Scent

I have read references before (here is an example-caution with this link's evolutionary leanings) about the fact that our sense of smell is the strongest catalyst for our memory. I mentioned this phenomenon in my post about enjoying the bouquet of peonies we recently purchased at a local Krogers. It was also referred to twice in the touching video "Making a Difference" that I posted yesterday. (watch it if you haven't already) So, I have been reminiscing a bit about what some of my favorite smells are because of the sweet memories they evoke. Here is a partial list:

1) Apple pie: My Dad...he is known for his special recipe of Dutch apple pie and we request that he make one whenever we get to spend some time together. We got to work on these together.
2) Dove Soap: Last year I bought a bar of Dove Soap for our shower and was surprised at the memories of my Grandmother that flooded back to me each time I walked into our bathroom. She used Dove Soap in her bathroom... and now we do also. :-)




3) Peonies, daffodils & Lilacs: Reminds me of a happy childhood and having those gorgeous flowers in our yard while growing up.




4) Pears & Raspberries: Same as above...these were in our yard when I was a child.





5) Fall: Yankee Candle scent of Spiced Pumpkin: I have burned this scent every fall for the past umpteenth years. I would ceremoniously light the candle on October 1st each fall....although, the last few years I haven't been waiting until October 1st. One year I began the tradition on Sept 1st...now I pull it out from time to time and light up. (I know...sacrilegious) Our daughters love the smell as well. Fall is one of my favorite seasons and I really miss having a "real" fall living here in Texas so I import it through smells and decorations. (We grew up in Ohio)

6) Yesterday I was in a store and noticed a display of pretty, old fashioned cans of talc. I picked up a rose scented one and was amazed that it reminded me so much of my grandma. (the same one with the Dove soap) I wonder if she used this very same brand of powder? So...I paid over $8 for this can of powder to bring home a "touch of grandma". (Ok, maybe it's silly I know)
7) Campfires: Fun, fun memories of camping with family and friends. Also, memories of Period Craft shows during the fall up in Ohio. (Prairie Peddler)





8) Loved Ones... I love to hug Brad or the girls and smell their (usually) wonderful scent :-) I still remember when the girls were babies, with that special newborn smell. (no, I'm not talking about full diapers or throw up here ;-) My Mom wears Jontue perfume and whenever I smell that scent I think of her. I remember years ago I got a whiff of someone wearing the perfume that my piano teacher used to wear when I was a young girl taking lessons. I immediately thought of Mrs Pretzman, even though I hadn't thought about her for years.


These are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head. What about you? Do you have any smells that you love for the memories they trigger?


And now...since I'm on a roll... :-) Here's another tear jerker:


Do you ever get depressed over the constant diet of doom and gloom from the news media? It seems like everywhere we turn we are confronted with the latest reminder that we live in a fallen world. I wanted to share with you this news clip I watched today about an artist named Kaz*iah Han*cock. Her gift to the families of fallen solders are a personalized painting to immortalize their loved one's memory. Watch here to see if this woman's compassion touches you, as it did me. (You'll have to look past her speech peppered with cussing to see her heart of compassion) Gosh, my life can seem so self-centered at times!! God, how can I reach out to show your love to others?? Kindness is a Virtue, Compassion is an Art.

Making A Difference

Do you ever wonder if you can really make a difference in someone elses life? Check out this sweet story, then look around to see who needs some extra tender loving care.

(Warning: As many have commented , have box of tissues ready)

Precious In The Sight Of The Lord...

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones." Psalm 116:15

Today Brad and I had the privilege of attending the memorial service for a very dear woman who went home to be with her Lord last week. It was wonderful for us to see this family again and share their joy in Eleanor's life, yet mourn with them in the sorrow of our collective loss.

A woman whose life was well lived, given to hospitality, a keeper at home, full of fun and quick to draw others into their family. I couldn't help but be challenged by her godly character traits as they were recounted, one-by-one. I also couldn't help but be saddened by lost opportunity during more recent years when our lives, both busy in our own circles of commitment, have become less intertwined. Their frequent travels have made it more difficult to stay in touch, but I wish I had tried harder. I have thought of them fondly over the months and years, but often failed to relay those sentiments.

Today was a blessing to reconnect with this special family. It was also a "wake-up" call to me how quickly time goes by, and how quickly we can loose touch. Opportunities lost... have encouraged me, hopefully, toward opportunities taken. Who needs to hear from me? Who has the Lord laid on my heart to contact. Will I heed His gentle nudge? Will I take those precious moments to "stay connected" before the door is closed? Will you?

Photo credits: personal files

Focal Point

"The Lord will always lead you. He will meet the needs of your soul in the dry times and give strength to your body. You will be like a garden that has enough water, like a well of water that never dries up." Isaiah 58:11

Years ago when Brad and I were preparing for the birth of our first child, we attended Lamaze training classes to help educate us on this life-changing event that was about to take place. Three times the Lord blessed us with a precious daughter, each very different, and each very loved! During the challenge of delivering these new lives into the world, I was immensely thankful for those Lamaze classes! One of the most helpful things we learned is that I must have a focal point, something to keep my eye on through the painful birthing process. This focal point allowed me to shut out everything around me and keep my thoughts to the task at hand... giving birth!

This same concept has stayed with me throughout the years in various stages of life. There have been so many times I am caught up in the sometimes painful work of parenting, pruning my character or spiritual growth, and I need reminders to keep my focus on Christ. I need a focal point. At these times I must shut out all other distractions, pain and hindrances and keep focused on the outcome I am praying for. I love Isaiah 58:11.

Do you, like me, ever feel used up, dried up, or fed up? Keep your focus on God, who is eager to meet your needs, to give you strength and to make you a source of refreshment for others.

I purchased this little ceramic watering can years ago as a focal point, a reminder for me. God desires that I become like a well watered garden, an ever lasting supply of water.

Lord, thank you for your faithfulness, even when I take my eyes off of you. May we look to the source of our fruitfulness... and Praise Him!

Scripture source: Isaiah 58:11 (New Life Version)New Life Version (NLV) Copyright © 1969 by Christian Literature International
Photo source: Personal Portfolio

Death To Bambi...

Ok, maybe that statement is a little harsh... HOWEVER... Let me be PERFECTLY clear on this point! I have given up on my romantic ideas about the sweetness of looking out the windows of our home and spotting a lovely doe happily munching on the grass in our back yard. You see... I have accepted the truth!! What this pastoral sight REALLY means is the moment the sun goes down, this Innocent looking creature will collect 20 of her closest (and hungriest) friends and proceed to happily dine on each and every flower of choice in our yard.
No matter that I have just paid a big chunk of money to purchase happy flowers to grace the exterior of our home. No matter that I have planted, weeded and mulched the beds to give these said flowers a wonderful growing environment. No matter that these beds are right up NEXT to the house AND I leave the porch lights on all night to expose any creature that may have notions of dining on this colorful array. No... these things to not matter to Bambi!!

So, the lovely pictures I posted last week of my newly planted beds look a little different this week. I spoke too soon when I stated that the deer had not discovered our stash of beautiful foliage out front. Maybe they read my post on edible flowers last week?

Humpf.... I will cease to rant and rave any further... but I AM NOT happy about this. So tonight, if these dear creatures choose to dine in our yard... I wonder if they will notice a rather strong garlic smell and taste to each and every bite they steal. A little garlic powder never hurt anyone, did it??

Photo source: deer@ www.istockphoto.com, bambi @ www.google image, plants from personal portfolio

New Recipe Books! Fondue & Bread...

Anyone that knows me knows I'm a sucker for collecting (and trying) new recipes. It's especially fun when those recipes come in the form of a new book for my collection. I try to be very cautious about purchasing another recipe book as I can get so many nice recipes to try for free. However, every once in awhile I meet a book or two that really wants to come home with me. It happened the other night...

I was innocently looking through the bargain book table at the local book store. Then it happened. Two books literally jumped into my arms and begged me to take them home and experiment on their tantalizing recipes within. After much consideration... I decided to adopt these two books, saving them from their unappreciated spot on the bargain table. I admit it (head hanging low) they both played into my particular weaknesses; excellent full page color photography of what awaits me should I venture each recipe and two of my favorite topics: Breads & Fondue.

Brad and I were introduced to the fun of fondue by some friends on New Years Eve back in 1978. We are the YOUNG couple in the back row, left side.

We got our first taste of what fun it can be to spend a leisurely evening around the table, preparing, cooking and eating a meal seasoned with a heavy dose of relaxing conversation. My parents gave us our first fondue pot, retrieved from a storage box of things they never used. It was a nice stainless steel pot with a black stand and stainless drip plate underneath. Dad fixed it up by replacing the missing knob on the pot's lid. The next item I purchased was a set of 4 individual mini butter warmers for dipping bread and vegetables. Over the years we have added to our collection of fondue pots and accessories, mainly from garage sales and thrift shops. I pass by the aluminum lime green and bright orange pots of old and stick with the stainless steel for stocks and ceramic for cheese or dessert fondues.

We have hosted many fondue parties over the years and only once had a guest that didn't quite appreciate the finer points of dining AND cooking your own meal around a table. Dear Sister Doris (rest her soul) spent the entire meal in utter frustration and couldn't understand that the other members of our group (a Bible Study) might actually be enjoying the process. Sister Doris wasn't one that enjoyed fussing in the kitchen and to her; the quicker a meal was prepared and eaten the better off everyone was. And yes, in her outspoken way, she made that perfectly clear through the entire meal. We just all smiled and loved her anyways. Happily, it did not deter us from continuing on in the art of fondue. In fact, it has become a family tradition to enjoy a lavish fondue dinner each Christmas Eve for the past 8 or 9 years. We all look forward to it!

Christmas Eve, 2004

Brad and I, Christmas Eve, 2006

The girls and I enjoy pulling out our best table decor for our

Traditional Christmas Eve Fondue Dinner, 2006

I am hoping this new fondue recipe book will award us with a few new great recipes to add to our repertoire! The title of our new book is: "Fondue: Delicious Recipes for Easy Entertaining" by Lorraine Turner. I'm especially anxious to try out a few of the cheese fondue recipes in preparation of our next big fondue session! I hope the recipes taste as good as the photographs look!!

Our second book adoption is titled: "100 Great Breads" by Paul Hollywood. I love baking bread, especially using freshly ground grains. (We own a Whisper Mill grain/flour mill) I admit that I don't bake near as much as I used to since there are only 2 (sometimes 3) of us here. Mainly because we would eat the entire loaf in one setting. Nothing like fresh bread hot out of the oven! But, I would like to get back to making bread at least 2 or 3 times a month. This book may just be the inspiration I need! The recipes are much simpler than many of other wonderful bread cookbooks. So, there you have it! As I wade my way through these cookbooks and find "winner" status recipes, I'll let you know! Bon Appetite!!

I'm Back...

I guess it's been over six weeks since I've written anything on my blog!! I'm afraid I just haven't felt very inspired lately. We had a wonderful Christmas celebration surrounded by family and friends. All three of our daughters and two son-in-laws were here...along with visits from Megan's boyfriend, Josh and many dear friends. I blinked and January was over and now next week is Valentines Day!!

I will mention that this has been a season of loss in some respects for our family. I am deeply mourning the loss of our two elderly doggies that have been a part of our family for over 14 years. We had to put them to rest on Monday... and I have been crying and missing them very deeply since. With our girls grown and gone (or almost gone) Muffin and Puffin have been my companions and such a big part of my routines here at home. It seems amazing how much those two furry friends have worked their way into every area of our lives. As our vet told me, it's especially difficult for those in my stage of life as it signifies the end of an "era" for us. We got our pets when the girls were young and so many of our family memories have included both our daughters and our fluffy white dogs! Now it is time to close that chapter and move on to the next. I am thankful for our many happy memories and look forward to what the Lord has in store for us in this next stage of life! I am very thankful for loving friends and family to help get through this sense of loss. I am certain that God is just as faithful in healing pain over the loss of faithful pets as He has been through every other challenge of life!

So.... In memory of our faithful puppies... Puffin & Muffin.

Everything is under construction...I mean under control

Don't you love this time of year; the Christmas decorations, beautifully lit Christmas tree filled with ornaments-each a reminder of the giver or special purpose for purchase, Christmas carols fill the home and the scent of freshly baked goods fill each nook and cranny of your humble abode? So do I. Ok, so this year I'm (once again) learning to be patient. I wish I could show you this picture of our beautiful Christmas tree and wax poetic about the wonderful time we had decorating our tree last week to herald the Christmas season. In reality, this beautiful Christmas tree graced our home...last year. It is a fond reminder of the evening Casey proposed marriage to our daughter, Ashley. What special memories! However, this year, with not even two weeks until the day we celebrate our Lord's birth...our tree along with every decoration we own is still carefully packed away, awaiting liberation from the dark hiding place we call "the holiday closet". I guess maybe posting a picture of last year's tree is my attempt to remind myself that patience IS a virtue and maybe this will be the week we can transform our home into the "Christmas wonderland" that we have grown to expect and enjoy during the month of December. Since purchasing our first home back in 1979, Brad and I have always had some kind of "house project" going on in the background, weaving it's way in and around life on a fairly regular basis. To be honest, I grew up this way so it is not a new concept for me. In fact, in my family, it is a joke to see who is painting the week before any major holiday. Nothing like a holiday or "event" to motivate us to complete any unfinished project lurking around. And trust me...there's ALWAYS at least one...it's in our blood! Whereas I used to find great humor in this "joke", I am thinking this year the amusement aspect may be wearing a little thin. I'm afraid my current view is that it's a good hobby...gone bad. ;-) It may be time to find another way to invest our time and money, a less stressful hobby! Among other things, we added a family room on to the back of our home over a year ago. We hired a builder to do the work up to the point of finishing the sheetrock and Brad and I took over from there last December. The next four months were a flurry of planning a wedding (bride was out of town), painting, laying a tile floor, planning a wedding, painting, laying a wood floor, painting, even shipping my parents in to help...and did I mention planning a wedding??? Did I also mention hosting a Wedding Rehearsal Dinner for 50+ people in our (still under construction) home the night before the wedding? The wedding, April 29th was a simply wonderful occasion of celebration and we are thrilled to have Casey as the newest member of our family! The next five months neither Brad nor I could even bear to look at a paint brush or think about finishing up the wood trim and other odd jobs abandoned in lieu of wedding festivities. We avoided working on the house like the plague. Brad, however, pulled together his grit before I did and resumed doing odd jobs a few months back. He has even been able to use some left over vacation days to advance the cause in hopes of moving in to our new family room in time for our Christmas morning celebration. He has been working hard! Although we are still living in a construction zone...we ARE making progress towards the goal!! I am trying to keep emotions under "control" and just "do the next thing". I am hoping that in the next few days I will be able to start pulling out a few Christmas decorations here and there and prepare for a special time of celebrating Christ and family togetherness. All of our "kids" will be home for Christmas this year and we're REALLY looking forward to it! Ok...so we have hammers, sanders, saws, nail guns and paint cans where snowmen, angels and nativity sets should be....but we'll get there..if not sooner-then later! I keep telling myself that one year I'm going to have gifts purchased and wrapped, decorations out, freezer and pantry stocked and nothing left to do except to focus on friends and family...all by December 1st. :-) Until then...pass me the paint brush...please.

Funny Phrases....

Ok...Andrew & Bee have recently made comments/references to "old tyme sayings" from their mothers or grandmothers and it has me thinking. What are some fun sayings you've grown up with and do you know the original meaning? One of the things I picked up from my Dad is the saying "Lord willing and the creek don't rise". I did a search on the phrase and realized there is actually a possible interpretation going around that is different to the obvious meaning of not being able to do something due to a stream of water rising and preventing your plans from taking place. Here is the alternate explanation...what do YOU think? Any fun sayings of your own?

Phrase
Lord willing and the Creek don't rise, Good Lord willing and the Creek don't rise
(colloquial, US) Barring unforeseen circumstances. This refers to the Creek Indians, not a small stream. "Creek" should be capitalized. Lord willing and the Creek don't rise, we'll have that new barn finished in time for the harvest.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Lord_willing_and_the_creek_don

OR~

"A professor based in Oklahoma contacted us about a phrase he wasn't certain was local: "I'll be there if the good Lord's willing and the Creeks don't rise." He was curious about whether the Creeks mentioned refer to (as he put it) "small, gentle waterways that become wide, fast-flowing rivers following strong rain storms, becoming difficult or impossible to cross," or (and we quote again) to "an Indian tribe which might become angry and rise up with weapons against the neighboring white settlers."
Although the powerful Creek confederacy did have some success in fighting, it wasn't any bellicosity on the part of those peoples that gave rise to today's phrase.
In fact, we've always heard the expression as, "The Lord willing and the crick don't rise." The pronunciation \CRIK\ belongs not to the Native American peoples (who were dubbed Creek by the settlers because of the impressive number of waterways running through their original lands), but to the name of the stream of water.
Should a crick (or creek) rise, bridges and fords may be flooded, making passage difficult if not impossible. So "the Lord willing and the creek don't rise" is a more conditional statement of intent than the categorical vow "come hell or high water." http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/wftwarch.pl?122603

The Rest Of The Story...

And now….THE REST OF THE STORY…
(continued from yesterday's post...read that one first :-) Although each and every aspect of my last post is quite factual…it was actually a little more “complex” than the picture I have painted you. Here is the rest of the story…

The morning of our departure had arrived…too early I might add, after getting only about 90 minutes of sleep before the alarm awoke me to reality. Please don’t write me about what a dumb idea it was to stay up until 3:00 a.m. the night before a getaway with my DH. I won’t bore you with all the details of why I only got 1 ½ hours of sleep the night before our trip, but let’s just say preparations for this trip and the following trip to Ohio took much longer than anticipated. I was mad at myself for not having my act together (www.flylady.com style), and not accomplishing all the things I wanted before leaving on our 3 weeks of upcoming travels. At least I was proud of myself for pulling life together enough to be packed and ready to leave at 5:30 a.m. to accompany DH on the drive to Galveston. I came SO close to staying behind to complete my pre-travel “TO DO LIST”. I also felt badly that we had to wake up Erin & Micah at 6:00 a.m. so we could drop off our two geriatric dogs for them to watch while we were traveling. You can’t leave a 15 year old, three-legged, diaper wearing dog with just anyone you know. Anyways, that task should have been taken care of the night before. We made the trip to Galveston without event and got checked in to our room in a timely manner. Brad was required to go directly to his first meeting of the day, so I settled in for my first day alone in our hotel room. I noticed our “own private balcony, offering a magnificent, unobscured view of the Gulf of Mexico” was not exactly a correct evaluation of our particular room. Had we been located a few floors higher, I’m sure the description would have been accurate. Our balcony, on the other hand, actually overlooked the roof of the hotel entryway. If you looked off to the right, the only thing you could see was the roof and the larger-than-life air conditioning system for the hotel. Off to the left, beyond the roofline and a row of palm trees, we could indeed catch a glimpse of the Gulf of Mexico and the sky line. As for the “private balcony” part…I decided I didn’t particularly enjoy having a rather steady stream of male workers walking around on the roof directly outside our balcony doors most of the morning, so I closed the curtains. So much for our “magnificent view”. Now remember, we were preparing to be out of town for three weeks, so one of the things I needed to make sure that I had completed was to pay every bill that was due or would be due while we were gone. In order to accomplish this noble task, I had brought a pile of bills, bank statements, insurance stuff, lap-top computer, calculator and whatever else I could catch up on from this remote location. I spent the morning sitting on the bed surrounded by paperwork. I would, from time to time, flip on the TV to see what diversions it had to offer. If I wasn’t depressed before, I certainly had reason to become so after watching report after report on a senseless mass murder at an Amish school house in PA. My heart ached for those families faced with such tragedy. A bright spot in my day was when Brad popped in for a few minutes after lunch to say “hi”. I made the mistake of asking if he had eaten lunch yet, after which I received a tantalizing description of the oriental cuisine he had previously enjoyed. Since all I had eaten that morning was a rice cake spread with peanut butter, (a cost cutting effort on my part) I decided it was time for a break and a trip out to find something decent to eat. I’ve never been one to enjoy eating alone in a restaurant (it feels so lonely), so I resigned myself to drive through a local McDonald’s to pick up something to appease my growing hunger. Big mistake. Being in Galveston, I was craving sea food…so I ordered the fish filet meal deal. To be honest, at times I have actually enjoyed a McDonald’s fish sandwich; however, this was not one of those times. The sandwich was cold and dried out and the French fries didn’t fare much better. I returned to our hotel room regretting my decision to “treat” myself to an outing. I placed myself back on the bed to faithfully continue working through my piles of paperwork, with intermittent breaks for seeing if there was anything of value to watch on TV. Since we don’t watch TV at home, I thought this might be a fun diversion to my task at hand of completing unfinished paperwork. It was not the fun diversion I was hoping for. Late afternoon Brad arrived back in our room with enough time for us to enjoy a short walk along the beach before he headed back for his next session. Although Brad had told me the first night he would be tied up with work, I kept thinking we would be able to catch dinner together and take a late night stroll along the sea wall upon his return. In reality, he didn’t get back to our room until around 8pm, at which time he informed me they had provided a nice steak dinner for them during the evening session. Furthermore, to add insult to injury, he said they had scheduled a dinner outing for everyone the following night and he thought I might be able to attend. Never mind that I was holding out that evening as our one night in Galveston where we could enjoy a romantic date alone. Then he made the mistake of asking me if I had had fun that day. I’m afraid “fun” wasn’t in my vocabulary to describe my experiences of the day. I was operating on very little sleep, I had eaten only a peanut butter rice cake and dried up fish sandwich all day so I was hungry. I was also feeling rather cooped up in our hotel room and frustrated that it had taken so much time that day to work through my large pile of backlogged paperwork......and basically having a pitty party. No, “fun” was not how I would describe the events of my day. It was at that time that I decided maybe I needed an attitude check and a good night’s sleep. The day ended with prayers for a better day tomorrow.
We got out of bed around 6:30 a.m. and headed for the beach with camera equipment in tow. Since Brad had to be at his first session at 7:30, I ended up dropping him back by the conference center/resort and returning to the beach by myself. Although I had missed the sun rise by about ten minutes, I was still able to catch some great shots and spend about an hour capturing different highlights of God’s creation.

It was on the beach that I made a conscious decision to change my negative attitude and decided to work towards feeling productive and enjoying my beautiful surroundings. I loaded up my camera equipment in our van and headed back to the hotel. From there I grabbed a book and walked next door to the IHOP restaurant where I ordered a wonderful breakfast. I was still outside of my comfort zone to sit at a table by myself at a restaurant, but I had a nice view out the window and was able to read a few chapters in the book I had brought with me. After lingering over my food and book, I returned to our hotel room and settled in for the day. I finished up my paperwork and did some research on the computer that I had been delaying. I had intended to complete the job of editing wedding pictures I had recently taken at a dear friend’s wedding. It became apparent that I would be unable to tackle that task due to the limitations of the laptop computer I was using. That was very disappointing, but I continued to keep my attitude in check so I wouldn’t become frustrated. Brad arrived to pick me up at 5:30 so we could head on over to the chartered bus that was taking the group to dinner that evening. Although sitting at a table full of men who were discussing oil related business talk wasn’t my idea of a romantic date out, I focused on being thankful that we were provided with such a nice dinner at no cost to us, and that we were together. The remainder of our time in Galveston was uneventful and I was could once again appreciate the ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life and the privilege to call upon Him when I need a fresh approach to my expectations

.

Views along Galveston beach...Gulf Of Mexico, October 2006

That Tricky "E" Word

How often have you looked forward to something with excitement and high hopes only to find that your romantic dreams met a different reality? It happens to all of us… it’s the “e” word… Expectations. Take our recent trip out of town for instance. I would like to wax eloquent about the unbridled bliss of having a few days away from home to enjoy a change of pace and a large amount of quality time with my husband, or so I thought. Instead, I’m staring at the title of my blog, Candid Reflections, and am reminded that I have promised a frank and honest evaluation of life as I see it. (Hmmm…is it too late to change my blog name to: “Diane’s Fakey Facts”?) See, I’d rather not admit that I became rather ill-tempered about what I perceived as an unmet expectation surrounding our little “getaway”. Make no mistake, I knew this was a business trip I was accompanying my husband on and that he would be rather tied up a large portion of the time. But we had both thought my job would be to relax, take in a few local sites, do a little shopping….or "whatever I wanted…gosh!!" So, when several people asked me if I had “fun” accompanying Brad on this recent business trip, truth was… what I had was an attitude problem. I thought I’d tell you about our “getaway” in stages. Today you get the picture perfect, Norman Rockwell, Polly Anna version. However, stay tuned for….the rest of the story.

A few months ago my dear husband invited me to accompany him on a business outing to Galveston, Texas. He let me know that the conference he would be attending was booked at one of the nicest resorts in the area. Brad knew I had so much fun last time I joined him (last May we went to Orlando) and thought this would be another chance for me to “get away” and do whatever I wanted for a few days… a real “just pamper yourself” type vacation. His thoughtful desire to provide this change of pace for me is so appreciated!! Although he would be tied up during the day in meetings, it stood to reason that we would have our evenings together for romantic dinners and long moonlit walks on the beach. Sounded good to me!! The great part was the four star resort and all of his expenses would be paid for by the company…so we only had to cover my food. Finally the day had arrived for our little excursion. Upon arrival at our resort, we could quickly see this was indeed one of the nicer accommodations we have enjoyed. This beautiful hotel was located along the Galveston seawall and each room was reported to have its “own private balcony, offering a magnificent, unobscured view of the Gulf of Mexico.”

Brad felt, from a business standpoint, the time during his conference was very profitable. He was able to enjoy a lot of good food, a relaxed atmosphere with work associates, an afternoon of golfing with “the guys”, plus some nice company perks and gifts. And to top it off, his wife was waiting for him when he returned to his hotel room each night! I was enjoying the change of scenery as well, having a break from the routine of home base, living in clean and beautifully appointed accommodations and landscape, and having a maid to clean up after us! I especially enjoyed spending several hours down on the beach with my camera chasing the sunrise, waves and seagulls with my lens. After one such photo session, I headed over to a local IHOP and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast…made to my exact order…while lingering over the pages of the book I am currently reading. Eating out has always been such a treat for me. I love enjoying good food and fellowship and then being able to just walk away without having to clean up the mess made by preparing such a meal. Our second evening there Brad let me know spouses were invited to a company sponsored outing for dinner. We traveled by chartered bus to an area by the harbor called “The Strand”, well known for great restaurants and lots of neat shops to visit. His company had reserved a large room at a wonderful seafood restaurant that overlooked the pier. We enjoyed a buffet with an endless supply of fresh seafood; shrimp cocktail (my favorite!!), gumbo, fish, crab, etc…, salads, twice baked potatoes, chicken dishes, prime rib, and a delectable assortment of desserts. Upon returning to our hotel room we noticed that the maid had been in to prepare the room for our return. The bed linens were turned down, chocolates placed on our pillows and a fluffy terrycloth spa type bathrobe was waiting on the bed. Yes, this has truly been a fun, relaxing change of pace. Our last day in Galveston, Brad was through with business by noon. We packed up and headed back to the harbor area of town and ate lunch at a quaint little Middle Eastern café before heading back home. Once again I was thankful for an opportunity to take time away from our routines, to stop and admire God’s creation and share a new setting with my dear husband.