2012- Week 23

1.  The summer has begun, which means I am super busy.  Not what I had in mind, but I like the work.  Lots of mural painting going on with AmeriCorps programming.  Here is the outline of the Farmer's Market mural we painted on Wednesday. 

2. We were at a hotel from Thursday to Sunday.  So I got some tv time in!  I watched 2 episodes of Chopped and one episode of Tabitha Takes Over.  Just 1.5 hours in 4 days.  I know, I couldn't believe it either.  I was busy. 

3.  90% of that business was spent at Grinell College where I was attending/presenting at a United Church of Christ Annual Conference.  That campus is beautiful and a delight to walk in and around.

4. The conference was well done.  I went to a great workshop on social justice.  I heard some great sermons.  It was good to be surrounded by all the diverse members of the church.  Sometimes I forget that our church as a whole is made up of more than just old, straight, white Iowans.

5.  I led three workshops on Art and Spirituality.  I heard a lot of great comments after each session.  I had one attendee in particular who is continuing the relationship beyond the classroom to be one of my spiritual direction clients.   (Umm, yeah, we did another mural.  I have the bug.)

6.  Link got some time in the pool just one on one.  Every minute he got a little braver.  He also spent a little bit of time at the day care they provided.  He made a good friend in a 8 year old named Rowan whose mother, a single pastor, adopted from Russia.  That kid is gorgeous, humble, kind, funny, and a delight.  My favorite thing he said was "I saved Link from the balloon popping the way that ___?__ saved ____?___ from the explosion on Downtown Abby." 

7.  No photos to show since I only got to chat with her a short time, but my friend and fellow alum for Spirations, Mary Drier, was also a presenter.  She helped the group build an outdoor labyrinth and set up a cloth one indoors, which Link did probably 8 or 9 times and asked to go back to on the way home.

8.  On the way home we stopped in Cedar Rapids for a little shopping spree.  Bryce and I both needed more pants. 

9.  One of my session attendees invited our family to join her and her wife for dinner at Cibo in CR.  That was a lot of fun and made our tummies full of yummy pizza.

10. We had the contractors come to place bids on the house.  Another step closer.  Can't wait to close the deal.