Peace.

This weekend, I had the rare opportunity to spend most of the weekend by myself while Brandon went to KC for a couple of Royals games. Now, about a year ago, I wouldn't have considered this an "opportunity" as I HATED to stay home alone, but over the past year, I've come to realize that sometimes I just need some "me" time.

I spent the morning hanging out with Heather, Brandon's cousin and Ashley, Brandon's sister. We walked around the Old Town Farm and Art Market, browsed through the Old Town Square shops and even ventured over to College Hill. It was a fun day of girl talk, shopping and just enjoying the beautiful weather. Afterwards, we met the guys for a quick bbq lunch and then we were off on our seperate ways.

I spent the rest of the afternoon just relaxing and hanging out with Koby. I made a quick trip to my aunt's house to return a few things I had borrowed and then headed to church to work check-in. The rest of the evening was spent lounging on the couch, watching whatever I wanted on TV and playing on the computer (Brandon and I have an agreement that whoever is not on the computer gets to choose what is on TV, but this weekend, I got to do both!).

Typically, I don't sleep well when Brandon is gone, but this weekend, I slept like a rock. As I got up Sunday morning, I realized that I was truly at peace. I wasn't worrying about every sound and keeping myself awake planning my escape should the house alarm go off. God really has a way of answering prayer, even if it isn't right away (I used to pray all of the time that I would feel safe when Brandon was travelin so much).

I went to church and then ran some errands and came home just as a rain shower was clearing. As I sat outside, throwing the ball for Koby, I couldn't help but think of how blessed I am. Lately, I've been hearing of so many sad situations - loss of loved ones, marriages ending, people suffering from bad decisions, loss of jobs and so much more - and I couldn't help but be thankful for God's provision over our lives. I know sometimes it is easy for us to get caught up in the everyday, mundane things and complain about this and that and we completely miss the blessings that surround us.

By the end of the weekend, I was definitely ready to have Brandon home, but I was also very grateful for the "me" time, if anything, it reminded me that I need to pause more often.