Here's to another Friday-Saturday-Sunday in the books. Each weekend the same, yet oh so different! This was a "Betsey" weekend - as in, my weekend to have Emma and Lara here at my house in Stillwater. Nothing much was planned, and we only had a few places to be on a schedule, so it was looking to be a relaxing weekend. In most regards, it really was. Nice weather, some down time, and time with the family. Just what we all needed.
Friday Night Lights was the first big event on the agenda. Our awesome student trainers even got a shout out on the Facebook page as they were advertising the upcoming game!
Emma came to Stillwater earlier in the evening, and the whole family made it to the stadium about 6:15 pm. It was a BEAUTIFUL night, and we were looking forward to the little girls from the pom and cheer clinic performing at the pre-game, some awesome Pioneer (undefeated) football, and a great "God Save the Queen" halftime show from our amazing marching band - all while celebrating "Pink Out Week" and raising awareness and money for Breast Cancer Research! Lara on the field, Emma with her friends, Jake with his, and Finn sitting with mom and dad. It was a great night. Pioneers beat Mustang and moved to 3-0 on the season.
Lara is so lucky to have a sister. A TWIN sister. A built in best friend, confidant, and someone to see you through to the other side. They may not live together, and they may not have the same interests and talents, but they will always be sisters. And Friday night, after the game, after the lights went off, emotions of the win died down, and the stress of LIFE as a teenage girl came crashing down, Lara needed her sister. There were tears, sobs, and cries for comfort. She needed me, too. I did my thing - I was her soft place to land. A shoulder to cry on, ears to listen, the gentle reminder of Whose she is and that He is always on control, some motherly advice and counsel, and she felt better. Maybe just a little. But then the lights go out and the door closes. And the soft words of sisters deep in conversation float out and can still be heard. Not what they're saying, but the tone and timbre of the words being spoken. Thankful for that bond. And that God knew. He knows we all need grace, and we all need a sister - by blood or by love - whichever he has blessed you with. Thank you, Lord, for the sisters I get to raise and nurture, and thank you for the "sisters" you have put in my life to help me, too.
Saturday morning, everyone was up earlier than they probably wanted to be (except Jake; I think he had his uniform on by 7:00 am). We left relatively early for a quick jaunt to Edmond for Jake's first game with his new team. It was a fun and exciting game, ended with a big win, and then we had to find some lunch to eat for the hungry crowd. We tried a new place we'd never tried called PDQ. We were excited to eat there as we had tried a couple of times in the past but since it was new it was always too busy. Luckily, the new has worn off a bit and we got right in! Great food, fun family time, and a promise to go back soon! Thank you Lord, for a family that loves to do life together.
The rest of Saturday was spent relaxing and recuperating. No one had any pressing plans, so there was lots of YouTube, Netflix, DVR, and a few books were opened. Finn keeps both girls pretty busy as he loves them SO MUCH and just wants them to play with him! I love watching the girls (and the boys) when they have "down time." Unscheduled, uninterrupted, free time. You see what they treasure, can get them to chat about what they love, and thoughts come out that during the usual hustle and bustle might be missed. The last hour before I left for a commitment that night, we all 3 just hung out in the girls' room and talked and laughed. There was a discussion about future baby names (Emma's not having kids!) and an assessment of the joke that ends in the punch line "Because Seven Eight (ate) Nine" that left us all in a mess of giggles! So fun! Thank you Lord, for relaxing weekend days.
Sunday was a bit cloudy, and some refreshing rain came down, but again, a wonderful and relaxing day. Mid-morning Emma was a bit bored, and she knew Nana and Grandpa were moving some boxes to their new house today, so she went over to help them for the rest of the day. The rest of us went out for an "out of the hat" lunch where everyone puts a suggestion on a slip of paper and the one drawn out wins. We even got our weekly family meeting out of the way at lunch (there is NOTHING on the calendar for Thursday - HOW???), which is a weekend must! A fun way to spend the early afternoon. It was back to family board games for the afternoon. Another fit of giggles came from our 2nd round of Apple to Apples when Lara couldn't say "Swedish Massage" with out a strange accent and/or misplaced S sounds. We all got a good chuckle out of that! I have to say, I love the giggles a lot more than the tears... After Nana and Grandpa finished wearing Emma out, they took her home to Orlando. We are so grateful for her servant's heart and her willingness to help her grandparents out. The rest of us went to Life Church for Sunday night to hear more about "My Big Fat Mouth" and being critical. We got home in time for showers, homework and bedtime. Thank you Lord, for your Word to guide our feet and a pastor who tells it like it is.
We all really seem to finally be in the routine of this school year. Grades are being recorded, clubs are meeting, teams are practicing. The girls are here one weekend and in Orlando the next. This past weekend was a reminder that life ebbs and flows. There are highs and lows, but He supplies us the tools we need to learn and grow. We are reminded that GRACE wins, every time. And being a teenage girl is fun, challenging, educational in so many ways, and on some days - just plain hard. Here's to a better week and weekend coming up. Thank you Lord, for the time to recharge our batteries on the weekends.
No comments:
Post a Comment