They're letting me blog so you gotta read my stories now!

I have been entrusted to blog on the site - wheee!!!! I'll start off easy so they don't kick me out after my first entry. So let's start by telling you my MOMS story (if you haven't already seen it at church on the big screen). I met my friend Shelby through a curling iron (seriously) and we soon discovered we have lots in common... kids, staying home, life tribulations, Old Navy and headaches. Our friendship evolved through email and I can't even remember the first time we actually got together in person. At some point in time Shelby mentioned MOMS and at some point I asked her if it was "churchy". At that point in my life I wasn't into church - actually, I never had been into church. I come from a Catholic family and pretty much viewed church as stand up, sit down, say this, sing that... very methodical and repetitive (which is my nice word for boring). Not to mention the fact that you had to actually have your kids IN the church with you - I spent more time hunting down fish crackers and toys than I did actually listening to anything that was being said. I decided to give MOMS a try and was hooked. What do I love best about MOMS? Well at first it was the chance to sit and eat breakfast with NO kids present and just relax. Now breakfast is still high on the list (I like food) but the women I have met through MOMS and some of the discussions that have been had are priceless - literally, they are like those Mastercard commercials, money can't buy them and neither can credit. The food, stories, women, laughter and tears - it's Vegas in a church and it all stays in that room. You don't have to hide who you are and you learn that you are not alone. I know we all know that we aren't alone but really - when you hear other Mom's tell the same stories and share the same ups and downs as you it makes you feel NORMAL. Eventually Shelby and her hubby came over for supper so the husbands could meet (thankfully they got along) and they invited us to come to a fall kickoff and then for lunch afterwards. I had been thinking about attending a service for a while and I'm not sure why we never went, maybe the invite was what we needed (maybe the lunch... kidding!). Think back to my description of a Catholic church service... can you snore? No offense to all you Catholics out there but I got more out of this one service than I had out of my thirty some years of being Catholic. Amazing and eye opening. I knew immediately that God was stirring my soul... and he probably started doing it when I met Shelby. Well I can see that this blog thing might become time consuming - I'm liking it! I'm gonna have to learn to make a long story short at some point but since I'm already close to the end of this one I'll stop... almost. My story ends with me still attending MOMS - starting my fourth session next week and I am now a part of the MOM's Ministry Team - and wow, what a group of women they are. I am very grateful to be able to spend time with them and have already learned so much more than I thought possible. I am looking very forward to this term of MOMS and hope that we get to see some new faces out there along with the veterans. BTW - Lakeview Moms is Twittering... join us... it's a super way to quickly check out what's happening at MOM's.