perfection

I know that I have been posting a lot about perfect weekends over the last few months since I've moved to Madison, but I have to add yet another.

Friday was my last day of work with the kids.  It was, well, perfect.  The kids were happy, full of hugs and cute as ever.  I got to spend the last hour tickling, zerberting, and being silly with Jameson and Christian, my two favorite guys.  I gave Jameson a little stuffed lion before he left and showed him that I had one that looked the same.  He was so excited that he could take his home and that we both had one (he is OBSESSED with lions!).  Once the boys were gone and I was alone, on came the tears.  I knew that it was going to be hard, but I did not expect it to be as difficult as it was.  So I took my time crying, packing up my things, and soaking in all of the greatness that had taken place over the last 5 months at an incredible job.  The rest of the night was filled with pizza, a movie and much needed chill time.

Saturday began somewhat stressful with a trip to the bank, but details were quickly figured out and I was off with Aaron and a few other Hoofers to enjoy the beautiful winter day cross country skiing in the arboretum.  It was truly a perfect winter afternoon.  The sun was shining, there was just enough snow on the ground, no wind, and in the upper 20's.  I kept stopping and trying to soak it all in and was constantly amazed at the perfect afternoon God had blessed me with.  Skiing for a few hours works up quite the appetite, so a stop at The Great Dane was in order, followed by an evening of board games, a movie, and late-night chatting.  And continue the perfect weekend!

Sunday.  I love Sundays.  I haven't been to church in Madison in about a month having been back in MI for break and it was really good to get back.  The worship was exactly what I needed, as was the message.  I was also blessed by having the lead pastor, Matt, pray over me after the service.  It always amazes me how much having someone pray over me gives  me courage and strength to continue on the path God has me on.  I spent the afternoon running errands (I never get sick of having to spend over an hour at Target!) and the evening over at Kate's for her going to Zambia party.  Oh, and of course Sunday wouldn't be complete without watching Once Upon a Time with Dad.  It's become a tradition that I will greatly miss.  I turned in early (before 10, yes I know that makes me somewhat lame) and fell asleep remembering a perfect weekend....

Monday (yes, this was a wonderfully long weekend). What better way to start the day than going to breakfast?  Dad, Kristi and I headed off to Lazy Jane's where I enjoyed a huge waffle covered in berries and bananas.  A quick trip back to the house to grab a few things, and a stop at Starbucks,  before heading over to Aaron's for a day trip to historic Mineral Point, WI.  It's about an hour drive from the city, along a beautiful scenic road.  And then there's the town itself.  We walked through a few neighborhoods before coming to the main street of the quaint little town.  It felt like walking back in time.  The shops all still looked as they did when they were built and the people inside were as sweet as ever.  One of my favorites was the old bookstore.  One of my favorite smells in the world is old books, especially an entire store full of them. And the woman who owns it was full of stories and history of this great little town.  We continued walking the town, stumbling upon an old train depot, an abandoned smoke stack, and a beautiful hotel/restaurant.  Not to mention all of the beautiful homes throughout the town.  I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend another winter day in WI.  And topping it all off with a view over Madison's incredible sky-line, random cake-making, laughter and pure joy in my heat knowing what an amazing life I'm living, indeed makes for a truly perfect weekend.