A Surprisingly Great Weekend

Ethan and I had opposite plans for the weekend. He planned a trip up to Dallas to spend time with college friends, while I spent Friday and Saturday at our church's ladies retreat in Brenham. These were things we both wanted to do this year, and it just happened to be on the same weekend. Luckily, we have some awesome babysitters in the family, so my in-laws kept Olivia for a couple of days.

 While I can’t speak for Ethan about how his weekend with the guys went, I can hardly keep to myself how wonderful the ladies retreat was! The retreat took place at Miracle Farm in Brenham, which is a house for troubled teenage boys, that helps them get back on track while providing the gospel. Next door to the house is a retreat center where these boys are taught responsibilities by being care-takers of the property.  Turns out Miracle Farm is a part of the Children at Heart Ministries that Ethan and I have helped out before.

 The Farm was the perfect setting for a quick night “getaway” from the lights and sound of the big city (while being only 10 minutes away from the Blue Bell factory…yum!) During the retreat we had wonderful speakers, lessons, worship, yummy food; we chatted on the porch by the fireplace underneath the stars and my favorite….an ENTIRE hour of quiet time early Saturday morning. At first, I was wondering how on earth I was going to be able to sit still for an entire hour. But I found myself underneath this tree and it turns out that I needed all of that time, and maybe more, because God REALLY had a lot to tell to me, both praises and convictions, ha!

  Our theme for the weekend was “Birds of a Feather Flock Together,” and I learned that no matter what kind of bird we are, or where we’re headed in any season, we are all under God’s wings and we find refuge there. I left the retreat feeling spiritually refilled!

On our way out of town I got a call from Ethan telling me that he decided to skip out of Dallas early and was on his way home too! I was already having a great weekend, but the news that both Olivia and I was going to see him that night made it all perfect! After we tucked Olivia into bed and since my mom was home, Ethan and I had a date at Chili’s, ha! It was nice to be able to share with him how the retreat went.

Sunday morning, Olivia woke up with a gunky nose. We decided we’d do a favor to the other kids in Sunday school and stayed home from church. But, that was short-lived. We decided last minute to pack a picnic lunch and make a trip to the zoo with Olivia. It was so fun! We went up to the giraffe habitat and were able to feed the giraffes from lettuce! Olivia, to my surprise, was not shy or scared at all! Then, it started raining and we were on our way home to watch the Texans beat the Bucs. I have faith that THIS is our year!

Prayer request: I am taking my aunt to get her body scanned early in the morning tomorrow. Please pray that the scans will show that her cancer has disappeared and that she is on the road to recovery after months of chemotherapy. Thanks.