{SQT} Lancaster, Laughing and the Lord’s Body and Blood

Let us enter in together, in fellowship, over seven of my most disjointed takes. This week…this. week. …I feel like it’s still Lent, except that I pushed through the stress, frenzied housework, brief head cold and pulled hamstring with the aid of stolen Easter candy. I’m behind in all the important things like reading blogs and responding to comments. (Very belated congrats to Micaela BTW. Did anyone else make a huge announcement I missed?) I’m just going to have to hit ‘All Read’ on my feedly and let it go…without making any movie references, thankyouverymuch.

1. Backing it up like a dump truck to last weekend when we stayed with family for a long weekend in Lancaster. The little boys got a ride on the Strasburg railroad, which is like a hit of crack for the preschool set. Fun fact: If you ever take a ride yourself, you’ll pass the Red Caboose Motel, which is a motel where you can sleep in actual renovated caboose cars. All my kids find it completely surreal and slightly awesome that I worked there for a summer. And then they hit age 10,  and it’s a topic to be avoided at all costs.

2. I ran my fifth 5K and was totally hoofing it to my playlist when, at the very end of the run this HUGE hill came out of nowhere and I died. Or cursed. But I was overcome and was reduced to that ridiculous sport of powerwalking. I’ve got a lot of training to do before my last two races. And honestly, I don’t even know where race #6 will be, just so I’ve completed it in time to run #7 in the Laughing At My Nightmare 5K on June 21. Admit it, you’re intrigued by the name. CLICK THE LINK! Shane is a 22-year-old with SMA who is all about spreading a positive message despite living with a debilitating disease. This is his charity’s second 5K and it falls on the fifth anniversary of Fulton’s diagnosis with SMA. I need to be there. Even though we’ll have family in from out-of-town, I will somehow manage to slip away and run, and hopefully confront Shane with multiple awkward questions and photo requests. 35K4SMA will go out with a bang (fireworks??), donations will be tallied and I will once again be able to resume my sedentary lifestyle.

3. Tony and I also had dinner with a group of our highschool friends. Every year since we graduated, we’ve all met for dinner. It’s been a great tradition, and one that surprises most folks when I share it. I’m going to dedicate a whole post to it sometime; hopefully, definitely, maybe. It’s in the drafts folder. There’s lots of great life lessons to glean from this yearly gathering I’m sure! We don’t just sit around and drink and laugh at old stories. We’re deep, thoughtful and intellectual now, honest!

4. On a related note, I was my highschool mascot ‘Comet Man’. When the old suit was retired shortly after our graduation by dad, unbeknownst to me, requested the head of Comet Man as a creepy gift. In digging around their attic on Sunday, I rediscovered him, not filled with mice thankfully, and I’m considering bringing him out of retirement. Because can you imagine all the great things you could wear this thing to? Music recitals, McDonald’s drive-thru, your neighbor’s house in the middle of the night…. I’m keeping a list in Evernote.

5. Jen’s book ‘Something Other Than God’ dropped like the hot thing it was on Tuesday. I expect my copy in the mail today, or boy, will that mailman wonder what got into me. Readers, I’ve seen the contest categories and trust me, I’m working on it. I fully intend to bring my ‘A’ game in events such as ‘Best Selfie With the Book’. I’m just still coping with Post Sheenazing Stress Syndrome and I don’t know if I could deal with another loss. But I’m trying to pump myself up by making bold claims and trash talking across all forms of social media. You’re worth it Jen.

6. Basically, this week has been spent in anticipation of tomorrow, which is my youngest daughter Edie’s First Holy Communion. We started preparing last week by having a contractor stop by to spread a fine layer of drywall dust all over the entire house. So yay cleaning nightmare from hell coupled with a mostly finished mudroom. I’m trying to focus on the most important part of the day, which, obviously is the reception of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ by my daughter, and not the after-party, party, party with 100 or so people. Who will be making multiple last-minute trips to the store today, including one for a cake I have yet to order/pick out/ bake/ collapse into tears over? THIS GAL! THIS GAL who pulled her hamstring moving boxes of heavy flooring, and not through something cool like running. Think you can’t prime walls, mop floors, and generally run a household like a tyrant with a limp? WRONG. I actually look much more threatening in a Quasimodo like way. (Thank you spell check for knowing how to spell Quasimodo.)

7. I’ll try to post a glut of pictures from the big day, eventually, if just to show you Edie’s dress. Addie wore it also and it’s made from my wedding dress. Sure there’s still a stain from four years ago that I’ll probably have to cover with White Out but how many other moms can say both their daughters wore her wedding dress??? That feeling of satisfaction could only be beat by a winning #SOTG entry.

For all things #SOTG (pronounced sot-guh) and a few that aren’t, be sure to mosey back to the fun at Jen’s. I’m off to collapse into a puddle of hot mess over the fact that there’s dishes from Wednesday still stacked in my sink.