"Winter Break"

(weird week it was)

This past week Jhinel was away on a ski trip with high school and college aged youth from our church. Each day of skiing ended with dinner and a youth conference. The musical group Shane and Shane performed. Jhinel was especially impressed with the speaker. It sounds like she had a fun trip, I like that my kids know that being a Christian includes fun. That our faith is a part of our everyday experience, and that when other's look in.....they don't have to see perfect, but they will still know that "there's something happening here". This was the snowiest and coldest year yet.

On Monday, she'll have all four of her wisdom teeth extracted. Then she can get back to the business of being a second semester high school senior - scholarship applications, IB exams, etc. In a couple of weeks we are sending her on a Chrysalis event, a spiritual weekend where she will have the opportunity to take another step in her faith walk with other young women. I feel like A finish line is just around the bend, and I'm hurryinging to equip her with additional resources for the next leg of the race. (like seventeen years of living it isn't enough all of a sudden!!)

LOL....pieces of our bible study sneaking in. Maybe the race is an "IronWoman" event.

And while she was out, Angii and I did some girl thangs together....things that typically have been MOM and NEL stuff, my Angii is growing into. Yesterday we set out for HOME DEPOT - including the Nathan's Hotdog Stand. I got A/C filters, Angii got black light bulbs for her bedroom. From there we just happened to be in the neighborhood of a spa and Angii had her first eyebrow wax. Well, she actually had both of them done. Then we took a left instead of a right and ended up at Sephora "to browse". Earlier in the week she had opted for a new hair style. The fun part is just waiting to see how long it takes folks to notice. Jhinel was pretty quick on all accounts.

When Nel's stuff came home into the shared teenage room, the new black lights came on to reveal "graffiti" all over the walls. from "I love Nick" to "Welcome Back Jhinizzle" (laundry detergent has phosphorescence which is revealed in black lights) (Today, they'll get to wash the walls)

Of course, as I type this, they are both getting back to the business of "normal", arguing like teenaged sistahs.

(Lord, have mercy!)