Bittersweet Goodbye...& Baby Shower...

Steve and I have been spinning plates to the best of our abilities trying to keep elements of our life from crashing down on us for a while now; which meant we needed to remove a plate. Evaluating which plate needs to go is always hard and often disappointing and this case was no different. With Steve's work and school and demanding church responsibilities and me being pregnant and trying to manage a home it was time for me to say goodbye to working with the youth in the church. I fought it for a while but it was clear to many that we couldn't keep up with two demanding callings within the church so on Sunday I bid farewell to the sweet girls/leaders that I worked with, bittersweet. There is something so rewarding about working with the youth and I will miss it terribly.

Last Wednesday, I knew it would be my last activity with the girls (although they had no idea) and I was a little down - you can imagine my surprise when I showed up to the activity and found a surprise baby shower with everyone in attendance. (thank heavens for phones to capture moments that you're not expecting!) I was overcome with gratitude as I looked over the group, both girls and leaders, and was reminded how lucky I was to get to know and build relationships with each one of them. We had such a good time; eating food and playing games and constantly laughing - this group knows how to have a good time. Not to mention my love for themed parties, "Prince of the Sea"! (yes, an advisor made that boat, wood base and all!) It will be hard to not spend so much time with this group, but I'm hoping I can lure them to visit me with a cute squishy baby at my house!