Week in Review: A Retreat, A Mission, and a Full House

Happy Friday!

Today Phil and I have our annual skin checks at the dermatologist, an appointment I dread all year but still make myself go, with the promise of a lunch date after.  Moles and Rolls, Derm and Dine, Basal and Basil, and that's enough, Colleen.  

Lots happening this week, so without further ado...

Maggie and Xander went on a retreat over the weekend.  Maggie was a leader and Xander was a participant, and they both said it went awesome!  

Maggie with her team

I can suddenly picture Xander as a future clergy member

It was really, really weird only having two kids in the house on Sat and Sun, but then JP and Eamon and Eamon's friend arrived in time for dinner on Sunday, and the retreatants returned home, and all the beds in the Martin Casa were once again filled.  We were just missing Andrew, who is loving life on his mission trip in Arizona this week:

They have been helping at a school all week (and playing with the kids at recess!)

Look how close to the border of Mexico he is!

He said In n' Out was legit

Cacti!

Andrew and his partner leading a retreat for 4th graders

The crew before leaving Ohio

Week in Review: Spring Break in Winter's Wake

Happy Friday!  

The rain this week has washed away a lot of the snow, and we can finally see some grass again.  The big guys are all about to start their Spring Break week, with Andrew flying to Arizona for his mission trip tomorrow, and JP and Eamon and Eamon's friend driving home this weekend - yay!  Franciscan held an Irish fest last night, which they were all able to attend.  Eamon (only 19) says he just held the beer for the picture "to look more Irish", as if that kid could look anything but Irish.

Grandpa enlisted Declan and Brendan to help him build a snowman, as Grandpa loves to do:

They also used the bed boxes to pretend to camp outside.  They lasted about five minutes.

What Would You Do?

(Asking for a friend, obviously.)

Scenario One:

Husband and Wife watch tv together in bed each evening.  Wife wants to turn the tv off and fall asleep around 9:30 but husband wants to keep watching tv for awhile.  

Should wife just try to fall asleep with tv on, which is difficult for her?  Or should husband leave their comfy bed and watch tv in the family room, which may result in sleeping on the couch?

Scenario Two:

College boys report Honda Odyssey is being weird.  They bring it to a mechanic who tells them it's unsafe to drive anymore and it needs a whole new engine.  They now need a replacement.

Should parents buy a used car, though they were not financially ready, to have available for the boys at spring break, so that they have one for the rest of the semester?  Or should college kids have to go without a car for the rest of the semester, and parents postpone buying one until the summer?

Scenario Three:

Husband and Wife work three jobs each in order to provide for all of the expenses of a family of nine with three in college this fall.  Husband and wife now make enough income to barely cover said expenses, but also "too much income" when it comes to some of the benefits they used to get when they earned less.  Financial aid packages are stingier, some scholarships are now non-eligible, tax deductions/credits are going away, and discounts we received in past for certain services are not available to us anymore.

Should we keep killing ourselves with work to provide to our best ability, even though it means we lose money in benefits?  Or should we figure out the income necessary to qualify for all of the benefits we used to receive, and earn only that much?

(Yes, my friend is aware that these are first world problems.)