I'm Baaaaack

Well, we are back from vacation and what a blast we had. It was full, fun, relaxing and renewing on many levels.

Our destination was Myrtle Beach to start with for some fun in the sun and then we were on to Atlanta so I could attend the Deeper Still Conference with my sister to hear Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer and Kay Arthur.

I'll post later this week about the conference. Honestly, I'm still processing all that was said. Just let me say though, it was powerful. From the seats we were able to nab (K, you rock!) - end of the front row behind the production team on Friday night and 7th row from the stage on Saturday - to the closing song and absolutely everything in between, I've never experienced anything quite like it. Absolutely impacting and fun and fabulous.

For this post, however I'll concentrate on the Myrtle Beach portion of the trip. We left Saturday morning and drove to Virginia Beach to stay and catch up with some good friends of ours. I grew up on Long Island, NY and lived in Va Bch for 7 great years so I'm a beach girl thru and thru and really miss being near the ocean. On Sunday we stopped in North Carolina and stayed with friends there who then joined us for the rest of the journey to Myrtle Beach.

My friend, Michelle and I were in youth group together oh-so-many years ago but lost touch for a while until I met my husband (her husband and mine were good friends from college). They lived near us in PA for 4 years before moving to NC so it was a lot of fun spending a few days with them and their kids at the beach.

The weather was gorgeous and the hotel had just about anything you could possibly need. Awesome pools and a waterpark for the kids and a beautiful beach with great shell-collecting opportunities. It was just so relaxing. I got a wicked sunburn on my back (hence the T-shirt in the pic above) even though I was using an SPF of 50!!!!! The sun was brutal. Truly the only place to be was in the water so that's pretty much where we tried to stay.

I had intended to try to get up early each day and go down to the beach to have my quiet time with the Lord. Unfortunately I forgot how much the sun can wipe me out and only managed to wake up early on the day before we left. We had a nice time though, the Lord and I. Few things enhance my worship like sitting on a beach watching the waves ebb and flow. Yes, it was a good time and a great way to set my mind on Him before heading off for the Deeper Still Conference.

Be blessed. Hope you like the pics.
Melanie



Under the Big Bucket Spill

Gettin' the hang of this boogie boardin' thing

Searchin' for shells

Relaxin' on the "Lazy River"

Wiped Out

Lazy Days of Summer? Not Yet

Well, look at that. It's been a little while since my last post. I wish I had more to report on but there's really been nothing earth-shattering goin' on - just all that busy end-of-school-year stuff.

**We're just about in the home stretch now, Praise the Lord! School is winding down, projects are coming off the school walls and into the kids' backpacks to bring home for good, desks are being cleaned out little by little and there have been plays and lots of trips up to the school to view all the hard work and special projects the kids (and teachers) have been working on over the last couple of months.

**I threw my back out last week while setting down a full laundry basket of clothes. That was fun (not). It took a week, but thankfully, I am much better today.

**The weather has been sweltering hot hovering around 100 degrees (with ridiculously high humidity) since last Friday or Saturday.

**I've switched my work hours for the summer so I now have Mondays and Fridays off (yippee!).

**Oh and our new above-ground pool is up and running. I'm so loving the sound of kids squeeling with glee and laughter out there. The house is all-abuzz with friends and fun. I love that. I so hope to help create some great memories for my kids this summer.

**In a couple of weeks, we'll be bringing home a new family member - we're getting a puppy! Don't know what kind yet and I imagine my poor unsuspecting cat is NOT going to be happy.

**I'm also very excited that next week I begin hosting a Bible study in my home for the summer. I've always wanted to do that. We're going to be doing No Other Gods by Kelly Minter. Beth Moore is plugging it on her blog and "facilitating" it in a way. Can't wait. (if you wanna know more about that just click on Beth's link on the right.)

** And THEN...I'm off to Atlanta for the Deeper Still Conference with Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer and Kay Arthur. Can I just say I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

My, my. I guess I had more to report on than I thought.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

To quote a friend, In His grace and by His strength...
Be blessed.
Melanie