3 years….that also seems impossible, but I began this blogging journey in September of 2005. Another reminder of how quickly time is passing.
Life continues to be full of blessings. In August, we took a couple of different trips. My husband and I had our first opportunity to experience the beauty of Maine when we attended a wedding in Kennebunkport in early August. The girls were at Great Escape that week, so we extended our time there by a few days, traveling through Boston on our way there and back. Eating fresh Maine lobster on my birthday was just one of the joys that I will remember from that trip. Of course, the best part was time alone with my sweetheart!
Also in August, we made our annual sojourn to the Outer Banks with our dear friends. We have been going to the Outer Banks every year since 1995 with the same family. This year, in addition to our regular beach gang, we also had another favorite family join us. The other kids in these two families are truly like sisters and brothers to my girls, so it was a very special time of relaxation and fellowship. The beach is unequivocably my favorite place on earth and sharing it with this group of people made it perfect. Truly, heaven on earth.
In addition to our times of relaxation and family togetherness, the latter part of the summer was also blessed by my growing association with my new friends at the Lamb Center. Except for the week I was at the beach, I have spent my Tuesday afternoons studying God’s word with my friends there since the middle of July. I leave each week humbled by the presence of God in that place and by the privilege of witnessing Him at work. I attended my first volunteer/ staff meeting last night and was further blessed by meeting the volunteers who are there on other days and by hearing more about the specifc ways that the Lamb Center is attempting to serve the homeless and marginalized in our county. Stay tuned for more information about an upcoming fundraising event for the Lamb Center in November!
The girls are mid-way through their second week of school. This was a big year of transitions for us as everyone moved up a school….first born started high school, my baby girl started middle school. We all seem to be surving so far, although this early morning schedule is tough! The high school bus leaves at 6:45, the middle school bus at 7:30. For a family that loves to stay up late and sleep in the next day, we are trying to adjust. Still, we are truly immersed in teenage world now and it is just really fun! Little one has a new “boyfriend” who she identified and tagged as hers the first day of school…my high school girl is already begging to go shopping for a Homecoming dress. The auditions for the middle school play start this week, the first opportunity for auditioning at the high school won’t be until October. On top of homework, we are fully back into our soccer, dance, piano, voice and church youth activities schedule. Their lives are full and we are blessed.
Along with the girls’ activities getting back into full swing, my schedule is also filling up again. We start the new women’s bible study group next Wednesday and we are back to twice monthly Stephen Ministry meetings. This morning, we had a book discussion group on The Shack and I look forward to getting together with my mom’s prayer group again soon as well. Our church is also doing a new church-wide study that has had the wonderful consequence of resurrecting our small group and we began meeting with them again this past Sunday evening. And, of course, Steve and I both have fantasy football teams to follow and tinker with each week!! In addition to all that fun stuff, I am still facing the health challenges that have characterized my 40s so far. Having just about given up on traditional medicine, I am currently spending A LOT of time at the chiropractor and the accupuncturist. Getting older is not for sissies! My days (and evenings) are full and I am blessed.
So, there you have it, an update for all you readers who have been faithfully checking out these humble pages for some sign of life these past few weeks. Now that you know what is going on around Chez Johnson, you can see that God is still providing me with plenty of topics to keep me interested and writing. Stay tuned!
AND don’t EVEN get me started on all the election news……!!!!!!!
Welcome back, its about time you were writing again!
Yeah! You’re back! 🙂
Kelly, it’s great to see you back. It sounds like there are many exciting things happening with your family — and spiritually rewarding things happening with you! Life does often get in the way of little side things like blogging; mine has suffered a lot the past few months as well. Things are on an upswing (and when you do decide to tackle politics, let me know:-)