Wow...what a weekend

So my best friend and I had the most amazing weekend away together. We have been talking about doing this forever and with the passing of her mom we thought what better time. It was full of laughs, tears, quiet and of course relaxation! One of our favorite things to do is go thrift store shopping so we started the weekend off that way.

Then we headed to a spa/retreat place in the area. Two days of pampering! This place was amazing to say the least. They have a hot tub and pool that are inside a cave. Does it get much better than this you ask, uh...yeah!

Then we had massages. I mean what really is better than an hour of someone rubbing you with excessive amounts of oil and lotion. When we were done we looked and felt like we had been sleeping for days. This is us after the messages...do we look relaxed?

A funny moment of the trip was the labyrinth. Carrie and I were more or less doing what we do best and being silly during this part. Hey Carrie, do you need to go back to nature!? It was very cool and fun!

They also have this pond with a paddle boat. Why not we thought. We were enjoying our ride in the paddle boat and then we started to get attacked by birds that were catching fish or bugs or something. At first we thought they were bats, but thankfully they weren't. This all made for a very short paddle boat ride. Carrie, are you laughing yet?
(I just deleted my picture of the paddle boat ride...I am such a moron!)

The day we let we had facials, which again was so relaxing and wonderful. Did we head home after that...uh NO! We grabbed some lunch and hit a few more stores.
Let me just tell you all what an amazing friend this girl is. Not many people are as blessed as I am to share something so special with someone. The first time we ever talked was over the phone, never met face to face. We talked for about 2 hours. When I hung up Rob said, "Who was that?" I replied, "I think my new best friend." That was over 6 years ago. And boy was I right! We are so much alike it is kind of scary. We can talk about the stupidest things and the most important things. We have have had to talk about some hard stuff, confess and confront on occasions. These things have only made our friendship better. We do things and say things to each other many people couldn't imagine doing with a friend. Our husbands and kids have all also grown very close. This is a friendship that will last a lifetime no matter what life brings us. I told Carrie's dad after her mom passed away that I would do anything for her, even give her a kidney. That is no lie, I would do anything for her! I am so thankful to the Lord for blessing my life with a friend that loves, encourages, forgives, cares, and really makes my life and me a better person! I love you girl!!!

1st day of 1st grade

Yup...that's what I said, 1st day of 1st grade! Crazy I know! I can't hardly believe it myself. We packed lunch, picked out clothes and packed his school bag the night before. When he woke up we had a healthy breakfast, (He didn't eat much because he said his belly hurt, I am not so sure it wasn't nerves. Poor buddy.), did our morning devotion, prayed and sent him off on the bus. Yup...that's what I said, 1st day on the bus too! This was a very exciting moment for him and and very scary moment for me.

Of course, on the first day of school the bus was running late because all of us moms have to take a bazillion pictures. Below you will see how the patience is wearing off. Do ya think he was a little excited? I knew he was because he woke up at 4:00am and said he couldn't sleep. Thankfully he did go back to sleep.

And there he goes...

He came home, gave me the world's biggest, longest hug and then said, "It was a rough day mom." Of course I asked why and he said, "I had to move my arms and legs so much." He was pooped out! When went out to a celebratory dinner and gave him a back to school gift and then sent him to bed. Did he sleep in you ask yourself...NO! He was awake at 6:30am. It was a rough morning. He was super tired, and his tooth is very loose but he doesn't want to pull it out so it just kept bleeding. After much prayer again this morning, and much begging on his part to have a day off school, I sent him off for another day of school. This is going to be a huge adjustment and I am going to need much patience and grace. We will get there though. I told him today he can come home and watch a movie and have chores. He is looking forward to that.

The ways God works

So I could post all kinds of pictures and stories about vacation, which I am sure I will do. But, this day was truly amazing. I woke up early...very early, to watch the sunrise. Thankfully it was not super cloudy this morning. To watch the sunrise is so peaceful. It is such a good reminder that the Lord's mercies are new each day. So after I took a ton of pictures and basked in this glorious morning. I did my morning devotion. I have been using this book Jesus Calling, which is wonderful. It has the dates already on the pages so I simply open the book to the correct date and read. This day, August 16, read like this:
Meet Me in the early morning splendor. I eagerly await you here. In the stillness of this holy time with Me, I renew your strength and saturate you with Peace.
I could not believe this! I stopped after the first sentence and thought, "Are you kidding me? There isn't much more splendor in the Lord than his light and what better reminder than the sun." It was such a wonderful blessing and start to my day. I may not be able to see the sunrise every morning, but I can meet Him in the early morning splendor no matter where I am.

VACATION

We made it back safely from vacation today. It is always great to go on vacation, be on vacation and sometimes good to come home. I always come home feeling refreshed. With school starting in 3 days I need to be refreshed and ready for a new routine. Which I am looking forward too!
Like I said, vacation was great! I always enjoy spending time with my family especially when we are at the beach. We, again, for the fourth year, went to Myrtle Beach. The first year we went we thought it would be the only year. Well that didn't turn out to be true. We have our favorite places to eat, stay and play. The kids even have places they love to go. Each year we try to incorporate something new. Magiquest was the favorite hot spot this year. This was the first year we had an oceanfront room which was great! I woke up one morning and watched the sunrise. What a great reminder of how amazing the Lord is! (I will share more about this later.)
Unfortunately my computer is very messed up so I don't have any pictures at this time for you, but I will as soon as I can.

Hiatus over

So it hasn't been too long, right? I don't think so. The Bible does say ask and you shall receive. And guess what happened when I asked...you guessed it. He answered! I am not saying I have it all figured out, but the Lord used 2 events over the last couple of weeks to put things in perspective for me.
The first was very minor but spoke hugely to me. I was in the library by myself, which is a rarity, and there was a mom their with 3 small children. She was trying to check out and one of them was screaming and running away from her. Now, I could tell this mom was very frazzled. I left thinking, it happens to us all. I mean really, if you are reading this and your child has never misbehaved in a store or public place I would love to hear from you. My point is, I go to these places and think the workers have never seen kids misbehave before and it makes me feel terrible. The truth is, when they are misbehaving, I just need to deal with it and forget about the people around me. Kids are kids...they are all learning how to behave.
The second situation was major. My best friend's mom passed away about 2 weeks ago. This woman was amazing! I am not exaggerating! Rob and I left her funeral service desiring to be better people. The pastor didn't talk about what a great gardener she was, or how crafty she was, or what amazing photographs she took. He talked about what a light she was. Her kids talked about how she was full of love and grace. How she, no one else, led them to a relationship with the Lord. And her best friend talked about what a great friend she was. I am not saying I want to be Betty, but I want to be like the Christ that she was to so many people. The most important thing in my life right now is my relationship with the Lord. Secondly it is my family. I need to be more like Christ so my kids can know him. I am so thankful for the life Betty lived to remind me, and the rest of us that knew her, to be like Christ.
So, as I take these things God has placed before me I pray that I will continue to grow from them and a) remember to not get stressed out by the small stuff and b) to be more like him in everything!