Already into February? (imported from Myspace)

Prewarning - this is another rambling "diary-style" entry for Rhonda - probably on the boring side!
Saw a great movie this week - "Because of Winn-Dixie." Every had raved over it a while back, but I was afraid it was going to make me cry. (I don't like to cry at movies.) It turned out to be a great flick though - especially for those of us who are dog-lovers!
Finally got my youth newsletter started up again. A nice lady in our church took the preparation of it over for me, so that was a relief. It was hard to let someone else handle it though, it has been my "baby" in the past. I was really blessed by her attitude about doing it - she thanked me for giving her the opportunity to serve the Lord......wow!! What a great perspective. Looking for ways to serve and being thankful to have the opportunity......my goodness, how rare.
Last night Andy had a concert with the Chorale in Milton, Florida. I had a nice quiet evening at home alone, which was enjoyable. Listened to my Harry Potter book-on-CD for a while, took a nice long bath, talked on the phone, made myself dinner, and then sat down and studied for a while for my upcoming girls bible study. The relaxation was very nice. Wish I would make myself do that more often. Too much time is wasted in front of the television or computer while I am at home.
Regarding my girls bible study - I am excited about starting it again, but I am concerned more than ever with my shortcomings as a teacher. I did some reading last night that helped though - the book talked about viewing yourself as a "learning facilitator", rather than a teacher. When you are a teacher, the implication is that the pressure is all on you to impart knowledge. When you facilitate learning, you bring together components (skits, readings, outlines, etc.) that help the students to teach themselves the material. I really liked that concept and I feel that that frees me to give the students some responsibility in their own learning. We'll see. I am still really struggling between a couple of topics to study this "semester".
Otherwise, life continues as it has been for quite some time. No major changes, but some good things have been happening. I love the changes I have seen in Andy recently, he was wonderful before, but since Guatemala I have seen increased growth in him, which spurs me on to want to draw nearer to God also. Any guy who doesn't believe that Christian women want to be led in the home is crazy. There is nothing better than the security of knowing that your husband wants what is best for you and your family and is seeking God himself to pursue that goal.
I am also proud to report that I have lost 18 pounds as of last Wednesday. I feel so much better. I'd like to lose another 6-8 pounds, but I am pretty happy even as I am now. This has been the best diet Andy and I have ever been on. He's lost 27 pounds. It's amazing how much more energy I have had and self-esteem boosting also. I'd forgotten.......
I am also excited because I think we will pay off another credit card this month and that feels wonderful!! We are down to our last three and it seems to be taking forever to get them paid off. Slowly but surely we'll get there though. And then I want my new couch that I found last weekend with mom! (And new flooring too!)