Totally Absorbed

I have always been able to acheive a relative sense of balance in my life. Balance between home and work, between school and home, between school, work and home. You get the picture.

Lately I am wayyyyy off kilter. I am taking a step back and trying to figure out what I have actually done the last 5 weeks since finding out I am pregnant. It is practically nothing and I am sure my poor husband can vouch for that statement.

I think in the last 5 weeks I have managed to cook only two dinners, do 5 loads of laundry, scrub the shower and two toilets down and empty the dishwasher twice! My darling husband has done everything in between.

I am totally absorbed with focusing on not puking and keeping my eyes open! All I want to do is sleep!

So keep me in your prayers. My house really needs to be vacuumed, my floors need to be scrubbed, my husband needs to be fed and somehow I need to wake up and find the energy to do these things. :)

Balance- again I need some balance.

Making Mistakes

Every day as part of my morning wake up routine at work I read my I-Google homepage where I have different applications. Things like headline news, weather, a couple blogs, and quotes of the day.

Yesterday's quote really caught my attention and I knew it was worth some self reflection and a spot on my blog. Take a moment to read and re-read it.

To avoid situations in which you might make mistakes may be the biggest mistake of all.
- Peter McWilliams

This is the epitome of my biggest character weakness. It takes ALOT of mental coaxing to propel me out of my comfort zone and into a situation where the possibility of making a mistake is imminent.

Take for instance the recent conversation I had with my husband about learning French. I am scared to learn French because there is really no way to do it without making tons of mistakes! The process would be riddled with mis-pronounced words and faux pas. So unfortunately for our family I have stubbornly not attempted it.

There are a few accomplishments in this area however that I must also mention. Things that I have conquered and forged through whatever mistakes needed to be present for the learning curve.

Scuba diving lessons and Swing Dance come to mind right away. Because unfortunately this weakness even branches into the "fun" area of my life! Sad isn't it! Someone needs to stretch me out of my comfort bubble!

Most recently this quote reaches into my newest adventure of parenting. I do have to admit that the first couple years of our marriage I was scared to death to have a baby- knowing the potential for messing up their little life is a high percentage!

But sometimes you have to look at what you want- knowing there will be mistakes made- and go for it anyway. Asking God to help you through the ever present learning curve. Asking Him to cover your mistakes with his Grace and help you learn from them.

How is my Soul today?

I mentioned in an earlier blog about how I am co-hosting a group of Young Professional Christian women twice a month. It has been a blessing in my life and a challenge to create and maintain a sense of community, love and spiritual growth.

This upcoming week we are reviewing a devotional found off of Christian Women Today and I want to answer it honestly for myself.

http://christianwomentoday.com/devotionals/daily/2828.html%20%20%20%20

Today I can say my soul is good with no reservation. I would tell you if it weren't. There are things pressing into my mind that could bring me down if I let them. I could give into fears that surround me, but so far with the help of my Lord I have been triumphant.

We all know keeping our soul's and our minds healthy is a daily thing. One thing that helps me is listening to Christian music. It brings me up from whatever is crowding in my life and elevates me straight to a place of praise and peace. Today I was listing to Caedmon's Call on my way to work (sometimes I do miss my California commute because I get to listen to like 1.5 songs here in Ohio).

Especially as women we often ask each other:

How is your diet going?
How was your shopping trip?
How was your workout?

Today- take a moment and answer this question. How is your soul?

Book Reading

I would like suggestions if you have read any good books lately. Right now I am re-reading the Twilight series and just finished Sacred Marriage.

Let me know what you have read lately!

A Second Blog

Why would I need a second blog you may ask?

Because we are expecting our first baby!!! And I will spare you the joys and pains of pregnancy talk unless you choose to read our second blog. :)

http://agbovifamily.blogspot.com/

Nicknames

All throughout my life I have seriously lacked in the cute nickname department.

When I was really little I was called "Mary Moo"
Yes- like the cow noise.

When I was a teenager one of my siblings could not say my name so I was dubbed "Minnie"
Yes- like Minnie Mouse

When I got married Emmanuel almost constantly calls me "Babe"
Yes- that one I can handle.

But lately he has taken to calling me "P-Lady"
Question? What does the P stand for? That will determine if I at all like it.

Bathroom Talkers

It is okay to greet me when I enter the bathroom and you recognize my face.
It is okay to speak with me as I wash and dry my hands.
But once I enter the stall- all chit chatting must cease. That is not the time to conduct business. The walls are there for a reason!

This is what I wish I could post in my work bathroom.

Just In Time

While getting my Masters in Global Leadership we did a lot of research for organizational development and project management. One of the presentations we did was based on Japanese business philospies of "Just in Time" and Kaizen.

The philosophy of JIT 看板 is simple - inventory is defined to be waste.

For some reason- I think this is God's MO with the Agbovi family. It seems like we never have more than we need. And when we stretch ourselves out there for big things, like a move to Ohio or purchasing our home, we always make due.

Take for instance our recent tax return. We had an obligation for X amount of money and had hoped to pay off a little extra debt with whatever was left over. How much are we getting back? The X amount.

Now my mind is still trying to wrap itself around what the spiritual possibility's of this could mean and I have yet to settle peacefully on a theory. My first reaction is frustration that my oil jar has just enough for the day's bread. I want to make a whole months worth!

Maybe God is teaching us to have faith? Maybe we aren't trustworthy enough with any extra right now? Maybe we need to be faithful during this time and soon our oil jar will run over?

Regardless of the reason- my prayer is that we go from a JIT way of life to a Kaizen 改善,. Kaizen is also a Japanese philosophy that is based on continuous improvement throughout all aspect of life.

I don't know if my business class and my spiritual life mix at all but those are my thoughts for today. I am thankful for all that God has done for us, will rejoice in my X amount of tax return and continue to serve Him with all my heart.

Would you want this to be your plane?

As I mentioned before I traveled ALOT in March. If you know me at all you know I really don't like to fly. It isn't the flying so much it is the motion sickness I often get that just leaves me feeling yucky and looking hungover!

On the way back from the East Coast my co-worker and I were laughing (trying to hide our concern) as at least 15 people gathered around the nose of the aircraft we were boarding. I just had to take a picture!

Easter through the eyes of Mary

The last few weeks at my church here in Hudson we have been going through a very interesting sermon series leading up to Easter. The title has been "Easter through the eyes of _______"

I have heard the sermon involving Pilate and Judas then next week is Peter. It has been quite interesting to get different angles of a timeless story. I have come to understand background, motives, emotions and political climate in a way that I never thought of before.

After listening to Easter through the eyes of Judas last week and thinking about the upcoming sermon, I have been placing my name at the end of this sentence. Disturbingly I haven't liked what my imagination has conjured up. If I had actually been present for that very first Easter what would my response have been?

In all honesty- I don't think I would have believed in Jesus. I know we criticize Pilate who had him standing right there before him, we look down on the disciples who understood so very little about their Saviour. But I would have been the same. I would have been a critic, thinking Jesus was probably a crazy person claiming things that were blasphemous.

Maybe- just maybe one of the miracles would have won me over. Maybe the culture would have made my thought process different than it currently is. But I think God knew I needed to be born in 1979. I needed to look back on Jesus life and see that He is the Messiah. I need to compare the old and new testament- scrutinize Jesus words throughout his whole ministry to have enough faith to walk the Christian life.

What an awesome blessing I have been given at this time- this place. God knew when he created me that Easter through the eyes of Mary needed to happen in 2009. He knew that His death would impact not only those who witnessed it but continue to reverberate through out the ages.

The days are blurring together

It is now April here in Ohio and guess what- it is snowing today. In all fairness it was up to 70 one day last week but that is now a faint memory as I watch the snow come down outside my office....

I think the master plan is to keep our house for three years and then move somewhere warmer again. :) Not California...maybe Georgia or Florida. Somewhere where it doesn't snow in April.