Stuff

When my grandma died, we took some of her roses and planted them at my mom's house. We also took this plant that she had. It has been by mom's continuous effort that the plant is still alive. She cared for it . . . including reprimanding little hands that would pull on the leaves! So I have a plant that I call my dad's plant. Even though my dad never even saw it. It was sent for the funeral by my sisters work. I don't even know what kind of plant it is . . . a leafy thing with green/orange leaves. I just liked it. Also the orange color I thought would go great with the color scheme for my new house. So I took ownership over that plant. I don't know much about plants and how to keep them living, but I water it and open up the curtains for it. It is growing. I think it will get pretty big, wonder if I will be pruning this thing! So it reminds me of my dad even though he never owned the plant, and it was given to him by a place he never knew. But to me its my dad's plant - especially since he's the one that wanted all grandmas' plants.

So how much electricity is really lost with old windows? We got our first electricity bill today and it was much higher than I thought. So I'm thinking about becoming the light police. Right now I don't have any lights - just opened up the curtains. It's fine . . but I still kind of feel like it's dark. I like well lit rooms. We were told that maybe we don't have much insulation in the "attic" area. I know underneath the dining room is uninsulated. So it must be a combination of all these things. We are hoping to get the windows redone in Feb or Mar. when we get our income taxes. But then I wanted to get a van at that time. Hmm.

We are heading off to the Children's Leaders Retreat. Tonight, tomorrow, and Sat. I enjoy the time to learn from others, hear relevant speakers, and just see people. I have been invited by the district to be a part of a "Leadership Journey 2008". It is a closed group made up of Children and Youth Pastors that will read books, meet, discuss, and even get to travel. The purpose is to build connections, sharpen skills, and have exposure to different ministry models. We get to go to California in May/June to visit four different churches that are "doing ministry well, but using different models". I am excited about being invited and also about the opportunity to build relationships and learn more about my field.