Proud of my Friends...

No POTW this week.  You know how it goes.  BUT... my husband and I did have the chance to drive up to Dallas this weekend for the couples shower of my DEAR, sweet friend and former-college-roommate, Angie.  My parents kept WP (thank, Mom & Dad!).  This was one of the best weekends I've had in a long time.  I am just overflowing with JOY on behalf of my friend Angie & her engagement.  She has never been one to settle, and now, all of her waiting for the right man has paid off!

I got the chance to catch up with several friends from college who live in Dallas and who I don't get to see that often.  And I just have to say that I am SO PROUD OF MY FRIENDS.  They have always been beautiful and kind and fun to hang out with. They have always loved the Lord and been an encouragement to my faith. But now, they have grown into strong WOMEN. Fiances. Wives. Mothers of one, two, three, etc... Some work outside of the home. Some stay at home. Some do both. But they have all just come into their own and I admire and respect them all and am so thankful for those friendships that run deep.  These are the friends who knew me in college in the days of wearing t-shirts and Reefs/New Balances and sometimes bandanas. (Bandanas?!)  It was PRECIOUS to be able to recall some of those days. But even more precious to see my friends who are so special and to know that we are all just doing the best we can with what we've been given.

Throughout the trip, I thought of the verse in Proverbs: "A friend loves at all times."  And it's true.  These are the friends that I love at all times (and who love me at all times) regardless of how much we see each other or talk to each other.

Sweet friends - you know who you are. I love you and I am proud of you. I enjoy checking your blogs to see what's going on in your lives... but it was even better to see you in person, even briefly, this weekend.

POTW 9

POTW 9: Dandelions

This picture pretty much describes the sweet, slow pace of our spring break! I love how the dandelion seeds stand out against the background. And, how this captures William's sweetness and innocence. And how he is wearing a Mater shirt and has stamps on his hand. Our 7 year old neighbor made an astute observation about William's clothes. She said, "Every time I see him he either has on a really nice shirt or a shirt with Mater on it." I guess it just depends on who picks out his clothes that day!  :)

POTW 8

My dear friend and college roommate CeCe and her son Max came to visit us this weekend.  We went to the rodeo and had a blast with the boys.  And... it was good for our souls to get to see each other and catch up in person.

I love that this picture captures beautiful CeCe in a candid 'mom moment' - riding the caterpillar ride with her boy, holding his back pack and his sword.

POTW 7

Went to the Houston Rodeo fair grounds this week, 3 moms and 4 boys.  My favorite part (again this year) was the farm-to-market walk-through for kids.  The kids each get a basket and then take turns pretending to be a farmer. They 'plant' and 'water' seeds, then they get a vegetable for their bucket. They 'feed' chickens then get an egg for the bucket. They 'milk' a 'cow' and get a carton of milk for their bucket.  And so on and so forth. At the end, they get to trade all of their items for 'money' and they can use the 'money' to buy a snack (a real, actual snack).

So, there are multiple Pictures of the Week again. Maybe I should call it 'The week in pictures.' But that would be too ambitious. Most weeks, I'm doing good to get one picture posted.

planting and watering onions

feeding chickens

milking a cow. these fake cows were pretty cool.

running to the farmer's market to sell items

sorting produce into bins 

enjoying the 'fruit roll ups' of their labor