the weekend

I was so tired coming into this weekend!  When my dad was here on Friday, I couldn't stop yawning the whole time we talked.  I tried to take a nap when he left, but that never happened.  My friend Missy and I had made plans with our community group girls to get together on Friday night for dinner and swimming.  We haven't seen them regularly all summer long, so it was fun to catch up with them a little and to see them have so much fun together.  They requested Fettuccine Alfredo for dinner, so Missy shopped and I made the dinner, and they helped with the sides.  We had Caesar salad, the best garlic bread ever and brownies to go along with the pasta.  We sat inside and ate dinner, then we all got in the pool.

And we took zero pictures of the girls, but I did take this one of the chickens and swan.

More than I wish I had pictures, I wish I had video footage of those girls trying to get onto the chickens.  It was hilarious, and we saw that none of them are very graceful.

I'm smiling so big right now.

We had just a small group of girls, only four could come, out of about ten or twelve.  But that was okay, and we had fun with the ones who were there.  The cool water felt so refreshing, and though we had put an end time on the party, we extended it, because we were all having so much fun.  It was so much fun seeing them all be kids again, because things are different for them nowadays.  This was only for our group of girls, who will be sophomores starting in August, and this was girls only.

My husband worked that night, and he ended up working Saturday and Sunday nights as well, because it's been three weeks since his last shift, and he was missing going on ride-outs.

The next day I went and ran a couple of errands, and that night it was just Jonah, Noah and me for dinner, so we went to a local pizza shop nearby.

Sunday was church as usual, then I was home for the rest of the day.  I had leftovers for lunch and dinner and I watched tv all day and took a nap.  It was GLORIOUS.  The boys all just hung out either here or at church with their friends, and Noah went to a friend's house to spend the night, but other than that, we all just had a lazy night.  Two out of four of my kids don't feel great and that started yesterday.  I'm pretty sure it's just a sinus thing, but after he meets with his freshman counselor at Southwest this morning, Drew is taking himself to the doctor for the first time in his life.  Eighteen is nice for that reason.

As I write that, I have to say that I am so thankful to God for healthy kids.  They almost NEVER get sick and we rarely go to see doctors.  They get little bugs or viruses from time to time, but it's things like colds, or stomach viruses, the kind of thing that goes away on its own.  Truly, I realize that is a gift from the Lord, and I am so grateful.

On a side note, I am back in Psalm again, for my chronological reading, and I am loving it!  I love this that I read over the weekend.

I love the reminder here that we are still to bear fruit for the Lord, even in our old age.  That makes me think of my dear elderly friend, Mrs. Audrey, who adopted a group of teenage girls and their teachers (my friend Scottie and myself) and prayed very faithfully for us.  She would make her way up the stairs to the youth area from time to time, even, sharing with us what the Lord had shown her in her life lately.  She has since gone on to be with Jesus, and her sweet and precious husband Mr. Frank joined her in eternity shortly after she passed away, but I am so thankful to have known them for a short while.  And I am so glad for the hope we have in Jesus, and that we will see our loved ones again someday!

The older I get, the more heaven-minded I become, and the more I want to follow very closely, or as closely as I can, the word of God.  I always pray that the Lord would make me obedient to Him and His word, and just this morning, I asked that His will would be done in my life, NOT mine.  I am a creature of habit, and I love for things to stay as they are, if it is something that works well.  Regarding a certain area in my life right now that I help out in, though, it looks like things might change in the fall.  I don't want to hang on to something I should let go, but I also don't want to let go of something that I should try to hold onto.  Ultimately, though, in my praying this morning, I was reassured once again that God is in control.  He knows the situation, the plans that will take place, and I trust Him with the outcome.  I trust Him.  I trust Him.  Sometimes I have to keep on saying that until I  truly believe it in my heart and feel the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Well.  Once again, things took a turn on here as I started writing, but maybe someone needed to hear some of what I just said in the two paragraphs above.  I trust the Lord with this blog, too, and I pray that He uses me even in the mundane things of my life.

Thanks for reading, my friends.  Love to all.

(I don't know why, but I feel like I need to say again that you can find me on Instagram as jenlloydgoodwin.)

(Last one: I started updating on my other blog again.  You can find that blog here.)