Whenever I can, I like to steal away and take a long walk or bike-ride - especially when the sun is shining!  I’m around kid-clamor all day long, so when I get away by myself I’m always jarred by how quiet it is.  It’s a nice little retreat to take a walk or bike ride by myself, even if only for 15 minutes.  But I’m always excited to get back home to my noisy, sweet kiddos.

When I was seven years old, I wanted to be a detective, just like Nancy Drew.  I invented all kinds of mysteries for my friends and I to solve, pointing out mysterious markings on the sidewalk, suspicious candy wrappers left on the lawn, and sneaky-looking characters I would see at the grocery store.  I had dark glasses, a notebook in which I recorded “clues” and a set of walkie-talkies that I used to communicate urgent messages to my fellow mystery-solvers.  Every day, the world was in desperate need of my detective services, and I was convinced that my efforts prevented all kinds of crimes and thwarted many sinister villains!

Kiddo giggles always make me smile.

Right now I’m reading several books on godly parenting.  It’s amazing how much focus, energy, prayer, and dependence upon God it takes to fully train up a child in the way he or she should go!  I’m so honored that God has entrusted these four little lives into my care, and daily I’m taken with the magnitude of my calling as a mother!  It’s more daunting that any other ministry role I’ve ever had.  The books I’m reading have helped bring it all into perspective and given me lots of practical ideas for working with these clever little munchkins, and teaching them the ways of our Lord!

Tea or coffee? (in case you want to treat the staff)

I’m really boring when it comes to coffee shops.  I usually just order a plain old peppermint tea with nothing else in it.  Caffeine makes me feel a bit high-strung and I’m not a big fan of sugary stuff, so it kind of limits my options.  I still like going to coffee shops, though, just to have a fun place to sit and work or talk.

Something I’m most excited about for you as an Ellerslie student is having a set-apart retreat where the chaos of the world dies down, and you can truly focus on deepening your intimacy with Christ on a daily, moment-by-moment basis.  I still remember the first time I had a “set apart season” of tuning out all other distractions and focusing only on my relationship with Christ.  I drew closer to Him than I ever thought possible and learned what it meant to truly build my life around Him, rather than just fitting Him into my life.

My favorite aspect about the Ellerslie environment is...the sacred, set-apart atmosphere, where the clamor of the world is silenced and the still small voice of God's Spirit can be heard.

A historical  Christian character that could be my replacement here at Ellerslie would be...I would love Amy Carmichael to replace me, as she would be far more effective than me in so many ways!

The funniest thing that's happened to me at Ellerslie is...On the very last day of the Taste of Ellerslie summer conference, I was on campus meeting everyone who came to attend the conference that weekend.  Hudson and Harper were playing outside and they found about 20 frogs, which they placed in two styrofoam cups and gave to me for safekeeping - so I was having all these important and meaningful conversations while trying to keep all these frogs from hopping out of the cup all over everyone, but still trying to make sure the frogs could breathe so my kids would not become frog-killers.  Then on the way home I had to balance the frog cups on my lap to make sure they didn't get loose in the car.  We gave the frogs a happy new home by the lake at our house and I was just as relieved as they were to let them go!

My number one highlight from the current/past Ellerslie term is...our summer term graduation ceremony. Seeing promises God gave us seventeen years ago finally come to pass was truly incredible beyond words.