The Reviews Are In

We loved our time spent in Branson and highly encourage anyone to visit this fun little town.  I've reviewed and posted the fun things we did and saw on my inspiration blog.  Here is a quick link to the reviews:
Branson Travel Reviews:  Part 1
Branson Travel Reviews:  Part 2
Branson Travel Reviews:  Part 3
Branson Travel Reviews:  Part 4

Branson

So, I'm going to start backwards and tell you what we did most recently...VACATION!!!!  We had been looking forward to it for a very long time and was definitely something we needed.  We decided to head back to Branson, MO since we had such a great time a couple years ago.  It's about an 8 hour drive, but it was very scenic.  I will give a summary of our vacation week and have more details soon on my other blog, Cars and Ribbons.

From where we live in Texas, we drove through Oklahoma, Arkansas, and then Missouri.  Lots of lakes, lots of greenery, and lots of curves once we got into the Ozarks (I did start to feel a little nauseated).

Preston had to take a little nap in the car.  Good idea!

We arrived at our resort late afternoon.  This resort is so pretty and has great amenities such as a Splash-a-torium, breakfast buffet and so much more.  Plus, you got to choose a different show to go see each night of your stay.

We saw 4 great shows:  Dixie Stampede, Buckets N Boards, 3 Redneck Tenors (twice), and Showboat Branson Belle.  The first night we went to see 3 Redneck Tenors (my favorite show ever!), the power went out just before intermission.  They did some great ad libbing in the dark for a little bit, but then told everyone that we could come back to see the show, or any other show in that theater, again for free!  So, we eagerly went back the next night to see it again.  LOVED IT!!!

We ate some great food, some during the shows and some on our own.

We did some shopping at Branson Landing and Tanger Outlet center.

We did the tourist thing and took a tour of Branson on Ride the Ducks.  Preston and Craig got to drive the boat in the water for a little bit.

We saw lots of great views of the Table Rock Lake and Lake Taneycomo...

...the kids played at our resort's Splash-A-Torium...

...and we had fun making more memories together.

We spent 5 days away and the weather was partly cloudy with rainstorms in the evening on most days.  The morning after the power outage during the show, the fire alarm went off at our hotel.  It was 8 am.  We weren't dressed for the day.  Or dressed at all.  And we had to go outside!  No worries, we got clothes on and marched outside with the other hotel guests in their pajamas.  Or towels.  It was very interesting.

But as we came back home, and passed through each state (I missed Oklahoma's sign)...

...there's nothing better than home!

Here's a video of our very funny Ride The Ducks guide.  He started playing a song while we were driving in the mountains and everyone was instructed to blow the "Quacker Whistle" they were given.  Hilarious!

I've Got Exciting News

Wow, time has flown by.  I've been on a little longer blogging hiatus than originally planned.  Life has just been so busy and full and I feel extremely blessed.  Be on the lookout for lots of updates on what's been going on with us.

But for now, I have some very exciting news...I feel very blessed to be a guest blogger at New Life Steward!!!  Mary Beth has started a series called When Motherhood Comes Softly.  Several guest bloggers will share their own journey of motherhood and today you can read mine.

Please stop by New Life Steward and read more posts from the series and other wonderful topics.  Thank you for stopping by!  And big THANKS to Mary Beth for including me in this special series!

God's Plans, Not Ours

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."-Jeremiah 29:11


One of my favorite Scripture verses is Jeremiah 29:11.  It is God telling us that He has our future under control.  He has already planned it for us.


How many times do we try to make situations in our lives go our way?  When we do it on our own, without God's help, things can quickly fall apart.  We are only human and we are far from perfect.


Why are we so afraid to fully trust God?  I know I like to be in complete control of everything.  I want everything planned out, as far in advance as possible, and I don't want anything to hinder me from completing my task.


But life isn't about keeping things under our control.  There's always going to be unplanned circumstances.  There's always going to be something to make our plans go awry.


For I know the plans I have for you...God knows!  When will we learn to give up our control and let God take over?  Why does it take so many failed attempts of a perfect plan on our part before we finally give it over to God?


...plans to prosper you and not to harm you...God is not a God of evil.  God wants to see his children happy, with every need provided.  He doesn't delight in our suffering, but rejoices when we allow Him to care for us.


...plans to give you hope and a future.  I know letting God take control of my plans, my life, is not easy.  It's hard for me to give up what I have already envisioned for my life.  But when I do, when I let God fully take over, plans fall into place, obstacles are no longer so difficult, and everything is even better than I could hope for.

A List For Your Hubby

If you follow my Cars and Ribbons blog, you'll see I posted a Father's Day Challenge.  I challenged each wife to write '100 Reasons Why I Love My Husband'.  It's not an easy thing to do.

But, I did it, over about a week, and am very happy that I did.  It made me stop and take a look at the person that I live with, that I've lived with for 12 1/2 years (we didn't live together until after we were married), and really see what an incredible man God has given me.  It's not about all the reasons my husband loves me, but it's about me taking the time to really acknowledge my husband all that he does for the family.

So, if you didn't take this challenge for Father's Day, why not try it now?  Surprise your husband with one list he will love.

Our Nation

It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.

-George Washington

A Busy June

Well, we've certainly had a busy summer in just the one month that has passed.  I don't think we could've added anything else into the month of June.  We have about half our list of Summer Fun Goals completed.

The kids got out their chalks to draw one morning before it got too hot.

I had to add a drawing as well.

They ran through the sprinklers...

...ate sno cones...

...watched a different movie every Friday...

...started reading a chapter book together...

...joined a few Summer Reading Clubs (Kaitlyn LOVES to read)...

...and went to a summer concert.  We also had a pajama/movie/game day, playdates, Preston's birthday and birthday party, Father's Day, attended a wedding, and visited with family.  Craig and I are still working, he plays on a softball team, I'm taking voice lessons, and I'm planning VBS.  Phew!  It's been lots of fun and has made the time pass quickly.

Here is a little clip from the concert we attended.  It was free at a local park, so we wanted to check it out.  Especially since it's a Bon Jovi cover band.

Linking up here:
The Better Mom