Snow Day!!

We are enjoying a fabulous snow day at the Rich house. We've worked in the studio a little bit, watched some cartoons, ate breakfast together (that RARELY happens!), and now I'm enjoying a little quiet time while the kids nap! I thought I would give a little update on what I've been up to lately:

Upcoming events I'm excited about: This weekend I was supposed to be leading worship and speaking at a Ladies Advance at Generations Church in Lubbock. Due to the weather, it has been postponed to the end of February. I am so excited to get to do things like this! It's fun to meet other ladies that love the Lord and love His presence. Next weekend, I get to go on a ladies retreat with City View to Ruidoso!! Again, fun time with other ladies and I get to lead worship for them. Something about these opportunities made me realize that I am an actual adult. I know that may sound funny, but for some reason, I still think of myself at times as a teenager or college aged kid. I start to prepare for things like this retreat and I think about what I'm going to share. Hi, I'm Leslie Rich. I'm married to a wonderful guy named Alan and we have 3 beautiful daughters. I am a grown up!! I am an old married lady with kids! Oh well, I love this stage of my life!

What I've been enjoying most lately: Speaking of college aged kids, I've been teaching a life lessons class each week for the LIFT students at church. LIFT is a 9 month discipleship program, similar to a Master's Commission. Honestly, my first thought was "yay! I get to teach!" I really enjoy teaching, I think because it makes me sit down and actually study and prepare something. I'm kind of a deadline girl. I need to know what I'm working toward and when it's due, or else sometimes things just don't get done. So, every Thursday from 9:30-11:00 I get to hang out with some awesome young people and just share some of my life experience. Again, this makes me feel old, but I'm glad that I have things to share. I tell them that they can learn one of two ways: from their own mistakes, or from someone elses. I am offering stories of my own mistakes to hopefully help them out in some way. I love that hour and a half of my week. Not just because I get to teach though, I have gotten so much more out of it than that. I always walk away from it inspired and encouraged, not from my own teaching, but just from seeing where these young people are at, and what God is doing in them during this intense time of commitment they are in.

Job update: So, here's a little update on the job! It has been more of an adjustment for me than I thought it would be going back to work. I am working more now than I did before, so maybe that's what it is. I truly love my job and what I get to do. I even love more that I get to do it alongside my husband. He is so strong in the areas that I am so weak in! And he pushes me to be a better leader all the time. He has been the one to really stretch me and make me get out of my comfort zone on some things, but the result of that is so rewarding! Now that we've been at it for about a month, I finally feel like I'm starting to catch up a little bit, and I feel like we're able to start making some changes and trying some new things that we've been waiting on for a while. I'm glad some of the stuff that had to be done in the beginning is over because it's taken a lot of time away from being creative. The greatest thing about not working (except for being with my kids) was the extra time that I had to be creative! I had so much time to work on projects and music and it was such a wonderful feeling. I really think though that now that we're finding more of a groove at work, we are going to find more time for those things again. It certainly helps that we have the most amazing assistant ever! Hannah Haning is so awesome! I can just give her all of my unorganized, crazy lists and ideas and she makes them all come out so nice and neat and organized! She is the biggest blessing to Alan and I up at work.

Weigh-n-Pray update: I think blogged about this before, but I've joined a group of ladies called Weigh-n-pray. It's kind of this weight loss challenge, prayer/support group, with a $2000 prize waiting for the biggest loser! The money was huge incentive for me (even though I don't think I'm going to win!) and it helps to have other ladies on the same journey with me. I've lost a total of 4.5 pounds so far! And it's only been two weeks! We weigh in every Sunday, so I'm hoping I'll have more loss to report in a few days! I need to be a bit more motivated in the work out department. I really want a treadmill. I finally told Alan the other day that I had this unrealistic fantasy in my head that I would come home one day and there would be a treadmill all set up for me. I had dropped the hint at wanting one for so long and I realized he was going to do nothing about it, so I finally just came right out and told him! This is what I want you to do: go buy a treadmill, set it up, and surprise me! Still hasn't happened....not sure it will! Oh well, maybe some day!

Well, I think I'm gonna go make some grilled cheese sandwiches and soup for lunch. Enjoy your snow day!