Easter

We had a great Easter (Resurrection Sunday) this year. It's all about God and church for us. We've never really done the whole bunny and eggs thing. (Though my mom has gotten Easter baskets for the kids in the past.) And even if we did, my kids are too old for it now. :-)

I bought my dress a couple months ago. Actually, I wasn't Easter shopping at the time that I bought the dress, but after buying it (less than $60 at Dress Barn) I decided that it would be great for Easter. I wore a white shrug over it.

 I'm only 5'0", so the dress covers my knees.

I went shopping for the kids the Friday and Saturday before Easter. Kelly chose a turquoise skirt (just $14.99 at Stein Mart) and then decided she didn't feel like getting a top or shoes to go with it. :-/ She wore a shirt and heels she already had. Sean chose an aqua dress shirt (on sale at Macy's) and wore it with a black suit he already has. I also bought him some new black dress shoes at Shoe Dept. (on sale for $25), which he needed.

Not the color of Kelly's skirt. The one she got is turquoise.

Click here.

 
I bought Charlie a pair of black casual slacks (he doesn't like dress slacks) and a dress shirt (white with black and gray vertical stripes). I had hoped and expected that he would go to church with us. (He hasn't been in about 7 or 8 years. His job requires him to travel a lot and he's gotten too used to not going.) Surely, on a day when everyone who claims to believe in God/Jesus Christ and His resurrection goes to church, Charlie would go, too. I begged, I pleaded, told him that I had bought him something to wear, but to no avail. He stayed in bed and we had to go to church without him. :-( *sigh*

But did my sadness and disappointment stop me from having a great, wonderful, awesome time at church? No way! I enjoyed God's presence and the singing and the anointed preaching. I worshipped God anyway! He is worthy no matter what is going on in my life.

Nearly every seat was filled on Easter Sunday. We had 439 in church that day. We ran out of parking spots, but there's a very large church across the street from us with tons of parking. Some people parked there and walked across the street to our church. :-D

We sang several songs, there were a few solos, and the ensemble sang a couple songs. The songs that moved us most were"The Blood" (It reaches to the highest mountain. It flows to the lowest valley. The blood that gives me strength from day to day, it will never lose its power.), "Living, He Loved Me", and "Nobody" by Tye Tribbett (sung by our ensemble - they did awesome!).






Our pastor preached from Matthew 27: 45-49, "The Total Eclipse of the Son", about what happened when the sky went dark while Jesus was on the cross. Awesome message.

After coming home from church, Charlie and Sean went off somewhere for a little bit. I made pancakes (for me), scrambled eggs (for Kelly), and bacon for Kelly and me.

So, with the exception of Charlie not going to church with us, it was a lovely Easter. Beautiful weather, awesome singing and worship, anointed preaching, a full sanctuary, and good food. :-)

Weekend Getaway

Charlie and I went to Southport the weekend before Easter. It was the first time we'd taken a trip without the kids since December 2006, when we celebrated our 12th anniversary.

We left Friday, April 11th, and came home on Monday, April 14th. We wanted to stay at a B&B or the Riverside Motel, but they were all booked. So, we stayed further inland at the Comfort Suites.

We ate at Ship's Chandler the first night. I love the views of the river and nearby islands from the restaurant. The food wasn't as good as it normally is, but it was still good. Certainly better than any seafood in Greensboro.

On Saturday, after eating breakfast at Locals, we took the ferry over to Ft. Fisher to go to the butterfly house at the aquarium. It's a new attraction and we really enjoyed it.

The green butterflies (emerald swallowtail) were my favorite.

After taking the ferry back to Southport, we got ice cream at an ice cream shop in the yacht basin and then went to Caswell Beach, but didn't stay long because there were too many people for my liking. I prefer having the beach to myself. Or at least no more than about 5 or 6 other people. I normally go in the early evening (5-6:00) for this reason, but we were there around 4:00 and that's too early if you don't want to share the beach with a dozen or more people.

We spent most of Sunday (after eating breakfast at Locals) browsing the shops downtown. One of our favorite stores is Ocean Outfitters. Charlie got a couple T-shirts (Southport & Salt Life) and a Salt Life sticker for his Nova. I got a Southport T-shirt, a Salt Life sticker for my car, and a sign with the words "Southport Where Memories are Made" painted on it. I got a pretty throw pillow (Life is Better on the Beach) and Southport, NC, flag at Bullfrog Corner.

We also picked up a few things for the kids while we were in Southport - Oak Island T-shirts, a Tar Heel beach towel for Sean, a stuffed tiger cub for Kelly. I got another Southport T-shirt at a drug store and an Oak Island T-shirt at one of the beach stores for myself.

After shopping, we spent some time at Waterfront Park and then went to "The Point" on Oak Island.

 
For supper that night, we ate at Fishy Fishy Cafe in the yacht basin. We had never eaten there before, but I'd heard that the food is good. I always order fried flounder when I eat seafood. Fishy Fishy Cafe has the  best fried flounder I've ever eaten in my life. It tasted so fresh and fishy (in a good way) and the crust was crunchy and tasty. I couldn't get over how good it was. I wish Southport was a lot closer because I've craved Fishy Fishy Cafe's fried flounder many times since coming back home.

Charlie and I ate at one of their outdoor tables. We loved the view of the river, the intracoastal waterway, the yacht basin, Oak Island, and Oak Island lighthouse. There were just two things I didn't like about Fishy Fishy Cafe - the fries were too soft and they don't have fried clams. Other than that, excellent restaurant.

Monday, April 14th, we ate breakfast at Locals one more time (I love their French toast) and took the ferry to Ft. Fisher. (We wanted to go to Caswell Beach again, but there were way too many people there, so we didn't even stop.) From there we drove to Wilmington and rode the horse-drawn trolley. It was a nice way to end our weekend away.

Happy Birthday, Sean!

Seventeen years ago on April 9th, at 6:24 PM, I gave birth to my son Sean. I hadn't planned on having kids. Didn't want any really. But what a happy surprise when I got the news that I was going to have a baby. I loved him immediately and prayed that God would bless him and use him for His kingdom. Whenever I would listen to certain songs while pregnant with Sean, he would get very active and I knew he would be a worshipper someday.

Today, he loves God and going to church more than ever and loves worshipping God. He's also very outgoing (unlike his introverted mama), friendly, affectionate, goofy, and always wants to be right in the middle of whatever's going on. Especially at church. I love all these things about him and I love that he not only seems to respect my advice, but asks for it.

It's hard to believe he's already 17. Almost a man. The time has passed by too quickly. I love him more than words can say and I'm so proud of him for being interested in the things of God.