In fact, we are experiencing a crazy storm at the present.
We were on the way to watch the boys play baseball against one another, but I am glad we didn't leave after all.
Thanks to God we are all fine and safe at the house, but it has been a rollercoaster of anxieties as we rounded up fly-away patio furniture and untook a loss of electricity. Up until now, I had forgotten just how bad storms in the Lower 48 were… so I suppose now, as we wait for the power to come back on, we will continue to pray nothing flies through the window (you know, I can almost hear Dorthy out there: 'Auntie Em, Auntie Em!!') and I can fill you in on what is going in here in TN.
First off, everything is good and hot here, as usual. However, I have been getting a lot of family time in and catching up with old friends, which always makes life fun. Made it very hard to blog, but sometimes these things are worth skipping blog updates for ;) Mom has been keeping me in shape with her workout classes I agreed to sign up for—and o man! I didn’t even know you could have abs when you were pregnant, but after these classes, I have found I still have a two pack left! I am enjoying sitting right now and resting my very sore body (and it makes me feel even better that my body will be ready for fitness once sweet little Elyse comes! Baby boot camp!).
I have also never had the pleasure of picking my own blackberries, until Sunday. Mom and I picked them on a walk once earlier, but it wasn't until when I went on another walk with Ashley that we actually tasted them. They were so good, I couldn’t resist then planning a special walk on the latter end of Father’s day to go harvest them for a yummy treat! Mom went with me and we ended up filling up TWO bags worth of blackberries! We made a blackberry swirl loaf out of some of them, but since we have so many, we are going to have to brainstorm a lot of other yummy treats besides that. Once we eat some of our swirl tomorrow, I will let you know if it is recommendable or not.
On a bummer note, the blackberry picking came at a price: I discovered today (two days after our picking expedition) that I had gotten poison ivy. It was crazy how long it took to show up but how FAST it spread after I noticed it!! O well… the blackberries were well worth it ;)
My painting is coming along… but it a lot more challenging than I thought! Bobby Crews told me to use layers to get the colors I wanted in the painting. Easier said than done, Bobby! Haha! I may need to come in for another lesson here soon.. (I will post a progress pic on it tomorrow).
Another activity that has kept the family busy is the old VHS movies my mom just received back after being converted to DVDs. They have had us in awe of how close we once were, what we used to act like (And look like, both of which I am glad very little people can recollect in their memory—haha!) and the adventures we partook in. In fact, I think it has inspired me to use more of my camera memory for the primary purpose of filming. It’s just so special to watch memories and see how they bring us back to a closer togetherness again ;)
But despite this major distraction, I have been trying to get back into the scriptures more regularly. I have been really bad about doing so since being home and I know that needs to change. As I was pondering today how much I am in love with my husband and how much he loves me, I was thinking of how much GREATER God’s love for us must be…. And how pathetic it is that I can’t even make the effort to try to meet with Him who loves me much more than I could possibly even love my husband, or he love me? Thus, tonight I am going to keep end this short so I can go and pursue the Lord.
Update on Andrew: he is doing well. He got a chance to catch up a dear friend of his while overseas, so praise be to God for the answered prayer for fellowship! Keep praying for him and his friend Kurt as they both endure the unique challenges of deployment and separation.
Thank you! Have a wonderful evening, or what is left of it!
(Oh, and as you can probably tell, we did not get swept away by the storm, and everything that was blown around was recovered and found intact—including all the windows! Another praise ;) )