Friday Fave Five - July 10th

Ohmygoodness. This week went by FAST! But good. Lots of good things. At Living to Tell the Story, we share our five favorite things about the week - feel free to join Susanne and the rest of us, and share yours too!1. Friday night in Hudson, WI for the Fourth of July festivities. The hubby and I took our lawn chairs and set up on the banks of the St. Croix river to watch the smalltown fireworks, literally, over our heads. Beautiful and fun! Afterwards, we snuck up to our favorite restaurant (while the traffic was heavy getting out of town), shared some coconut scallop pasta and a little tres leche dessert... and headed home. A perfect evening.

2. Saturday afternoon and evening, we headed to my parents' house in my home town and spent the day with the family, the neighbors, and friends. We talked, laughed, ate yummy food, avoided rain, and watched bigger fireworks, literally over our heads! Great fun - and worth the late drive home!

3. Sunday was a good day too! At worship, my pastor prayed over me and "dedicated" me to my new full-time position at that church! It felt really nice to have such support as I get started with this new job, full of possibilities! After church, the hubby and I spent the afternoon at the pool, and enjoyed a fun visit from Emily and Elly. So fun and relaxing! A great day.

4. Two days this week I volunteered for a Summer Meal Program at one of our local elementary schools - we went and served breakfast to about 200 summer school kids, grades 1-5. So fun! I got to work with people from my current, and old, churches - so it was good to stay connected to some already. The kids were so cute and polite and sweet. (The only thing I didn't care for, was being called "M'am" all morning... I think I'm past the days of "Miss." Bummer.)

5. I'm going camping tonight! I missed all my opportunities for sleeping under the stars last summer - so I'm very excited for tonight! The hubby and I will go to a State Park only 10 minutes from home, hike in to the campground, set up camp, eat a yummy dinner, enjoy a campfire and some smores, and watch the stars. Tomorrow, we'll make breakfast, break down camp, hike out, come home, and... go to the pool! Ha ha ha. I love living so close to a State Park!

Things I am thankful for today:

1. Sleeping in til 8am. That seems so late compared to the rest of the week!

2. The dog being giddy that I am still at home with her! (I worked 10-11 hour days all week...)
3. Getting a campsite.

4. The hubby calling to make sure I was awake to go get the campsite when they opened - well, I'm amused at that... Ha ha ha.

5. A beautiful drive in the country this morning - and again this afternoon.

6. Orange juice.

7. "The Message" paraphrase of the Bible.

8. Pastor Penny working our "Open Sanctuary" last night. It felt so good to be home by 6:30pm!

9. Smores.

10. Major rainfall last night! My flowers look great today!