No Place Like Home

As you all know, I've been in Florida for the past week visiting my Mom's family. While I loved seeing everyone and getting to grow closer to my family, I truly couldn't way to get home to see Dad and Jace.

Getting home, however, was harder than just tapping my feet together and saying, "There's no place like home."

A 12-hour car ride with a not-yet-walking two-year-old was no picnic. The ride was made easier, though, by our stash of Greek yogurt smoothies and Trader Joe's cheese puffs, and our periodical french fry breaks at Sonic and McDonald's.

We went off and on watching Signing Time, Barney, Elmo's World, and Veggie Tales. My sweet baby boy even watched a little of The Princess and the Frog with me (My 11-year-old boy cousin watched it with me and LOVED it. So no excuses guys.).

As Mom was doing all the driving (I wouldn't have driven on the interstate even if I had passed the permit test), it was my job to make sure Levi was happy and smiling. For someone who's only 5', reaching from the front seat back to a baby car seat was difficult. It was like yoga in a sitting position.

When we weren't eating fries or watching TV shows, we were listening to music. Levi's finicky taste didn't let us stay on one song for more than thirty seconds, that is, except his favorite - Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas. I nearly passed out laughing as we banged our fists in the air for the BOOM BOOM, Levi banging in all the wrong places with a huge smile on his face, feet kicking willy-nilly in the air.

All in all, I enjoyed the trip back, even if it was a bit exhausting. Nearing our destination, Levi started to sign "Daddy" and say his mumbled version of Jace. He wanted to see them as badly as we did. After some pizza and a sound whooping (BY ME!!!) of the iPhone ESPN Spelling Bee app, we went to bed. As my eyelids are drifting shut even now, I think:

There's no place like home.

The Gift of Time (Greetings from Florida)

Me and my mom and Levi left for Florida on Sunday to visit Mom's family. After waking up at 6:45 in the morning and listening to twelve hours of Signing Time and Sesame Street in the car, I almost kissed the ground when we reached my grandparents' house.

I'd seen my grandparents over the summer during Levi's heart surgery, but I hadn't seen my cousins since the Christmas before last. Honestly, I was afraid that I wouldn't know them anymore, that we'd have to take a long time to reform a connection we once had, but I was dead wrong. All they needed was a little time.

Angel (age 11) is homeschooled at a tutorial, so we had some time together on Monday. Believe it or not, we bonded over homework. He liked to see what I was working on (Geometry) and liked to show me what he was doing too. And when I decided to stop for the day, he loved that I chose to help him with his homework.

Annie (age 9) is in public school, so I hadn't gotten much of a chance to see her yet. When she got home, she immediately came to the room where me and Angel were having a Guitar Hero battle, and asked if I could cook something with her.

"Of course!" I replied, and we headed to the kitchen. We got out her EasyBake Oven and put on our aprons. She decided on a cake (although I really wouldn't call it a cake, it was so small. More like a fluffy sugar cookie). We mixed all the ingredients together, and all the while I was explaining to her how cake batter should look, and other rules of the trade.

While our smallish "cake" was cooling, I decided to go outside and see what Angel and his two friends were doing. It turned out to be baseball. Now, I was excited! I played softball for about 4 years - fall and spring ball - and I hadn't been able to play the last few seasons (too old for the league). I was disappointed, at first, that I wasn't able to even make contact with the ball when I was at bat. But after about an hour of playing, I had my mojo back, and Angel and his older friend were fighting over whose team I got to be on.

Angel and Annie went to bed giving me hugs, much more comfortable with me than they'd been the night before. All they needed was a little time. Not much, just some quality attempts at bonding. They're both at school today, and now I can't wait for them to get home!

So in closing, greetings from Florida! And never understimate the power of time.

Being Busy

"If the devil can't make you evil, he'll make you busy."

This statement is so true, but it takes some thinking to realize that it doesn't just apply to "the rest of the world," it applies to you and me too.

There have been so many times in my life that I've just been "too busy" for God.

"I can't go to youth group because I'm too busy."

"I didn't get to read my Bible today because I was too busy."

"I meant to have a quiet time this morning, but I was just too busy trying to get out the door for school."

"I meant to say a prayer last night, but I just stayed up so late doing homework. I was way too busy."

I think we even become too busy when we're doing things that are for the glory of God.

I am currently raising money for a little boy in Russia with Down syndrome and lots of days, I don't read my Bible or have a quiet time because I was too busy trying to raise money for Dennis.

The Devil is sneaky. When he saw that I was not going to be made evil, he turned the things I was doing for God into just "being busy," and forgetting who I was doing it for.

This trap is easy to fall into. So the next time you want to skip church, or youth group, or reading your Bible, or your quiet time, remember why you're alive. Remember who gave you life. Who gave you everything you have now. You have NOTHING without God.

It's time we remembered that, and we stopped being so busy all the time. I challenge each of you (including myself) to take ten minutes out of your day to read your Bible and have a quiet time with God.

He's the Creator of the Universe and the one who gave us everything we have. I think He deserves at least that.