A boy's dream

Before we moved out here we had 10 days of being "homeless". We had to be out of our house by the end of July, but we were weren't scheduled to move to Missouri until August 10th. The parent's of some friends of ours opened their home to us. They live out in the country on a farm. They have an apartment above their house that they let missionaries stay in. What a blessing for our family.

In the moments that were weren't busy getting ready to go we enjoyed the scenery at their place. The boys especially had fun watching the tractors working in the field. They also enjoyed the freedom they had to run wild for a change. :)

Time for a change

Before our big move here, two of my friends treated me to a hair salon so I could get a little bit of a new look. What a great gift! I had been wanting to get my hair cut for awhile but never got around to making myself an apt.

Here is the before shot.

In the process of getting the cut.

The end result.

It took me a few minutes to get used to my new look...but I absolutely LOVE it! It is so light and so freeing. I almost felt like a different person.

Thank you Janel and Pam for treating me and making me feel special!!

A night to remember

*Written about my last girls night out on August 5th. I am starting to realize that I may not get caught up on my blog as it is taking me too long. I may just have to skip to the present pretty soon here. : )

My friends arranged to have a fun girls night right before we were to move away. It was decided that we would go to the cheesecake factory (which is located at a mall) and then do a little shopping.

These are the beautiful woman who were able to come that night. There were 12 of us.

I was craving a salad....and salad I did get. This picture doesn't do it justice, Oh my word, it was the biggest salad I have ever seen. :)

After we finished eating it was pretty late and there was only about 10 minutes left to shop. So we had a mad dash out the door. Everyone scattered in smaller groups and went to their favorite places. Somehow we all managed to find one another again in the middle of this outdoor mall. The stores had closed but no one felt like ending the night just yet. Janel announced that we needed to make this a memorable night. She suggested that we go run through the water fountains. We all walked over there admiring the view at night. It really is a lovely place to go at night with the streets being all lit up and soft dancing music being played for the enjoyment of all

I didn't really think that anyone would ACTUALLY do it. But three of my friends (Janel, Jenny and Nicole) decided it really would be fun to run through the water.

Standing there watching them (and laughing) I thought, "I really wish I had enough guts to be that fun." Oh be careful what you wish...

I laughed so hard watching them that I nearly wet my pants! :) I asked them to get together so that I could take their picture. They had asked if I would like to join in the fun but I had declined using the excuse that I needed to take pictures.

Next Pam (my friend who takes amazing pictures) offered to take a picture of all 4 of us. She made me hand off my camera. They decided it would be nice to hug me, getting me all wet in the process.

I should have known it was coming, but the next thing I knew after a wet embrace was that I was being dragged into the fountain. :)

And before I know it I was running through too. Forgetting my age, forgetting that this was my last night out, just being caught up in the joy of being together and having fun like I was a child again.

I have not laughed so hard in so long. This picture truly captures the essence of the evening for me. It was definitely the BEST girls night we have had in a long time.

Thank you sweet friends for giving me the greatest gifts. The gift of laughter and the gift of your friendship. I treasure each and every one of you. Thank you for giving me a beautiful night that I will always remember!