Wednesday in Indiana

Wednesday was another fun filled day. Dad and I took the girls to our favorite Amish produce store. We had been there before, but since it had been a couple of years, they didn't remember. Analise had been reading some books with Amish characters, and I wanted her to connect a real life experience with them.

After walking through the store, we asked if we could go see the work horses. We had permission, and I warned the girls that these horses were BIG work horses so not to expect to pet them. I couldn't have been more wrong. They were big work horses, but they wanted attention. At one point we had five horses all wanting to be pet.

 These pictures don't do justice to how big and pretty they are. My dad is 6'3", and you can tell the horse is as tall as he is.

 After leaving the Amish "world" we went back to reality and went to Kohl's. We rushed home from there because I was meeting my dear friend, Karla, for lunch. It was a sweet time with her!

Shortly after mom got home from school, we all went to pick strawberries. 

We were excited to see big, juicy berries this year.

We enjoyed the berries alone, with the shortcake I made, and after I got home I made a few batches of jam with them. Mmmm.

After dinner we went to TCBY and then to dad's volleyball practice. It was good for Analise to see what a practice looked like, and she had a great time shagging balls. I was on the court some, too, and at one point in the drill I found myself in the setting position. I couldn't catch the ball; I had to set it out to my dad. I admit - I got teary eyed out there. It was like I was back home...my home on the court. I was 18 again. If I had one more night in my week, I would use it to play in a league. 

Much later that night (10:30) I picked Brandon up from the airport. It sure was good to see him again! It had been a week with short conversations and few texts. I felt complete again.

Monday and Tuesday

Monday was a walk down memory lane. The first thing we did was go see mom in her classroom. We timed it right so we could catch the end of first period (with the ornery kids) and the beginning of second period (with the good kids.) We went in, and mom introduced us. When the first class was walking out, Maisie whispered to my mom, "They aren't very good." Mom loved it because she was spot on. Shortly after the next group came in, Maisie told my mom they were much better. Pretty perceptive for a 6  year old. 

From there dad had to run to his old school to drop something off, so we drove around that part of town that held more memories.

(I think it was last week we drove past our old homes and neighborhoods. As we drove along this dreary morning in my old stomping grounds Maisie asks, "Are we in Hawaii?")

Monday afternoon we went back to my old high school because I was hoping to see a couple of former teachers. The Lord blessed me because I was able to see the teacher I really wanted to - Mr. Holloway, my English and Lit teacher 8th-12th. I was a bit concerned he wouldn't remember who I was, but when he saw me, he lit up remembering exactly who I was. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with him and introducing him to my girls.

In addition to visiting with him, my favorite elementary teacher happened to call my dad, so I was able to talk with her on the phone. I have such fond memories of my school years. 

Mom took Tuesday off so we could  go to the zoo. Before going to the zoo, we made a stop at an international bakery for some yummy treats. I had never seen anything like it.

We then spent a few hours at our favorite children's zoo. And let me warn you, there are lots of pictures. And if I were to go back and look at pictures from past years, they would be similar. It's part of the tradition and joy of going to this zoo year after year. My girls enjoy it as much as I do. 

The girls had been saving their chore money to ride some rides at the zoo. First stop was the Skyfari.

 We saw so many animals up close and personal. Here is Bill the lion.

 And the giraffes are still a fave of mine.

 Analise was excited to see this ostrich.

 And another favorite of mine.

 The sea lions were so close; we loved it!

 Part of the zoo had flooded a few days prior to us going, so this black swan was hanging out in this pool. Made me laugh.

 I see a joey. And we also got to pet a kangaroo.

 Well, look at that - I'm on the other side of the camera!

 True moments of frustration

 I appreciate peacocks and love it when they spread their feathers. I love them because it reminds me of God's creation. Charles Darwin couldn't stand to look at a peacock's feather because it reminded him of an eye - something that evolution can't explain.

 And the backside of a peacock is just plain funny.

 An all white peacock. So pretty.

 Maisie and Sadie wanted to feed the goats, and Analise chose to ride another ride. Dad and I learned we had to hold the cups of food because the goats would jump up on us.

These two handled  it well and enjoyed it.

Tuesday ended with a yummy meal at a great Mexican restaurant. Thanks mom and dad for a great day!

Weekend Reunion

One of the main reasons we went home when we did was for a special weekend. This winter my college friends and I started dialoguing on when we could have a reunion; it had been 14 years since we were all together. It turned out that the first week of June worked for everyone. I was SO EXCITED!

When God called me to Cedarville as a sophomore transfer student, I never expected to have such wonderful, lifelong friends.

Thanks to email and FB, we can still communicate and keep in touch. But it never replaces time spent together in person. 

We decided to meet in Indy since it was centrally located, and we had two friends already living there. One friend paid to rent a home for the weekend (such a HUGE blessing!), and we literally hung out there for almost 48 hours.

We were all there by 5pm, so we ate a meal that S provided and then talked until late at night. However, we did notice that since we are older and moms, we can't stay up late like we used to. Nor can we sleep in like the good ol' days. 

Here is a group picture of sweet friends.

We spent most of Saturday talking and eating and simply catching up on life, while encouraging each other in our roles as Christian moms and wives.

 That evening we ventured out to Circle Center Mall where we walked around and pretended were were 20 again. Back in the day we spent many nights dressing up goofy and taking pictures. And we remembered those innocent, fun times when we looked through scrapbooks.

We decided that 35 wasn't too old to reminiscence.

 

 We ate dinner at the delicious PF Changs and then went back to the house for games.

 We stayed home on Sunday for more relaxing and talking and game playing. At 4:00 we headed to Olive Garden for an early dinner before parting ways.

I can't begin to tell you how blessed I felt that weekend. Seven women in one house and not one problem. Everyone was gracious, sharing, no drama, considerate, helpful - it all flowed so beautifully. And I am so grateful that all these friends are walking with and serving their Lord. I am thankful for my parents taking care of the girls (parks, splash grounds, movie, Chuck E. Cheese, etc.) so I could enjoy this R and R with friends.  And Lord, thank you for such beautiful friends...inside and out.

We decided that going another 14 years was way too long (we'd be almost 50 - yikes!). I am already looking forward to the next reunion in 3-5 years.

Thursday in Indiana

 Mom took Thursday off from school, so we spent the day together. The girls started off their day by playing with Peg's and my old Barbies. They had fun, and I loved seeing the old outfits and dolls.

After lunch we went to the downtown library. I think I turned green from envy from all they had to offer. All three girls checked out several books; it was fun for Analise to have a good selection with a variety of books. The above picture if in the kid's section - a cool reading area.

We stopped at one of our favorite parks on the way home. We all needed some fresh air and exercise.

 After dinner the girls took a bubble bath. And I mean it was a BUBBLE bath. There wasn't much water - just suds everywhere. I don't remember the last time my mom and I laughed as hard as we did.

 It looks like she has big muscles.

 And before they went to bed we spotted a beautiful rainbow.