GREAT!
One of my favorite things about summer is getting to catch up with friends. A few weeks ago, I met up with one of the friends I shared a house with during my illustrious college career. I also went to school with her husband. Shaun & Jon have a beautiful family, and we had a fantastic day together at the Magic Kingdom.
.jpg)
Here are a couple of reason's why the Magic Kingdom is a very fun place to go with little kids.
They are so fun to watch! And sometimes, just one hand isn't enough.
All in all, it was a very happy day.
Another happy friend visit was with my good buddy, Cindy, who came and spent a week with me in the scorching hot lands of the south.
.jpg)
We did a bunch of cool things like a proper afternoon tea,
a trip to Seaworld,
.jpg)
some beach photography,
and we also spent some time doing nothing in particular (a favorite pastime of mine when possible). It was a great time with a special friend.
So, that's the last couple of weeks in a nutshell. One other life changing thing I did in the last two weeks was to watch the film Facing the Giants. I HIGHLY recommend it. I was challenged and encouraged in my faith. Maybe I'll get into this a bit more in another post (and maybe not...one never knows), but I realized that I enjoy having a bit of a safety net in my life. I don't often believe big things from God because of fear. No, I'm not espousing some sort of "name it and claim it" mentality. Those of you who know me should understand that! I think that sometimes God gets more glory from how His children handle suffering than by Him just "rescuing" us all the time. However, I do believe that at times I have limited God's ability to work in my own life by asking too tentatively. Anyway, I am praying that my vision will begin to match up to the ability of my God. I think I've made Him too small in my life at times. There are some things that I would love to see happen in my life and ministry. I want to act on the fact that He can do ANYTHING He wants to do, and there are times He wants to show His power in our lives just because He can. May all of our lives be testaments to the power and ability of our God. May we rejoice in His greatness today!
Happy Summer everyone!
22 comments:
How Fun!! I'm a little jealous of the Disney thing...I love going now that I have kids...true joy! I'm glad you got to see old friends and have a proper tea...I'd like to do that someday...I'll add that to my mental list! The beach pics are beautiful....brings back great memories! Great to hear from you!
I wish Cindy could have packed me in her suitcase. Looks like ya'll had such a good time. Cindy was all smiles when she got home. Magic Kingdom looks like fun too! I haven't been there in probably 15 years! But I know my young'uns would definitely love it.
I agree about Facing the Giants. I cried through the whole thing! One of my favorite things was the man who went through the school every day and prayed for those kids and then they had a revival. If only we had more prayer warriors! Thanks for the update. Love those pictures!
Sonja,
Thanks for the compliment about not changing, your are far to kind my friend. But speaking of not changing, I would recognize you on the street in a second and it has been so long, 17 years!!! Your pictures are really cool and you look like you were having as much fun as those boys!
sonja,
Cute pictures- you look great!
You make me homesick for the homeland & the ocean. Glad you are having a fun & relaxing summer. I have to mention that it bugs me that your "proper" tea room hung their pictures crooked. Why do I care??? But why didn't someone straighten them?? Sorry I will go & back to my watching my 3 little indians & doing pastor's wifely duties & not think about it again =) Glad you had a great time.
A good point about the pictures. Go figure. The lady who owned the tea room came over from England a few years ago. She was really cool. Crooked pictures or not, she knew how to set a good tea table with great food!
I didn't notice the pictures, but........I did notice that your face almost blends in with the wall. lol Gettin' a little tan out there are ya? Love ya lots!
Hey there, lil' Sonja Joy :) Perchance, does that line sound familiar to you? Just wanted to say that I enjoyed your blog immensely, as usual. And I so enjoyed my time with you and the fam in Florida. Glad we got a few good pics, unlike that dreadful one from Seaworld! It was funny though:) I miss you, your family, the beach, the pool(sob...) Okay, I'm done cryin' now.
You already know how I feel about "Facing the Giants." I watched it 3 times last week, and was convicted every time. So many times I have been afraid to trust God, afraid to ask Him for much of anything, for fear of disappointment. It felt safer to "not get my hopes up" so to speak. If you don't expect great things, it certainly reduces your perceived risk. But God has shown me that attitude is wrong, and with His help, I am making steps to change that. Thanks for saying the stuff that was on my heart, but in a better way than I could. You have a way with words that really makes an impact. I, on the other hand, have a lot of words, but they may make sense only to me :) Anyway, I've taken up enough of your space now.
Love you, friend. Thanks for being such an encouragement in my life!
You forgot to mention..."and I've sung at Hobe Sound Bible Church and received a standing ovation"...Ok, so I made up the second part - but not the first!!
It's been great seeing your smiling face at church and while I was in the nursery attending to many munchkins when you sang your solo I enjoyed what I did hear above the din of the kiddies. "-)
Sonja,
I love your blog--I love your sense of humor. It is great to see what is going on in your life! Anyway, I am now an official blogger--thanks for commenting on my blog. I'm still figuring things out--like how to arrange my pictures in an artful fashion. (that caused me some stress tonight--was about ready to shoot the computer) Anyway, I'm glad to see that you are in good health and good spirits!
Sonja--you look so good--I love the new pic of you from the beach at the top of your page.
Ask boldly--so hard to do, yet that is exactly how we are to ask. Good words (as always), my friend.
In regards to Disney...do you remember Robbie (the river guide who worked for my dad)? He told Tom, upon returning from Disney that "it was truly once in a lifetime experience"--meaning, for him once was enough. Tom has latched onto that quote as his mantra so it will be many moons until we make that great trip.
Great to see pics of Jon and Shaun!!
Many pics to make this gal very jealous. Looks like some truly lovely Florida days.
Jenny: you poor thing!! No Disney?!? Honestly, Disney done right requires a little more planning and little more shelling out, but it is SOOOO worth the effort. Makes all the difference. Growing up in FL, I had many of those 1 day drive down to Orl trips. But when you're long distance you need the extra effort. We did that in 05 where we took advantage of the Free disney dining plan that they offer in the fall. IT WAS AWESOME. We're going again this year in Dec. The kids are so excited!
Sheesh, now I sound like a tourist guide or something!!
Sorry, Sonja!
It all looks fun..great to see the W. family. Tara..is this a side-job?:) Can we all come too?!:)
Hey Sonya, Good to see your smiling face around here lately!! Facing the Giants is awesome! Wes and I have been discussing some of the same things you were talking about lately. You really need to watch "Indescribable" by Louie Giglio if you haven't (call me if you want to borrow it while your here.) It will really increase your view of God.
Misty
Love your blog. You have challenged me to get my diet and exercise act together. Working on it...
Missed you at Ochelata. I'm still thinking you should come out with Brent next year---think about it!
Shar,
I missed Ochelata too! I told Brent that he would love it, and he did!
Jenny,
I really believe that Disney can be either wonderful or horrific for families. One tends to see a bit of both at the park! I do think if it is planned well, it can be a good experience. It's also important to make sure one's expectations aren't too high. :)
Tara,
I am having truly lovely Florida days. I'm moaning a bit because they are about to end, but one can't live in vacation mode all the time. *alas* BTW, you do a really great travel guide thing. Maybe you should think about it!
Misty,
I'd love to see it. If you think of it, maybe you can bring it to church.
Cara,
It looks like you conquered the picture issues. Your blog looks great. So great to catch up with you.
Kimberly,
It was really great to spend some time with Jon & Shaun. I think you would enjoy their kids. Great personalities. Really fun! Just wish you were there as well.
Mary Ellen,
Thanks for your kind words, but I fear you did exaggerate just slightly. :) However, praise is always welcome. :)
Cindy,
Sounds like God has been busy! I'm happy for you.
Kim B.,
Yes, I have gotten a bit dark. Hallelujah.
No offense meant by my comment. You look great! Can't wait to see ya again.
Beautiful pics, and fun post! I wanted to tell you that I enjoyed you, Julie F., and Paula's trio on Sunday! I was watching the service on the live stream, and I felt God's presence all the way here in Colombia!
Love, Heather! =)
And a hearty AMEN to what Heather said about your singing on Sunday. God's presence was felt here in beautiful England as well.
It's nice to see you can do pictures and deep thoughts all in one blog posting. ;)
You look like you have had sooo much fun! I've always wanted to go to Disney World and Sea World with my children...sigh...maybe some day....I haven't seen or heard about Jon Witter in years!!! He was a few grades behind me in school...sigh...we just keep getting older....sigh...I'm sounding like Eyore!!! We'll be glad to have you back on campus. Char
Would you mind sending me your email address? I sent out a letter and we very much want you to be involved. You can email me at kelly.s@fuse.net Also, let me know if you have power point on your computer. If not, I need to send it as a jpeg. Thanks.
Hey... so very glad to find your blog... looks like you had a busy summer. Hope you are doing well. I am keeping busy as usual. Would still love to get together with you sometime. Take care of yourself. I really appreciate your friendship! By the way, your blog name is very interesting :-)
Jon and Shaun.... Hmmmm....seems as though I vaguely recognize them. Ah, who knows, maybe not....
Post a Comment