Updates

The Shumpert clan is a little spread out this week. Brad and I shipped the kids off for their first annual Granny Camp. We were a little nervous about sending Robyn to the lake with my mom just yet. In fact, we were a little hesitant evne with Kiley, but in the end we decided she knows how to swim well enough now to hang on until someone can save her. Okay, that may be a bit dramatic. But those of you who know my mother know this is not an extreme exageration of what could happen. This is Kiley's first year to do Granny Camp with Mom. Mom has been asking for years for them to come see her for a week in the Summer and the stars finally aligned enough for us to feel comfortable sending one of our children. Robyn, however, is with Brad's mom and dad for the week. Both are receiving their quotient of princess time. I am getting excited because we have decided to take the RV to Chattanooga for the 4th weekend. We will swing by and pick up Robyn and head to Chatt-town to meet Kiley. Mom has finally installed a path to the water and a dock. So, we will be able to enjoy the water a little more this year.

For some reason, this has felt a little more like Summer to me than in years past. At night, we enjoy sitting out on the deck mosquito free and sipping wine and reading a book. Our house, although it is hot everywhere, does not get much direct sun because of the massive tree coverage. We actually found a baby bunny rabbit in the front yard yesterday. Although we live very near downtown, it doesn't feel like it. There are birds and rabbits and all sorts of creatures around. At night, we sometimes here coyotes howling. Yes, coyotes. We romp in the yard barefoot. The yard doesn't have to manicured to perfection which is a good thing considering I had to mow it yesterday!

We have met some great people around where we live. We are slowly making new friends. Our next door neighbors are two of our favorite people so far. Kevin and Cindy are in their early fifties and have one grandchild. Cindy began inviting us to church as soon as we arrived on the scene. It took us three months to take her up on her offer but about a month ago, we took the bait. We have been there ever since. The people at this church seem to be very authentic and interested in making each other better. We enjoy going to church on Sundays and have loved studying the Word with them. This past week, a couple from our class gave birth to a stillborn baby girl. The entire class rallied around this couple in a way I have never seen. Yesterday at church, we had a session to process the grief and discuss how to help this couple. The discussion was about far more than planning meals or picking up their household chores while the couple grieves. Although those things were certainly discussed and are very necessary, there was also practical advice from other 'wounded healers' who have experienced the loss of a child and an intense time of prayer on behalf of this young family. You had to be there to truly understand. From the first time we came to this church, we have felt as though we have been there forever. I look forward to digging a little deeper into this family of believers.

I am anxious to have my girls back with me. I miss them but am enjoying some time with Brad. We are getting to the stage of life where our children are becoming a little easier to manage and we can do things as a family. For the last couple of weeks we have been taking the girls to the River Trail and pulling them behind our bikes. It is the one thing we can all enjoy at the same time! So, basically, we are loving Little Rock. Brad is ready for school to start and then things will really get crazy. For now, we are just enjoying our down time together as a family!

Confessions

I like food. There I said it. No, correction, I love food. As hard as I try, I cannot seem to ingest only those calories necessary to sustain my life on this planet. This is not in the least an epiphony to me. I have known for quite some time that I am a food addict and have carried a burden of guilt (allbeit a low measure of guilt) about this addiction. At present, I have little motivation to seek help for my addiction. I maintain a healthy weight, I excercise, I try to be consientious about eating whole wheat bread. I even mildly follow Weight Watchers eating program online. Most days, I am diligent. But as I look at how little it takes for me to exist, I can't help but feel I am missing out on a vibrant life by not enjoying my sinful pleasures. For example, this morning my beloved husband got up early to fix cinnamon rolls. Not the generic kind. He knows I love the simple, Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls with Icing. I don't even require the Grands Cinnamon Rolls to be happy (see, there again, I am making an effort to be consientious. Yay me!). As I ascend the staircase in our house the smell wafts out of the kitchen to greet me. It is in these moments that I know I have an addiction. The smell throughout the house gives rise to an unexplainably deep emotional connection. It is hunger meets joy meets the feeling of love. A smile explodes on my face. Knowing he thought enough of me to make the rolls gives me peace and feels like home, like a child again.

I know I am not the only person to feel this way. My mother always said, 'I don't drink, I don't smoke, I'm at least entitled to overeat.' While I don't exactly concur with those sentiments, they ressonate on some level. There is a certain part of us that relates vibrant life to the meals we share as families and friends. And why should we deny ourselves this experience? I don't know about you, but I cannot enjoy dinner with my friends as much having a salad when they are having steak. As hard as I try, it is not within my being. So, what are the consequences? Well, I will need to run 5.8 miles to make up for the four rolls I enjoyed for breakfast. And that's just the first meal of the day!

All of this could be discouraging had I not had an epiphony of another sort today. When I got to work, my father-in-law sent me some picturs of my daughter at the zoo. Several of the photos were taken during the Seal show. As I took in the pictures, it ocurred to me that food is a motivator in all parts of nature. We are all conditioned to perform for food. For the Seals, its fish. Do you think Seals sit around and mope about how many fish they ate today and how it will affect their hips? Of course not. They are enjoying the show, flipping their feet in the air on command just to get another fish thrown their way. It's only natural for all of us to have an emotional connection to food and for it to be a motivating factor in our relationships. Why fight nature?? I am not suggesting glutteny here. But I am a little exhausted of feeling like every morsel of food should be analyzed against how it will affect my figure.

Maybe this confession has something to do with feeling more comfortable in my own skin. Although I will do my best to eat healthy things (when cinnamon rolls are not an option), I will not be ashamed for the emotional connection I have to these parts of life that make it vibrant and not just mediocre. That being said, I'm going to have to up my miles!