The One with a LOT

What a wonderful weekend!  Friday I spent most of my day basking in the sunlight (and subsequently burning my skin).  When Kevin arrived home, I was just pulling the homemade pizza from the oven.  We enjoyed our dinner on our breezy back porch for the first time since moving here.  How glorious!  After that, we played catch for quite some time (also referred to as "or until Melanie gets hurt.)  :D  THEN (I know, the fun just keeps on going...), we sat outside for another hour or so just talking and having the most wonderful conversation.  I just love that!  

Saturday was somewhat torturous for Kevin who spent the entire day of warm and sunshine inside working hard on a "practice" grant proposal for one of his courses.  What a pain that was!  While he worked, I accomplished a ton of necessary shopping...groceries, shower planning, gifts for 2 different showers, etc.  Two and a half hours later, I was headed home when I saw an "Estate Sale" sign.  You know, the little neon green wire road signs that are so low to the ground on an obscure corner that you wonder how you saw it at all?!   Well, I am so glad I stopped.  It didn't look like much from the outside, but one of the deceased woman's sons pointed me to the three levels of "stuff" for sale inside.  

I spent a good 30 minutes in the first room I came to --which I will call "the Book Room"--which appeared to be where she spent most of her last days (there was a hospital bed).   I was completely taken aback by the library this woman kept.  The walls were completely covered in well-organized literature from every Christian genre and author you have ever heard of.  The first box I found on the floor was full of Bibles--most of which were probably 50 years old and had nearly every page highlighted, underlined and sticky noted.  Once I realized whose home I had step foot into, I was nearly brought to tears.  Here I was standing in the room of a woman who lived her life fully devoted to the same Lord I serve.  And though she was no longer alive, I was rejoicing in my heart knowing where she was spending her eternity.  

I ended up half filling a box with books I have had on my "wish list" for some time now (mostly Christian fiction and romance by Beverly Lewis and Janette Oke.)  I also found a perfect copy of My Utmost for His Highest, the women's study Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free, a book by Elisabeth Elliot about the life of Amy Carmichael, and a 1957 copy of Christy.   The hardbacks were $0.50 and the soft covers were only $0.25!  The rest of my finds are pictured.

::all of the loot::

::my books!!!!::

::more pie plates and the bundt pan I've been wanting::

::beautiful vintage purses::

After I showed Kevin all of my findings (and deciding that I wished I would have bought more books!), I pulled him away from his work long enough for both of us to get our hair cut ($6.99 each deal!) and a relaxing dinner at Vaqueros.  

Sunday brought yet another picturesque day and I let my husband sleep in while I went for the best most peaceful run I've had in a really long time.  (funny how traffic is nill on Sundays at 7:30am).  I came back and prepared him a little breakfast in bed...mostly because I knew it was the only way to wake him up on the first try. :)  I think he liked it.

::eggs over easy & toast with strawberry jam::

For the first time (in...possibly ever), the worship set we played went wonderfully and smoothly.  Not once did I feel like we were too slow or too fast or too disjointed.  Wow.  That was a good feeling.  

I got a couple great comments on the sundress I decided to wear which made me really happy and we made double the profit on our weekly Bake Sale!  

After our lunch of corn on the cob (delicious!)...

...we decided to hunt down this newly opened Country Cree-mee ice cream stand where there was a grand opening event of "Buy one sundae, get one free."  Excellent!  The rest of our Sunday afternoon was quite lovely and Youth Group went better than I could have imagined! 

Though we only had 4 teens, we managed a rousing game of 3 on 3 softball (intense, I know!) in the blazing heat and humidity.  Then we presented the plan for the message/discussion time.  Kevin would be posing as our "atheist friend" and our goal was to converse with him about our belief in God.  The teens showed great participation, raised amazingly thought-provoking questions, and respectfully debated one another's points.  We all decided this was a format that must be used regularly.  We all learned a lot and experienced a fantastic way to challenge and strengthen our beliefs (the whole range of them!) while learning what it could be like to have real conversations with our friends about "the reason for the hope that we have" (I Pet. 3:15).

Now I'm off on a walk with a Monroe girlfriend, Amanda.  :D