7 Quick Takes

Check out the collection of other 7 Quick Takes Friday posts, hosted at Jennifer Fulwiler’s blog, Conversion Diary

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Spent last weekend with my kids. It was a lot of fun to hang out together. It usually involves some silly shenanigans, so when my oldest daughter shared this photo of a momma duck with her three ducklings, it totally warmed my heart. The bonus? There’s a joker cutting up in the line. Typical.

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Here’s what we were doing: celebrating Soldier Sally’s graduation from the Defense Language Institute. We’re so proud of her achievement and service to our country!

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Then we did the touristy thing. Did I say how much I enjoyed hanging out with them?

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Well, it’s finally over, for a few years, anyway. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges approved our reaccreditation process with no recommendations. None! You know what that means: we start writing the report for the next visit. LOL…it never ends.

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I visited Alcatraz while we were in California. I was pleasantly surprised by a number of things…especially the beauty of the gardens. I was struck by the stark reality of the violence against humanity that led to the incarceration of so many men, and how some were able to find redemption. While many perpetuated violence within the walls of the prison, some few found peace in the creative outlet of gardening. The symbolism of this hope was moving — that what was once a destructive force in their lives was replaced by the desire to create beauty in living things.

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My parents are so cute. My dad recently liked a post here, the weekly photo challenge by WordPress. The idea is simple; they give a theme and you post a photo interpretation of it. You can see my response to this week’s theme, Mine, here.

My dad evidently wanted to play along but couldn’t post his picture in my combox, so he sent me an email. I’m gonna make a blogger out of him yet.

In the meantime, here’s his entry since he wanted to share:

Blue Skies, The spray of the ocean in my face while boating, and the love of my life with me….Wow, God is good.

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Finally, had this wonderful treat: Pat Gohn invited me to join her on episode 146 of Among Women for a delightful conversation about friendship, specifically praying with friends. I invite you to listen as we share some highlights of our friendship, but also discuss incorporating prayer into our relationships with friends.

Among Women 146: The Power of a Praying Friend

7 Quick Takes living color!

Check out the collection of other 7 Quick Takes Friday posts, hosted at Jennifer Fulwiler’s blog, Conversion Diary

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Had my Sunday morning coffee interrupted by this little ole hawk hanging around our yard. Color me surprised.

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Last Saturday, September 8, commemorated the 400th anniversary of the Blessed Mother’s appearance to some young men off the coast of Cuba. I write about this story of Our Lady of Charity and why it’s meaningful to me at Patheos. And then, another personal story related to it, here. I guess I’m just a writing machine this week 🙂

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I got up early today, hopeful that I would have this post done before 9:00 AM, a kind of snapshot of my morning.

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But I’m old (see the bran?)

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And got distracted, I mean, inspired (see the journal? I got an idea for a scene in a story I’m working on)

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So I went for a long walk to clear my mind.

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And ended up here. That’s always a good thing.

(twenty)-7 Quick Takes

Check out the collection of other 7 Quick Takes Friday posts, hosted at Jennifer Fulwiler’s blog, Conversion Diary

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Today is my 27th wedding anniversary. Seems like we’ve been together forever…and that it was only yesterday we said “I do.”  I’m blessed beyond measure.

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Here’s a close-up. Apparently, we were 12 at the time.

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And the blessings continued. 🙂

 

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Did absolutely nothing on Labor Day but hang around the house and read, do a little bit of writing, and, oh yeah, laundry.

Always laundry. Do you think heaven has One-Hour Martinizing? Are you old enough to know what that is?

 

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Classes started, which means I have grading to do. Which means I won’t ever write more than a paragraph for my great American novel. Sigh.

I could just stop Facebook and Twitter and blogging.

Right.

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Had an awesome time at the CNMC in Arlington, TX, and as always, reconnected with some dear friends I see rarely…and new ones, like Ashley, who made a little fun of our team courtesy of some photoshop skills. I share my thoughts about the event in yesterday’s post.

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A special thank you to Jennifer Fulwiler (and the other great speakers!) who made CNMC 2012 such a great success. Her keynote at the blogging day was inspiring, but it was just as nice to sit around one night and say “hi” in the lobby, chat, and hang around for a little while. That’s always my favorite part of the conference — meeting people and making eye contact, not just combox convos. You can read what other folks took away from the conference here.

 

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