I've enjoyed catching up on everyone's journey through this blog.  Today is day 13 for me (almost halfway there), but I'm questioning whether I need to add a couple of days on at the end, because I think I probably cheated about five times while we were in Louisiana visiting Hugh's folks.  I mean, come on, if a good friend of your husband's family brought over a whole casserole dish of crawfish fettuccine, you'd have a little of it, too, right?  Luckily, my mother-in-law was very supportive in my efforts, and had plenty of spinach, chicken, cheese, oranges, tomatoes and beans waiting for me.  My mom would have been crushed if we had been visiting her and she couldn't feed her son-in-law lots of really delicious (but really bad-for-you) foods.  We did have wonderful visit.  Eleanor loved seeing her grandparents, and they loved seeing her. 

So last Wednesday was my last day of work, but since we were on the road, today is my first day of feeling unemployed.  Luckily I had a meeting this morning, so I did get up, get dressed, and took Eleanor to school.  But I'm home now, and I think 7 is going to be much harder here in my house where non-7 foods are constantly talking to me from behind the door of the pantry.  The microwave popcorn may be the biggest offender right now.  It just sounds so good. 

Almost had a meltdown at a Chick-Fil-A in Meridian, Mississippi yesterday.  I was playing with Eleanor on the playground and sent Hugh to get our food.  He must not have heard my requests, because Eleanor ended up with fried chicken nuggets, waffle fries and apple juice (I had told him grilled nuggets, apple sauce, and milk).  He ordered waffle fries for himself, as well (and he's supposed to be doing 7, too).  But the straw that broke the camel's back was that he didn't add cheese to my grilled chicken sandwich.  I mean, a girl only gets so many pleasures on this 7 fast, and cheese is one of them.  I thought I might cry.  I'd like to say I had some sort of revelation, prayed, and made more room for God, but instead I ate the two chicken nuggets that Eleanor didn't finish off.  I think that = fail. 

I admit I'm struggling.  I've got the "less of me and my junk" part of Jen Hatmaker's book going (most of the time), but I'm not necessarily feeling the "more of God and His Kingdom" part.  I do think the Lord continues to reinforce the importance of this message with me.  Besides running across the book "The Power of Half," I feel like every devotional I read or sermon I hear is telling me over and over again how consumerism is keeping us from doing God's will in our lives.  I have so much, and others have so little.  How can I serve others instead of serving myself?  I just wish my attitude was more focused on changing my spirit instead of just my diet.  I guess I should pray about that, right?

I'd love to meet up with some or all of you girls for a mid-month check-in.  Emily V., thanks for the suggestion.  My schedule is pretty flexible!