this is so WEIRD!

One week of freedom left...alas! I could find things to do for an endless summer break!

This has been a good one, although it's felt unbelievably short. I didn't get anywhere near finishing all the projects I'd planned to do this summer, mostly because of two little time sucks named Kya and Kajani! God has used them to spur some growth in me though, so I suppose that's more than an even trade (projects for growth). I have a newfound appreciation and respect for the moms out there - not that I'm comparing your children to my puppies at all, but I have realized this summer how much I took my freedom for granted! I could go anywhere, do anything, spend my day in whatever way I felt...and now I need to throw myself out of bed by 7 (if I'm lucky, that's late!) to take the puppies outside and to feed them and they really need to be walked every day which means that I need to get each one out for a walk (separately - together is total madness!) before it's 7 million degrees outside and I can only crate them for a few hours if I'm going to leave the house and I certainly can't completely ignore them, but they can't have the run of the house so that means I have to stop doing whatever I'm doing to go give some attention in "their room"... As I write it out, it sure doesn't sound difficult or time consuming, but I have struggled this summer to relinquish control over my freedom. I guess God is probably preparing me for actual children (as opposed to dogs who are currently considered the children). It's pretty crazy to realize how much He has changed my heart in that regard. Not that many years ago I didn't want to have kids at all and I didn't find babies or baby things all that adorable (and didn't understand at all why it seemed that all the rest of the ladies in the world were fawning over babies and baby things)...and now I'm the one oohing and ahhing and getting all weird about tiny baby clothes and shoes and baby animals. Still not entirely sure what to do with human babies (they're cute and cuddly but I still wish they could tell me what they wanted, just need a bit more experience with them), but my baby puppies sure make my heart squeeze on a daily basis. You know that feeling like you just can't get enough, your heart is over-full... that's the feeling that baby things bring of late. So weird! What happened to my old heart and how did it get replaced by this one so sneakily? I'm glad God did it though...I feel like He's growing me more and more into an adult day by day. I'll be 28 in about a week, and I finally feel almost like a grownup for the first time in my life. I like the young at heart part of me, but sooner or later maturity needs to strike and I find that I desire it more and more lately. Maturity to handle things in a godly way, maturity to be disciplined instead of lazy, maturity to pursue with purpose rather than be blown about willy nilly. Hopefully willy and nilly haven't completely abandoned me - I'd still like to be occasionally blown about, but I think my heart is finally settling and appreciating what God has given me in a new light. A deeper, more grateful light. I think.

My 3 favorites, wracked out after a long day : ).