A smidgy hippy

Today was a "girls out day" - the girls being me, Mom, Amanda, and Bliss. I actually got excited enough to plan it myself (which will come as a shock to those of you who know me well enough to know I don't normally initiate making the plans) because there are two places downtown that I thought this particular group of girls would like to experiencec: Mary's Of Course! and Re-Tale. A note of thanks to Ellen and Leigh Ann, who introduced me to these two hidden treasures of Winston-Salem.

Mary's Of Course! is a brunch cafe that is a bit hippy and trendy, funky and original in its own right. Family owned and operated, it is personal and casual and fun. Bliss and I had turkey and cranberry creamcheese sandwiches, and mom and Amanda had personalized grilled cheeses. We opted out of the vegan "cheesecake" special for today, but there's always next time!

After lunch, we scooted down to Re-Tale, which is a small, cozy consignment shop that is also a bit trendy and unique. Some trying on and a little buying happened, but I just love being in the store and admiring all the cool stuff... imagining how I would decorate a coffee shop or bookstore or my own house someday.

If you enjoy exploring the bohemian side of Winston-Salem, I recommend checking these places out. I think all the girls enjoyed it, and I know I did! Actually, I realized that a little smidge of me is drawn to hippyism... not to the extreme... but I am into authentic community, earthy natural beauty, and some organic food, and I do like for my world to be a little hodge-podge and mismatched in an artsy way. :)

Tea, cookies, and dragon slayers

The best thing about coming home on a Friday afternoon might just be...

... a hot cup of vanilla chai tea with caramel macchiado creamer, coupled with a gooey homemade chocolate chip cookie. Mmmmm...

But this Friday afternoon was even better, because I got to share my special after-school treat with a very special person... He's a professional dragon slayer, skilled in producing special sound effects for battles, and famous for his super-human power of blowing people away with his mighty huffing and puffing (if he eats enough vegetables). This extraordinary person comes in a 36-inch, 31-pound package - about the size of a sack of 25 healthy frogs - with about as much energy. It is my nephew, Noah.

And when he is done slaying dragons and huffing and puffing and making battle noises... he takes some time just to sit with his Auntie Connie and have a cookie. How amazingly blessed can I be?!

photo update

I realized today that I still hadn't shown you my blanket in its final state! Sorry to keep you in suspense. So without further ado...

Isn't it awesome?! And instead of being able to just chill out and enjoy a job well done, my hands are itching for a new project! Hmmm... what will it be...?

You should also see my awesome girls' Bible study group from this winter. I wish you could meet them all! But at least you can see their beautiful faces, and note the love and joy of Jesus that just shines in them! Pray for them, please, that they will continue to grow in grace and truth.

What do you notice?

It's really fun and interesting to have a student who doesn't have much of a social-appropriateness filter... I can learn a lot about what they think, and what their parents think too.

Yesterday I introduced myself in person to the mom of one of my students. The encounter was brief: I told her who I was, shook her hand, and told her how much I am enjoying working with her son. She smiled and thanked me and said she was glad I approached her. Today when my student came in, I told him I had met his mother. He grinned and said, "Yeah, I know! She said she was surprised to find out you're in a wheelchair!"

Two things about this statement amused me... The first was that my wheelchair was of some importance to his mom - positive or negative, I'm not sure - if it was worth her commenting on it. The second thing was that I realized my wheelchair wasn't very important to my student, because he obviously hadn't felt it necessary to mention it to his mom before. He's pretty talkative about everything in his life, so it says a lot that my wheelchair wasn't a big deal for him.

Of course, now that his attention was drawn to it, he was curious about why I'm in a wheelchair, so I filled him in on some of the details. I wonder if my other students want to know or if they care? Maybe I'll ask them about it tomorrow.