Congratulations, Jennifer, on the happy delivery of baby #4! Here are my Quick Takes:
1. I previewed the mock-up of my "Milton" article this week. It will be appearing in the April issue of a big, local magazine. It should hit the stands in about 2 weeks. It was SO COOL to see my writing in print. They even had an illustrator create a whimsical piece of artwork to accompany the piece. It was surreal. Especially when the editor emailed me and said it was "their privilege" to publish my piece. What? Their privilege? I'm "just" a little ol' at-home-mom! But I'm so excited. And also, I'm so proud to show my children that if they have a passion and work hard at it, their dreams CAN come true, too!
I will post a link for my blog readers as soon as it appears online.
2. A different article of mine will be appearing sometime next week in The Orange County Register. Originally it was going to be in the Life + Wellness section. But I got a call yesterday saying they had bumped it TO THE FRONT PAGE! I don't know which day it will run, but if you're local to Orange County and read the Register, keep your eye on the "Morning Read" section. Again, I will post a link here once it is up.
3. My birthday is next Tuesday, March 10th! I'm going to be 32. Finally my age is catching up to how old I really feel. Which is to say, I've always felt old. When I turned 20 it felt like 40. I think I'm a female Benjamin Button! Or maybe I'm just an old soul. Whatever it is, I LOVE getting older. I don't even mind the wrinkles. Every day I wake up I'm overjoyed to be alive. I've never been happier in my life than I am right now. And despite the doom n' gloom headlines, I'm very optimistic about the future. Life is good!
4. Matt & I went on a double date with some friends last Friday. We ate dinner at our favorite local Italian hole-in-the-wall and then WANDERED THROUGH TARGET. Exciting, right? Actually it was totally fun. This proves two things: 1. if you're with friends you love, it doesn't matter where you are and, 2. it's possible to have fun ANYWHERE. Especially if you're trying on St. Patty's Day berets! You rocked it, Jenn! 
5. We took the kids to Seal Beach. It's one of my favorite spots in The OC because it hasn't been over-developed like other beaches (yeah, I'm talkin' to YOU, Huntington). We ate pizza on the grass overlooking the water and then played on the sand for awhile. The boys dug holes and the twins ate handfuls of sand. It was a gorgeous, uncrowded day. I got all excited about summer-time. I think James might be ready to skim-board this year.
6. We watched the Season Finale of "The Bachelor." BIG mistake. I used to be a fan of the show–like back in '03. But this season, I skipped the whole thing. Watching that finale made me realize why I'm no longer a fan. What a bunch of disingenuous, contrived, gratuitous, intentionally shocking drivel! Blech!
7. My Lenten fast from secular music has been challenging and rewarding. For one thing, I never realized how OFTEN I am bombarded by secular music: at the grocery store, at the mall and even in the parking lot! It is difficult to find actual quiet in our noisy world. Another benefit of turning off the music in the car is that I am talking with my children more. When I don't have constant noise, it's possible to pray more often. This alone is a huge reward for me. Prayer gives me mental clarity. I think it's one of the reasons I saw what was going on with James and the video games. Prayer also strengthens my faith. I'm finding that it's easier to trust the Lord with my daily needs when I spend time in prayer each day. Sometimes it's not easy to pray. It requires effort, discipline and concentration. But it is SO worth it!
Have a great weekend everyone!
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK FOR A BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY!
