Trusting God in the Details

I'm back from a fun-filled family vacation to one of our favourite places in the Southeast USA... North Myrtle Beach, SC!

Hubby and I, along with one of my 4 sisters & her family, and my younger of 2 brothers & his family rented a beautiful 4 bedroom, 4 bath condo on Crescent Beach along the shores of the warm Atlantic Ocean waters.  More about that in a bit!

The week before our trip was a little hectic as I tried to get things together for Abide's kickoff in September (which I'll be missing) and getting my first client's off on their all-inclusive vacation.  It was a lesson in trusting God that week as little things came up that tested and tried my faith not only in how I thought I'd heard God, but also in my own skills and abilities.  Long story short (without going into details) once again God proved to me that He is a bottom of the 9th inning, bases loaded, 2 outs, up to the plate smacking out a "Grand Slam" kind of God!  At the very last minute before packing up the car and heading out on our vacation, God came through on something very big that had been stressing me out all week.  Thank you Jesus!  Now I was free to go and relax and enjoy time with my family!

And enjoy we did!  Hubby and I got into Raleigh at my sister's place on Thursday night.  My sister and I were leaving early for SC as Beth Moore was speaking in Charleston, a mere 2 hours south of Myrtle Beach!  We drove the 4 hours south during the day Friday and enjoyed a fun, faith-filling evening and Sat morning of worshiping with 9000 women (including a few brave men) and being encouraged and challenged by Beth's message on "Embracing the Facing".  We were filled and ready for our time at the beach!

We had a BLAST in North Myrtle Beach!  Over the weekend there were 12 of us in our condo and we  had so much fun splashing around in the warm waves and sandy beach, playing bocce ball and boogie boarding all day long.

Hanging with "the kids" at the Beach

One of many rousing games of Bocce Ball

Monday night, my sister's kids had to leave and the remaining 8 of us continued the fun with one of my personal favorite moments - playing in the ocean during a rainstorm!  Tuesday, in what seemed like the very outer edge of Tropical Storm Isaac, the waves were big and extremely fun as we all boogie boarded and played in the surf.  As the raindrops fell, slowly the beach became deserted but that didn't stop us!  We remained out in the rain both in the surf and in the lazy river which was now our personal play area.  It was as if we had the entire beach and resort amenities to ourselves!

Making the most of a rainy day in the lazy river

The next few days were a little overcast as well but again, that didn't stop our crazy family!  Thursday we all packed in 2 vehicles and head down the highway to Myrtle Beach and the Nascar Speedway go-cart park.  For 6 hours we raced around the different tracks and played a game of mini-golf, all to celebrate my nephew's belated 16th birthday party.  We had more fun than imagined and the weather was perfect for this day's activities!

Wannabe Nascar Driver!

Hanging with the Fam at Nascar Speedpark

Getting a little push from the Niblings!

Friday the sun was out again and it was a perfect last full day for us.  Again, we spent the day down in the sand and surf and enjoyed the remaining hours together before it was time to pack up our belongings and head north again.

Hubby and me soaking up our last full beach day

My Bro catching a good wave

Floating in the Atlantic!

My brother's family left Sat morning on their trek back to Canada, but Hubby and I stayed one more night in the South, driving back to Raleigh & my sister's place.  We left early Sunday morning for our 14 hour drive home, sad to be going but looking forward to our next big adventure which is coming up this weekend!  Stay tuned for where our bags are packed next!!

Texas Round-Up

I cannot believe it's been almost 2 weeks since my last post (and almost a week since I've been home from Texas).  Obviously, I got carried away with good times and my blog was forgotten while I enjoyed my time (and resettled back into life here in Canada).  I left you with 2 days left of my photo challenge which I'll complete as we go on with this post so... Jenn... be patient - hee hee.

My last post was written on the eve of my big San Marcos Outlets shopping day with Denise, one of my online besties!  Denise and I have known each other for almost 8 years now and have had the absolute joy of meeting up (and enjoying her incredible hospitality) 4 times now - our first visit when she & her family lived in MD, and 3 times since their move to Texas.  Denise had never been to the San Marcos outlets (which are about a 90 minute drive from her home... and where 75% of my wardrobe has been purchased thanks to Hubby's great shopping skills).  We had a BLAST shopping and walking over 5 miles (burning 300 calories which made our ice cream break "guilt free").

Here we are in the outlet parking lot, 

getting ready to tackle the 2nd half of the massive outdoor malls

It was a fantastic day of catching up and having "girly girl" fun together and not sad at all to say good-bye because Hubby and I would be heading to Denise's place on the weekend to enjoy 4th of July (and Hubby's birthday) with them!

Wednesday night continued our "Eating Out with the Clients" fest... where I again met some wonderful people that Hubby had the pleasure of working alongside at the company he's been auditing and witness-testing in.  We went to this neat little restaurant in New Braunfels for dinner that night and after dinner, I thought this would be the perfect spot for my Day 29 picture for my photo challenge.  Unfortunately the picture was taken on my iPhone and it's quality lacks severely, but you'll get the idea nonetheless).

Day 29 ~ Trees

Why I chose this blurry picture wasn't so much for capturing us, but for the large tree to our left.  The name of the restaurant is Huisache Grill.  Huisache, they told us, is the species of large tree that we are standing next to. How appropriate that on Day 29 (Tree day) we were at restaurant named for a tree.  Providence I say!!

Thursday, before heading out one last time with friends of Hubby's, I enjoyed a relaxing massage in the hotel spa.  Hubby had encouraged me to do so but it wasn't until about an hour prior to my appointment that I had decided to take him up on the offer.  SO glad I did!

Friday we checked out of our hotel, on our way up to downtown Austin for the night.  Before heading out though, while Hubby worked, I was off to shop, partly in search for birthday gifts for my Birthday Boy (Hubby), but also to grab a few last minute decision items at the outlets.  (Got a "Chi" for less than $100 which I thought was a deal).

Friday night, after settling into our hotel room, we wandered the streets of Austin in the 100 degree evening sun.  Hubby was on a quest so we literally toured the ENTIRE downtown core (half before dinner; other half later).  Here's some pics of our walk:

Rockin' Out in Downtown Austin

For this next picture, Hubby stood in the middle of the street to shoot up towards the Capital building, all while I counted him down on the crosswalk sign: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 HURRY!!!

Texas Capital Building

After walking for probably two miles (with sweat dripping down my body), we finally reached our dinner destination:  Bess Bistro, Sandra Bullock's restaurant.

Located on Sixth St W & San Antonio St

Hubby had the Red Snapper for dinner, while I had the daily special, Fish & Chips which were delicious (and my first french fries I'd had in months).

Hubby with the wine list

After dinner we walked north to the Capital building and then back down the main street and onto 6th Street in the "entertainment" district which was much more ... skanky... than we remembered it a couple years ago.  

Sixth Street E is the area where Brad Womack, the lastest "Bachelor" on the ABC Reality tv show co-owns 4 bars.  Um... no wonder the guy can't settle down.  Ick!  Fortunately for your retinal well-being we have no pictures from this little jaunt.  Last time we were in Austin, we went to the Dueling Piano bar but we didn't think we could even stomach that this time so we quickly head down another street and back to our hotel.  We won't be returning to that area again in the future I can tell you.  Blech!

Back at the hotel, while Hubby showered, I quickly decorated our king size bed with a "Happy Birthday" banner as we were on the eve of his 47th birthday.  (And just now I'm realizing I should have taken a picture of the banner - DOH!).  Hubby was pleasantly surprised and in the morning, before packing up to head north to Denise's, he received the first of his gifts (and NOT what you're thinking... he got a DVD & some really cool Jockey boxers).

Hubby's birthday dinner at Denise, Jason & Kristen's was pizza with a yummy Baskin Robbins' cake for dessert.  Denise was fantastic and ordered the cake for me and also picked up Hubby some balloons to make his day even more special!  

Make a Wish Sweetheart!

Hubby and his favorite Texas "niece", Kiki

Birthday Boy

Our "boys" had fun in Texas, particularly hanging out in Kristen's bedroom with her menagerie of dogs and wolves...

and hanging out in Kiki's dollhouse:

On Sunday night we went to The Oasis, a popular restaurant north of Austin with breathtaking, majestic sunset views over Lake Travis.  Jason's Mom and Step-Dad joined us for dinner too, which brings me to my final Photo Fun Challenge Picture.

Day 30 ~ Family

Denise and her wonderful family!

Our little Family :-)

As lovely as it was up there overlooking Lake Travis, it was also very disheartening to see the effects of the Texas drought on the lake.  We had heard on the news that the lake levels were down something like 25' which was hard to understand... until we got to the lake and saw this...

Those little "islands" out there are where the lake has receded and made dry land over what should be covered in water.  We need to pray for Texas to receive rain!  Constant 100 degree days are taking their toll on everyone and everything!

Around the restaurant is a little piazza with shops, fountains and bronze statues.  We couldn't help but have a little fun as we looked around this little courtyard full of interesting sculptures:

See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil!

But what we really came for was the sunset:

Me and my Honey

Denise and her Honey

Girlfriends Forever!

While we were snapping all these pictures, just before the sun hit the horizon, Denise and I noticed a young couple at the bottom of the staircase.  The young man got down on one knee and pulled out a small box while taking the hand of his girlfriend.  Before we know it, a new family was in the making as he asked for his girlfriend's hand in marriage.  Denise & I began to applaud and others quickly joined in.  Denise decided to hop down the stairs to ask them if they wanted to recreate their moment for a photo so while she took the picture with his iPhone, I took this picture (sorry for the blurry quality... I was rushing!):

Will you Marry Me?

Good Night Mr Sun!

We're not done yet though... we had one more day to enjoy in Texas ~ July 4th!  Denise's neighbor (and I'd like to think our new friends) Cheryl and Steve were so kind to let us crash their Fourth of July bash with Denise, Jason and Kiki and their family & friends.

Denise spent the morning in the kitchen prepping for the big party, putting together a gorgeous berry trifle:

and these deliciously festive chocolate covered strawberries:

Eventually Kristen and I got in on the action and helped Denise decorate the 4th of July cupcakes:

To get into the American holiday spirit, Denise gifted her Canadian friends (Hubby and me) with our Old Navy holiday tees:

I'm hugging Hubby so you can't see the front of my tee ~ it's just like Denise's

The boys even got in on the festivities of the day:

This was our first "down-home" Fourth of July in the States, although we've been in the U.S. other times for America's birthday.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Denise's family and friends.  Although, because of the drought, there were no fireworks or sparklers allowed, we were still able to enjoy a little "sparkle" in the way of Denise's headband.  It was like our own little fireworks show, don't you think?

Thanks again Denise, Jason and Kiki for a wonderful visit!  We look forward to our next visit, whether up here in Canada or back at your place in TX!  Love you to pieces!!

I apologize for the extra-long post & I hope you were able to stay with me for this long-winded tour.  

Photo Fun Catch-up Day

I am in shock that it's been a whole week since my last post ... as well as how far behind I am in the 30 day Photo Fun Challenge.  I have a good excuse.  Really, I do!  I got stumped at the start of the week on this first photo, mainly because at first the sun didn't shine... and then I wasn't in the mood for a "Fun Photo" Challenge... but more about that maybe later.  Let's catch up on some pics.

Day 12 ~ Sun Flare

I took this shot yesterday, while up at my Dad's home on the lake, while looking up through the birch trees to capture this sun flare picture.  

Day 13 ~ Reminds Me of Childhood

Looking at the glass-like surface of the lake in front of Dad's cottage home, I quickly remember that this is how we loved to water-ski.  We would wait until after dinner, when the sun was getting ready to go down and the winds had died off.  The surface of the lake was perfect for slaloming and this was one of our favorite things to do up here... that is until we got old and creaky and it hurt too much after a ski to keep it up!

Day 14 ~ Someone I Love

Now for this picture, I had a hard time deciding between this picture and another one that I will use later (also someone I love), but for this Day 14 picture, I chose our little God-daughter, Little Miss "H" who I saw Thursday evening up at her cottage, 20 minutes from Dad's place.  It was her 4th birthday a few weeks ago and "Auntie Sue" wasn't able to get up for her birthday party.  After hunting down the perfect "Princess Aurora" (Sleeping Beauty for those like me who had no idea who Princess Aurora is) gown, slippers and tiara, I gave Hill her gift on Thursday night when I arrived for dinner and a sleepover with her Mom, my childhood buddy & BFF.  (Incidentally, Hill loved the outfit and wore it numerous times throughout Friday AND wore it to her cousin's 5th birthday party today - hee hee).

Day 15 ~ Action

And now for my other "Someone I love" in action... My Dad!  While Hubby was away this week on business, I took the opportunity to head north on Thursday evening to visit my BFF while en route to visit my Dad for an early "Father's Day" weekend.  We spent Friday and most of Saturday together, where we walked the long cottage road in the morning, and he planted his urns around the property (while I snapped pictures of him unbeknownst).  We enjoyed dinner together and watched "Pearl Harbor" on the VCR (do you remember what that is?).  I left him mid-afternoon today to pick up Hubby at the airport, but not before giving him his Father's Day card and gift!

Day 16 ~ Mason Jar/Jelly Jar

This picture feels a little random to me since all the other pictures were ones I took up north this weekend.  This picture is homemade jam I was given as a gift (I think it's strawberry ~ haven't opened it yet) with my favorite teapot and accessories my BFF gave me for Christmas 2 years ago.

Day 17 ~ Bokeh

For this "bokeh" effect shot, I'm not sure if this is totally what the effect is meant to look like, but this was as close as I had in the shots I took this weekend.  From my understanding, bokeh effect is when the background of the shot is blurry and in some cases has round or other shaped effects in the blurry section.

And now to be caught up in the challenge with today's entry:

Day 18 ~ Eyes

Check out the eyes on this little guy!  This is one of the many chipmunks that were scurrying around the cottage grounds this weekend.  There seemed to be more than normal as I had to try avoiding them on the driveway as they jetted from one forest to the next.  This little guy in particular was enjoying the birdseed that had fallen from the feeder.  Isn't he cute?!  "ALVIN...." 

So... I'm all caught up with my photo challenge... and blissfully happy with my Hubby home and precious time spent with my 81 yr old Dad.  Life is good tonight and I feel exceptionally blessed.  Be back tomorrow with my next picture!

Nursery Rhymes

It's been a busy day here in my little Nest.  With the sun shining brightly and the warm weather finally here, today was as good a day as any to get summer going in my garden.  I somehow missed the garden gene from my Mom and so I was desperately in need of a little help.  I called my Mother-in-Law to see if she was busy today and wanted to come along with me to hunt down some summery plants for my front garden.  Being a beautiful gardener herself, she was delighted to get my call.

We searched high and low from Wal-mart to Home Depot to two other nurseries in the hunt for an urn to replace the old plastic bin that was all cracked and badly in need of a date with the garbage man.  At our last stop we found the perfect planter for the front walkway.  Wanna see?

In this planter we put the tall brown spiky plant (that of course is it's formal name), 2 double impatiens, ivy, lobelia (I think it's what the white flowers on the left front/right back are called), and some other multi-colored ferny plant (again... forget the name!).

In the main front garden we decided to plant different flowers than last year.  My garden gets SO much direct sunlight that last year my plants really didn't flourish.  This year we chose some that should hopefully do much better.  We picked up some strawflowers, Celosia, snap dragons, alyssum and lavender.  Lots of color and texture this year.  Let's hope they do well!  Here's a shot of the newly planted garden:

Tomorrow, if the weather co-operates, I will plant the impatiens I have for the garden between my house and my neighbors.  Last year that garden thrived with pink and white impatiens and begonias.  Hopefully this year they'll do well again!

So... that was my day in a nutshell.  I ended the evening babysitting my friend's four kids which went much easier than I'd anticipated.  I actually looked after them in groups of 2 with the 2 older girls out at soccer games while I put the 2 youngest to bed.  I honestly admire my friends with kids... I'm not so sure I could have done it to be perfectly honest!

Lastly tonight, I need to share my photo for today's 

Day 6 ~ Books

Today's picture is all about books and this is how I read books these days.  I would have included my Kindle book but Hubby has it with him on his business trip.  I read from either my Sony eReader, Kindle or iPhone (via the Kindle app, Kobo app, or iBook app).  The book I am showing is Candace Cameron-Bure's book, Reshaping it All, which is the book that inspired the 65 day challenge I'm participating in online.  Sure I can sometimes miss turning the pages of a "real" book, but I was running out of physical space in my house to hold paper books, and with these books, I am never at a loss to read whatever I feel like at the exact moment I feel like reading it and... with the built in lights it's easy to read in bed without wrecking my eyes and keeping Hubby awake!  Speaking of my books, I think I'll take them upstairs and have a little read before it's lights out on this day!