on the daily grind and life moments

I have always been the kind of person who loves a list of things.  The lists vary.  Some examples would be grocery lists, to-do lists, packing lists, lists of books or movies I want to watch, lists of what is going on in a week, if I need a quick at-a-glance idea.

I got this planner for Christmas, and I still love it as much as I did when I first opened it on Christmas morning.

I have always been the one who writes everything down.  I know some people use their phones, but I really prefer pen and paper.  I'm old fashioned, I know, but it's not that big a deal for me.  If I'm out and about, and someone asks me to do something on a particular date, then I tell them I will make sure that date is okay, and let them know either way.  And then I come home, check this planner, and text them right away on whether or not the date is clear.

I also love writing down things I want to remember in this planner.  For instance, this was holy week, back in April, and some weird sickness was making its way through our family.  I wrote down taking Drew to the doctor and when he got sick, so I could refer back to it, if the need arose.  (Like when the doctor asks, "How long has this been going on?")  I write down little and big moments, and when Todd works, and dinner ideas for most nights, if I'm really on my game.

I keep even more lists in my journal, or in a spiral notebook.  I always have both laying around the kitchen table, because depending on my mood, I will switch up.  Lately, I've just been using my journal to write everything in.

In my journal, you can find quiet time routines, scripture writing, sermon notes from Sunday, community group notes, and lists of all sorts.  Sometimes a schedule can be found, too.

I also love to read scripture slowly and break it down verse by verse.

This was from a while back, when I was reading through Psalm for a bible study.  I love going nice and slow in bible reading nowadays.  I use the breaks in the chapters, or I'll go chapter by chapter if I'm in Psalm or Proverbs.

If I'm having a particularly busy week, this is where all my lists come in so handy.  This week is like that, actually.  I have so much to remember before this evening and tomorrow morning, that I'm concerned I may forget some detail.

Making a list keeps my brain focused on the task, and I write down the things as they come into my mind.

I'm sending Graham and Drew off bright and early tomorrow morning, basically for the start of their three week absence from home.  I might have cried a little this morning, thinking about it.  They leave at five a.m. tomorrow for the Navajo reservation, and they have to take along everything in the world that they own.  (Not really, but it does kinda feel like that.)

I write all of this to say, if you are at all like me, and scatter brained some days, then I recommend this habit of writing down things to do/remember.  (I had to stop just now and write out something Graham and Drew have to do this morning.)  It helps keep me focused, and honestly, it's how I am able to do so much, and how I manage to somehow keep my house clean, even with teenagers in and out continually.  I also schedule things like quiet time, bible study/homework, and chores on mundane things like making the beds.  Does your day just not feel so much brighter, knowing that your bed is all fresh and made nicely?  My boys disagree, but I make them do it anyway most days.

I don't work outside of my home, so I am able to keep busy in my home, because of all the time I have.  I certainly don't like to waste away the days, or spend a frivolous amount of time with the television on, so I stay productive.  If I sit, it's because I want to read, watch a show or something I've recorded, or because I need a little fifteen minute nap.  (Except for when I tried to do that yesterday, and it didn't work, because people wouldn't stop coming and talking to me.)

I even write out goals I would like to try to accomplish.  An example would be to read more and watch Netflix less.  If I write it down, I want to cross it off, so I'm pretty good at accomplishing something.  Sometimes, to start, it requires something so simple, yet so difficult sometimes.

It requires us to put down our phones.

GASP.  I don't know about you, but nothing wastes half a day like messing around on our phones.  It's a choice we have to make, though.  Keep it up and stay on social media, or put it down and accomplish something of importance?

It's not always easy, but it's important to schedule pockets of time to do nothing that has a thing to do with the phones that like mini computers.  I'll put my phone on silent, I'll turn it so that the screen faces down, and I will schedule time to "get away".  I am so often overwhelmed with text messages, that it can be really frustrating.  In this instantaneous world we live in, it's easy to be overcome by all this communication at our fingertips.  It makes me CRAZY, and would literally drive me insane, if I didn't put it away for a while.

So whether that's doing what I said above, or putting it somewhere away from you in your house, I want to encourage you to give it a try, if this is an area you would like to change.  (Also, know that this is often why I forget to reply to text messages.  I'm a horrible texter.  Know that I love you, but I don't always reply.)  I will reply when it's important, though, or if it is from someone who needs a reply quickly.

Someone was asking me about all of this recently, and that's what gave me the idea to share this today.  I hope it encourages you in your daily routines.  Don't think I'm always "with it", though; I promise you that I am not.  There are days I do nothing but sit and watch movies, or when I can't seem to get off my phone.  I just have to be careful, and not have too many of those in a row.  I'm pretty disciplined in this area, and self control is one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.  If you don't have that, ask the Lord to give it to you.  I like to ask that He fills me up (daily sometimes) with these fruits, and to help me use my time in a way that honors Him.

These are just a few things that make me, me.  I pray it spurs you on to spend time with the Lord this morning, and to make the most of the time you have today.  Speaking of that, I have a list to start checking tasks off of.

Thanks for reading.  Love to all!  

Tuesday

Yesterday was a totally unexpected and perfect day.  Three of the boys went out to the country, to a friend's house for the whole day, and Drew stayed behind, but he did have plans for a couple of hours later on.  I ended up spending the first part of the day with Missy!  We got our nails done together, we had lunch, then we had dessert.  It was such a sweet morning/early afternoon, and I was so glad that she felt so thoroughly loved on her birthday.

But seriously?  Check out the beauts.  The bottom left was mine, it was called Chocolate Cream, and it was so good that my eyes actually teared up.  I'm not even joking.  It was incredibly rich and decadent, and for this gal who doesn't often partake in such desserts as these, I was in heaven.

After all that, she dropped me back off at home, and I succumbed to the sugar coma that I felt myself slipping into.  Seriously.  I laid down and took a two hour nap.  I'm not even the slightest bit sorry.

Later on, I woke up and read the library book I got Saturday.  And finished it sometime after dinner.  I did become productive in the late afternoon, doing laundry, vacuuming, and making dinner.

After dinner and after I finished the one book, I started another.  I can't help myself.  I only got three books on Saturday, and one of them I had already read.  I foresee another trip in my nearby future.

I ended up being all alone last night, and it was one of glorious nights, when the rain was light, the house was quiet, and the television was off.  I curled up with this cozy blanket, a giant cup of coffee, and the book I was finishing.

#heaven

Todd was needing to finish some things at work, and didn't leave until eight thirty.  Drew was out with a couple of friends, and the rest of the boys were still in the country.  Right after this, they all came home, though, and then at eleven, most of them left again to go to Gibson's donuts, a Memphis icon in donuts.  After eleven the donuts are half price.

I went to bed and promptly fell asleep.  Today will hopefully be spent swimming with my mom-in-love again, and then tonight I have book club.  I love summer!

Thanks for reading.  Love to all.

the weekend, and what's on my heart

This was one of those weekends that went by really fast, was really good, and where I took approximately zero pictures.  (I actually took one on Saturday.)  Does anyone else feel that the mark of a great weekend is by how much you use your phone?

Graham was due to arrive at nine something Friday night, but the plane they were flying from Atlanta to Memphis on was grounded in Dallas for hours because of bad weather.  Their plane didn't leave Dallas until ten something, and they boarded at one a.m. and landed by around two a.m.  Needless to say, as much as I love my oldest son, I did not go pick him up.  I asked if he would be mad if I stayed home, and he was fine with it.  Todd took a car FULL of teenagers to greet him, though, and somehow, I think all of them made him more happy then he would have been with me.  It's so fun seeing friends greet you when you've been away.

By the time people started stirring Saturday morning, I had washed, dried, and folded all of his laundry, and another load of ours.  I was quite productive that morning, but after ten p.m., I am dead to the world.

On Saturday, I made a trek to my happy place.

(The library.)

I even stopped by the little used book store on the way in, found a book, and went to buy it, but they only take cash or check, and I had neither.  Thankfully my friend Kathy who used to work at CES with me was there working that day, and she set it aside for me to come back and buy Tuesday, when they're open again.  It's one that I have previously owned, that is part of a series, but it's now missing.
After this, I went to Kroger to buy the ingredients that I needed for that night.  And then, later on that day, we went to a cookout for the youth ministry leaders.  I made a double recipe of the mac and cheese that's homemade that my boys so love, and left without even a drop leftover.  That was a fun night, seeing everyone, and some of the teenagers who belong to the leaders.

I spent yesterday at church, ending with a worship night last night.  After the service, Todd, the boys, me, the Wolcotts, and Missy all went to La Hacienda for dinner.  Plus a couple extra kiddos.  It was a fun weekend, and I loved spending time with friends and family.

Today is my dear Missy's birthday!  I am seeing her in a couple of hours.

Oh, the laughs we have shared.  And the sticky situations....I love her so!

I am so thankful to God for her friendship, and know that we will be lifelong friends.

On a totally different note, I have something weighing on my heart this morning.  It's funny that I am thinking of it today, because at one point in our church service yesterday, the guest preacher challenged all of us to ask God to examine our hearts, showing us any sin that needed to be confessed and repented of.  My prevailing thought as I prayed was "words".  (I didn't connect those dots until just now, when I typed that.)

I will confess here, that there are times when I seriously struggle with my words.  I have to go back and apologize, all the time, for things I've said.  One such time was last night, when we saw some friends at the restaurant.  The young man that was there witnessed this of me Saturday night, and I had to say that I was so sorry for speaking a little too freely.  I was not gossiping, but I was frustrated about something, and I let him catch the brunt of it all.  Thankfully, he accepted my apology, and I will learn from that and not have a repeat.  I know that if I'd not gone back and apologized, that my words could have messed with my testimony of how the Lord has changed me, and this is a young man who looks up to me in the faith.

I'm thinking of this again, though, because I keep hearing things from my kids, and some other people, about how some people they're close with are being mean with their words.  As a mom, there is not much that is harder to watch than this.  It could be words said TO them, about a situation, it could be something said about them to someone else, it could even be something said to them that is supposed to be "joking", but is not at all.  It could be an outright lie, or it could be harbored bitterness over something that happened a long time ago.  They've experienced it all lately.  I have a solution for this, though, and it is straight out of the word of God.

"No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear."  Ephesians 4:29

I am preaching this one to myself, friends.  Read the above paragraph when I had to go back and say how sorry I was for something said too freely.  (I read foul language, and think of cursing, but really it's anything that is not building someone up.)

As believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to put off our old self and put on our new self.  The old self is corrupted by deceitful desires (Ephesians 4:22), and our new selves are renewed in the spirit of our minds (which is by the reading of His word, Ephesians 4:23, Romans 12:1-2).  We are to put off lying and we are to speak the truth (Ephesians 4:25), because as believers, we are members of one another.  Paul even says in Ephesians 4:26 that we can be angry, but that we are not to sin.  He follows that with saying that we aren't to let the sun go down while we're angry, which could give the enemy an opportunity.

My favorite part of this passage of Ephesians comes from the last verse, verse 32. and chapter 5, verses 1-2.

"And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ."

"Therefore, be imitators God, as dearly loved children.  And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God."

I've learned many times in the last few years, that a lot of people will never apologize for something wrong they've done.  My kids have seen this, I have seen this.  The bible tells us in Colossians 3:12 that we are to be humble, though.  That's why I have to always be one who goes back and admits when I've done or said something wrong.  However, I am not most people.  But read this, and read it again, if necessary.  I am learning more and more, the older I get, that even if people do not apologize, you MUST forgive them.  God forgave us when Jesus died for our sins, therefore, we MUST forgive.

He has been working on my heart about this topic of forgiveness.  There was something that happened to me twenty years ago that I've been harboring bitterness about.  I am working on this continually, and committing it to God over and over again, and He is working on my heart.

To my kids, I give this same advice.  They cannot control other people, only themselves, and how they act in hard situations.  They are to always, always, always be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient.  (All of of those are from Colossians 3:12.)  I always say to them that they should act in a way that if anyone ever said anything bad about them, others wouldn't believe it.  (That doesn't usually happen, though.)  Sometimes they heed that advice, and other times they fight back with words.  They've learned to own up to it, though, and will often go back and apologize.  I am thankful for the fact that God worked on their hearts in that area of humility.

As I was talking this out with a trusted friend last week, she reminded me that we are to also give grace to others.

I am writing this to myself, and to my boys.  We have to first learn to do this for ourselves, and with the Lord's help.  I pray that for anyone else reading this, that you're challenged by the words from the bible that I wrote out.  I am so thankful that I have the living, breathing word of God to live by.  It truly contains everything I need pertaining to life and godliness within the pages.

Thanks for reading.  Love to all.

Friday Favorites: SUMMER

Happy Friday!  This week has been so, so good.  There are so many favorite things/memories and activities that we've participated in, that this might be a little long.  ;)  I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and friends for today's blog post.

Graham (in the middle with the green shirt) has been in Guatemala all week, for a mission trip.  They've been staying in dorms on the grounds of an orphanage, and the property is laden with avocado trees.  We were talking the other night and he was outside, and he heard something hit the ground, and it scared him.  It was an avocado that had fallen, hit the ground, and burst open.  I asked him to stuff his suitcase full of them for me, but somehow, I get the feeling that he's not going to do that.  He is coming home today!  We will pick him from the airport at nine something tonight.  I cannot wait to hug him.  Having all my kids home and under one roof is my favorite thing in all of the world.

Also, it is so strange how not having one kid around changes the dynamics of our house.  There is considerably less amounts of clothing to wash, the house is quieter, and I keep on thinking to myself, "Who am I missing?!"  And then I remember he's in another country.

It's weird.  I am not looking forward to having Graham and Drew both gone for THREE weeks in a row.  They leave in one week for the Navajo reservation in Arizona, returning on Sunday the 18th, then will leave Monday and come home Friday (youth camp), and then will leave again on Sunday and be gone until the following Friday.

I'm already missing them.

I don't have a picture about this, but last Saturday was one of my favorite moments of the whole week.  Missy came and got me and we shopped together for the first time ever.  Well, as in for us, not for a church event, or by accident.  We went to several stores, we had lunch, and we even bought fun new purses together!  If you don't have a Missy Byrd in your life, I am so sad for you.  There is NOTHING on this earth like a best friend.  We talk on the phone ALL THE TIME, and way more than we text.  She ALWAYS answers my phone calls, unless she's asleep or showering.  Sometimes our conversations last a few minutes, sometimes they last an hour.  But we never run out of things to talk about.  We have everything in common, and we agree on almost everything.  I don't know that we've ever had a squabble, either, except maybe last summer when she MIGHT have snapped at me for being so cheerful one morning.  And then maybe on the bus, when I MIGHT have called her grumpy.  :)  I'm pretty sure we apologized, though.  I love her so much, and I am so very thankful to God for her sweet friendship.

I know I always say this, and therefore this statement has lost credibility, but this bible study is my favorite.  I'm studying the tabernacle by Beth Moore.  I think the actual title is A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place.  I am loving reading through parts of Exodus, learning about Moses and the Israelites, and studying the Word of God on this subject.  Bible study period is my favorite thing to do.

A night out in the country is my favorite place of all.  I feel so close to God when I am out in His creation, and on Sunday night, He gave us a magnificent sunset and sky to behold.  I love Psalm 36:5.  "LORD, Your faithful love reaches to heaven, Your faithfulness to the clouds."

This was at my mom's and stepdad's house.  We had a cookout with them Sunday night, because there was no church, due to Memorial day.

One of my very favorite people on the planet made this sticker for my cup.  Marissa is a gem, and she arrived here Sunday sometime, at least for the summer months, but maybe for longer.  I love my sticker she made!  Noah and her conspired together and came up with this design.  Both knew that I loved anchors, and Noah told her turquoise is my favorite color.  I love thoughtful gifts!

I love this passage in Zephaniah three.

Also, I love washi tape.  I add it to the edges of my bible, or to chapters I love and have studied.

More scripture that is my favorite.  I really needed to read these words in Psalm 4:3 yesterday, and be reminded that the LORD hears.

Pool time is my favorite!  I love to swim, and though on this day I didn't actually do laps or anything, I enjoyed being with my mom-in-love and getting all caught up.

The boys' friend Zach gets the prize for my favorite Snapchat of the week.  I love this picture he captured!  I love the smile on Graham's face, and I can almost hear him laughing.  They look like they're having a blast.  This was on Tuesday, when they were in Antigua at the McDonald's.

The pictures you see are my favorite thing hanging in my whole house.  My mom bought them for my birthday for me two years ago, and I have only recently hung them.  I had to change up the colors and stuff I had and make things new in order to hang them.  Also, this Island Margarita candle from Bath and Body Works is my current favorite scent.

 I love a good topical scripture writing plan.  This is for the month of June.

Last night was one of the most special things I have ever participated in.  I have so much to say about it, but I'm still kinda processing the night and figuring out what I want to say about it.  I plan on writing a post dedicated to the night sometime next week.  Until then, know that these two are a couple of my favorite people ever.

Abbey and I have been praying together for two years now, almost every week, and it's one of biggest blessings in life.  I love having a prayer partner that I can be so vulnerable with, and God put within us both the desire to meet and pray weekly.  I told her last night, she is stuck doing this with me until I die, or until one of us moves away.  There is not a more beautiful soul on the face of this earth than Abigail Marie Hammond.

My dad is coming over for lunch today, so I am excited about this afternoon and that we get to see him, and that I get to catch up with him.  I didn't really spend time with him last week because I was so tired from getting up at three to take Graham to the airport, and because I had a hair appointment, and then I had to leave early to go serve with my church family.

I have tons to catch him up on!

Well, I need to get dressed and start on laundry and vacuuming.

Thanks for reading!  Happy Friday, and love to all.

what's up Wednesday

I'm linking up with Mix and Match mama Shay and friends for this blog post today.

What we're eating this week:

So far we've had salmon, and nachos.  Not together, but one was on Monday, one was on Tuesday.  We have church tonight, and I have choir practice, so I am feeling like it's going to be something super simple, like grilled sandwiches.

What I'm reminiscing about:

I've seen a lot of camp memories on my Timehop and FB Memories feeds this week.  I love summer time!

What I'm loving:

Summer.  I love the easy going flow we have over these two months off.  I love all the late nights, late mornings, and time spent with friends.  (Theirs and mine.)

What we've been up to:

Yesterday I swam with my mom-in-love, and Drew stayed home.  I think he may have gone somewhere with a friend.  Jonah and Noah were with their friend, at his house.

What I'm dreading:

Graham is gone right now on a mission trip to Guatemala.  In two weeks, he and Drew will leave for the Navajo reservation for nine days, then they'll go to camp in Chattanooga, then they'll be at another camp as counselors for a week.  So for THREE AND A HALF WEEKS, I will be without my older boys.  I know the house will be terribly quiet with them gone for so long.

What I'm working on:

I'm not doing this yet, but I really, REALLY need to clean out and declutter my kitchen cabinets and drawers.  And the tornado closet.  It's terrible.

What I'm excited about:

I will be glad to see Graham on Friday night, when he returns!  I'm also excited about for my friend Abbey.  She gets married June 24, and we have a lot of fun things coming up together in preparation and anticipation of her wedding!  I'm excited about the first in a string of things that is tomorrow night, but I'll write more about that on Friday.

What I'm watching/reading:

I'm watching Good Witch on Netflix right now.  I'm also on the lookout for more movies (see yesterday's post about movies I watched Monday night.)!  I love a great movie.

I'm still working on the third book in the Married Years series by Robin Jones Gunn.  I'm also reading a nonfiction book called Tapestry of Roots, and it's about the Jewishness of Jesus.  It's so good, and I'm in a book club with the author and three other friends, and we're going through and reading and discussing it a handful of chapters at a time.

What I'm listening to:

I created a summer playlist on Spotify yesterday, of fun songs that are not my usual.  Andy Grammar, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars (his newest song), and Meghan Trainor.  They're all upbeat and catchy.

Also, as I write this, I'm listening to the latest Big Boo Cast with Melanie Shankle and Sophie Hudson.

What I'm wearing:

Currently, I'm still in pajamas, but yesterday I spent the day in my swimsuit and cover-up.

What I'm doing this weekend:

Welcoming Graham home, doing laundry, attending a youth ministry leaders cookout, and singing in a night of praise at church.

What I'm looking forward to next month:

Well since next month is tomorrow, I'll look ahead to July.  I'm looking forward to having all my boys back home for the entire month.

What else is new:

Not much.  I'm looking forward to weekly swim dates with my mom-in-love, hanging out with friends, the book club I'm in right now (I have ALWAYS wanted to be in a book club!!), summer time community groups with the high school students at church, and swimming with them, and just having time off to rest and relax before Drew's senior year starts.

Also, look at this adorable picture I took a screenshot of from yesterday of Graham in Guatemala:

LOOK AT HIS SMILE!  I love these faces, and I love how he is looking at and laughing at Kathryn...that sweet girl is precious and absolutely hilarious, without even meaning to be that way.

I love them all so much.

Well, I think I hear my husband stirring upstairs, so I'm off to go make his to-go coffee and to pack his lunch for the day.  Thanks for reading!  Love to all.

girls night IN

I love a good girls night, and last night did not disappoint.  I had two very sweet teenage girls over to watch movies with me.  Everyone was gone, but Drew and his friend Andrew were upstairs having a guys night watching scary movies, and we had the downstairs.

The girls came over around four, and ate dinner with us (nothing fancy, just hot dogs, Rotel, and cookies and a dessert that they brought), then we settled in to watch two movies.

The first was La La Land.

This is the third time I've seen it, and I still love it as much as the first time I saw it.  I'll say it again, though, you have to LOVE musicals to enjoy this movie, and I do.  Many of you do NOT and you will hate it.  It's a movie that is full on musical~they break out into song and dance throughout.

I LOVE THIS MOVIE, and I don't know why I don't own it yet.  I know the ending is not expected, but it's still so good.  It's all the emotions.  I feel like I screamed at some point in the theater when I first saw this movie....I know I gasped, at the very least.

After this one, we watched Me Before You.

Do not hate me for watching it.  First off, I read the book over a year ago.  I had no idea what it was about, but seeing that the movie looked good, I read it, and then proceeded to throw it when I finished it.  I thought to myself that I'd see the movie, because Hollywood always changes the ending.  Right?  Wrong.  The movie ended the same way.  I know it's super controversial, because...

SPOILER ALERT...

...Will ends up committing suicide with medical help.  (There's a name for it, that I cannot think of...but there was a story in the news about a girl doing the same thing a year or two ago.)  And yes, I am totally against people playing God with their own lives, and do not think that's right.  But this movie was really, really sweet right up until the end.  I'm glad I watched it, because I liked it.  I told the girls that it's wrong to do that, but they already knew that.  The actress who plays Louise in the movie is PRECIOUS.  I would love to see her in more movies.  I think she made the entire thing.

It was a fun night!  I love girly movies, and I never get to watch them.

I found out last night that I can watch several really good movies right now on Amazon Prime, and that's how we saw Me Before You.

I might "go to bed early" again tonight to watch another one.  ;)

I hope your day is great!  I am going to plant myself at the pool today, so I'm excited about that.  Love to all!

the weekend, Memorial Day, and the unofficial start of sweet summer

First off, it's almost June!  There are two plans for this month, for scripture writing.  Both are topical, and both look wonderful.

I'm doing the one on forgiveness.  God keeps bringing to mind someone that I need to forgive, and it's no accident that He does that.  I love how He works like that, and my prayer is that I am always receptive to His sometimes gentle leading.

Sometimes it's more obvious when He is leading me to something, other times it's quiet and gentle.

To kick off our weekend, we had Graham at the airport at five in the morning on Friday.  A team of twenty two went to Guatemala, some then, others twenty four hours later, and this was us saying goodbye.

They were bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Except for Alex, whom I swatted for not smiling.

I only cried when Todd prayed over them.

We got some breakfast to bring home, then I took a nap.  So did Todd.  I had been up at three a.m., because I was so scared of sleeping through an alarm.

Todd went to work, I did some laundry, then I went to get my hair highlighted.

Nothing says "summer" like lighter hair!  Plus, after the year of torture I've put my hair through, I felt for the first time in that long that it was safe to do this again.  My friend Ginger does an awesome job, and at first I was disappointed that it was so subtle, but now, I really love it and I'm glad it's subtle.

I'm usually of the mindset (when it comes to hair color) of "go big or go home".

I came home, took another quick nap (I had two twenty minute naps that day), then left with my stepdad at four to go serve downtown at the Union Mission.  Our church was finishing out a week of revival for them, and a team of us led worship, then brother Tommy Vinson preached, and another team of people served dinner to over five hundred people.

It was awesome.

Look at all of those people!  It was a really great night.  I will be honest here and say that I was nervous about doing this, but now, I am so glad that I did.  It's just something way out of my comfort zone, but I am learning more and more to step outside that safe spot and let the Lord minister to me by stepping out in faith.  It's funny when you do something like this to go and be a blessing, but it always ends up turning, and being a blessing for you.

And I am so glad Bill went!  I enjoyed serving with him in this way, and I know he enjoyed it as well.

I pretty much came home and crashed after this.

On Saturday, Missy and I went shopping together.  We have never done that, except for one time on accident, and we had a blast.  I even bought myself a couple shirts and a fun little clutch that I can use sometimes instead of a big purse.  It's turquoise and adorable.  She bought a fun purse, too, and some clothes, and we had lunch together.

That night Todd decided at the last minute to go work for the sheriff's department, and we had the worst storm we've had in years.  The winds were hurricane force, and somehow (or by the grace of God), we all slept through it.

I watched the next session of my current bible study on Saturday night, because at one point, all the boys went swimming and I was alone.

Todd ended up working all night long and didn't get home until around eight.  He took a shower, then went to church to help with the tech stuff, as usual.  After church he came home and went to bed, and the boys and I went to Burger King.

I woke him a few hours later, then we all went to Mom's and Bill's for hamburgers and hot dogs.

The night was GLORIOUS.  I love a good cloud, y'all, and last night did not disappoint.

After we left there, we went to our friends' house (the Stubblefields) to welcome our honorary family member Marissa.  She and her mom drove in last night to move Marissa here for the summer, and maybe longer.  !!!  This is the dear one we met on the Navajo reservation last year, and whom we all love so much.

Today we are taking it easy, and everyone is still asleep.  The dogs woke me up at six something, so I've basically been up with the sun, and now I am about to have quiet time.  I'm doing things backwards today.  I love days like this, when we have nothing planned.  Well, actually, that's not true...I did make plans to invite over some of their friends to watch La La Land tonight!  I thought I'd make a bunch of hot dogs and Rotel, and then we'll watch the movie.  I'm sure Todd, Jonah, and Noah are thrilled.  Ha!

I am, that is for sure.

Happy Memorial day...I am so very grateful to all who have served our country in this honorable way, and for those who laid down their lives for our freedom.  I always think of my childhood best friend, Stacy, and her family on this day...several years ago, they lost their beloved Chad in combat.  My prayers and thoughts are always with them.

Thank you for reading my blog.  Love to all.