Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday and time for Lent. In the past few years I've taken the advice of my dear aunt, Sr. Teresa, and not necessarily given something up. She had told me once that Lent can also be a time to ADD something to your day....like prayer or volunteer work. Last year I tried to do a daily Lenten devotion every day. I did okay, but not great. This year, I'm going to do that same thing but I'm going to give something up as well. I'm giving up....here goes...fast food. AAHhhh....I'm embarrassed to say that this will actually be a tall order for me. I've gotten so terrible over the past couple years about going to McD's that they pretty much know me there. In fact, to prove it.....a little while ago I was there with the daycare kids and was paying for our food. I had a new check card and had forgot to sign the back so she asked me for an I.D. with it. I had already dropped it off in the play area with my purse. When I told her I needed to go get it, she said, "don't worry about it, it's fine....I mean, you're here like almost every day". **insert vision of me with wide eyes and dropped chin** Oh My Gosh, the lady at McDonald's knows me. That should have been a sign right there to stop or, for God's sake, at least cut back. But...no....not me. I decided the way to handle that....the embarrassment, the realization, the fact that she was right...was to start using other McDonald's. Oh my gosh, I'm pathetic. Haha!
Oh, and while I'm at it....I'll just add that last year when I broke my foot, I went through the drive thru one day and the woman asked me how my foot was. Good Lord! I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
So, here I am. It's Lent. A time for reflection, prayer, sacrifice, and preparation for Jesus' resurrection. And how do I handle it? By turning it into a diet opportunity. I figure what the heck. Whenever I try to diet, I cheat...but I'm cheating on myself. By making it my Lenten sacrifice, I would be cheating on God. That should motivate me to stick with it, right??

Did I mention that I announced this decision to Jason yesterday as we sat at Wendy's for lunch?

Happy Birthday to Jason

Okay, so it was yesterday. We had a nice evening complete with homeade
chow mein and egg rolls. We had just enough time to eat dinner and get the boys to wrestling practice last night so we saved the cake and cards for afterwards. I made mom's Skor cake which is just so yummy, it's calling my name from the fridge as I write. The boys all gave him cards that they made which is always the best part, I think. I have plans for us on Saturday also for the whole family. I have made a reservation at a hotel for all of us. We usually try and do that this time of year just to break up the cold for a night. We love the Embassy Suites since they have a great breakfast and a fun reception the night before with snacks and pop. We usually order pizza and have it delivered there while playing games with the boys. It's a lot of fun. They will be really excited. They don't know, so if you see any of them, Jason included...don't say anything.