Some Days Don't Go As Planned

Some days don't go as planned. Yesterday was one of those days! But don't worry; in this case, it was a good thing.

The day had a lot planned in it: a power walk at our town square for exercise, home school lessons, a women's Bible study at my house, babysitting a friend's child and cooking for supper co-op.

But the day didn't go as planned.

It was raining at the exercise time, so there was no walking.

At about 10:00, a phone call came that canceled the Bible study.

And then another phone call....a friend invited us to go arrowhead hunting in a field adjacent to her house. The rain had stopped, leaving behind gullies and rivulets perfect for hunting.


So, the home school lesson suddenly changed from a math worksheet to a nature hike.


And what a fun outing it was! There was a lot of mud...


along with a few botany lessons.


We saw this strange thing.


Here it is up close. We are going to have to research to find out what it is (if you know, feel free to comment).


There was a entomology lesson....


and then at the end of the hike, the prize....what we had been searching for the whole time...


No, the day didn't go at all as planned, and I'm sure glad it didn't!

Memory

Memory is a funny thing!

It makes twenty years feel like yesterday.
Yet, it makes twenty years feel like the two decades it is.

Memory recalls funny snippets of times past.
Yet, it fails to remember some of the most important details.

I took a walk today....a walk back to twenty years ago.

She remembered too many practical jokes I had played on her.

I had forgotten them.


I remembered detention shared with her (my ONLY detention ever; probably hers too).

She had forgotten that.


My memory recalled a certain teacher with fondness, hers recalled with much less admiration.

She affectionately reminisced about another teacher, I...not so much!

She remembered letting me read an important journal entry.

I remembered her high school crush.

Memory is a funny thing.

We made new memories today....a shared past, a similar spirit and vision, a common Hope.

Saturday, Sun, Special People

Last weekend was fun! It was one of our few trips to the lake this summer. We used to go to the lake almost every weekend, but as our family and other responsibilities grew, our time there has become limited.

So when we do get to go, it is with much anticipation and excitement! We invited some other Student Ministers and their families along for this special day, and enjoyed a relaxing and fun time with them. One thing I like about being at the lake is I can actually sit in a chair and do nothing. If I were at home, I would feel the pressure of all the house keeping and other duties hanging over me. While at the lake, I can't do anything about those things. Therefore, I enjoy relaxing without guilt. Add a couple of friends in nearby chairs and my day is made!

Of course, sitting in a chair is not ALL we do.

We swim...

and tube....

and eat...

and kneeboard!

We even got our eight year old daughter on the kneeboard for the first time!

We are so grateful for Saturdays with friends...for time to relax...for time for fun!

If only tomorrow were going to be so fun! The to-do list here is lengthy, and I hope to knock out a big portion of it in one day!

Reason # 4,182 Why I Love Our Small Town:

Tailgating before High School football games!

(Did I ever mention that I love our small town?)

A Welcome Reprieve

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful in our 'neck of the woods.' The humidity level was drastically lower than usual, creating a quite mild and pleasant day. Since that kind of weather is such a rarity around here, I could not stand to stay inside all day. So, I packed up the school books and headed to a friend's house.

These friends own a horse stable across the pond from their home. With their permission, we sat at a table outside the stable and did our school work.


It was a great location. There were horses grazing nearby,


cats to pet,


and a pond to gaze into.


Add to that a gentle, cool breeze and it was perfect (except for the scary looking spiders nearby).


After both children did their math lessons, the oldest read a Bible story to the youngest and we discussed Christopher Columbus's voyages, it was time for some exploring. We wandered around the pond and then went on an adventure on the four wheeler.

I was struck by how gracious God is to allow us to enjoy such beauty. I am grateful for fluffy clouds, the sound of birds praising God and the innocent joy of children.

Rainy Day

It is a rainy day here in the Southeast!


And by rainy, I mean VERY rainy. Check out the puddles in our front yard!


As a result, we've had day at home and inside...and it's been nice. I like those days when we can slow down, get caught up on chores, work on a project or two and have an overall quiet day.


It's a rain day here in the Southeast....kind of wish it were a snow day, though!

Lovin' Where I Live

Top Ten Reasons I Love Where I Live (in no particular order):

1. The people - everyone is so friendly and nice. We speak to each other in the aisles of Walmart even if we don't know each other. You don't have to know someone to get a wave from them as they pass by on the road.

2. Our small town - We had only lived here a few months when my hubby and I remarked to each other how "at home" we already felt. The aura of a small town is so great. I love the activities like Patriotic Celebration on the square, High School Homecoming Parade, Harvest Day and so much more!

3.We have a town square. It's the place where many of our town events are held. I go there to meet some friends every morning to walk for exercise. Our children can play in the square while we walk around the outside.

4. The food - yum! I love the good ol' home cooking: lots of veggies and smoked meats. There's the bread, too. And scrumptious homemade desserts! Gotta watch out for those. Too much of a good thing adds pounds to the waistline!

5. Our church - what a loving group of people.

6. Our house - we are so blessed.

7. The beautiful plants and flowers that flourish in our warm, humid climate!

8. Our proximity to the beautiful gulf beaches.

9. Our friends - we have been blessed with many relationships that mean so much to us. We didn't grow up here, but have been welcomed and loved as if we did.

10. The pretty vistas that characterize a rural area.

11. (I know, I cheated. But, I couldn't leave off) SWEET TEA!

My thanks to my Colorado friend, Mer, for the idea. You can check out her list here.

So what about you? Why do you love (or for that matter, don't love) where you live?

How We Survived Tropical Storm Fay

We were recently visited by Tropical Storm Fay. What that meant for us was a rainy, windy, stay at home day! So what's a family to do when they can't leave the house for twenty-four hours?

Have fun, of course! There's nothing like a rainy day for some family togetherness!

So, for those of you who've never experienced it, here are some tips for "surviving" the next tropical storm that comes your way:

*make pancakes for breakfast.


*spend lots of time on the computer: photoshop, blogging, facebook, twitter, swagbucks, etc.


*have plenty of iced coffee on hand.

*use the time to blanch and freeze zipper peas.

*play with playdough and watch t.v.


*stay calm when you discover that the wind is blowing so hard that water has pooled in the window sills.

*use micro-fiber cloths to solve the water on sills problem.



*dress up in your rain gear and check on the outside of the house. This will provide much needed exercise and entertainment for overly energetic young boys.

* make a big train track in the living room (I don't know why our son doesn't have his shirt on)

It's really not that hard to survive a tropical storm. All you need is your family and a fun attitude.

Birthday At the Beach Revisited

One of the fun things about our family beach trip this past month was that it was in the same place we stayed on vacation six years ago. In fact, this year we stayed in the house right next door to the one where we stayed six years ago. It was at the same time of year too! We celebrated our daughter's first birthday while we were there.

I took the picture on the left on the beach that day. I had written birthday wishes to her in the sand and sat her down for a picture. You can tell that the bright sun hurt her blue eyes, and she wasn't so happy.

I remembered this picture during our recent trip and decided to replicate the picture (on the right). Her blue eyes still don't handle the bright sun too well, but she looks little happier. And a lot older...and a lot taller...and a lot more grown up........can't keep her a baby forever, can I?

Small Town American Fourth!

Today, we met one of Joel's sisters and her family half way between our homes (they live 4 hours away) and had a patriotic picnic. It was nice to visit with them, and our children enjoyed seeing each other.



Our town's celebration came earlier in the week, however. This past Tuesday, a celebration was held on our town's square. The Tri-State Community Orchestra and our town's community choir performed patriotic music. People brought their lawn chairs and sat in the evening breeze to watch and listen. I joined several families who spread their suppers together and shared them potluck style.


I also participated in the community choir. This was a lot of fun, and as I stood on the gazebo singing patriotic songs, I was moved with emotion. I am so grateful that God has granted us the freedoms we have, and I pray that He continues to do so.

waiting our turn to sing (the orchestra is set up in the tent you see in the background)

my view from the back row of the choir

the community choir
photo by Lynn Sanders

For several weeks, my children have been wanting to have a lemonade stand. They saw someone on tv running one and they thought it would be fun. They even got out their paper and markers and drew a picture of what it would look like. My friend, Connie's kids have been begging her to let them sell baked goods at the ball field. So, we put their ideas together and let them do it at the patriotic celebration. They didn't really know they would make money, just wanted to have fun. And it turned out great. People were so nice to come by and chat and pick up some lemonade or a brownie. They had so much fun (and made some money, too)!

photo by Lynn Sanders

Y'all, its events like this that make me love a small town. This big city born, Midwestern girl always dreamed of living in the South....and here I am in a small town in the deep south and lovin' every minute of it!

Ah, Summer!

It's summer around here....has been for a while. And these are the best days of summer, because soon the humidity will crank up. And when the humidity cranks up, there's not much desire to be outside. Unless of course, you're in a pool!

We are enjoying these days as much as possible, and I couldn't resist the chance to show you some photos! Here is a photo of the first rose of summer! I planted this rose last fall after buying it at a greatly reduced price. I love this photo because my daughter and her friend are in the background.


Here are my kiddos with the neighbors. My kiddos' favorite summer activity is to play outside all day long with the neighbors.

And what summer would not be complete without a dog? This dog belongs to the neighbors, and my kiddos LOVE him. His name is Shadow and any time we are around any dog anywhere, my kiddos compare that dog to Shadow. I'm glad Shadow loves my kiddos too!


Here's wishing you a great summer!

P.S. More Colorado adventures on the way!

Where in the World Is....Destin, Florida!

Kelley's guess was the closest...Panama City. You were on the right track choosing a beach location.

We spent our three day anniversary celebration in Destin, Florida. As I wrote in my previous post, two of the three days were stormy and very wet. So we were THRILLED when the sun came out! It was gloriously beautiful and we couldn't wait to get out in it! After two days of eating and shopping we were in dire need of the outdoors and physical exercise.

We walked on the beach.....


We ate at a YUMMY seafood restaurant that was right on the beach....

We took in an ice cream shop. Because after all, a wonderful seafood meal MUST be toppped off with ice cream. Right?

And believe it or not, we even did some more shopping.

Then, we drove over to Seaside Beach and got our bikes out. We took our time riding through this beautiful seaside community. If it looks familiar to you, it's because this was the site of the filming of the Truman Show. It is one of those places that looks like what you would imagine the perfect town to look like.


A community event was taking place with a live band. Do you see the pond in front of the stage?

That may look like it is supposed to be there, but it's not. It was created by the two days of downpour that I think I've mentioned a couple of times. If you were having any doubt about the rain, I think I've presented enough enough evidence to prove I'm not exaggerating.

We were blessed to have the opportunity to get away and to have fun being together. I am so grateful for the husband with which God has blessed me. I am also grateful that God has given us twelve great years together.