Memphis, Tennesee

We hadn't gotten to visit Aaron's Dad since Thanksgiving,

 



so hanging out with the cousins in the back yard was a priority.

 



It's good for my kids to get re-acclimated to the heat and humidity of being outside.

 



The grownups sat where their feet could get the edge of the sprinkler to help them stay cool.

 



Benjamin chose the full body mud bath to help him stay cool.

 



Popsicles were a good way to beat the heat, too.

 



Even some of the adults couldn't resist the sweet treat.

 



July is a big month for birthday celebrations on this side of the family.

 



Of the thirteen people in the house, six of them have July birthdays!

 



When we were lighting the candles on the birthday cake, the non-July-birthday kids decided to crawl underneath the table.

 



 

The cake used to have everybody's name on it, but now six is just too many.

 

The two-year-old conked out before the cake and ice cream, but it was still a good-looking bunch!

 



The next day, we looked for indoor activities to beat the heat.  Bungee jumping...

 



riding the carousel...

 

 

 and reading books at Barnes and Noble.

A bubble bath was the perfect way to finish the day!

 



This morning, the chefs whipped up a delicious breakfast (you never go hungry at Oma's house)

 



and sent us out the door with smiles.

 



Seminary Friends

 

On our way to Aaron's Dad's on Wednesday, we stopped to eat lunch with some sweet friends from our seminary days in Memphis.  So thankful they were both available and willing to give us a couple of hours at Chick-Fil-A

Olive Branch, Mississippi

 

 We just love this family that hosted us Tuesday night. 

 

 

Who knew that library story-time for our preschoolers would lead to a life-long friendship?!?

Thank you, friend, for your wise words and listening ears.  You dropped words into our lives that we needed to hear and encouraged this mama-heart of mine!

 



Birmingham, Alabama

Monday evening, we stopped outside of Birmingham to catch up with some friends who served with us in a church in Arkansas.  We hadn't seen them in way too long!

 



We also celebrated Olivia's birthday with a free piece of pecan pie (her choice, she is a Southern girl, after all).

 



Albany, Georgia

Saturday afternoon, we arrived in Albany, Georgia,

 



 

to visit with friends we met when we taught orchestra in the public schools in Arkansas.

 

It was so nice to cook together and play games together and laugh together and "remember when" together.

 



We thought our hearts would break when they moved away from Arkansas in 2000 to serve at Sherwood Baptist Church.

 



 

We've all changed a little bit since we...

 



 

took Sarah on a mission trip to Jackson, MS, during Spring Break 2000...

 



 

...or met up at youth church camp in the summer of 2001...

 

 

...or visited them in Georgia in the Summer of 2004 (the girls both had to fix their hair with sponge rollers).

 



But the Lord has kept out hearts knit together.  I think it might have something to do with this family's commitment to ministry in and through the church.

 

 

We stayed up late and laughed and got to share a little bit with the church on Sunday afternoon.  The church gathered around and prayed for us, it was the highlight of our weekend.

 

And Monday morning, we got a sweet surprise when another friend brought gifts for SITAG:  movies and books produced by Sherwood Pictures!

 



Thanks for your thoughtfulness!  I can hardly wait to deliver your gifts to our colleagues in the Solomon Islands.

 



Aren't these sisters just beautiful?  I think their lovely spirits just shine right through!

 



 

When all of the cousins and friends got together, we ended up with six adults and twelve children running around the house.

 

 

The laughter bounced off the walls and around the house and filled our ears.

 



Our hearts are so grateful for the relationships the Lord has allowed us to forge over the years.  Even though I would have been very content to stay in my home town, He knew that my life would be so much richer for the people who would invade my life.

 



 

Tallahassee, Florida

 Friday afternoon, we arrived in Tallahassee to visit with our "adopted family" from college.  When we met them, the kids were nine and seven.

 

We visited them as newlyweds, but the clan has grown quite a bit since then.

 



 

Now they have four grandchildren in addition to the adopted Choate kids.

 



 

Both families laughed and played and held babies and reminisced.

 

The two Benjamins

 

 

Love this couple who chose to invest in us so many years ago.  Their hard work is still reaping fruit in our family!