Monday, July 11 - The plans were for the girls to go shopping. But because of the washing machine debacle, we decided that My Prince and I needed to go shopping for a washing machine instead. Which was fine with me. I was excited to be able to get a washing machine that I did not have to baby along.
The Youngest Princess was still at her friend's house. The Oldest Princess went to work and then later in the day met up with Grammy, and they went shopping as planned. My Prince went to work. I worked on my Bible study and did some things around the house. The Young Prince slept in.
At noon, My Prince and I left to go looking for washing machines. The Young Prince and Poppy went shopping, and then fishing.
My Prince and I ate lunch and then went to a home improvement store. There were rows and rows of washers and dryers. I told the salesman that I wanted a dependable TOP LOAD washer for a family of 5. I didn't want one that cooked dinner too. I just needed something that would wash the clothes of a very active 5 person family. He guided us a little, and we settled on a very normal washing machine. He told us they could deliver it on Wednesday, but we were going to be out of town on Wednesday, so we settled on Friday instead. We even lined up for them to remove the old one - hallelujah!
We ran to Walmart and did a little shopping there, and then we came home. The Oldest Princess and Grammy came in shortly after we did. The Oldest Princess wanted to have fried chicken strips, fried okra, peas, and rolls for dinner. So we got busy getting that started.
Grammy ran to Walmart to return something, My Prince left to go pick up the Youngest Princess, and The Oldest Princess and I made memories in the kitchen.
My friend stopped by to return a bowl that I had let her borrow. We talked for a little while until the Oldest Princess cried SOS from the kitchen. My friend left, and I got back to helping with dinner. My Prince and the Youngest Princess returned. The Youngest Princess had backed into a rosebush while at her friend's house, and her little legs were covered in scrapes and scratches. Grammy got home from her Walmart trip and Poppy and the Young Prince returned from their fishing trip.
We finally got dinner ready and on the table. It was delicious if I must say so myself. We all enjoyed it, and I am glad because it will probably be a long time before we do it again.
Tuesday, July 12 - The Oldest Princess was going to babysit for a friend who has a pool, so the Youngest Princess, the Young Prince and I went over to meet her there and swim for a little while.
We swam for about an hour, and then I came home. The Young Prince and the Youngest Princess stayed to come home when the Oldest Princess came home. I got my shower and was resting for a few minutes when the kids got home.
The Oldest Princess found out that it was Chick-fil-a's cow appreciation day or something like that, and she begged for us to go. If you dress up like a cow, then you get your entree free. We tossed around going, or not going for quite a while. The Youngest Princess was already in her pajamas (after her shower) and she made it clear that she did not want to go anywhere. She was still tired from Sunday night's sleepover. But we finally decided to go. The Oldest Princess even talked the Youngest Princess into dressing up like a cow with her. Only the girls dressed up though. The rest of us paid full price for our meal.
When we got there, it was crazy crowded. But thankfully, it was Chick-fil-a, so we did not have a long wait. Probably the longest we have ever had to wait there, but still it was a short wait compared to other places. I love Chick-fil-a's service! We ate and tried not to be too distracted by the other customers dressed like cows.
We went to Walmart to pick up a few things after we ate. We divided and conquered in Walmart. Then the Young Prince wanted to go to Books a Million and see if they had the second book in the series that he had started. They did. He got it, and I got a Karen Kingsbury book that I haven't read yet. The Youngest Pirncess got a yogurt, and we were all ready to go home.
Wednesday, July 13 - My Prince and I were leaving to go on an overnight trip to meet with a church planter in another city. The Young Prince was riding along because we had some friends that we had met while doing different mission work last summer who lived in the area and wanted to see him. The girls stayed home. The Oldest Princess went to pick up the little girl that she babysits, and then came back to see us off. We got ready and headed out.
We met with the others who were going, and hit the road. We enjoyed the fellowship during the trip. We stopped and ate lunch and then continued on our trip. It was a nice, uneventful trip. We finally got to the exit where we were to meet our friends. They were waiting for us. We talked to them for a few minutes, had a time of prayer together, then sent the Young Prince off with them, and continued on our way.
We got to the place where we were staying, unpacked, and freshened up a little, and then met back at the bus to take in some sights and sounds of the city and get some dinner. We drove downtown. The closer we got to downtown, the more it looked like we were in a third world country. I commented about how much it reminded me of the Dominican Republic. If the traffic had been crazy, and the signs in Spanish, I could have convinced myself that I was back in the DR.
We walked around and looked in a few shops. One of us got an unexpected shoe shine. The spiritual oppression was palpable. It was very sad to me. The masses of people who live in hopelessness. Many of them in extreme poverty. And salvation is free. They just have to be ready to accept it. Yet so many of them chose instead to turn it down, and try other things to make them happy, and the things they try just enslave them even more. Very, very sad.
We ate dinner, and it was delicious. Then we walked around some more to walk off a little of our dinner and make room for some dessert. The dessert was delicious as well. After that, we were all ready to head back to the bus and to where we were staying. I got a text from our friends saying that they were going to have dessert and then they would bring the Young Prince back to us. They had the same dessert that we did, only from a different place. I was glad that the Young Prince was able to try one.
We got back to the place where we were staying, and relaxed for a little while until our friends got back with the Young Prince. We sat in the lobby and visited with them for about an hour and a half, until we were all so tired we could hardly hold our eyes open. Our friends still had a little bit of a drive to get home. So we prayed together again, and then they had to leave. We really enjoyed our time with them, and we hope that things work out so that we are able to get together with them again in the near future. It was very sweet of them to drive out of their way not once, but twice for the Young Prince. We haven't known them that long, but there is a special bond in Christ there that makes it feel like we have known them forever.
Thursday, July 14 - We got up and got ready to meet the rest of our group. We stopped at McDonald's and had a quick breakfast, and then went on to meet with the church planter and his family. We sat in their living room and they shared their hearts and their ministry goals with us. It was exciting to hear how God has worked so far and the ways that He has opened doors for them, and the lives that they have seen changed for the Lord. It was also interesting to hear what their needs are, and how we might be able to partner with them and help to see those needs met.
They took us to show us where they have been meeting, and some of the areas where they had been ministering. One of the areas was an open area/playground in an apartment complex where they have held Backyard Bible clubs with the children who live there. There was a streetlight on the edge of that area. On the streetlight was a pole that extended higher than the streetlight. The church planter explained that on that pole was a sensor - a light of some kind - that was a signal to the complex that there was an active shooter event. If the light was on, they were to get to safety as soon as possible. And then we turned the corner, and there were groups of kids walking down the sidewalk. All looked to be elementary school aged, with no adult in sight. The church planter told us that we could not stop, because if we did, the kids would see the church bus and swarm out to see what kind of event we had come to hold for them. I wanted to stop, load the bus and bring them all home with us.
We drove on, and went to lunch. Hearing more about the city and the church planter's heart for the people there. Lunch was very interesting. They had things on the menu that I had never heard of in my life. And certainly did not know what they were. I stuck with something familiar. Catfish. With Turtle cheesecake for dessert. It was delicious.
Then it was time to say our goodbyes and head home. The trip home was a little longer than we had expected because of traffic from several wrecks. But we made it home safely, and had a great time.
We got home and were very glad to see the girls. I had texted the Oldest Princess earlier and asked her to straighten up the laundry room area because they were supposed to bring the new washing machine the next day, and I had no idea what time they would get there. She said she would, and boy did she ever. It looked fantastic when we got home, and not only that, but she had straightened up and cleaned most of the downstairs. I was very proud of her. It looked great!
We visited with the girls and told them some of our stories. They told us some of theirs, and then we all called it a night.
Friday, July 15 - I got up and got dressed pretty quickly, still not knowing when the washing machine would come. They called and said they would be here between 10:30 and 12:30. Then they pulled up about 9:45! Who ever heard of a delivery service coming earlier than scheduled?!? But early they were. My Prince helped them get the old one out and the new one in. They started it to let the water run through it, and then we were in business! I was a clothes washing machine. I got all of the clothes (that had been brought downstairs - there were still clothes upstairs, but they would have to wait for tomorrow) washed and dried and mostly put away.
The young lady that I have been discipling came over for our third session. She is doing great. She knew the memory verses better than I did.
The Youngest Princess and I sat out on the porch for a while. We both read a little. The Young Prince came home after lunch and fishing with some of his buddies. The Oldest Princess came home from babysitting, My Prince got home from work. We all sat on the porch and visited for a few minutes. The Youngest Princess bathed the dog. The Young Prince gave the dog a hair cut. It looks like a different dog now!
Grammy and Poppy came over and we grilled hamburgers for dinner. After dinner, the girls ran to a local store to pick up a few things. The guys started watching a ballgame. We got home and finished cleaning up after dinner and decided to play some Dutch Blitz. The Young Prince dressed up like a "thug" and entertained us (distracted us) while we played. He even got in on the action, and played a hand or two with us, and that almost never happens. He even blitzed once! Grammy blitzed too! It was a good night all the way around.
Grammy and Poppy headed home, and we all went to bed. It did not take me long at all to fall asleep. I was very tired. We have exciting things coming up, and a full schedule for the next few weeks, so who knows when I will have another chance, but -
Until I blog again...
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