Well, actually, the "and not"
came first. I'm still struggling health wise, although, I did have a
good day on Wednesday. This morning was hectic packing everyone up for
an overnight stay at my parents' house. About 2:00, we made the 2 hour
drive over. I was stressed, extremely tired, and not feeling so well by
the time we got here. But, after getting in and eating some chocolate
chip cookies my mom had just made : ) I started feeling more rested and
less stressed. Briana had to leave for a class about 45 min. after we
came in (she just walked in the door as I'm typing : ) ). So, while
Ashley and my dad went for a walk, and James and my mom played Wii with
Marissa and Daniella, I spent a good 1/2 hour in wonderful relaxation. I
layed out in the lounge chair on the dock on my mom and dad's lake. I
sat in the sun, listening to the wind in the trees, mourning doves,
other birds singing their little hearts out, bumble bees, and geese
honking. The only other sounds were the occasional sound of a lawn
mower way off in the distance, and the occasional sounds of the girls'
laughter coming through the open window.
Tomorrow at 1:00, a couple from
our church is driving over, and James and I are meeting them for
dessert. At 2:00, the couple and I are meeting Ashley at the theater,
and watching Briana in Shenandoah! It was originally supposed to be a
day trip for me and 2 other ladies, but one had to cancel. We already
had the tickets, so the trip got changed to all of this!
After the show is over, all of us but Ashley will be headed back home. Ashley is going to stay here with Briana until Wed.
I'm so excited to go see Briana's
show again. This will be my 2nd time. You just can't see it all in
one show. And, besides, when it's your daughter, you have to see it
more than once.....okay.....I've got tickets to see another 2 times
after this! Maybe 4 times will be enough. LOL.
Wishing everyone as beautiful of a weekend as we are having here!
Quite honestly, I feel
terrible. I have since Friday. I'm not contagious kind of sick. It's a
condition with my adrenal glands that I have struggled with for about 4
years now. When it's this bad, I can barely function. When I get this
way, it also affects my emotional state. I get really down and
tearful. In spite of this, we had a great day on Sunday.
We started the day off with a
*wonderful* worhip service. Since I had been out of town until Thurs.
night and had a children's church picnic on Sat., we didn't dye our eggs
until Sunday. We usually try to do our egg events on a different day,
but it just didn't happen this year. After we spent a while dying 3 1/2
dozen eggs (!!).....fun.....we hid them from each other.....also fun.
The only bad part of the day was that while we were dying the eggs, I
really grieved over Briana not being here. The Lord helped me on
through it, though. Sunday evening we built a campfire, grilled
burgers, ate out on the deck, sat around the fire and made s'mores.
Aside from my exhaustion and Bri not being here, it was a perfect day.
Saturday's picnic. This is throwing raw eggs at the target.
Good catch~
See the egg flying at the top of the picture?~
racing with a raw egg in a spoon~
Three of my pretty girls~
She has *always* loved
dandelions. We have the yard to prove it. : ) That's okay. I'd
rather her enjoy simple "childhood" pleasures!
Ashley's baby, Kacie~
Sitting by the campfire~
Many blessings.
I am at my parents' house again
staying with Briana while they are out of town. Since they live out in
the "boonies" : ) we all feel more comfortable if she's not staying
alone. This has really been a different year for us. Not only having
our first child leave home, but it has put me on the road much more than
normal. Actually, I'm usually only over here about twice a year. But,
during this adventure, this is my 12th trip over here since July.
And, while I love coming to
spend time with Briana, it was hard this time, because I had to miss the
rest of my family being in the church musical last night. I shouldn't
have been so sad, because I saw it Sunday morning, but for some reason I
grieved all day yesterday.
The musical was great. James
was one of 2 narrators, Ashley sang in the choir, and Ashley, Marissa,
and Daniella were all in the praise dances. Actually, Briana sang in it
Sun. morning, but we had to get her back Sun. afternoon. This was the
little girls' first experience with the praise dance, and they both
loved it. They are the main reason I was so sad to miss it last night.
The Sunday morning "performance" by the choir and dance team, along
with the message in word that our minister of music shared, was
annointed. It was an amazing morning.
Well, it 's really strange to
be writing in April in Tennessee, and wathcing the snow out the window.
We have about 2 inches on the ground here. I took some pictures of my
mom's snow covered tulips, but don't have a way to share them right
now. Briana got up early and went to her 9:00 am show, only to get
there and find out it was cancelled, since it was school matinees, and
the schools are closed today.
Speaking of the shows, a
couple of people left comments about the quality of the shows, and
surprised it was such a big production. Yes, they are. This is a
professional theater she is working in, and she is learning so
much.....and having the time of her life. It's so funny to hear the
stories she has to tell. I said that if the people in the audience only
knew all the silly and crazy things happening on stage during the
middle of the show... : )
I'll leave you with some spring thoughts on this cold, wintery, April morning. These were taken last week.
James having Bible study on the back deck with Marissa and Daniella. Notice the colonial dress. I just love homeschooling!
They dug out this old pool, filled it with water, and had fun soaking their feet and playing.
