things I'm looking forward to

I'll start with tonight.  I found out last week that the preacher of the Brooklyn Tabernacle church in New York City will be at Bellevue tonight preaching for their Awesome August that they have every year.  I am so excited!  I love this man, and even more than his preaching, I love his heart for the Lord and for others.  I am going with my bestie and am also looking forward to a whole hour of driving (30 minutes there and back) and catching up.

Just for fun, here is The Brooklyn Tabernacle church in Brooklyn, NYC.  I will never forget being there, or that trip that we took last October.  We had to get up so early to be there, and were concerned about our timing, but before we left that morning, I asked the Lord to work out all the details and the timing for us to make it in time.  We took the train into the city, switched over to the subway once in the city, and then got off at the Brooklyn stop.  We were walking up the church, and were about to get in the long line of people waiting to get in, when one of the security men stopped us and started motioning us inside.  We skipped the whole waiting in line portion!  How cool of God to do that for us, while we were there?!

That is just ONE teeny little God thing that has happened to me over the years.

Anyway, I'm really excited about going to church to hear Jim Cymbala preach again.

I can't wait to (hopefully) be able to see the eclipse!

We are traveling to go see this, and I really hope it all works out and that we're able to see the eclipse.  We are going to (near) Nashville to spend a night with Todd's brother, his wife, and their family for this, and then we'll drive somewhere to watch the next day.

(Thank you, Google, for your images.)

I'm really excited about a week in September that my family will be vacationing.  We are going to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and I am SO looking forward to a week of relaxing and eating fresh seafood.  Also, in almost twenty one years, I can count on one hand how many times we have vacationed at the beach.  I think it's about two times.  Honestly, the majority of us prefer mountains and lakes to beaches, but every once in a while, I think it's fun.  I have also always wanted to go to South Carolina, so I'm excited about that, too.

And speaking of mountains and lakes...

We go camping every fall, usually in October sometime, and I am looking forward to this as well.  We may change things up a little this year, and do something different for our annual camping trip this time around.  I know that camping isn't for everyone, but it's been one of the greatest things we started doing as a family about seven years ago.  There is something so sweet about being in the outdoors when it's cool outside, and when cooking over a campfire is involved.  I can hardly wait for our trip this year.

Aside from these things, I am looking forward to many other things that are just everyday little things like being back in choir practice on Sunday's, studying the bible with a group of teenage girls, fall weather and cool nights, church events coming up soon for the cooler temps, the upcoming holidays.  I try to enjoy every phase of life that we're in, but I can't help but look forward at what is to come.

Thanks for reading!  Love to all.

Also, Happy Anniversary to my precious in-love's, Phyllis and Wiley.  Today is their FORTY-EIGHTH wedding anniversary!  That is so awesome and inspiring.

Family photo from the early 80's, and one more recent that perfectly depicts them and their personalities.  We spend the majority of our time together laughing over the most ridiculous of things!  They're so much fun to be with.