Our story part five

With out my knowledge, the man I would later learn preferred to be called Michael, had been sitting a few rows behind me in church for four weeks before our “chance” meeting at the sanctuaries front! He had been observing me, and trying to work up the courage to speak to me. In our brief conversation that day in the lobby of first Baptist, I learned he had quit the University to work full time on a real estate project of town homes there in Lexington. That would explain why I never met him all those cold mornings on campus, I thought. We exchanged very little information in our short dialogue, and he ended the pleasantries with “well, maybe we can have lunch sometime”. I remember walking away thinking to myself, how lame, lunch sometime??? Seriously? He is obviously not interested, lunch, nobody that says” let’s have lunch sometime” ever REALLY has lunch, and besides that, he doesn’t even have my number, how is he going to call me?

Eleven days later his voice was on the other end of the telephone line. He had spent the previous weekend at a Christian conference, and was anxious to share with me what he had learned. His voice was strong, and sure, and he talked as if he already knew me. "We can call him Abba Father” he explained with emotion, “that is like saying Daddy, Daddy, and climbing up into his arms of safety”, I remember his excitement. It was as if it was not really a new concept to him, but as if it had just become alive in his heart. I was hooked on his enthusiasm over a spiritual concept, and blown away that he was so open and honest about his “experience”.

 Then it came... his invitation for dinner the next evening. My spirits shrank, I had already accepted a date with a boy for that night, “well” he rebounded quickly,” how about lunch?” Oh, how embarrassing, I had already agreed to tennis with Rob. I explained apologetically, then without hesitation, I invited him to join me for a college and career fellowship at the teachers house the next night, Saturday. He agreed, and we settled on a time for him to pick me up as I gave him directions to my house on Summerfield lane. I was so glad that my silly insignificant social schedule with those boys hadn’t prevented him from making plans with me.

Fridayflew by as I floated on cloud nine, and dreamed about my date with Mike. He was a great looking man, seemed to love the Lord, and wasn’t the least bit afraid to speak of it. By my account he was my dream come true. I couldn’t wait for Saturday night’s fellowship, so I could get to know more about this guy.

On that evening I chose to wear my black velvet Calvin Klein’s, and I remember spending a lot of time on my hair. I do remember that I wasn’t very nervous though, considering how excited I was. He came to the door just as I was pulling the baked beans I had made to bring to the fellowship, out of the oven. I noticed his bright smile as he entered the kitchen; he was so confident and friendly, as he chatted with my mom. He told me I looked nice, and his big brown eyes sparkled, then we were off, the two of us, and my baked beans.

unexpected sunshine

special delivery

Remember these little beauties? 
Well, they are finally paying their rent.

spring wreaths

I think this paper roses wreath by Stephanie Lynn at Under the table dreaming is really to-die-for. I have been keeping my eye out for a pretty wreath idea to make my doors a bit more welcoming, and this was the first that really caught my attention. I have double doors, so making a wreath, means making two:). Here is the line up of the favorites I found. I am enlisting your help in choosing which one to try to make.

In the etsy store Itzfitz there are some really pretty wreaths like this one,

and this one,

aren't they just so pretty?

I also found this nice image online, but the etsy seller no longer exists, and doesn't have a blog anymore, so I can't give credit where credit is due, but I did want to share, it is so very feminine. I am not certain that I could recreate it, but I could try. I would change the sign to perhaps He is risen, or Happy Spring, or He's alive, or maybe leave it off so It can stay on my door longer.

and, this from Home Confetti, 

don't you just LOVE that little sign stuck on top??

Or, click this to see some goodness from under the sycamore!

And, at the spotted sparrow look at this, so simple, but the vintage feel really appeals to me. I'm not sure how I would hang it, perhaps by a ribbon attached to the back. My doors are also glass, so the back has to be at the least tidy, and at best pretty.

Here's one from etsy seller DanaAndCarol,

 it really screams spring doesn't it? 

The always beautiful and fresh Layla shares a how-to for an equally fresh and beautiful wreath HERE, at the lettered cottage. If you haven't found her decorating blog, you must stop by for a visit. 

What about this braided wreath from Carolyn, she also shares the how to for this one, on her blog Homework, with a robins nest complete with tiny blue eggs that I adore! 

So, there you have it,

 anyone with spring fever out there? 

Which wreath do you like best from those I've chosen?

platters, splattered on the wall

This post went out without any words first,by mistake, so for the three people who read my blog, if you read it through a reader you received that post, and must have thought I was a bit random. So sorry!

Anyway, since I was on a plate hanging rampage, I decided to finally hang all these white platters I have been collecting.

Here they are on the left,



and from the right.

They were so much bigger before I hung them up!


There you have it, platter splatter.

Our story part four

I was not aware that my mystery man had dropped out of college to run a town home development full time. He was not aware that I had quit my job as a pizza server to lead women in aerobics to the beat of "it's raining men". So while I sat on a cold brick wall on the campus of USC hoping for a "chance" meeting, he continued to order pizza in hopes of spying his new favorite waitress.


As days turned into weeks, the semester changed, and so did my class schedule. I eventually gave up my quest for the stone khaki clad prep, and other boys came a calling. I dated muscle man Mark, the older brother of a high school friend for a few weeks, only to determine that he was a very nice boy, but not for me. There was Rob, a boy whose father worked at the same plant mine did, and who had come to the south under the same circumstances. We had several lunch dates, and he had been a good friend, but that was all I saw him as. Rafe was a boy from the hut, that never really asked me out, but asked for rides to school sometimes, and we had spent some time together at his house. 


The Lord continued to work in my heart, as I sought him and his plan for my life. Months prior to this my mother and I had visited a college in Florida that I was interested in attending. I felt like God was calling me there, and was saving and planning for that to happen the next fall. That was seven or eight months out, and I was looking forward to that change. I had spent the last eight months grieving the deaths of two very important parts of my identity. 


The death of the relationship to my high school sweetheart was painful, although I had accepted that a future with him would have been a disaster, and that it was truly God's will that I move on, and I was grateful. 
It was clear to me at that point that he would not have been the spiritual leader that I longed for in a life mate.


 The death of my parents relationship however was not something I was learning to accept. I could not see God's hand in that fatality, and I was growing bitter and uncomfortable in my roll as a daughter. The holidays had been pitiful, as my thanksgiving was a Burger King whopper alone in my bedroom, and my Christmas had been a painful attempt at a insincere reconciliation. I felt abandoned by my older siblings, and often felt like I was bearing the burden alone. My Dad was like a walking dead man, and I longed for the stability that he had always been for me. I watched as the Mom I knew wasted away, plagued with a chronic nervous cough, and I was being used as both a confidante and a sounding board, caught in the middle of their pain. I hate to admit it, but I longed to escape, and an out of state college sounded like a good option.


I was getting more involved in the college and career group at Lexington Baptist, and we were getting together as a group every weekend for food and fellowship. Between school, and work, church, and my social life, I was a busy girl. Spring was fast approaching, and my second semester was in full swing. It had been three months since the night I met the mystery man.


One Sunday morning as the service came to a close, I reached for my purse and bible, and as I rose to leave I glanced up to see Steve and Kathy at the front of the sanctuary. It had been a while since we had talked, so I decided to go up and say hello. As I approached I noticed there talking to them was a man whose back was toward me. Kathy warmly smiled at me, and welcomed me into their circle. I turned, and there he was, a heavenly chorus broke out that all of Lexington county could surely hear, as Kathy introduced Mike, the man they had tried to set up with Steve's sister....her voice trailed off as our eyes met. "Aren't you the girl from Pizza Hut" he asked, smoothly. "yeah" I replied, "I waited on you." 


to be continued


click 
for part one
for part two
for part three

jumping lenses?

You will have to excuse my pictures for a while, as my favorite lens decided to jump off the highest shelf in the TV cabinet in my bedroom. It was the middle of the night, and there was a big thud that woke me up, and it was my very stylish, but still padded camera case, that was on the shelf, but was now on the floor. How does that happen? It was the middle of the night, no one was moving, just the earth rotating the sun as usual, and splat goes my beautiful Nikon 18-135 loveliness, and now she is scrambled eggs inside, rattling like the pit full of snakes in that Indiana Jones movie. Tragic I tell you, eye leaking tragedy, and now my pics are, well, not very good, because I have to use my long lens for everything, and well, I don't know, it just doesn't work like my scrambled friend did.

So any way, here's what I did with some plates....whatever!