7 Quick Takes Friday

Happy Halloween everyone! And Happy Friday! October is almost over (where did it go??) which means those darn Christmas trees are going to start popping up all over the place again! Yikes! Here's what went on this past week in the Kennedy house:

**1**
The dang Santa Ana winds picked up around LA this week leaving many of us sniffling, coughing, rubbing itchy eyes, and fighting off migraine headaches. Yes, it was a lovely week. Really. It happens about once every year and my allergies do not appreciate it! I think I came home from whatever I was doing that day and just laid on the couch, having zero energy to get anything done. Here's to hoping next week is better!

**2**
Southwest airlines had an amazing sale this week, which ended up getting me a plane ticket to and from Portland for $200, which is definitely hard to beat these days! You had to fly within certain time frames, but the month of January is part of it, so Jan. 8th I'm heading up to hang out with my best friend for a weekend--I can't wait! I get to go spend a day in 1st grade with her (she's a teacher), go to her church, and most importantly meet the boyfriend :) Plus, get a northwest fix--coffee shops, the world's biggest bookstore--yup, I happen to love Portland :) Downside of the Southwest Sale--the last date to travel is Feb. 10th. I have to get to Providence the following weekend for Lily's baptism. That sale would have been helpful...

**3**
I went on a bit of a purging spree with my facebook account last weekend. I realized that I don't actually know all the people who were commenting on my page. So I went through and deleted about 100 people (I still have over 500 "friends" which seems ridiculous to me). What I found interesting was that one individual who I have never met emailed me and asked why I had "defriended" him. This is a middle aged gentleman who attends the same church as me, but whom I have never seen in person nor had a conversation with him. I realized I needed to defriend him when he commented on "my" new baby, and how once she starts sleeping in about 8 weeks I'll feel better soon. Ummm....clearly he doesn't know me, if he did, he'd know I have NOT been pregnant for the last 9 months!) It was good to be able to write back and talk about some boundaries I've started creating, not feeling the need to let total strangers comment on every status update or photo I post, but how if we happened to build a relationship in person that might change how I feel about facebook access. I'm realizing some people don't have very good personal boundaries and the internet certainly does not help with that!

**4**
So I was starting to think this week about Christmas (which I know, is horrible, it's still too far away!) but with the coming of Christmas comes a couple things I'm really looking forward to. One, is my annual Thankfulness from A-Z list that I always post on my blog (links to past lists are on the left under "favorite past posts"). I don't really know how I came up with this idea but this will be my 4th year running and I have several friends who have started this tradition in their lives as well. It takes awhile so I start thinking now :) If you have kids, this is a very fun and fabulous way of celebrating and remembering what Thanksgiving is for! Also with this season comes thinking about the annual Christmas letter I enjoy putting together, which I'm hoping will be a tradition that will still continue now that I'm married! On top of that I'm making Christmas gifts for a couple special people this year, so those projects have already begun! I do love the projects that come with this time of year! Plus yesterday we booked our plane tickets for our Christmas travels (and unfortunately had to spend an arm and leg!) but we're looking forward to about 5 days in Charleston and a week in Minnesota with family!

**5**
My poor husband has had a busy week (and it's not looking much better throughout the next couple weeks!) He's currently writing a paper for his systematic theology class on the evangelical doctrine of the fall and sin. He also has a big family systems paper due next week and the following week a presentation on how the doctrine of the trinity impacts our view of creation/ecology. (I gotta be honest, I don't totally understand that prompt, but hopefully he does!) He even skipped youth group Wed. night to work, which doesn't happen that often, but I was really proud of him for realizing he needed more time for his school work.

**6**
I re-read a book I've read several times this week: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. This is a phenomenal Christian fiction book that I adore. It was our book club choice for this month, so I re-read it along with the other ladies in the group, and it hit me in a very new way this time. Basically the story parallels the story of the prophet Hosea in the Old Testament but it's set in the 1800s during the Gold Rush in California. God speaks to a man (Michael Hosea) telling him that the absolutely gorgeous prostitute he sees walking down a street is going to be his wife. God is going to use Michael to bring healing and redemption to the incredibly dark places in her past. Usually I read this story looking at it from Angel's (the girl's) perspective--wanting a man to sweep into my life and change it. This is the first time I've read this story since I've been in a relationship and I was hit full-force with the idea that in relationships we go back and forth between being Angel, in need of redemption, and Hosea--being the one God sends into someone's life in an intimate way to bring healing to past hurts and wounds. I have been contemplating all week how God wants to use me in my husband's life, how I can be Hosea for him, and looking at how he has (and will continue) to be Hosea for me. If you haven't read this book, and you like (or tolerate) Christian fiction, this is one of those non-cheesy, non-cookie cutter, nontraditional books that I would HIGHLY recommend! (I don't often read Christian fiction because I felt like when I did, the stories all sounded similar, always the same cookie-cutter happy ending, and I got bored, but this is one that isn't like that at all!)

**7**
And because I know you are all needing your weekly dose of my beautiful niece, here are my favorite photos of her this week! I get to be there exactly two weeks from today to snuggle her, kiss her, and help her mommy however I can!