Balance

Oh my-vacation was wonderful-how I miss thee vacation! We had such a great time, not only in Orlando, but also in North Carolina! As many of you know, I was there taking part in a training for an AP class I will be teaching next year. Not only was the training terrific, but Luke, Liam and I had the opportunity to see so many friends and family. It truly was refreshing!

On our way up, we stopped in Charlotte to visit our friends Jess and Jay. It was so good to catch up with them. How we have missed them! While in Winston-Salem we also had the opportunity to visit April and her family, Luke's sister Leslie, and John, Jaya, and Miah. It was just so refreshing to see and catch up with friends and family that we have not talked to in forever. Mainly due to just being plain busy!

While there, Luke and I also had the opportunity to check out Duke University, Wake Forest University, and UNC. Yes, Luke and I are nerds-we take great pleasure in checking out Universities. I will say this, Duke University is BEAUTIFUL! We actually were able to get into the gymnasium where Liam had multiple pictures taken of him. I have to admit-there is just something about academics that attracts Luke and I. I guess it's no wonder that we are working within the academic realm.

Now that we are back from vacation, we are back into the swing of life. One area that I have really been thinking about is balance-how do I possibly balance everything that is on my plate? I'm not sure why I've been thinking about this so much, but it has consistently been on my mind.

How do I balance being a working mother who not only gives 100% to her job, but also gives 100% to being a mommy and a wife? How do I balance working on and completing my doctorate while also, desiring to blog more, write more, speak more, etc.? How do I read the three books that I have required my students to read over the summer? How do I find the time to allow myself to dream the dreams that God has planted in my life and in turn, give time and effort to those dreams? How do I balance all of these things while also giving God my absolute best, always being completely devoted to Him?

So yes, as you can see, I've been thinking a lot about balance. Really, I don't think there is any magical formula when it comes to balancing your life, but there is one thing that I do know. What I do know is that in the past when I have given God the number one priority in my life-meaning, giving Him the best part of my day, giving Him time over everything else in life, somehow, I end up having enough time to accomplish everything else on my "To Do List" while also being a great mom and wife.

So, what I have come to realize is that if I truly want to be the best mom, wife, employer, Life Coach, Writer, Speaker, Teacher, Dreamer, and God Follower, I must not forsake my God. He must be my number one priority. When He is my priority, everything else will fall into place. Here's to a week of balance! How do you balance everything that takes place in your life?