Lenten fasting...for real

Lent has started. My Cell has been discussing ways to observe this season for the last few weeks. Some of us have a lot of history with Lent. Others of us don't. Andy and I were brainstorming ways we could add a communal element to our observance instead of observing as loosely linked individuals.

We came up with the idea of a Cell Blog. This way we'll have a forum to keep up with each other and encourage each other with our disciplines. Five of us agreed to post once a week, each of us on a different day. Our goal is for all of us to visit the blog every day to read the new post.

Check us out: http://cohcellgroup.blogspot.com

An Update on Poppy

Well, as of today, there are 69 days left until Poppy is supposed to arrive...or 10 weeks. Crazy! I can't believe how fast time has flown, and how close he or she is to getting here. I can't wait to meet this little one.

Yesterday, we played a game--Poppy and I. He or she would give me a couple of jabs to the upper belly, and then I would push back a couple of times. To my surprise, Poppy jabbed back! We must have continued this back and forth 4 or 5 times before Poppy was probably wondering what in the world was going on... Ha. This all could be my imagination that this kid actually responded to my prodding, but either way--it was funny. I think this baby will be funny, in a great kind of way.

I have been reading a lot on childbirth, relaxation techniques, breathing...ideas on how to cope with the pain--not just take it away with a drug. I am not against an epidural, but I absolutely love the idea of knowing that millions of women have birthed babies before me without any kind of drug intervention. I love knowing that this is what our bodies are made to do, and that God can get us through this severe pain--afterall--He created us to do it! And I also love the empowering stories of women who have done this, and the close connection it has created for both the woman and her spouse when they work together to birth this new life.

I am excited. Scared, but excited. Just a few more weeks, Poppy! :)

Complacency vs. Being Revolutionary

I debated over the title of this blog entry because I am not sure these are the words I mean to compare...but I'm running with it. You can give me suggestions if you think they should be changed.

Bryce and I went out to see Revolutionary Road with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in it this weekend. This is basically the premise of this entire movie...April and Frank are a married couple, and they move to a suburban town basically sharing a secret that they are somehow above the coorporate mundane, and the typical gender-specific family life-style of the 50's. What they find, however, is that they are doing the same thing as every other family on their street, in their town, and all over America. The only one that seems to "get it"--and think their ideas of doing something "more" might not be so "nuts", is the son of their neighbor's...one who has recently spent time in a mental institution.

I find that as a Christian, I am constantly torn between staying complacent, or doing something different. Or--questioning who I am/we are as a family simply because I look around at everyone else and make comparisons. We are often asked questions about how we choose to live, and ask ourselves these same questions on a regular basis..."Why do you have roommates? Or, "Why live in Gloucester City?" etc. Basically, "Why are you being different/going against the grain?"

I would like to think that the answer to many of these questions is not to be 'different'. I think our answers would mostly point to Jesus. Acts 4 and 5 teaches us to have all things in common, and to share our posessions with one another. Jesus tells us to be salt and light. I think that Jesus calls us to communication, vulnerability, and conflict. I don't think our decisions are radical, although they are often different from the norm. I don't think we are being Mother Theresa's or Ghandi's or Martin Luther King Jr.'s. Heck, I don't even know if what we are doing will make even a little bit of a difference in this world, in this city, on this street. I question if what we are doing matters a lick pretty much every day...and probably always will.

But--I think Frank and April have taught me some things...

1. I/we don't have to be the same as everyone else...cookie-cutter life is typically boring, afterall.

2. It's okay to make our own decisions, in the face of criticism.

3. The mundane is an okay thing--as long as its outcome is for good.

4. Change is good, and love can get you through any change. But it's still okay to put up red flags when necessary, and take your time making decisions.

5. Without love, most of what we do will fall apart anyway.

What do you think? Is being 'different' the point of Christianity? Can you be revolutionary even in the simple, daily tasks? Where is God in all of this?

A Week of Surprises

Hello everyone!

It has been an adventerous week in the Hewlett household, to say the least. Let me share some of my many surprises...
Well, last Thursday was my birthday--the big 2-4. Can you believe it? I can't. And what I really didn't know was that I had a day full of surprises ahead of me...all involving food, which, to be perfectly honest was the best surprise someone could give me!

It started with breakfast in bed by Bryce...see pics below. I woke up to a sweet smell and started to walk down the stairs when I saw him coming up with a tray full of delicious-ness! So--I ran back in to bed and pretended to be sleeping still... :) Anyway, it was great.
Around lunch time, I headed over to my mom's, who decided to prepare a favorite meal of mine--coconut shrimp. Mmm... She also gave me a bag full of Girl Scout cookies. I'm easy to please.
For dinner, Rob and Bryce created a a fiesta of fajitas. I actually knew this meal was coming, I requested it, but what I didn't know was that all my friends were coming over too! Such a surprise. And so nice to have everyone over and not have to cook or clean a thing. :) It was a wonderful birthday!

The surprise got better on Friday when I had 2 Over the Rhine tickets in the mail, for a show that night! Over the Rhine are basically my favorite musicians...you can hear them on my playlist on this blog--or check them out on your own. You'll probably fall in love too--it's hard not to. The show was really great...the only problem was the surprising pains I had all over my body...I was blaming Poppy...until...

Saturday morning--SURPRISE! The Flu. And an upper respitory infection. Ouch. I had a terrible fever, ridiculous aches and pains in my body, and a chest cough that was really painful. What a sick, sad weekend.

Surprisingly, I feel a lot better today. Not 100%, but not o% like Saturday morning...I'd say...73%. Almost there.

Anyway--thought I'd share my surprises with you.

My tired husband--he did so much work that morning!

So pretty right? Coffee, fresh squeezed orange juice, homemade waffles, whipped cream and strawberries!

Full of Surprises...

So sleepy, but surprised and happy!