hello Monday

 

Happy Monday, friends! I'm still going to link up with Holly and Sarah today, but my weekend plans fell short when I had to take Chris to the ER Friday night. (He's fine now, but it was a scary night; even though it changed the course of the weekend, I'm glad he was able to be seen and tested there at the hospital and that we know he will be okay as he heals.) This will probably be short on pictures and heavy on the words side, since the weekend was so different...also, stay tuned for a note at the end about a few thoughts I have on how the weekend played out.

One of the things on my summer to do list was to get my teeth cleaned; mission accomplished! I was glad to check this one off; unfortunately, I'll be back tomorrow after work. I have a little chip in my back tooth that has a filling in it from years ago, so Steve (my friend Abbey's husband and my new dentist) told me I needed to have a new filling put in with that chip so that things don't get underneath. Ugh...I'm grateful that I have a friend to do this for me, but y'all. I hate going to the dentist! Oh well, right? Welcome to adulting 101.

You know I don't want to complain here too much, so I'll put a positive spin on this. I was so glad to see this nameplate on the wall! The dentist who retired was Dr. Waddell; I love that Steve and Abbey were able to buy this practice and inherit all the wonderful clients that came with it in the agreement. I am so happy for them and thrilled to support them in their endeavor; I had a wonderful dentist my entire married life, but it was another thing I needed to change. I know that Todd goes there still, along with Jennifer and probably all the kiddos, so I didn't want to take a chance of running into anyone there. I feel great about my decision and that I have a new dentist that nobody in my family has been to. A bonus is that Steve is now one of Graham's and Jonah's clients for their business. I love this and am thankful for how it all turned out! 

After my dental appointment, I met up with Chris for an appointment he had made, then we went and grabbed an early dinner while we were out and before we each had to head home. We had Mexican at my favorite place, then I ran to Target to pickup my order; look at my beautiful new planner for the 2026/2027 school year! I love a new planner/calendar, friends, most of you already know that. 

I'm including this picture of my text above because this is another life update for me that I'm excited about: my position at work is changing this year! Most of you know that I was the one on one assistant for a terminally ill student over the course of Summer Learning Camp; what I didn't plan on was developing a deep love for both the student and for the job as her caretaker. During the second week of SLC, I went into the (new) principal's office (her name is Toni) and asked if it was too late in the summer for me to ask to be placed as her new one on one. She assured me it wasn't too late, then said she had to find out more information before she could tell me yes or no. Fast forward to Thursday night; I got this text from M's former one on one assistant, and I was elated! I'm so grateful that God provided for me once again in this way; I don't know what this will mean for my future at the elementary school I'm currently at, but I know that I can trust God with my future. (Again, stay tuned until the end of this post for more about this.)

The reason I say that I am unsure about my future at the school I'm at is because my student will be in fourth grade this year; when she moves onto middle school, I might have the opportunity to move on with her. I also might not have that opportunity, or I might not want to move on or out of my current school; I know it will all work out in some way, though, and I know I don't have to worry even one minute about any of that. Anyway, it felt fitting to tell you this today, my first day back for the brand new school year. 

And now, for the rest of this post...

Friday morning found me at a new to me breakfast place, First Watch; I met one of my best friends there for our brunch. After our delicious meal, we walked over to Barnes and Noble and ogled all of the beautiful books. I ended up buying one!

I can't wait to read this! I finally finished my one and only summer book (Dolly All the Time, by Annabel Monaghan), and will start this one today.

After lunch, I got my nails done, then I went home for the afternoon. I love my nail color; it's Show Us Your Tips, by OPI. I typed that and smiled; I love the OPI names!

You know how the rest of my Friday night went, then on Saturday I went back for a pedicure.

I was stuck between the three of these, but I finally picked the one on the right. It's another OPI one, and the name is Baggy Jeans Baby. I love how it turned out and that it blends well with my nails. 

For the rest of the weekend I caught up on house things, ordered groceries, went to church, and prepared for the week at work. The third installment of family dinner night looked different this week, but I'll share about that on Friday. 

About the way the weekend played out, I want to share something. I don't know who remembers that this was the weekend I was supposed to have been in St. Louis with Chris. We decided almost two weeks ago not to make that trip when he was asked to stay and work; the son-in-law of the couple who owns the small company he works for passed away, and they would be traveling to Colorado a few times to be with their daughter and then again for his funeral. He absolutely decided that he needed to stay put when they asked him this, and I was happy to be home for that weekend with it being my last before work starting for me today. Also, this would be the Saturday that Drew and his brothers were going to move the heavy stuff out of his house to prepare for his move on Augusts first, so this also meant that I could be there to help if they needed me (they did not need me). 

And then all this happened with an old back injury and Chris' ER visit. I am always blown away that sometimes when plans change, it's God's providence intervening. I cannot imagine what the weekend in St. Louis would have looked like had we been there to have all of this happen with his back. We can make our plans, but God orders our steps...read that again...we can make our plans, but God orders our steps. 

I boldened it, italicized it, and made it larger for you to take notice of a very important sentence. I haven't talked about my faith here a lot on the blog lately, but friends, I am a believer and follower of the Lord God. I absolutely believe that God is the One in charge of how life plays out; I know a few of you may not know Him the way I do, but that's okay. It's why I want to share this today. God is sovereign, which is just something I say when He shows me once again that I can trust Him with all of my life, even when I don't understand it at the time. 

If you don't know God the way I know Him and you ever want to talk more about this, will you reach out to me, please? You can email me at allboys@gmail.com. I would love to talk to you more about this and why I believe what I believe. I promise that I will never be pushy about this, but I would love to share with you about the things I've discovered to be true about the Almighty God, Creator of the world, the Maker of stars, jellyfish, hydrangeas, sparrows, Golden Retrievers, you, and me. 

I don't often end on a heavier, more serious note, but it feels right for today. I'm grateful for how the weekend played out, and I am grateful that today I get to go back to work at a job that I love. I'm also grateful for you, the ones who read my words here everyday, and who so sweetly encourage me in the comments section. Thank you, thank you, thank you. That will always mean more to me than I could ever express with mere words. I'll see you back here tomorrow, friends. Love to all.

Jen