Keeping with Tradition

My mom did a couple of wonderful things after the celebration was over last year, after her baby girl left town for who knew how long. She had my wedding dress cleaned and bagged (It is still hanging in a closet at her house). She followed instructions, wrapped the top tier of our wedding cake and put it in her freezer. 

On this trip, we brought it out. In keeping with tradition, we ate a piece of our wedding cake near the time of our first anniversary (It was the best we could do).

It didn't look as smooth as it did the first time around...

 but it tasted exactly the same.

Thanks, Mom, for helping us keep the tradition alive.

Walkin' In Memphis

Something I mentioned to Matt before our trip to Memphis was that I hoped we'd have a chance to go downtown one evening at sunset and walk along the river. 

Many of our dates included a long walk in beautiful weather there. We talked of our future together on that path. Matt proposed to me on a bench by the riverside. We had our engagement photos taken there. There are a lot of good memories by that river. 

On our last night in town, Matt suggested we go downtown for our date night and walk by the river. That was music to my ears. It was perfectly cool and breezy as we started out. 

Matt was quick to say it wasn't exactly the nice sunset he'd hoped we'd see. It was quite cloudy, but I didn't mind. 

As we turned back to walk toward the car, a dark cloud rolled in from AR. Matt kept an eye on it and finally suggested, "We may want to start running now." Ha! 

We started jogging back to the car...

 Although I started running with him right away, I paused to take pictures of a barge.

As the wind picked up, blowing branches in front of us like tumbleweed, we moved to higher ground. At one point, I tiny leaf slapped my face right next to my chin...and it hurt. It was a rather comedic experience.

Upon our return to the car, the winds had died down and the clouds hadn't broken just yet. We weaved our way through downtown looking at the latest construction projects. Matt asked what I'd like to do next...ICE CREAM!

It was time to enjoy some Ben and Jerry's. We had fun sitting in the little ice cream shop eating some new flavors, talking a little about our life. 

Just before we got up to leave, the bottom dropped out. Gentleman that he is, Matt pulled the car around so I wouldn't get too wet. Visibility was so low, we crept home in the downpour.

What a memorable date night in Memphis...

Collierville Mall

If I was still living in Memphis, one of my favorite places to spend girl-time would be at the Collierville Mall. It's fairly new and sets the perfect setting on a nice day for wandering around and catching up with a good friend.

Maybe it seems the perfect place because I've only been to the mall three times now and on two of those occasions, I was with girl friends of mine. (Now that I think of it, it drizzled both times...with fewer people at the mall, that may have been a plus for me. Forget the good weather :). Regardless, I like that it's an outdoor mall, so we have plenty of outdoor space to walk around between shops. There are little restaurants that seem perfect for a couple of friends to sit and catch up with one another.

One of my favorite shops is Charming Charlie. I've gotten into an accessory kick in recent years, so I do as much as I can with clothes I already have and freshen the look with new accessories. Something I saw in a Charming Charlie where we live now that I passed up was an old fashioned cap. When I tried it on, Matt told me I look good in hats, so I really wanted to buy one. At the time, I resisted because we were shopping for someone else. (I'll return to this little story later...)

When Kandice, one of my best friends, suggested we meet at The Crepe Maker for lunch at the mall and then shop around, I couldn't have been more thrilled. The best place to eat there. The best company. The best girl outing I could think of for some one-on-one time.

 

If you've never been, this is what you're missing. Delicious!

What a great visit with a great friend...

That's right, we barely fit in a tour around the mall. We were much too busy making up for lost time.

Oh how I miss our time face-to-face.

Fun and Games

Nick and Katrina love to play games. Whether that means playing a sport or playing cards, to them, playing games translates into fun. That works for us! 

While in Memphis, we hit one of Katrina's and my favorite restaurants: Abuelos. Followed shortly thereafter with a game of Putt Putt, miniature golf. 

Katrina had the brilliant idea of competing on teams, men v. women. Of course, competitive as she is, she wanted us to cream them. Nick's competitive spirit is equally strong, though neither of them allow losing to spoil their fun. 

Nick and Matt vs. Katrina and Kim. We began late enough that one game was well enough. I must brag on my man at this point, during our game he scored three holes in one!! What fun!! 

As the game progressed, it was too hard to keep track of how closely we may be matched as teams. We were playing, joking, laughing...having fun. In the end, after the last hole, the scores were dead even! We tied!!! 

I loved it! The competitive among us, not so much. There needed to be a clear winner. It was easily resolved...either we're all winners or we're all losers. Winners, we know we are. :)

There are several reasons it was a great night. It was fun cheering on my husband as he played so well. It was fun being with old friends as they are nearing the day they begin their new life together as husband and wife. It was nostalgic, remembering the days I played the same course time and time again with my parents and sister when we were little. 

Remembering how frustrated I became as I learned to play and how many golf balls were pounded up and out into the parking lot when my temper got the better of me. Remembering the wet and rainy days that made it yucky to fish out the golf ball from the holes. Remembering the days more recently of playing with one of my nephews on his summer visits. 

It was nice being in a familiar place. A place with a lifetime of memories. Memories of family. Enjoying new memories with my husband and friends. What a great way to start our vacation...our visit home.

A Bad Rap

It's a little embarrassing to admit, but I've never held a very high opinion of Sarah, Abraham's Sarah. Upon reflection, it must come from the numerous sermons and lessons that have seemed to point toward things Sarah did like laugh in the tent when God said she'd have a son in her old age. When confronted about it, she lied.

When Abraham asked her to deceive others by telling everyone she was merely his sister (which was a half truth: they were actually brother and sister through their father, but he was asking her to conceal their marriage), she consistently communicated she was his sister. The choice that stands out most of course is when she took Hagar to Abraham trying to have a son through her. None of these things are a shining example of godly character, but they don't tell the whole story of who she was or more importantly, what God thought (and thinks) of her. 

In our ladies Bible study lesson this week, we completed a character study of Sarah. What might there be to learn from her about godly character? What example has she given that we would want to emulate?

God tells us in Hebrews 11 and I Peter 3. In Hebrews 11, we see Sarah was commended by God because she believed He would be faithful to His promise that she'd bear a son. In I Peter 3, we see Sarah was commended by God because she was a woman who had a gentle and quiet spirit and was submissive to her husband.

It may have taken a while for Sarah to trust God for what He promised, but she did trust Him to be faithful. Although Sarah was deceptive by saying she was merely Abraham's sister, she did so at the direction of her husband, submitting to him even as he chose wrongly. We see in Scripture that God protected her in more than one situation that came about due to the deception. She submitted to her husband; God protected her. 

These aspects of Sarah's character are worth emulating. God made His perspective clear: a woman with a gentle and quiet spirit is precious in His sight. May we all strive to be that kind of woman. 

Bewildered and Confused

There was one phenomena which left us bewildered and confused. 

An adult waiting in line for an extended period to give his or her child the opportunity to have a picture taken with Mickey or Cinderella, I understand. The same adult waiting indefinitely to have his own picture taken with the bull on Wall Street perplexes me. 

It may not be so obvious here, but there are gates surrounding the bull except on the side to the left, at it's head. People were lined up a good distance waiting for their picture with the statue. As we were staying on that side of town, we passed by repeatedly. There was always a crowd of adults waiting to have their pictures taken in front of this statue.

Let me be the first to say, if the horns were pointed downward and no one else was there, Matt would have been the first to pose with it as if being mauled and I would have happily taken the shot. :) 

As it was, I remain bewildered and confused...

Majestic and Serene

One of my favorite experiences in New York was standing on top of the Empire State Building looking out across the city seeing all of the lights at night, with cool winds whipping, drawing close to my sweet husband...it was a great way to end the day. This is some of what we saw:

The sights were majestic with the quiet, darkness of night...it was serene to cozy up to Matt and take in the city from a different vantage point. It was a peaceful, soothing, enjoyable way to end our day.

Lady Liberty

A little known fact about me is that while in Kindergarten the girls in my class dressed up like the Statue of Liberty as part of a school assignment. Unbeknownst to us, the local news was tipped off and a reporter and camera crew were sent to do a little feature on our patriotic emphasis in class that day. 

I remember being told what channel to watch for the 10 o'clock news and that I was one of the students who would appear on camera. My family crowded around the t.v. waiting to see my little appearance on screen. With all of my might, I attempted to stay awake to see the brief clip, but inevitably crashed on the living room floor sound asleep. I just missed it.

When my mom woke me up to put me to bed, I remember whining, upset that I missed it. "Why didn't you wake me up?!" No one knew I had dropped off to sleep right before the segment. My sister promptly reported seeing me and told me I looked cute. At least that's how I remember it ;) 

While in New York, I had the opportunity to set eyes on the statue in person. From our ship on the harbor lights cruise, I took a few shots of this iconic symbol of the freedom available in America. 

I like the message behind this representation of America. May both liberty and justice prevail in America for all of us.

Harbor Lights

On Saturday evening while in New York, Matt and I went on a harbor lights river cruise along the Hudson and East Rivers. It was interesting to see some well-known buildings from the water and to learn of the history behind some less well-known sites.

Here is some of what we saw:

My pictures don't adequately reflect how beautiful it was or how perfect the night air felt as we sat on the upper deck of the boat. Let me just say, this excursion was well worth it!

Modern Day Exporation

One of the things I love about my husband is that he loves to explore. He has a curious mind and soaks in all sorts of interesting facts. Most often I am the one who benefits from his fascinations. You see, I love exploring as well, but need him to take the lead in order to venture out. He is my modern day explorer. 

We went to see the High Line because he'd heard of it and was interested in checking it out. It was a wonderful way to take in New York without simply hitting every touristy hot-spot. We spent every other snatch of time we had between events wandering about seeing what we might see. 

I enjoyed walking through historic neighborhoods, taking in the architecture. Walking through communities to see neighborhood parks and tiny shops. We didn't see only the New York popularized in images, but also the New York of the common man. What the residents experience daily, that's the side of New York we wanted to see.

Washington Park

I love the detail, architecture, artistry and craftsmanship of this arch.

 This park was not crowded as you can see...

A few residents were out jogging, walking their dogs or eating lunch on park benches.

 Brownstone with old carriage doors. 

 A tiny community park with a fountain in the center. I love fountains. 

 If you can see past the fire escapes and air conditioning units, the architecture is quite impressive. 

 Here's a closer view. 

 I seriously considered architecture as my major in college and subsequent career.

 What I love most are the designs with great detail. 

 These are only a few shots of what we saw. I enjoyed taking in all of it.

Music Man

One sight we became quite familiar with during our visit to New York was the spontaneous appearance of street musicians. 

Along the High Line, we saw this group playing.

A Mariachi band boarded our train on the subway (Matt's fav).

A man playing his guitar on the far platform as we waited for our subway train.

Considering that the one thing we were largely deprived of on this trip was music (save the musical we attended on Broadway), it was fun to come upon so many performers during the weekend. 

We even came upon an empty piano set in the middle of Washington park. Why did I not get a picture of that?! Largely unattended, yet still there. Only in New York.

Never Forget

One place Matt and I were determined to visit on this trip to New York was the World Trade Center Memorial. I still remember that day...

I was sitting on my parents' living room couch eating breakfast lost in thought in a silent room. (I was living with my parents to save money while my house was being built; it would be complete in a month.) My mom quickly entered the room, crying and very upset, so upset that she couldn't tell me what she'd just seen. I jumped up and went to face her, never seeing her this way before, asking, "Is it Dad?! Did something happen?!"

My mom always had the Morning Show on while getting ready for work in her room. While watching an outdoor news feature, the camera panned toward the sky and showed the first plane fly into the North Tower live. She saw it happen in real time and she was devastated.

She immediately rushed to find me. As she struggled past the tears and panic to tell me what she saw, my heart sank deep into my stomach. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was as if time stood still.

We watched the news together as they pieced together what had happened. Was it an accident? or an attack? All the while, we had the sinking feeling that nothing would ever be the same in America again. It became clear what was happening as we watched a plane fly into the South Tower. Never before had I felt afraid of foreign attack or invasion.

Due in at work, I made myself get ready and go. All I wanted to do was sit and watch the news; to see what would happen next, to pray.

At work, almost everyone in our department at Bellevue was a bit shaken. A few hadn't heard the news. We gathered a couple of televisions from the children's ministry area of the church and attempted to work a little while being sure to watch all we could.

We saw people jumping to their death once they realized they were trapped and the heat was continuing to rise. We learned of the attack on the Pentagon and saw the damage there. We saw one tower collapse and then the other. We desperately prayed. We heard about the fourth plane and wondered why it went down in an open field. It continued to get worse, far before it was over.

We saw the ash covered rescue workers and ash covered streets. We grieved along with the rest of the nation and wondered what our future would hold. We prayed God would continue to protect America; that God would help those people, somehow, and their families.

Even now, it is hard for me to process that near the 11th anniversary of that day, my husband and I stood on the same ground as that tragic event occurred. We walked along solemnly thinking about what it would have been like to walk there the morning before the attack, to fall victim to the vicious criminals who took so many lives.

We looked at their names etched in stone and ran our fingers along them, wondering who they were in life, who loved and lost them. We appreciated the artist who designed the memorial, creating such a peaceful place to come and remember. We grew thankful that we are still living in a free America, a place that God has kept safe and secure from foreign attacks or invasion these 11 years since 9-11. 

For me, the memorial stands as a sort of rainbow. I believe God has kept a hedge of protection around America since our founding to achieve His purposes through us. I believe it is a part of His plan to mobilize us to reach the world for Christ and in order to enable us to do so, He has provided us peace, resources and freedom in this land. I'm reminded of the verse, "To whom much is given, much is required."

Sometimes I wonder if God stayed His hand on us since that dark day because we cried out to Him in our time of need. As this election nears, I'm hopeful we'll cry out to God again in desperate need for healing, for sustained peace and freedom in our nation. 

Never forget. In God we trust...

God bless America. 

 One of the new towers being built.

 Another new tower under construction.

 See how tall this is looking from the base of the building?

Thankful for our continued freedom...