The Week in Review

And what a week it was! I don't think we stopped for a second, but we enjoyed every minute of it. My sister and brother-in-law came for a visit from New York - a long awaited visit that should have happened last year, but didn't because my brother-in-law was hit by a car. Praise God for His goodness, my b-i-l suffered no broken bones, but he did have a concussion and lots of bruising, plus a badly banged-up knee. He's getting stronger each day, and was able to enjoy all the activities of this week.

My sister and b-i-l arrived Saturday afternoon, just in time for my son R's birthday cake. My son is 23 years old now, officially half my age. We were thankful for R and for sis and b-i-l being on hand to celebrate such a special day. We were also thankful because my daughter came down for the weekend, so we were all together like my sister wanted. It was a real blessing.

Sunday we went to church, then to Denny's for lunch. We chatted, laughed, and had a great time catching up with everything going on. Then we came home and relaxed with some board games. My sister complained that she never wins at board games, but she did really well. The only reason she didn't win was because we were helping E get some of the answers which pushed him ahead. We had a blast! We said goodbye to my daughter A as she went back to school, but thanked God she was able to join us for the weekend.

Monday was the only rainy day we had, so we went to see the movie "Diary of a Wimpy Kid." What a nice movie! The main character, Greg, starts middle school, and is intent on becoming popular - so much so that he forgets about his friend, about being truthful, and about being himself. There are lots of great lessons to be learned. My son E is reading the books and the movie was very accurate in following the storyline. I recommend this movie for older kids; the younger ones might not understand it as much. Afterwards we came home and played more board games. Yes, we're a game loving family!

Tuesday we went to visit my aunt and uncle. This is my mother's older sister. It was great to see them and their oldest daughter. My aunt made lunch for us which was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!! My cousin barbequed the steaks - I can still taste their juiciness! My son E was the only one to join us, since R had classes and daddy had to work, but E had fun playing with my aunt & uncle's dog. I'm glad we went to see them. My aunt and uncle are getting up in years, and they really appreciate having people come visit. It's an hour drive to their house, but well worth the trip.

Wednesday we went to a local outlet mall because my sister wanted to find a pair of sneakers. She's been to this outlet mall before and knows prices in Florida tend to be much less than New York, so off we went. She was looking specifically for some Skechers Shape-ups, a new kind of sneaker that helps with posture and is a good walking sneaker if you're walking for exercise. She had seen them in NY for $130 but couldn't find them in her size. Before we left she mentioned she couldn't buy too much stuff because of the weight limits on luggage at the airport, so I figured she would buy one pair of shoes at most. Sis was totally thrilled to see a Skechers store at the outlet mall that had the shoes she wanted for $99. Before I knew it, she'd picked out 3 pairs of shoes for herself and 2 for her hubby! She assured me she would fit them in their carry-on luggage, but she couldn't pass up the prices at the store. I was able to get sneakers for E who has an aversion to shoe shopping. Every shoe he tries on is too tight, or feels strange, or has some problem or other. He found a pair that fit right and that he liked, which made me happy because his current shoes desperately needed replacing!

Thursday R had no school, so we went bowling. Boy, did we have a ton of fun!! My b-i-l is in a bowling league in NY, so he gave us some pointers. R had bowled before, but E never had, and I hadn't since I was a teenager. Sis didn't play because of a bad shoulder, so she was on camera duty. My b-i-l said he enjoyed this game so much more than usual. I pointed out that we weren't playing as a competition but instead it was just for fun. That made all the difference. Of course, playing with people who love you doesn't hurt either, and my b-i-l is one in a million. I thank the Lord my sister married a man who is so loving and considerate. He is a model husband.

Friday we went off early to the western side of Florida to visit a zoo. R had no school or work so he joined us for that also. I love trips that are fun and educational, and this trip didn't disappoint! We got lots of exercise, and the day was splendid. The skies were blue, the sun was shining, and a cool breeze with no humidity meant the animals were up and about, and we were able to see many of them up close. What a treat! Seeing God's creation emphasizes that only an Intelligent Creator could have made all these amazing animals. Especially when we realize how they live together, how each animal has its own habitat, its own way of finding food, of preserving its life, it's pretty clear this couldn't have happened by accident.

This is the leopard - see how close it was to the glass? I was totally in awe of its beauty.

Friday night we said our goodbyes :-( but I'm still thankful that we were able to spend such a fun week together. Now they're off to Disney World and a weekend with my daughter and her best friend, so rather than selfishly wishing they were still here, I praise God that my sister and her dear hubby are able to continue their vacation.

Today my son E and I washed the car. Driving to the zoo we encountered many a bug head-on, and they were all over the windshield and the front of the car which was rather disgusting. While we were at it we washed R's car too. The weather has been phenomenal (thank You Jesus!). I'm also preparing for tomorrow - I am grateful to the Lord that He chose me to teach the children the story of the Resurrection tomorrow. This is what it all comes down to: He is Risen! To be able to tell the children about Jesus' death and resurrection is an honor that I don't take lightly. If you think about it, please pray that the Holy Spirit would give me the right words so that the children understand the importance of Easter Sunday. Thank You Lord Jesus, for the greatest gift of all - forgiveness of our sins, and life everlasting with You!

God bless, have a beautiful and memorable Resurrection Sunday.