The first week of my sabbatical seems like it just flew by! I felt like I had accomplished little, until I sat down to write this blog. I thought I could include everything I had done in this, but I think I’ll just stick to the highlights!
The first day of my sabbatical was spent at the Winters Dove Fest. This is a nonprofit organization that brings the hunters and community together for a meal, music, and raffles. Unfortunately, no one I sold tickets to won any of the guns (sorry!), but we did have a good time! I got to see a lot of people in the Winters community, and even some family members I don’t get to see often.
I have always heard that I am a lot like my paternal grandfather, and never having the opportunity to get to know him, I’m not real sure whether this is intended to be a compliment or not. Much like him, I do not believe in yard work. While I have not taken things to his extreme as of yet, and cemented my whole front yard to avoid mowing, our hedges are a little out of hand. I have now trimmed all the hedges in the front of our house and feel so accomplished when I can look out our dining room window without seeing our hedges out of hand. The girls also enjoyed it, because they got to play outside the entire time I worked on them. The mayor even gave me a shout out on Facebook! (Life in a small town 😊)
Probably the most important thing I’ve done, and the hardest for me, is rest. I am a list maker and a planner, and I like to mark items off that list. It makes me feel accomplished and successful. However, I’ve had mono for the past 6 weeks or so and had strict orders to rest, and that’s hard to do with two girls, a full-time job, and City Council. This has been the perfect opportunity to just relax and rest when I get tired.
This week has also given me time to spend with some friends, one in particular who is about to move to Indianapolis. Paige and Leslye lost their mom last year, and have had a rough year. Leslye and her four-year-old are now moving for her husband’s job. I am happy to be here for them once again, and love getting to see the circle of friends, old and new, come together to support these girls who have been through so much.
This coming week will be a busy week. I will be helping with Meals on Wheels. Our meals come from Abilene, so we have a van that one person takes to Abilene in the morning to pick up the meals, then several people run the routes once they get back to town. The churches rotate by week, and St. John’s Lutheran has this week. We have a City Council meeting on Monday to set the budget and the tax rate. Exciting stuff, I know. It is also my youngest daughter, Sarah’s third birthday on Thursday.