Adventures of an Indigenous Au pair:

                                 Totaled


Last week started out just like any other, better even.

             Golf lessons..

Golf was at WBL high school, and it was so obvious that the instructor was head coach for the high school team. It was so funny to watch him get his undies in a wad over poor form as the kids hacked away at the golf balls. They starred at him blankly as he drilled them with questions about lining up with the ball, keeping your shoulders squared, one foot forward and so on. And they thought golf was a FUN sport. 

So funny

Roman and I went on a bike ride during one afternoon at the beginning of that week. It was all fun and games until one of us (I'll never tell who) ran into a parked car and toppled over. Guess we need a little more practice.

About the second day of golf, I saw Roman befriending another kid in the class so of course I - being the overly involved and assertive nanny - snatched this golden opportunity for Roman to play with someone his age! Since Roman is an only child, any opportunity to interact with other kids is key. Especially in the summer since he isn't seeing all his regular friends and classmates every day. So I set up a play date with John's (new friend!) grandmother who watches him during the afternoons.




After Golf lessons we went to their house, I dropped Roman off, and headed to Panera to kill a few hours. I got some stuff done online, grabbed coffee with a friend, it was great. Great day. Then I left to pick up Roman from his friend's house.



                    And then..

The rest of my week consisted of phone calls, rental cars, favors from friends, endless prayers.. I had to say goodbye to Roy. I never realized how attached to that car I was until now. But I guess it makes sense. In a lot of ways that car represented a home to me. It toted around me and all my stuff to every destination. My faithful companion for every adventure life took me. It was the first car I ever bought. I worked hard to make it all mine, paid for every penny. I was proud of it. It represented a big jump into adulthood for me. And now I have to move on?! I know from experience God always brings along something better. But that doesn't make goodbyes any easier.



Mostly I am just very very very very thankful Roman was not in the car when it happened.



It feels like I just bit into a lemon. I know it is gonna be good for me, but the bitterness is overwhelming.

(So many benefits to lemons apparently..)

http://www.beliefnet.com/Health/Physical-Health/Hidden-Health-Secrets-of-Lemons.aspx?p=7

Well since I know that I'll never look back on a difficult time in life wishing I had trusted God less, I am determined to thank God for an opportunity to grow, no matter how bitter it tastes. He is sending me lots of these lately.

If you have the Bible app, there is a great study I just finished. It's a devotional called 15 days in the Word with John Piper. It goes in depth to a lot of basic truths.

The last day was entitled "The Logic of Fearlessness." Every day is a challenge to let go of fear. Especially when you find yourself thinking,

                              


                                             wow my life looks totaled.

   Philippians 1:27, 29

"27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit,[e] striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.
 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,"


   Piper says:

"Therefore, fear not. Your adversaries can do no more than God grants. And He will grant you the faith you need. These promises are blood bought and sealed. Gospel Promises."

Not only is my life and future in complete control by God, but my problems are too. When I look at my problems I only see a huge boulder rolling down a hill at me about to crush my bones. But God sees an opportunity for me to trust Him. Because He knew this was going to happen all along, and He knows exactly how it's going to end. This leaves no room for my fear. Logic is telling me my life is totaled. God is telling me my life is a treasure.

This week Roman has animation camp every morning, so look forward to some interesting stories next week. Life is never boring around here. Plan to be surprised.

Adventures of an Indigenous Au pair:

       Creative Endeavors 

 It was actually Roman who first called me his Au pair. I just took it and ran. After 3 years, nanny started sounding dry and lame-o. Au pair sounds much more exciting and adventurous. So now I make him call me his Au pair, and it fits much better. I had to add indigenous because an Au pair is always foreign, and I wouldn't exactly call a 20 minute drive to work a road trip to a different country although with construction this summer...

       Watching children requires a tbsp of patience, a cup of kid-at-heart a lot of creativity- how to have fun without dropping 1 mil. Although only having one kid to watch has its many perks (never any fighting, everyone shares nicely, 1 idea of what to do instead of 8) I have to be extra creative to keep us entertained. With one week down and many more to go, I'd say our first week was a big success! Maybe you can glean some ideas off of us, to help make the summer last longer.

        Roman and I stopped by our favorite bagel shop while we waited for the guys at the garage to change the oil on ol' Roy. That was an adventure in and of itself. I'm pretty sure the guy who changed my oil was the same outdoor parks security actor from that episode of Parks and Rec. HE TALKED SO LOUD and he even kinda looked like him too.

         Big Apple Bagel is attached to a flower shop so we decided to explore their greenhouse. Roman is interested in photography, so every chance we get we are taking pictures and practicing framing and focusing and so on. Its great to impart what little knowledge I have on the subject to someone who eats up my every word. Plus flowers are the perfect first subject because they are nearly impossible to mess up.

I love stumbling onto hidden gems like, i don't know... a greenhouse where fairies and unicorns live. 


                         yep.

We couldn't help but get all excited about the fascination of flowers and decide to plant some of our own. There is just something so fulfilling about watching a seed grow from a little piece of nothing into something unexplainably beautiful. It's rewarding to stop and literally smell the roses.

Wednesday we took a trip to downtown Minneapolis and explored the Walker Art Center. It's one of those "I can't believe I've lived here my whole life and never been" kind of places. We walked around the sculpture gardens, and learned about weird modern art, sometimes just staring at a piece of art trying to interpret what it means. Art is complicated and very simple at the same time. Just like life. But it was free and took up most of the day and so fun! So go explore that one place in your city you've been meaning to visit your whole life.

                 
                                             Guess how much that cherry weighs.........

....Wrong! 1200 pounds! yikes

lil' superstar doodle

On Friday Roman and I were invited to go to the splash pad with Heather (sis) and her kids. After getting on all our swim gear,  and hauling down to Burnsville, we rode with Heather and company to the splash pad, took about 10 windy cold steps from the car to the water and turned around. We spent that icky day in the mall instead.

Which one is the weirdest? 

Well Roman has golf camp this week during the morning, so I'll be spending some quality time at Caribou. I hope this inspires all you Au Pairs with some creative ideas! And we are always looking for things to do besides minecraft and other computer-related things. So if you have any ideas... 

         In the meantime happy Au pair-ing!  or something