Whatever We Want....The Last One

I can't remember where we went. I can't remember the last post. I just know that there are still pictures from our fantabulous weekend that I haven't posted and now that we are in the thick of the springtime hustle-bustle boogie it would be nice to glance back at simpler times. Times when our sides were splitting with laughter and too much food. Good times.

Here's Dusty making the bunkbeds. She's a pro.






















This is a creepy old house on the property. It was used during the Civil War. There are headstones on the grounds as well. This alone would be enough to fascinate my oldest child for months. This alone would be enough to send me screaming into the night from fear. It's a good thing for my roommates that I didn't see this landmark until the day we left.



































Here we are at the edge of the James River. Spring had not sprung just yet, so I can't wait to go back when everything is in bloom. Can ya'll see the *yawn* tiredness on our faces?





















Hans & Judy...our gracious hosts



















As we drove home I continued to have the urge to leap from the car and snap photos of barns and landscape that struck my fancy. This one really struck my fancy.

















When I look back over all the years of my life, I cannot say that I have ever been more richly blessed in the area of friendships....Godly friendships. I have a couple of friends who have been with me through the majority of my marriage and motherhood. I have several more who I met once I moved here to Virginia. They are not superficial. They are not always easy. They are filled with years of standing in the gap, carrying burdens and prayerful petitions. There is not always agreement with one another but always accountability before God. A true friend speaks in the place of your husband or your children when you feel full of resentment and frustration. Trust, commitment, forgiveness, accountability....honesty. Whoo-whee! Honesty? Let's be honest and say that hands-down, honesty is the hardest part. I have probably driven away more potential friends than I care to admit because of my "honesty". The ones left standing (and standing up to me) are my truest friends.

Proverbs 27:5-6 says that, "Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

I would welcome the correction and "calling out" from any of my friends over the shallow pretentious ways of fake relationships. I don't have time and they don't honor God. What's the point?

I have been given sisters. Family that I don't have and could not have dreamed for. It is a gift that I dare not take for granted. I am prayerful that I honor Him in the way that I nurture these friendships.

Thank you God.

Whatever We Want.....Part IV

First, here's some pictures from Friday night...

BEFORE COFFEE....

















AFTER COFFEE:

















Kelly's mother provided the white fuzzy robes. One more touch that made our 5-star stay so fabulous!

















O.K., there have been several days and a whole lot of brain cells zapped in the process, so the "Whatever We Want" narrative may be a little sketchy because, quite honestly..... I am starting to forget what we wanted. Right now all the "wanters" who live with me are taking priority and their "wants" are totally sucking the life right out of my "whatever we want" attitude.

Let's start back with Saturday morning. Although 5-6 hours of sleep may seep inadequate to some, if you take into account the pitch black room and the absence of 4-year old eyeballs peering at me; it was one of the best 40-winks I've had in a while...minus the part where I kept dreaming someone was putting Tabasco on my lips and sticking mini-pads to my pajamas. Sleepover meanness is wrong and I never ever did things like that to anyone. Ever.

It took us a spell to get ready, but that was part of "whatever we wanted". No rush. NO schedule. We ate Panera bagels, drank coffee, and sat out in the sunroom and soaked up the morning while contemplating serious life questions with Kelly's father. Like, "how many people can fit on that John Deere Gator and how fast does it go?"

My mind was racing with thoughts of strapping Kelly to that Gator and giving her leopard flats a little "breakin' in" in if you know what I mean. I am sure she has driven this Gator plenty of times, but I am talking about taking her for a RIDE....Texas style-4-wheel drivin!

Well, that didn't happen. Charlottesville shopping was beckoning us, and we got ready and headed that direction. Charlottesville is a historic and beautiful place to visit. It is a great city, but quite liberal and at times a bit pretentious. One description I've read is that the atmosphere is "intelligent". Funny enough, after a walk through the quaint downtown area you might come away thinking....hmmm....does intelligent = grunge? I saw more grunginess than I expected, but it was an eclectic mix and we loved the unexpected surprises. Like this surprise for instance....

This guy with a mohawk playing the cello. Now that was something we don't see at our weekly trip to Target. Notice his friend with the ball cap, playing the violin. Interesting...




















Here's a more broad shot of the ensemble...

















Capturing this guy on film, who is innocently tending an itch....now that's a surprise! I wonder if he reads blogs....


















We ate lunch at Salad Creations, where they make your custom salad and mix it in a giant metal mixing bowl and then you eat it.....all of it....and it is a lot of salad. Very yummy and a great choice for eating healthy, which is good when you plan on consuming 4,000+ calories in the course of one day. Unless you are Jenn, who is pregnant. Then you say phooey on a bunch of lettuce. I need beef. With cheese. So she headed down to Five Guys Burgers & Fries and kindly brought her burger back to eat with us. Then we all "enjoyed" our salad even more. And I never once looked at Jenn and wished I had gotten a burger. Not even when I ate 7 bites of hers. I was very content.























So after we ate a really large and healthy lunch we headed straight for dessert. After a little bit of pleading from Kelly followed by a whole lot of sampling, we all indulged ourselves at Splendora's-Italian Gelato Ice Cream. If you have had it, then you probably shouldn't read anymore because it will consume your thoughts for the remainder of the day. If you haven't had it....go.....today. Scrumptious! Kelly had to sell us on it because we are mostly country gals who like our ice cream very rich, very creamy and in several scoops. The bowls here in Splendora's were a bit teeny weeny but HAVE MERCY that ice cream is so good, I can't wait to take my family. We sampled nearly every single flavor and nearly drove one woman to the brink of insanity, who was not behind us in line nor did she work there, but she huffed and rolled her eyes in disgust over our overindulgence. She was just jealous. (that's what my mom always said when people were mean to me)





















We ended up with an assortment, but I can vouch for the coconut & the coffee because I had a double scoop and isn't that the weirdest combination you have ever heard of??? Almost as weird as this...












O.K. and while I am at it, one of the many jillion nuggets that I gleaned from this weekend is this: Women (girls) never grow out of giggle spurts and when they come there is no grace or cooth involved, whatsoever. When Lea Ann laid eyes on one of the many street performers, he obviously struck a nerve in my well-reserved friend. I am not sure if it was the dread-locks or the fact that not one...single...audible...word came out of his mouth. Yep, it was the latter. It was the droning coupled with the fact that you couldn't tell if he appeared to be looking at the lyrics to his ballad or simply falling asleep. She started heaving with laughter right about the time that I inhaled a large bite of coffee ice-cream heaven.....then like a rocket fired from the bottom of my gut, I shot a big clump of brown dessert out of my mouth and it landed directly on her semi-white shirt. Fortunately her clever ability to accessorize paid off because her big & funky necklace hid the regurgitated yuckiness. Sorry bout that Lurker.

We walked the downtown mall area and visited a sweet little paper store who just happened to have their planners on sale for 1/2 off! I became hooked on the MomAgenda planners when I was given one as a gift for Christmas-2005. My sweet future sister-in-law (isn't that fun to say!) purchased one for me and I think they are awesome. They are even more impressive and necessary when they are being sold at bargain prices!

















It got late rather quickly, so after we drooled over some Vera Bradley luggage, we bolted for another shopping area nearby where my sweet soon-to-be sister-in-law was working (again, saying that is filling me with glee!). When we left the parking garage we encountered a colorful woman at the pay booth. There I had another realization. When I embark in the world apart from my little peoples, I don't hear a great deal of profanity. I am sure my husband hears it on a daily basis at his job and my poor daughter probably hears it at school far more than I would like, but honestly I am able to choose my environment and my friends are not known for dropping the cuss-bomb. Words like shut-up and stupid warrant some serious consequences around here. A curse word would probably result in heart failure. So. When we got to the pay booth and the worldly woman who worked there first asked us, "Have ya'll been drinking?" we knew right away that we must appear to be drunk in the spirit and really oozing love & sisterly joy.....or we are acting like liquored-up wild women who have been tossin' back the hard stuff. Judging from the picture, I am sure she assumed the latter...


















After the question regarding our sobriety, she followed up with a loud and boisterous, "oh s*&^!" and it shocked me so badly that I nearly wet my pants. Now she could have thrown up or had an accident in her pants or even stuck an index finger into each of her nostrils and that would not have phased me, but one 4-letter word and I simply beyond shocked and horrified.

I guess it's all about being desensitized. I am sensitive to cursing and not sensitive to bodily functions. That makes you think deep thoughts, doesn't it?

After arriving at the store where my soon-to-be-sister-in-law works, we scooted in for a quick hello and scooted out. We had shopping left in our bones, but this store didn't exactly fit our booger-proof dress code or our $7.99 budget. Oh well, let's take a picture....






















Man, these are endless posts, aren't they? I thought for sure I could finish but I must wrap up the insanity for today. I hope the five-lovely ladies who are starring in this saga are enjoying the recap as much as I have enjoyed reminiscing.

Blessings!

Whatever We Want...Part III

The Getting There...

We met at Kelly's house at 10:00 a.m. (that's Kelly time for 10:15-wink, wink). The trip would take us about an hour and half and we would be in two cars. Jenn brought her own car, because she planned on leaving early Sunday morning in order to help out during church.

Awwww, Jenn. Ain't she sweet? Thanks a lot "friend" for making the rest of us look like slugs.

We said, "fine by us Jenny....go right ahead and be a help-mate to your husband....we are staying right here to finish eating ourselves into a coma"

So. We left Kelly's house and headed to Panera for lunch around 11:00 a.m. After some rousing conversations involving our children, our church and American Idol, we realized that several hours had passed. Can you believe we sat right there in Panera for nearly 3 HOURS??? Therein lies the proof that all we needed was stimulating conversation and I believe at the end of those three hours we had stimulated many of the Panera customers as well :)

So we loaded up in our respective "rides" and headed to our getaway. Kelly, Dusty, and Karen in the sleek, and oh-so-classy and safe Volvo. Jenn, Lea Ann, and I in the oh-so-large and safe Crown Victoria. Talk about a smooth ride! More like a glide, I tell you. If that thing had a third row, this family would be taking a long hard look at the sedan as a replacement for the SUV.

This car really reminded me of another fantastic "boat on wheels" from back in the day. It had an uncanny similarity to the 1974 Ford LTD that I spent a great deal of my preschool years tootin' around in. It could be the smooth ride, the 132 square foot backseat, or the fact that it was a true grandmothermobile. Either way, I enjoyed the ride....immensely.

When we came to our little piece of heaven in Scottsville, Virginia it was immediately apparent that "giddy" would be the theme for the next several hours. Our accommodations were provided by Kelly's parents in their home which was built with guests in mind. The house has a simple beauty both in architecture and the serenity of it's location. Warm. Lovely. Homey. Spacious. There are an abundance of adjectives that could appropriately describe their cabin and we "ooohh & ahhhed" over all the different treasures. Funny enough, the super-duper basement/storage/closet thingy probably took first place right next to the really large laundry room. The momma in us is easily wooed.

Here's a few pic's that I took of their sweet abode:

The entire downstairs area was where we cohabited...like college roommates...with gray hair and stretch marks, telling childbirth stores

...So maybe more like nursing home roommates?

















They have given their home a fitting name...

















Our beautiful view

I came downstairs to claim my bunk in the "cave of joy", which was the bedroom with two sets of bunk beds, where the grandkids sleep. You may think there would be no joy found in sleeping in a bunk bed, but this room had no windows. NO WINDOWS!!! No light and no sound. It was bliss.

When I rounded the stairway corner, I found my desperate friends had just plopped down right outside the bedrooms, on the floor to chat. That is a sad state, when grown women don't even make an attempt to walk five more feet to the couches. Nope. The chattin' started and these weary ladies were coppin' a squat right where they were. It made me wonder if this is because we are used to sitting on the floor with their babies and so you just end up there...kinda like that sway that we do when we stand still too long, even though we aren't holding anybody....so it sort of looks like we are tipsy. Weird phenomenon.























Later that evening, chic Kelly made some fabulous chicken/bacon/cheese quesadillas and her mother had prepared taco soup. Here's the recipe for the soup:

Santa Fe Soup

2 lbs. ground beef or chicken
1 large onion, chopped
2 packages of dry ranch dressing
2 packages of taco seasoning mix
2 – 16 oz cans of black beans, undrained
1 – 16 oz can of kidney beans, undrained
1- 16 oz can of pinto beans, undrained
1- 16 oz can of tomatoes with green chiles (or Ro-Tel)
1- 16 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 – 16 oz cans of white corn, undrained
2 cups of water

Brown the meat and the onions. Once brown, dump into large pot. Add the taco and ranch seasonings. Add remaining ingredients, including water. Simmer for at least 2 hours. Garnish with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and/or green onion. Serve with tortilla chips or corn bread.

The quesadillas are pretty easy, but I think the key ingredient was the bacon and the onions that were saturated in olive oil. YUM! I had made this soup earlier in the week and it is delicious.

I would say that our major topic of discussion centered around purity. I had brought the book, and the Bride Wore White as a talking point. We basically all shared a bit of our individual testimonies but we really focused on what we want for our children. The idea that purity is a heart thing and not just a body thing seems like a given. Truth be told, most of us began parenting our kids with the hope that they would wait until marriage but never really understood what the means to achieve that would look like. You could have asked me at any stage when my girls were younger about how I would handle dating and boyfriends and I would shrug it off, secretly confused about how I could encourage relationships that jeopardized everything the bible taught about the intimacy between a man and a woman. A few years ago, I read about courtship, caught wind of Josh Harris' books, and talked openly with close friends about the "how's" and the "why's". Dating didn't make sense. I mean, sure it makes sense if you feel like you are ready for marriage, but teaching abstinence coupled with dating is a complete conflict of emotions and really a conflict of biblical teaching. Our culture has moved away from 12-13 year old girls getting married but we left the practice of dating in place where it truly has no place.

For the most part, I know that we are in the vast minority. That is okay.

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." Matthew 7:13

Oh, how will our girls survive without the joys of dating? Won't they want boyfriends? Am I FORBIDDING my daughters and sons to date?

The truth is, there has already been training that I have tried to be faithful in teaching....from His Word. From that training, their hearts are naturally inclined to desire certain things. My kids don't walk around saying, "no thanks....I'll pass on the smokes....cause I'm not allowed". Rather, they just don't want to smoke. They know what it is. They know what it isn't. My prayer is that I won't have to forbid my children to date, but rather they will want to wait. Kookey, huh? I would have thought the same thing without the truth in God's word that revealed differently. It is remarkable and amazing what God can do in a changed heart.

We have begun the process of teaching Hannah about the gift of marriage and prayers for her future husband. It is about her heart. Her impressionable, vulnerable, precious heart. Exposing this topic among other women is encouraging and challenging but utterly necessary. I am grateful to have the women in my life who seek to honor God in their lives, their marriages, and in the parenting of their children!

In the next episode we will discuss where babies should sleep, what in the world is a "false wart", and what makes a grown woman spit ice cream in a public place.....

Stay tuned for Part IV of the "Whatever We Want" saga!!!

Whatever We Want....Part II

THE CAST:

Kelly: Hippest,chic, most long-legged, long-haired momma we know!
Smart, beautiful, kind, and addicted to "pocket-books". Now where I'm from a pocket-book is something that might fit into your pocket. Let me make one thing clear. Kelly's "pocket-book" ain't fittin in nobodies pocket! Chic-momma keeps us up to date on all the latest fashions that none of us can wear, like: skinny jeans, easily damaged leather, and jewels. The rest of us are all anxious for the day that her little blond-haired baby will wipe a wad of boogers on one of her "pocket-books". On the non-superficial level, Kelly is the one the kindest and most sincere people I've ever met. Seriously.



Kim: I am borderline A.D.D., deaf, and addicted to sugar. I'm not sure why any of these fancy-pants associate with me, but I am certainly the better for it.









Lea Ann: Red-headed and much sassier than people think. She is "The Lurker" around these here blogs so beware. She has an opinion and we usually agree. She has a lot of jackets. If she and Kelly were to put together their jackets and pocketbooks the combined value could probably feed AND clothe a third world country. She's polished and she's dressed....even when she stays home. That fact right there was almost enough to write her off when we first met. She holds me accountable in every way. I make her listen to my oh-so-deep thoughts when she would rather listen to fluff. She accessorizes well.

Oh yeah, she knows me.... and she still loves me. Enough said.

Karen: One word? Petite. Perfect Posture. Polished. Professional. Polite. Okay, can't do it in one word for sure, but she is all of those things and brilliant. She can present the gospel in the most beautiful way and has made clear for me, so many things that were fuzzy. She is a teacher and it overflows into her life on so many levels. She is always calm. Always. She is very fit, but she doesn't work out. That makes me want to hurt her....or shove donuts down her throat. She makes sense of our senselessness. Did I mention her posture? I think she's picked up on my A.D.D.

I would pay cash money to see her holler at somebody.




Dusty: cute, feisty, funny, and loves to wipe. She loves to wipe...and wipe....and wipe....and wipe. Give the girl a squirt bottle of Windex and some paper towels and you will see her idea of therapy in action. On trips, Dusty is the one always tiding up, wiping things down, and gathering the garbage. Forgetful and a little scattered, but the girl can wipe. She is a giver. She will give past empty and to a fault. Her generous spirit is overwhelming to me. I have learned from that. We are both transplanted here from Texas and are forever bonded through that love for the blessed homeland. She and I both leave our groceries out too long after we go shopping and we are easily distracted. She can do a back handspring and make some mean salsa. She's good to keep around.


Jenn: don't be fooled by that blog. This girl is a spitfire. If anybody can throw a glance and send the whole room into fits of laughter....it's Jenn. She's laid back, and loves a good tub of icing and some sweet tea, which was what made me realize that I needed to love her. More than that, she is honest and real. (real ornery sometimes) Seriously, her honesty and love for Jesus is infectious. Jenn loves a good pair of pj bottoms, so she could stand to sit in on a few fancy-pants lessons with me and I'm always happy to have company in my pj bottoms. She is preggo with #4 and we can't wait to love up that baby girl!

Famous words of Jenn: "Duu Whaaat?"


This is the cast of "Whatever We Want" Weekend. I will post more later about the events during our spectacular eating contest getaway!

Whatever We Want...

We...The six of us...




















Are headed here....

for the next couple of days. We are headed to the Charlottesville area for the weekend to do a little bit of....whatever we want. Yep. You heard that right. We have no agenda. No craft show. No dinner reservations. No curfew. We have no itinerary to keep up with, no marriage workshops and the only Women of Faith to see will be each other.

We (I) will wear fleece pajama pants until someone makes me change my clothes. We will have Panera bagels for breakfast and we will eat them.....sitting-down....gasp. We will laugh a whole bunch and certainly six women couldn't possibly come together with this much food and freedom and not let the tears fall, at least a couple of times.

Oh, and did I mention that we do have some food? A whole bunch of it and the real bad kind. Bring on the trans fats people. Fry it, dip it, cover it in sugar and please, please, please pour a whole bunch of coffee creamer in it. We plan on eating until it's all gone or until our acid reflux says "enough already".

We plan on working out several issues, like the seeker-friendly church movement, homeschooling, the election of 08', the war in Iraq, the sale at Ann Taylor, the best self-tanners, how Kelly F. wears those super narrow shoes, the sovereignty of God, our role in evangelism, what is church discipline, and is it really worth it to clip coupons? Everyone will eventually share their childhood stories, their childbirth stories and their child whippin' rearing stories. It'll be way better than Oprah. You better believe it.

One of the virtuous women in our clan will be leaving us soon. Not too far away, but far enough to change the sweet composition of this little cluster. So it is a little bitter sweet but I refuse to complain about this transition in our sister/friendship. We have been blessed beyond measure thus far and complaining would be so ungrateful. And if there is anything I am.....it is grateful.

More when I return. I wish I could have you guys peer in on my people here beyond this screen. It makes me crazy nervous and sad to ever leave my family. I am never quite okay with the whole process. A couple of days is way more than I need and the preparation is nearly enough to never ever do it again! I feel like I should lay out every cotton-pickin' thing we own, from Pepto-Bismol to fishing bait because I would hate for someone to need something and for goodness sakes, I'm not here to find it. My oldest has broken into tears on several occasions already. Momma should be home. I agree.

Still, a break is almost necessary. Usually once a year and not for more than a couple of days, but it's enough to see my little piece of heaven from a clear vantage point. I am blessed to have these dear friends to go with and blessed to have my husband hold down the fort and make memories like only *a Dad left alone* can do. You know what kind of memories I'm talking about, right? Let's just say, I'll have a hard time booting those kids out of my spot in the bed when I return :)

So I'm off to finish making the 233rd list for my dear sweetie, lay out the Sunday clothes, fret about the hair-do's and the eye boogers that may be on display at church and try to pack.

I haven't written much this week with substance, but I love what Kim has written here and here and couldn't agree more. I am also incredibly moved and in awe of what John Piper has written about the last moments with his father. Read about that here and also another testament to the impact his Godly daddy made in his life, here.

Blessings to all!

Kim