Labor Day Weekend

Our Labor Day weekend was full of excitement and adventure.

Friday evening, a whole group from church got together to play ultimate Frisbee. Now, I love to play ultimate Frisbee and other games, but my body doesn't always respond well to the challenge. About 20 minutes into the game, I pivoted to change directions and my knee quickly decided that it didn't want to go that direction. There was no dramatic fall or scream. I just stopped, hobbled over to the side line and took myself out of the game. At 28 years old and 3 knee surgeries, I'm having to realize that my knee is never going to be 100% and that moving in anything other than a straight line is going to be challenging. Here's my dilemma: 1) Do I keep playing games that I love knowing the risk involved, or 2) walk in a straight line for the rest of my life to limit any risk of injuring myself again. My heart wants to keep playing and my mind knows the benefits of the straight line. I have a feeling my heart is going to win this battle - at least for the next few years. In case anyone is wondering, my knee is feeling much better. I was even able to jog to the car yesterday for something without being in pain. I have a feeling I'll be ready for the next ultimate Frisbee game. I'll try and be a bit more cautious next time.

Saturday morning was dedicated to work, but it was only for a few hours. That afternoon, I hung out with my good friend Erin and we went shopping for a lamp at every World Market in town. Unfortunately, no desirable lamps were found. That evening, Jason and his band played at a local coffee shop. They added two new original songs to their set list and the crowd seemed to like them. I always enjoy watching Jason perform. He's a wonderful musician and he loves to play.

Sunday was fairly typical. It started out with Bible class with the 5th/6th graders. It was our last class with them. I'm glad we volunteered to help out teaching this summer, but I'm thinking that next time we will choose a younger group. Jason was a big help, but he's really just in there because I asked him to be. I think once we have kids of our own, he might enjoy it more. After church, I made an angle food cake from scratch for a surprise birthday party. I had some help from my neighbor, Mary Catherine, who also goes to church with us. I had never made a cake with only egg whites, but I survived and it turned out pretty good. (Thanks for your help, MC!) That night, we met with our small group.

Labor Day was where most of the excitement and adventure occurred. That morning, a group of us from our small group met and took a bunch of household goods our small group and church collected over the past week to a pregnant single mother of 3 who is connected to our church through a local ministry our church supports. Basically, this mother had nothing except her three kids and the one on the way. I don't really know her story, but I do know that she is a surviver of circumstances that I will probably never know, or understand. With some help, she was able to secure a small 4-bedroom apartment in the projects for her family to live. We helped move in furniture and arrange things. All of her children now have their own beds to sleep in with bed linens, towels, and storage for their clothes. The mother also has a bed with linens. We also helped provide baby supplies to help out when the new baby arrives. Inside of the walls of her apartment, it seemed like we were able to help provide a safe haven for her and her children, but outside is an entirely different story. Memphis is one of the most crime infested cities in the country and according to a friend of ours, her apartment building is very well known amongst the local law officials. As much as I want to believe we did a good thing that morning, I keep thinking about what lies outside her doors. I hope we can continue to develop a relationship with her and her children so that she knows we are there for her in more ways than just giving her a place to sleep.

That evening, our small group got together to celebrate the labor day holiday. It was a night of fellowship, grilling, dogs, and birthdays (the angle food cake). Most of the people in our small group have a dog, so we always create ways to include them when we gather together. Most of the time, our dogs get along and provide most of the entertainment for the evening. Baxter did his fair share of entertaining that night. For the first time in his short life, Baxter went swimming. He's always a bit hesitant about getting into water (he doesn't distinguish between a bath tub or a lake) and he was no different this time. Basically, I had to help push Baxter down the ramp and Jason got in the water to receive him at the bottom. Jason helped him just float in the water for a little bit, but it didn't take long for Baxter to start swimming around. I was a proud mommy! He swam for a few minutes, but he was done after a few minutes. With some help, we got him out of the water and he avoided the edge of the lake for the remainder of the evening. I'm pretty sure he had no desire to get back in. I didn't have my camera with me, but I think someone got a picture of him. If I can get a copy, I'll share it with you.

Well, that was my Labor Day weekend. I'm trying to be better about blogging, so I thought I would share. Until next time.....