A Typical Day

Okay, so there's usually some deep, meaningful scripture here, but today I decided in the couple of minutes I have before breakfast that I would give you an idea of what a typical day here is like. This is what we did yesterday:

1. Marc and I start our day with a walk around campus at about 5:30. Then we come back, get showered, have a quiet time and get the kids up. I cannot stress enough the importance of this time together. We discovered very quickly here that discouragement can grow if we are not spending time together daily--time with no other distractions (yes, I mean my kids). Because there are other adults in the quad who are up, we are able to leave and walk around the campus (about 1.5 miles). Of course, the kids sleep through this every morning.

2. We start our day as a family with breakfast in our apartment. There is a cafeteria, but trying to get the five of us up there between 7 and 8 is nearly impossible, so I make breakfast here. There is a small kitchenette in the apartment. Yesterday, we had blueberry muffins.

3. From 8-8:40 we have house church. This is a small group (four families and two singles) who meet in our quad. We are walking through Acts together right now. We sing, study the Bible, and pray together. We LOVE our small group. Love them, love them, love them. (Did I mention we love them?)

4. The kids go to school at 8:45 and we go to whatever classes we have for the day. Generally, our day of class goes from 9-12 and 1:10-3:00. We have lunch together at noon. The kids all have lunch with their classes. The school is amazing, and they are doing a wonderful job. On some days, like yesterday, we have special meals. Special meals are required events--you have no options but to eat what they give you. The food they choose is from different areas of the world. Yesterday's meal was from the Pacific Rim, and it was delicious. Tandoori chicken and curried rice with coconut, pineapples, tomatoes, and banana with a cucumber/sour cream salad. Really, really good. We eat the meal, discuss some questions they give us, and pray for the people of that region.

5. After school, we have some freetime unless there's a seminar we want to attend. For example, last week I attended a three-day seminar on homeschooling. Otherwise, this is time for us to be together. Yesterday, our friends had a meeting, and we kept their daughter.

6. Dinner is from 5-6, and it was roast beef and potatoes last night. (Notice, Marc, that I am not even going to say how that reminds me of Jesus.) There is rarely dessert, and if there is, it's usually fruit or pudding.

7. After dinner, we can do whatever. Last night, some other friends had a meeting, so we kept their two boys, and we all went to the playground and then came back for Gameboy time. Generally, the younger kids all go to the playground (there are three on campus) and play together just about every night. Hannah went to quilting class with a friend, and Sarah Beth stayed home, which is rare. There are days we barely see S.B.--the teenagers hang out as a pack. Marc helped some folks from our region set up their regional email accounts, and I fixed grilled cheese sandwiches for our friends who missed dinner because of a meeting. We sat and talked and laughed until around 8, when we all worked on getting our children to bed. Marc and I try to spend a few minutes together after the children go to bed when we can discuss (and often laugh over) the day we've had. There is a lot to digest here, and if we aren't intentional about doing it, we could easily become overwhelmed.

That's it. Today we have shots in the afternoon, and a parents' night out tonight (Chik-fil-a and a movie in another couple's quad are the agenda for the evening). We love life here, but it's a lot. Does that make sense? Just every single day is a whole lot of whatever that day is. If it's Bible study, it's a lot of it. If it's security training, it's a lot of it. You get the idea.

Well, it's time for me to get going and make sure everyone eats. I love you guys! Blessings!
His,
Kellye