The Buerglers

This post has been in the queue since before Maggie was born but I did not have the emotional energy to finish it.  It's now been four months since my discernment to leave ministry to become a full-time mother. Ever since late high school I knew I wanted to work in Religious Education of some sort. I didn't know if that meant in the classroom of a Catholic school or in youth ministry, or what.  After a few years of college education in Religious Studies - focus on catechetics - and a lot of hands on ministry work, I discerned that youth ministry was the starting point for me. I was hired at the second parish I interviewed, my parent's home parish.  I was a part-time high school youth minister and I nannied for two families, and eventually went full time youth ministry while still nannying for one family. A few years later I moved into a different role that was two different hats and two different age groups:  Middle school youth ministry and 10th grade Confir...

Well friends, it's true. I turned 30. I celebrated the much anticipated Golden Birthday. In honor of The Big Day, I am going to review the thirty things I wanted to complete before I turned 30. 30 Before 30 1.  Go on a Hot Air Balloon Ride , completed in July 2012.   I was able to soar 3,000 feet in the air over Asheville, North Carolina. Incredible. 2.  Take a Photography Class , completed May 2011.  My Dad and I took a course on how to use our DSLRs in full manual mode. 3. Lose and Keep Off 12 pounds, no progress As I started this challenge I sprained my ankle and shortly after recovering got pregnant. Battled post-partum depression...and well....I now need to lost closer to 30 pounds. Gulp. 4. Run a second half marathon, completed Feb, 2011 and April, 2012  I had to walk both due to the issues list above. I give myself full credit, I walked two half marathons!! 5. Compete in a second Iron Girl or “real” spri...

I know I am a little behind on the New Year's Resolution bandwagon, 24 days behind to be exact. But, it's taken me this long to decide what my resolution would be. My life has changed considerably in the last three months.  I went from full-time ministry to part-time seasonal ministry.  I went from being super pregnant to being a mostly stay-at-home-mom. The day to day picture of my life has changed dramatically.  Every day was an adventure, full of work, prayer, meetings, coffee dates, hormonal teenagers, and happy hour with friends.  The weekends were for sleeping in and getting a weeks worth of chores and TV crammed into a weekend, that is, if I was even home for the weekend.  Most weekends were spent on retreats, celebrating weddings or baptisms, or running races. Now, my days are filled with laundry, diapers, spit up, pediatrician visits, pumping, washing bottles, pushing a stroller, and if I am lucky, a shower. I used to save all my laundry for a w...