My day at court

I was wrongly accused of speeding about a month ago. Not entirely true. I was clocked at the speed of 37 in a 25 zone, but in my defense I was less than 30 feet away from the 35 MPH sign. Anyway, I went to court this morning to visit with the judge and hopefully get my fine reduced. Thanks to my nice neighbor who watched Sarah & Grant I was able to go to court by myself, which I actually got excited about. Although I was in court, which wasn't all that fun, there were a few exciting highlights:

• remembering in the first place to leave my cell phone in the car rather than going through security, fighting with the guard about how my cell phone is safe, finally accepting that I have to take it out to my car, then returning the phone to the car and going back through security (I've done this twice with kids...no fun)
  
• sitting down by myself and starting a book with no interruptions
• a pair of high school age boys coming into the waiting room with handcuffs on. The entire crowd turned to watch them and we all wondered what they were in for, although no one spoke about it.
• sitting in the court room and listening to others' cases. One guy hired a lawyer to get out of the traffic violation of a rolling stop at a stop sign.
  
• getting my fine reduced $10 (now down to $115) because we're living on student loans. Thanks, Judge.
  
• and the one that truly put a smile on my face: being afraid that the woman approaching me would mug me, but then being relieved when she told me that I look just like the actress Jennifer Love Hewitt! The weird thing is that she's not the first person to tell me this. I don't really see it, but it certainly made me laugh all the way home!

Sarah

Just some fun random pictures of my favorite three-year-old.Making/decorating cookies with Emma.
Posing at a great park in Columbus, Ohio.
On her favorite ride at Chuck E. Cheese's....."I'm being such a brave girl!" she shouted the entire time.

Just for fun....isn't she sweet?

55 Degrees

Today Grant woke up from his nap before Steve and Sarah, so we hung out in the front yard. He was thrilled...and so was I. We hope Spring is here to stay.

P.S. I'm loving my new camera!

I should be doing lots of other things....

....but here I am blogging. While I was cleaning up the kitchen tonight, a question came to me: "why do I like the process so much?" I remember preparing for job interviews and creating a statement about how I enjoyed the process of having an idea, creating a plan, carrying it out, and seeing if it worked. It's funny to realize that my interview answer really is how I feel. I truly find joy in the process of things. I don't really know where my ideas come from, but I love it when something inspiring hits me. It seems like my mind won't stop until I've formulated all the tools and materials needed to make the idea work. I love to go out and buy or find what I need. I usually try to find the least expensive options. Then I put the whole thing together in my mind--this can be the longest part of the process, but also the most fun. Once I have my mind wrapped around the steps, I usually mull over them again and again just to make sure. Then I finally get to make the plunge and give it a try. This process literally keeps me up at night sometimes. It's not uncommon for me to go to bed after 2 a.m. because I've been sucked into the vortex of the latest process. I know it all sounds crazy, but it also gives me something to look forward to and to figure out. Sometimes I feel a little let down when I finish a project. Strange, I know. However, sometimes I get excited because I actually took some crazy idea and made it into something. And then I can easily duplicate it (i.e., a new style of bow, baby blankets made from old pajamas, spaghetti dinner). Usually my processes revolve around craft-type things...I want to expand my "process thinking" to motherhood, marriage, getting healthier, and my church calling. I think I can do it...and I hope I can get to sleep tonight!