Friday Five: Favorite Things Edition

Songbird at RevGals invites us to list five of our favorite things. Here are mine:


1. Reading
I know the picture looks like clutter. NOT one of my favorite things, but one with which I am familiar. This is SuperGirl's "Reading Room" behind the blue chair. Apparently I have handed down the reading gene, because she has it bad, too. We are both just as happy reading as eating. Mostly novels. I've just started Julia Spencer-Fleming's clergywoman mystery series. And am reading Obama's Dreams From My Father. Oh, and some PCUSA booklets for an upcoming conference, but they are NOT pleasure reading!


2. Water
Lake, River, Ocean, Stream, whatever. I know I've listed this as a favorite thing somewhere on the blog before (maybe all of these....?) This is a picture of my childhood home's backyard view. I got spoiled early. Water views are now reserved for vacations, alas. I have a hard time choosing between beach and mountains, as a favorite destination. If there is water near the mountain, I am in good shape.





3. Travel
Love planning a trip almost as much as taking one. Mr. Incredible is taking a sabbatical leave this spring/summer (love the Lilly Foundation, too!) so we have a couple of trips planned. I am amazed that I can "walk" from our hotel in Italy to the place where I will take a cooking class, via Google Earth. Can't wait to go, but will be sorry when the trip is over, too.


4. Planning Education events for church families
While I tend to try to do it too much myself, and need to learn to delegate better (and start earlier), I do love to plan stuff. Right now I am working on a Holy Week walk-through of a sort of modified Stations of the Cross for all ages. I can visualize it: multi-sensory, something families can do together, and a great planning team to help me set up/clean-up that so far doesn't exist. Any fabulous ideas for a station on the trial of Jesus?


5. My Family
My husband, my kids, my sisters, my parents. They drive me crazy and I love them. They are fabulous people, and I am blessed.

6. Oh, and chocolate, naturally. With coffee. Good coffee.

Home

I'm back from a trip to a big churchy conference with a bunch of educators. My plane ride home was about half full of them, and it was loud! I loved walking down the aisle of the plane and overhearing snippets of conversation from them about spirituality, multiculturalism, construction paper, and beer. These are clearly my people. I caught up with friends, ate great food (the guacamole and beans were way better than what I can get here), and heard some good preaching and teaching. I returned to church this morning excited to nurture the children entrusted to my care.

It is good to get home. Even though our house has mounds of unfolded laundry and a funky smell from the heater somewhere. I miss my family when I am away. But I do like having the remote control to myself, although I must say that I was a little shocked at HBO in the hotel room.....didn't they used to just show movies?!

I go away again later this month to a small conference with mostly preachers, supposedly setting out some vision of re-forming ministry. While there will certainly be beer there too, I doubt there will be as much joy over construction paper.....