This was a bit of an unusual week. Well, at least the back end was. A big reason for that was that it was Mikaela’s birthday, and the celebration is spilling out over a few days. A big reason for the spilling out is other plans that were made, even if they involved a little miscommunication, and the cancellation of another plan.

Sunday – Everyone was back in church again this morning. It was good to give the gifts to everyone, even the laying on of hands. My one catechumen was with her mother this morning, so I didn’t have her, but I did get to start with the boys today. It was an amazing session as they asked question after question about what was taught (and down the line where those answers led).

Monday – My day off was spent doing some cleaning. We’re supposed to host Bible Study on Friday, but the house needs to be cleaned otherwise. I also noticed that Friday was a free day at the zoo, so depending on how we all feel about going after this cold snap, we might do that.

Tuesday – Back in the office this morning to do my usual, though I’m preparing for a short week. I did some sermon study and have a pretty good idea based on what I’ve been reading on what to prepare for the sermon. Back home, and it was time to go to the library. Genevieve stayed home to work on a crochet project, so I took the kids. Back home, and I got the living room cleaned up and vacuumed.

Wednesday – The morning was marked with some more sermon prep. I best get used to this as the weeks upcoming are going to involve two sermons. I got so wrapped up in it, that I forgot to plan for Vespers and class this evening. I only realized that after being at home for a bit. The living room was made a bit of a mess again (an easy thing for a three-year old and a one-year old to do), so I had the kids clean that back up while I started doing some stuff in the kitchen. I got a note that one attendee for tonight’s class was not going to show up; it had gotten pretty cold and we’ve had a little snow, so the roads from Parker might be treacherous. So, I contacted the other normal attendees and asked what they wanted to do; we called class off, so I didn’t have to go in a little earlier to do the planning that I failed to do.

Thursday – I awoke 15 minutes before my alarm went off. I was going to snooze those last 15 minutes, but then realized that it would give me the extra time I might need to drive to Parker for Bible Study. I never received a call that it was going to be called off, so I got ready and headed out in -14°F. The roads were fine, but at 7 o’clock, when we normally begin, it was only me and the leader and his wife. Another family joined us a couple of minutes later and another attendee a little later. I had what I think will be my new usual: the Cambridge Skillet. Back to the office, and I was going to write my sermon today, but I wanted to make sure I had all of my ducks in a row, so it was to more studying. Back home, and it was time to finish the kitchen. While I was doing that, one of the families that normally attends the Friday evening Bible Study was only beginning to make their way back from Texas, so I contacted the other regulars, and we decided to call off Bible Study. So, there were no classes this week.

Friday – Some miscommunication led to some confusion, but we ended up going to the Denver Zoo today. The zoo has six free days every year, and today was the fifth of the year. We had a couple of really cold days (so cold, that the zoo only had 7 hearty visitors on one of them), but today it was supposed to warm up to just above freezing; plus, there were plenty of indoor exhibits which should make the cooler outdoors a bit more bearable. We invited a friend to go with us, and good time was had by all. On the way back, the traffic was horrendous. I was expecting it to be heavy in places, but it was heavier than I’ve experienced there before, and I must have hit every traffic signal at red. Once we finally got home, we enjoyed Mikaela’s requested birthday dinner with our friend from the zoo and a couple of others. It was so late, however, that she decided to hold off on cake until tomorrow.

Saturday – In the morning Genevieve took off for a little shopping, to return and take Mikaela to a craft fair for her birthday. When they all returned, after a phone call, I hid downstairs to write tomorrow’s sermon. Then, after dinner, the couple of friends from yesterday came back over to watch Frozen and eat cake and ice cream. Another good time was had by all, mostly...