Vacation Conclusions

THANKS BE TO GOD for the blessings of safe AND happy travel! Those two things are huge... especially considering some of the breakdowns we've had in recent months.

ANYHOW, we arrived safely home last night with no sunburns & walked into a clean house. After discussing it for a while, Jason & I came to the mutual conclusion that even though our trip to the beach was short, it WAS a true vacation- filled with rest and indulgence.

The list of things we indulged in:

Sleep

Sun

Beer

Cheesecake

Buttermilk Pie

Cable TV & Cartoons

PLUS, sweet husband made it extra special for me by keeping the condo kitchen clean, letting me sleep in 1 morning & giving me an afternoon all to myself to.......drumroll please....SHOP!

(in front of the shrimp boat 'Polly Anna')

We also pinpointed the low spots of the trip as being our 2 experiences eating out.

#1. Eating lunch at a BBQ joint that WAY overcharged us

#2. Getting overcharged TWICE at the Coffee Shop

(.....Does anyone else get the feeling that retailers are intentionally deceptive and don't care much about customer service & true value? I don't want to be a scrupulous miser but it makes me feel like I have to watch out every time I buy something.)

Oh well, all the more reason to appreciate the Creator's handiwork...

...things like the sunset, the fresh sea breeze, the dolphins jumping in the harbor and the children shreeking with laughter while they play.

Silliness at our house

Lily Mae had a blast spitting her cream of wheat everywhere today! According to her sisters, Michael is the one who taught her how to do that... can you hear him making 'motor' sounds in the background? Yeah, he does that all the time.

And here he is trying to ride our mutt Tawny.

She is getting to be VERY good natured with his antics.

Encouragement from the Pope

"You need to know what you believe. You need to know your faith
with that same precision with which an IT specialist knows the
inner workings of a computer. You need to understand it like a
good musician knows the piece he is playing. Yes, you need to
be more deeply rooted in the faith than the generation of your
parents so that you can engage the challenges and temptations
of this time with strength and determination. You need god’s
help if your faith is not going to dry up like a dewdrop in the
sun, if you want to resist the blandishments of consumerism, if
your love is not to drown in pornography, if you are not going
to betray the weak and leave the vulnerable helpless."

-part of Pope Benedict XVI's introduction in the new Youth Catechism

God Bless Him!

A few pictures...

Easter Sunday at Mater Dei in Irving. It was great!

My Easter 'Lily'

By the Dallas Patriots Field House

Our New Dog, Tawny

AND, apparently I need a new camera. oh joy.

anne can spell. <-- (Anne's first attempt at typing! She's awesome)