This past weekend, I went dumpster diving for the first time. Upon first mention of this adventure, pictures of homeless men and giant rats came to mind. After all, who digs in the trash except the hungry and animals? Well, it turns out, my two friends do. They had a route in Chicago, where they lived before moving here, that they hit up regularly and "got the best stuff!", as they explained. So, I decided to allow them to give me an orientation.

It was not as smelly as I thought it would be. I saw a lot of different food (I learned small markets are the best places to go), and no rats. It was dark and I did wonder if, just maybe, the three of us-a pastor with three kids, a young blond in Hispanic ministry, and a tall skinny guy recently back from a missionary trip to Kenya-would end up spending the night behind bars (hey, it was all new to me). But no cops came. No one even seemed to notice us. And we found the best stuff!

As of this writing, there are some wooden crates outside (that I think was full of limes) that are going to make a great little shelf. And my boys have a new kid-sized coupe that they drive around the yard, oblivious to the fact that it was dug out of the trash and thrown into the mini van as we sped off with the door still open because we knew we were being watched. But it was free! And it just so happens that I have been looking for something like it for months.

You never know how something will be until you try. You never know what you might save in the process. I'm learning to let my inhibitions go and just....try it. Okay, with some things. The tall skinny guy told me on the way to our first dumpster, "Hey, if you like this and you want to know other ways to save money, I can teach you how to cut your own hair." I think I'll stick with this for now.

Warm weather does something to people. I finally saw an elderly neighbor after about 4 months of hibernation during a long winter in Nebraska.

I have been red meat-free for about 2 weeks now. In the beginning, I just wanted to see if I could do it. I was inspired by a friend who is a pescatarian (real word), meaning she eats fish and no meat. It has been a lot easier than I thought; I don't drool uncontrollably when we pass a Wendy's or attack Dave when he makes Sloppy Jacks (in our house). We'll see where it goes.

Avery is walking, climbing up and down stairs, trying to maneuver all obstacles on his own. I just want to know when he got so big and why no one told me about it.

We set up the camper we bought over the winter and have been working on it a little bit here and there this week. It's for sure a starter-very simple and basic. But as I think about where we can go and how we can leave the t.v., Ipods, and noise behind, I think that the ultimate quiet won't come unless we leave the kids, too. Since that's not an option, I remember that vacations are not just about me anymore, but about reconnecting and remembering how much of a blessing the noise makers are.