#TeamPanama is #FamilyForever... #♥

I had an amazing time with my family today.

Two parts of my family. :)

The first of course was my own little clan: Rob and Sydni [& the dogs, too, if you want to count them] made my morning the gorgeous chaotic rhythm that it always is, but couple that with sunshine and a stellar message at SonRise, and you've got perfection on earth :).

poor stella.... haha

stella bella! 

PLUS, Syd decided she would be a Ngobe for today, so this is what we sported to church:

dress, chacara.. and larry the cucumber... ♥♥♥

She wanted to hitch a ride to the car... 

my world ♥

sydni - 1. rob - 0.
the usual score. 

After church, we headed home for a few hours of relaxing after lunch, some light cleaning and some cooking - the evening rolled around faster than we expected, and we were off to the Costanzas for a backyard cookout and Panama team reunion.

then and now! 

It seems like it was ages ago that we stood in those mountains, posed for that picture as the minutes disappeared and we left that mountain for the last time on the trip. That picture in its entirety contains a part of my heart; I left bits of myself there with that team and the Ngobe people.

miriam... you nailed it. 

I am SO grateful for the company, presence and fellowship of and with this team and their families, and for welcoming Rob, Sydni and me into theirs. We are certainly blessed to have so many new and refreshing, encouraging and edifying doors opened to us, on a path of growth :).

#SonRisePanama2015
aaron. chris. marissa. cori. quinn.

Rob, Syd and I are home now; our hair and clothes have that smell of fresh air and bonfire. Our bellies are full of homemade food, and our hearts and minds are full from a fun evening of reflecting, praying and fellowship. THAT is the kind of Sunday I love.

Amen? AMEN.

Prayers for each of you entering into this week!

xo | cmd

Farewell, Karen :(

Today was Karen's official last day here with our office. We decided an office potluck was in order, so we all chipped in and brought our dishes to share when the lunch hour rolled around. I made a pitstop at the Christian bookstore right down the street from me and snagged a little something for her as well as making her a necklace she said she'd liked.

  

It's definitely going to be different without Karen around. We spent a large part of the lunch discussing all of our favorite 'Karen-isms' that never failed to get us laughing.

We wish you nothing but the absolute BEST of luck in your next endeavor! Don't forget about us - you'll have to come and visit :)

All in all, not a bad Friday at all. I topped it off with a nice relaxing night with the husband and daughter at our church's Koinonia small group.

Life's good, yeah?
Yeah. :)

xo | cmd

Let's Celebrate!

I've been at my new Express office for just about 2 months now, and so far so good. It's certainly been an adjustment, but I am finally in the phase where acclimating feels a bit more natural, and I'm no longer finding myself completely lost in trying to follow the flow of this office.


marc | nancy | karen | diana | meagan | cori

We are an office of Christians who believe that God gives, takes, and surprises on a daily basis. The first thing He did [since I came into the picture] was to open an avenue for Susie, my predecessor, that granted her a much better schedule, lighter commute, and better compensation. That created my opening here, and I'm so grateful for that. The next big adjustment came when Karen [an SC here] announced that, while she hadn't been looking, an impassible opportunity had presented itself to her as well. She would get the hours she needed, the flexibility to spend more time with her kids, and the chance to work with some close, familiar former co-workers. That announcement blossomed into our bringing Meagan on board, and my climbing up a couple rungs on the internal ladder. I love when I can recognize even just a glimpse of the plan God lays out for us.

So, that being said, we thought we should absolutely celebrate the concept of radical transition that's occurring here in our office. We seem to do well with Mexican restaurants, so we opted for another round a Mexican dig nearby. It definitely worked. :)

Congratulations, Karen, on this new opportunity..
Congratulations, Meagan, on joining the EEP Edwardsville family..

and THANK YOU, to the heads of our office for trusting me with this promotion. :)

xo | cmd