Mama's Away....

As I write this I am about three hours from home. This is one of the very first nights I have ever been away, all by myself without Bella, since bringing her home from Ukraine.

I was recently hired as the new Parent Consultant for Family Voices North Dakota for the Minot region. I am going to LOVE this new position because I get to work with families who have a loved one with a disability. Basically, my job is to support families by facilitating connections, navigating the system, and helping them get the support they need.

What a blessing for me to do this....and I get to do it from my home--just 8 hours a week.

That said, I am currently at a staff and board retreat in Jamestown. It was a beautiful drive down yesterday in the late afternoon listening to my new Matthew West CD, (while scoping out the countryside for our lost Bobcat machine) and taking in all the beautiful wide, open spaces of North Dakota.

After getting settled in my hotel room. I went to Applebees and had dinner--by myself. Then, I walked around Wal-Mart and headed back to my room to go through a huge stack of magazines that I have accumulated over the last year.

This "me time" is nice, I think.....but I miss my family!!!!!

When I awoke this morning, this is the face that was in my email. Daddy took it on his phone after he put the little muffin to bed.....


Sigh...well, I am looking forward to meeting my new colleagues and board members today. I will be home tonight and get to put my babes to bed. Then, I will probably be thinking "wouldn't it be nice to have a night to myself?....."