It is gorgeous, gorgeous weather. YAY! And next week at this time I will be in Colorado. Yippee! :-)

Several of us from work are getting to attend the EPA* Convention in Col. Springs, and then I will get to spend the weekend with some friends who live in that area. So looking forward to that! :-D

I have been enjoying working on an article about Goa for our next SEND!, and have been amazed and encouraged at how it's been coming together. The Lord has really been answering prayer! I asked others on staff to pray for me on Monday morning when I shared some things that had touched my heart about Goa - and I can really feel there prayers as the Lord has truly been bringing this article together in incredible ways.

It's also so encouraging to think of how, if He's answering prayer as I work on this article, how much more I can be encouraged that He must be bringing about incredible breakthroughs on the field, in the lives of these precious people. I am continually amazed at His power and His faithfulness.

By the way, did y'all know I sometimes see random flying objects whiz by my upstairs office window? Just thought I'd share that fun fact ... one time recently it was a plastic bag. :o) Fun stuff.

*for those who may be wondering, no, this does not stand for Environmental Protection Agency - at least not in this case. :-) Check out the link above to learn more!

Heather and Jess left this morning - I had a nice time with them!

A couple of fun facts from the weekend:
-went to 7 (I am not kidding!!! :-)) Half-Price bookstores in two days
-ate at two Panda Express's
(we went other places, too, besides just Half-Price bookstores and Panda Express! :o))

My friends really, really like Half-Price bookstores, so they wanted to go to as many as they could! And it worked out fine for me, too, because usually they had a table somewhere in the store where I could spread out my SEND! research and get some work done, and I could also visit with my friends, too, as they stopped by to look through books or have me watch their purse. :-)

Going to Panda Express the second time was really fun. My friends both like Panda Express, and it's something they don't have back home. Jess wanted to have her picture taken by the pictures of pandas that were on the wall, to give to her mom since she likes pandas. So she recruited Heather and I to help with picture-taking. :-) [Well, I tried to help, but I didn't know Heather's digital camera that well ... so she wisely figured it would be quicker if she took them. :o)]

It was so fun watching them walk around to the different spots to take pictures, especially when the nice guy at the counter who had served us earlier looked over and laughed good-naturedly, and a couple of high schooler boys who were watching them looked over at me and were like, "Um, have they not ever been to Panda Express?" :-D Needless to say, when Heather and Jess got back to the table from their picture-taking adventure, we all enjoyed some good laughs together!

I'm a bit tired from the weekend, but doing well, and so grateful for the good visit with my friends.

Sitting down yesterday to lunch at Chick-fila with a group of gals from the office, the song "Give Me Jesus" playing in the background, I thought of how appropriate it was as a good friend from my department shared how the Lord had worked in hers and her husband's hearts to lay aside their plans and hear His heart for them. I loved hearing her story of how God drew them to GFA - I hadn't gotten to hear it yet. :-)

Today two projects came together that I was hoping would get completed - I'm glad!

It is beautiful, warm and sunny outside! As soon as I finish blogging, I'm about to pack up my stuff and go take a walk in this great weather. :-D Then, at 6:00, I'm going to supper with my good friend Tee so we can catch up and pray together. Then I have some friends coming to see me from out of town ... they're arriving in the middle of the night because that works out best with when one of them gets off work. :-)

I went to the dentist for my routine cleaning today. They're always telling me I have great teeth. :-D It's kind of fun to hear that ... I mean, I know life is not all about having good teeth (it's really not! ;-) but it is kind of nice to not ever have to have dental work done or worry with that hassle and expense.

A bunch of us here at the ministry have little pages on Facebook, and it's kind of fun. There are also little "groups" that you can join if you'd like; today I decided to join a Dr. Seuss group since I enjoy occasionally collecting Dr. Seuss paraphanelia, like the fun jelly jars I found on Ebay.

Anyhow, today's funny quote for the day that I just had to share ...

IIsak...
Since the two of us are the only people in the group... why not make me an officer?

I laughed so hard when I read that! I thought it was too cute. [Incidentally, he did get to become an officer, and they both named themselves after Dr. Seuss characters. :-) My joining the group makes the current total
six ... and, nope, in case you're wondering, I'm not an officer. :-D]

I'm back in the office again! I tried to come back again on Thursday but my co-workers could tell I still needed more rest. :-) I slept much of the day on Friday, too, but did make it to supper at a friend's house (she fixed a delicious meal of tilapia and fruit!) and then to a couple of hours of all-night prayer, too!

On Saturday I was still pretty congested and tired, and didn't have much energy ... but thoroughly enjoyed volleyball with a bunch of friends from staff after a four-hour nap on Sunday. :-D

And now a good friend and I are going to supper and to catch up and pray together. That will be nice. I think we're going to Wendy's ... she was talking about their yummy salads earlier, and they're nice and close to the office. :c)

It was nice to be back in the office today after being home Monday and Tuesday with a head cold I developed over the weekend! It was good to see people again, and to be "back in the swing of things" after mostly having my couch, a box of tissues, and cold medicine as my constant companions these past few days. :o) [Well, and of course, Jesus, too, but He's always my companion, not just when I'm at home sick. :-)]

Anyhow, it's good to be back.

Today my sister and I took the kiddos and went to Wal-mart to get groceries and then did a little cooking and baking this afternoon, and we all had our cousin Rob over this evening for chicken pot pie.

It was good to see him again! Some of us watched Lady in the Water after supper. Looked like possibly a scary movie from the previews, but really not that scary ... just a few loud parts where this grassy-like creature suddenly jumps out at you. ;-D

And now my sister's watching me write in my blog and taking pictures of me ... not sure why ... I think she's trying out her camera. :-D It's good she made sure it's working so she can get pictures of the kiddos tomorrow in their Easter outfits!

We all have been having such a good visit! :c) Well, I'm sleepy now so I should get ready for bed soon, I s'pose. :0)As I think of it being Easter tomorrow, how wonderful it is to remember that Christ is RISEN.

I'm having a blast at my sister's!!!

When I first got here, we played at the park. I pushed my niece Elizabeth on the swings! Then my sister and nephews and niece and I all went to eat at Chuy's.

I got initiated into Cinnamon Stick Country when my brother-in-law got home. :-) He ordered them from Pizza Hut. He and my sister were teasing each other, because she didn't know if I would like them but he kept insisting I would, and I did. :c) Then my sister admitted she'd never tried them, and he insisted she try them, and she wasn't impressed. It was pretty funny.

After supper, my sister and I went to the mall. Then later, we three all had a great time chatting and joking around. :-D

It's Easter soon, and a three day weekend!

After work, I'm going walking with a co-worker, then packing so I can head out early tomorrow to go visit my sister in Austin for the weekend. I'm excited!!!

Happy Resurrection Sunday. :-D

Animal crackers or doggie treat biscuits? That is the question.

Okay, now that I've got your attention ... :-) An out-of-town friend of the ministry wanted to play an April Fools joke on my department coordinator, Lars ... so she enlisted my help! She was in town briefly last week and brought boxes of animal crackers for today's information department meeting.

The boxes had our names on them ... so in the one with my coordinator's name, she put doggie treat crackers! They looked like regular animal crackers, and tasted quite good to a number of us who tried them later, actually! [She told me last week that she had taste-tested them and mentioned that you really couldn't tell they weren't animal crackers :o)]

Lars ate probably four or five of them and was totally oblivious until I showed him the pet store receipt!!! And with the help of a couple of co-workers, we got the whole thing on video, too. :-D

We all think Lars was quite the good sport! He even packaged up the cracker box and the receipt so he could bring them to show his wife! Of course, he did remind me that he does my staff evalution (uh-oh) ... and it just so happens I have one coming up really soon. :)

Volleyball is one of my favorite outdoor games ... and I got to play for a while today!!! :) Afterwards, some of us headed over to J and C's apartment to hang out for a bit. We had fun watching last year's intern video and playing interactive video sports ... well, I didn't actually play ... I think it was more fun just watching the ones who actually did play. :o)

We also ate these super yummy pita chips from Costco. :=)