Friday, March 1, 2013

7 Quick Takes: Beaches and Little Boys are Awesome

1.  I have been daydreaming about the sun lately.  Like, I really want to be lying on a beach somewhere--relaxing, sipping cool beverages, drifting in and out of sleep, reading a good book--whilst my husband plays in the water with the kids.  Doesn't that sound nice?
Augustine, wee Gemma, and I strolling along the beach in Charleston fall 2011.


2.  However, I also really want to take Luke on a surprise trip in the fall.  Unlike the beach vacay I have been dreaming about, this trip would involve flying over an ocean and less than ideal weather...but really good soccer!  A friend of Luke's plays in the best league in the world, and one of the items on our bucket list is to go to Europe and watch him play.  The problem is, I will be saving until fall and beyond to make that trip even a possibility...so it looks like I will just have to keep dreaming about the beach for now.

3.  ...Unless, in a unique turn of events, we end up moving across the country for the summer.  In that case, we will only be a couple hours from the beach, and I will be booking oceanfront accommodations for a little visit as soon as we arrive. 

4.  "Cross country move?" you ask??  "Didn't you just move across the country?"  Yes, we did, and I know the idea of moving back across the country with two kids sounds like a crazy idea...but we are a little crazy :).  It just goes to show that you never know where life will take you!  I enjoy adventures with my family, so I am trying not to get too stressed out about what could indeed be a stressful experience!  I find comfort knowing that should this possibility materialize, we plan to be back in CO for good{?} next fall.

5.  On an entirely different note, our curiosity got to us, and Luke and I finally jumped on the Downton Abbey bandwagon.  But after watching Season 1, Episode 1, we kinda need a pep talk as to why we should continue watching.  I know there are some very passionate fans out there, and I don't want to freak anyone out...but what's the big deal?  I want to like it, really, I do...so please, tell me how awesome it is {without giving anything away}.  And make it compelling--I am all for giving it the benefit of the doubt and watching more episodes, but I have to convince my hubby...and he was less than impressed.           

6.  Speaking of television shows, Augustine has been watching some Spiderman series with his Dad for 15 minutes every night after dinner.  And I just have to say, I love the way he runs around the house, saying, "pshh, pshh, pshh," as he thrusts his hands away from his body throwing his "web."  I love seeing him act like a boy.  Last night at dinner, his cousin Tavian was over, and the two of them got into a shouting match from opposite ends of the table.  Augustine's relentless contribution to the conversation was, "No, I'm Spiderman!!!!!!!!!!  You're Batman!" 

7.  Moving our way from television to music, Augustine loves him some praise and worship.  Every evening {after the 15 minutes of Spiderman is over}, Luke takes the kids down to our basement to play and he turns on blasts praise and worship music.  As I stand in the kitchen washing dishes, my heart melts as I hear them laughing, playing, and singing to our Lord.  Often times Augustine asks me to sing him a song when I tuck him in, and lately "Wheels on the Bus" has been replaced with a request for "Bless the Lord {10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman}."  Praise and worship songs are his "Jesus songs."  Ahhh, that kid brings such joy to my life.
Go check out Jen at Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes.
  

2 comments:

  1. I wasn't a huge fan of the first episode either, and it took me a bit to get into the show, but then, it really started to grow on me. Janet Smith (The Catholic professor) wrote a nice piece on DA. I won't send the link, because it has spoilers, but can copy/paste a few snippets: "I watch only two TV shows (fearing I will lose credibility, I won’t tell you what the other one is). Downton is only on for eight Sundays, so to get on my list that has only two slots is a huge achievement.
    It is on my list because of the acting, costumes and scenery, but also because the story lines are engrossing and uplifting.
    As good stories should, they exhibit important truths about human beings and life. They feature characters trying to live up to their highest duties and by their highest principles even at great inconvenience to themselves.
    These individuals are truly good but still susceptible to bad judgment and sometimes even to immoral behavior. They exhibit genuine kindness and compassion. The characters undergo all sorts of interesting development, among them, maturing with the help of the older, wiser characters.
    ...
    There are evil characters, too; those who seem to hate good people simply because they are good.

    We get some indication that there are events in the past that can help explain their behavior — and that is always true for evil people — but we don’t get the sense that knowing these events would excuse evil action. Sin is definitely portrayed as sin and has harmful consequences"


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    1. Thanks, Kate! I will have Luke read that--I am sure it will encourage him to watch at least a few more episodes with me :). It seems all my friends, and specifically Catholic ones, love the show, so I want to get into it...but I want to watch it with Luke. I bet he will be hooked soon :)

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