What you learn from a 5 year old

So I spent the last weekend in San Diego babysitting my friend's 5 year old, Joshua. I used to live with my friend and her little boy and babysat him pretty often. I was so excited to spend the weekend with just him and me. We dropped his momma off at the airport Thursday night and kept telling him how special and exciting this was and how he should feel so ecstatic. Well this lasted about half of the drive home before he started getting a little sad. What did I do? I gave him the gummy worms his mom had given me in case something like this should happen. Well that perked him up again!

I could tell you all of the details of the weekend, but I'll spare you. Needless to say, we had a fantastic time and did a lot of really fun stuff (i.e. 101 Dalmatians play that my cousin, Riley was in, go to church, build radical forts and secret hideouts in the living room, build ramps for his monster trucks, etc.). What I would like to say though is how much appreciation I gained for mothers/parents in the short 72 hours that I was a temporary mom!! I didn't realize how much freedom you give up when you become a mom. The only time I felt like I had any choice in what I did was after he went to bed, and by that point, I was so exhausted from building forts in the living room, drawing/coloring, watching silly youtube videos, and getting him fed that all I wanted to do was go to sleep (at 8:30pm that is). Now don't get me wrong, I had a blast with this kid and love him like a nephew, but I guess I just never realized how much work it is to be on 24 hour duty. When I lived with them, I got to be the fun playful aunt type family member. I didn't have to deal with discipline or setting down rules or enforcing onces already in place (you know, the trivial ones, like don't touch a pot I just made rice in or hit me with your karate stick), his mom always dealt with that. I also didn't have to worry about him waking up every morning at 6:30 am as though an alarm had gone off, his mom always dealt with that. Also, do you know how much you need to bring when you take off for a day out of town?? I couldn't believe how many things I thought about and knew I had to bring. Guess I have good role models for that.

So this blog is to send out a thank you to all parents out there who realized that the day that kid was born, your life was no longer your own. I send kudos to all of you. However, this weekend has made me appreciate my ability to spend as long as I'd like in bed in the morning, tattle to a kid's parent rather than disciplining, and not counting toys after leaving each destination on a trip. I love all you parents for what you do and I know some day I will be in the boat of having the 24/7/365 job that is beyond rewarding and exhilarating, yet more exhausting than anything else!!! And when that day comes, I will be so thankful for my own little bundle of joy!! (But that won't be for several years!!)

From Chili's to Chile

As many know, I've recently applied to a program through BridgeTEFL called English Opens Doors Chile. This is a program with which I am hoping to volunteer to teach English for 6 months. Originally, my hope was to go for a full year, but due to unforeseeable developments, the longest amount of time offered is 6 months. To be honest, I freaked out a little bit when I found out about the program being cut. I felt like, all of a sudden, I was not in control anymore. Then I remembered, I never was in control! See, from the beginning, this has been God's mission for me and I was just responding. Somewhere between graduation and finishing my application, I got it into my head that it was all my idea and MY trip. Boy am I glad He reminded me who is really in control. It took me a few conversations with people who knew my problem of being a bit of a control freak to be reminded where I really stand in my life and where I want to stand: always under the protecting wing of my Savior. You may wonder where I am at with it all now. Well, I have officially applied and sent in all of my documents. I am waiting to hear about a phone interview which will hopefully tell me when I'll be able to book my flight. After being accepted, I will begin my certification, which I imagine will be quite time consuming but very rewarding in the long run. Above all else, I am content in waiting on the Lord. I don't know what may happen at the end of the 6 months. Maybe things will have changed and I'll be asked to stay for another semester. Maybe I'll get connected with a missions group. Maybe I'll travel for a few months around South America. Maybe it will be time for me to come back to the States and begin God's next project for me here. The point is, there are an infinite amount of possibilities for my future, and I am so happy to leave the planning of my life's path in God's strong and capable arms.
I promise to keep everyone posted on my status of going to Chile and everything else as new developments come. Thank you for your prayers, support, encouragement, and love!

Psalm 91:4-5 "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day."