Memorial Day Weekend

After a quick dinner and some last minute packing on Friday, we started our drive to VA Beach to meet some sweet brothers and sisters on the boardwalk. These little trips to Virginia are always much anticipated. :) Right past Roanoke Rapids, traffic started piling up. At one point it took us twenty minutes to go two miles ~ only 2 miles. That was the distance to the rest area, which we were grateful to see. There had apparently been a car accident up ahead. May God be with those families effected by the wreck. We rolled the windows down, listened to some audios, chatted, and did some bird watching. Tony was able to catch up on some of his blog reading, while I crocheted. After two hours of ample brake lights, traffic opened up. :)


We arrived at the boardwalk around 11pm. :) Gospel tracts, one-to-one conversations, and open-air preaching. We left around 1am and drove straight to IHOP for wee-morning fellowship. We were in bed around 5am and slept a little. The next two evenings were very similar. To the boardwalk to preach the everlasting gospel - then to IHOP - then to sleep {just as the birds started singing their early morning songs}. Thousands of people were reminded of sin, righteousness, judgment, and God's amazing grace. Grace. We don't deserve it. There were nearly THIRTY Christians with our group this weekend - it is so exciting to see the army that God has built in Virginia!! May it continue to grow and may the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

It has been a busy week. Lots of school work for Tony - which equals not much sleep. I've been busy in the garden and today I mowed the yard ~ always such a rewarding task. I was able to listen to three sermons while I walked every square inch of our yard. :) Wednesday evening we joined Brian at Wilson's Downtown Alive concert. We were able to pass out several gospel tracts and have a few conversations with folks. Our shed is slowly making progress [you can see it in the background].

Our rows of corn

& a beautiful sky!

Buds on our peas

A yummy portabella feta sandwich
on homemade rolls.

A tasty treat to satisfy a very rare craving. ;)

Our Kitchen

That is one room in the house that never seems to stay clean for very long. But for this moment the counters are cleaned, recipes organized, floor swept, dishes washed ... :) It's a good feeling when the kitchen is clean ~ but I also love it when it's not so clean. When there are food crumbs on the floor, splatters on the counter, dirty dishes near the sink, pots and pans on the stove, recipes spread out ... it means I've been busy in the kitchen preparing yummy things for my household. For my hubby and me. ;) I am so glad that God has turned my heart toward home. I remember growing up, particularly in my teen years, mom would encourage me to prepare meals for my family. I would usually complain, because I wanted to do what I wanted to do. I did not realize what a great blessing it was to serve my family in this manner. My mom is a great cook ~ and we had yummy home-cooked meals as a family~ around the dinner table ~ nearly every night of my life. It was a high priority. And I am so grateful to God for that! It seems like such a foreign concept now a days. Family members are scattered all over the place, meals are usually fast-food style, eaten on the go or in front of the television; the dinner table is only used for special occasions - like Thanksgiving or Christmas. But God has graciously taught me the importance of having these regular meal times around the table; through my parents example, sermons, and scripture. Even when it's just Tony & Shayna. :) From the beginning of our marriage, nearly every meal has been eaten at the table together. Of course there are exceptions, like last night we rented a movie, sat together on the couch, and ate our cheeseburgers. :) But for the most part, we sit at the table, enjoy our food, and talk about our day. I love it! And it is a priority in our home.

The kitchen and meal table got lots of use Saturday evening, as we invited my parents, brother, and a couple friends over for homemade manicotti, bread, and salad. Lots of splatters on the kitchen counter. Haha. All of us gathered around the table, prayed, ate, talked, laughed... then we all migrated to the living room and later enjoyed some made-by-mom lemon pound cake drizzled with strawberry sauce. Mmmm. It was a great time!

Strawberry Pie

This made for a yummy treat after our three mile run (slash walk for me) tonight. I used this recipe as a guide. Here it is after my tweeks. :)

1 baked and cooled pie crust
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 Tbsp corn starch
1 cup water
2 cups fresh strawberries, mashed
4oz cream cheese, softened

Prepare your pie crust, bake, and let it cool.
Mash your strawberries (I put mine in the blender).
In a medium sauce pan combine the sugar and corn starch. Stir in the water and berries.
Over medium high heat, cook stirring all the while until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Reduce heat so you don't get splattered and keep stirring for one minute. Remove from heat and cool.
While the jam you made cools, stir the cream cheese until soft, and spread it onto the bottom of the cooled pie crust.
Pour the cooled jam over the cream cheese. Top with a few sliced strawberries and let it chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Mothers Day & Racing the Rain

Yesterday we ate lunch with MOM at the restaurant of her choice ~ Mayflowers Seafood. All was there, minus Matthew [you were missed, brother]. After a yummy lunch we took this picture outside in the very bright sunlight, right after I gave mom her gift ~ a crocheted teddy bear.


From there, Tony & I went home and had a lovely Sunday afternoon nap for nearly 4 hours. :) It was nice!! We fell asleep listening to Greg Bahnsen. Upon waking up, Tony filled out his yearly FAFSA form for school and we got ready to go over my parents house. We watched the grand finale of Amazing Race while enjoying some coffee with yummy hot milk cake smothered in sliced strawberries, sour cream, and cool whip. Mmmmmmm.

This morning I gave mom a wake-up call at 7:30am ... we wanted to go pick strawberries before the rain showers on the doppler covered the little town of Seven Springs. It didn't look like much time, but after little debate and realizing that there is rain in the forcast several days this week, we decided to go for it. So we got dressed real quick and were in the field right around 8am. We each picked 3 buckets a piece (with the help of an older gentleman who loves picking strawberries). The sky was mostly cloudy, with a short appearance from the sun. But we didn't feel a single drop of rain. {Thank you Lord} Not until we were driving back home did it start sprinkling. I'm so glad we went this morning! The bottom shelf of my fridge is full of the berries and I've already made one batch of freezer jam. I do think it is quite fitting to have pancakes for dinner ~ smothered in strawberries of course. :)

Blowing in the Wind

I expanded the garden just a little bit more to add some flowers and make room for some more herbs and tomatoes.

Also planted some pretty flowers in the front yard. :)

Beautiful Weekend

As I think back on the past few days, I really wish I would have taken a lot more pictures. It seems like I have that regret often - I don't think there is such a thing as too many pictures. I truly love to flip through photos! I want to remember. Glimpses of our life past. Memories captured. Stories told. By the grace of God, I now resolve to be a more diligent photo-taker. I want to take pictures to HIS glory ~ capturing the beautiful life that HE has so graciously given to me and the people I love.

Friday evening we had rehearsal for Kevin & Brittney's wedding. What an exciting time. We walked through the ceremony twice ~ second time was definitely a lot smoother than the first. ;) And then we enjoyed a yummy meal. From there Tony & I went to town to look at video cameras. We met my parents at Starbucks and walked around Target for a little while. :)

Saturday was the big day! It is so much fun to see everything come together. The wedding was absolutely beautiful!!! Congratulations Kevin & Brittney!








That evening, Tony took his final exam for "Business Communication Essentials"-- final grade for the class is an "A". Praise the Lord!! Then we met James & Tinna downtown Goldsboro to proclaim the gospel and fellowship at our local Waffle House to wee hours of the morning - we got home a little after 2am.

After church on Sunday we ate lunch at Cici's with the Daniel's family. Always fun! Then we went to Wal-Mart to pick out some pretty flowers and ribbon to match ~~ we really favored the pink tulips. ;) From there we attended Lyndsey's piano recital.

And that evening we celebrated Joey's 21st birthday!!! I am so glad that God saw fit to give me siblings. :) It is hard to believe that he is 21 ... and that I am 24. The years go by fast.

Last night, after Tony finished mowing the back yard we decided to go on a spontaneous date night. :) We enjoyed a movie and some yummy taco bell. I love spending time with my sweet husband!!!