Connecting

This past weekend I had the pleasure of having my first "girls' night" as a mama. As in, it was the first time I went out...alone...for more than 30 minutes...to do something just for me. Eek! It was tres exciting!

It also happened to be my first week back at work. Part of me wanted to stay home and reconnect with my family that I missed so much while I transitioned back to work. However, the other part of me knew that I needed to go. I needed to be with my dearies and maybe they needed me a slight bit.

Girls night a while back

So, Mr. Schalk and Cricket had a date night while I went off to be with the girls. Ashley, Kaleena and Rachel all have a great combo of insight and humor. There was something extremely calming about the evening. It was almost as if we all let out a collective breath we had been holding. All for different reasons, but we just seemed to exhale and let the weight of the world fall away for a few hours. The immense level of trust and love in the room was palpable. As our stories intertwined I felt connected and vulnerable in an honest and safe way. Not to mention I laughed harder than I have in weeks.

God has definitely placed the four of us in close proximity for a reason. Each time we get together I am reminding it is not by accident. We each bring different life experiences but have a shared faith and goal to glorify Christ by our actions and words...as hard as it seems sometimes...that brings us together. We are living life the best we know how and thankfully are able to share the triumphs and the bumps with each other and not feel silly. These ladies are wise beyond their years. They should write a book...or host a radio show...or have a bake sale. I love bake sales!

Pocket Pies = yummm

Meanwhile, back at the ranch Mr. Schalk was daddying it up with the babe. He worked his magic skills and had her sleeping like a...well, a baby...practically before the sun went down. Miracle indeed, as the pumpernickel decided it would be awesome to have two very restless nights before. She made up for it and was quite an accommodating little girl. Way to go baby!

xoxo times a million!

It was a fantastic Friday night. I came home and snuggled with my family sighing a happy sigh of remembering a great night. I only wish time could have stopped and girls night could have lasted longer. Until next time, my friends!

xoxo, Rachel