Before my weekend in Leavenworth I saw something that my friend Shalom posted on Facebook. So its safe to say this was on my heart most of my weekend. 

My weekend in Leavenworth was amazing.  I got to spend time with my Aunt Leslie who lives in Pullman, my Aunt Shelley, My Aunt Kathy, my cousin Janna who lives on Orcas Island and my mom.  It was truly a girls weekend.  I hadn’t seen my Aunt Leslie and cousin Janna in years.   Or at least it really seems that way.

I arrived Thursday afternoon/evening after work.  That night, while it was getting dark, I sat in the hot tub with a glass of wine because I was feeling the second day sore-ness from the gym earlier that week.  On Friday, we went into town to do some shopping.  My mom, Aunt Shelley and Aunt Kathy did a wine tasting at Kestrel winery.  That night, all of us played a card game called hand and foot.  It’s pretty interesting and far too hard to explain in this blog.  Saturday, I stayed at the cabin with my mom, Aunt Shelley and Aunt Kathy while my Aunt Leslie and cousin Janna went into town.  We rested, played card games and when Leslie and Janna came back, we watched “Big Miracle”.  The final thing we did on Saturday night was go to Leavenworth’s outside theatre to see “The Sound of Music”.  It was a beautiful production.  It was really hard not to sing along!

This past weekend was full of rest, relaxation and fellowship.  The nicest thing was to be sort of disconnected.  All that mattered while I was there was just hanging out with my family and taking a break for a bit. One of the nicest things was that I didn’t set an alarm, I just woke up when I wanted to.   

While in Leavenworth, I did some working on my energy list.  Here is what I came up with:

-setting a goal and accomplishing it

-playing guitar

-giving and receiving feedback on a 1:1 level

-finding inspiration for a new song

-learning a new chord/song on guitar

-a shower after a good workout or camp/retreat

-being around family or friends

-making new inside jokes

-knowing a plan, even if the plan is no plan (relating to hanging out with people)

-planning events for others

-thinking of little details when planning

-bringing up ideas that are new/unique

-going to church on a regular basis

-trying new food/drink

-singing

-making up my own harmonies to songs

-driving with the windows rolled down on a sunny day

-soft and warm blankets

-random road trips/driving somewhere I have never been before

So what I am working on now, is my drain list.  So over the course of the next couple weeks, I will find 20 things that drain me.  It will probably be just as hard as it was to come up with this list but I am hoping to have it done soon.   I encourage you to identify the things that give you energy and drain you.  You’d be surprised what God puts on your heart.   It has definitely helped me to be able to slow down and listen to God and what God is trying to tell me.

Until next time. J