As I commented below, I was the only Men's Retreat Celebrant in Arizona. I didn't do anything Friday night 'cuz Mike had gotten up before 5:00 that morning to pick up Carlos Guitierrez and drive the 9 1/2 hours to the retreat and I had to work and I was tired. Saturday, I slept in a little, but was at Bed Bath and Beyond by 10:00 to buy a new iron. Then I went to a new Mexican Food restaurant for lunch that had a patio overlooking a small lake. I sat in the sun (78 degrees) and read a book on my Kindle and ate salsa and enchiladas and sopapillias for about an hour and half. aaahhhhh the life.
Since it was half price day at all the Goodwill stores, I then went shopping at three out of the five that are around my area. I found 4 nice suede look pillows for my couches for $6.00 that washed very nicely, a fairly new vaccume cleaner for $7.50 and a few other things I liked. I never buy anything when Mike tags along with me. He walks thru the store and wants to leave in about 10 minutes and always questions my purchases (even though he likes what I do buy AFTER I bring it home and integrate it into the house). So I got to leisurely shop in peace and buy what I wanted with him gone. And yes, he likes all the stuff I bought. One day I will have to take pictures of my "finds". There are a lot of old people here in AZ that donate good stuff to the Goodwill and I have gotten a bunch of cute stuff.
After going to Walmart to pick up some "men's retreat snacks". :-) I came home and washed the pillows and tore apart the vaccume cleaner and gave it a good cleaning and washed the filters, etc. There are a couple of minor issues, but it works and it only cost $7.50...not over $100. Those issues don't effect the working of it. I finished decorating my triple dresser hutch for valentines and put away the snowmen pitcher and cups I've had forever, but forgotten I had until I found them in a box I brought from AL.
I slept late on Sunday...Yes I can do that since church starts at 3:00pm...and then got up and cleaned and vaccumed the house. :-) Since all the assistants were teaching, all I had to do was show up at church....or so I thought...
I occasionally fall back into years of habits from Bessemer. I was used to tinkering around in my Sunday School class or Children's Church until prelims started and I would hear the bell and I would go sit down and church would start. Well, I've was in the SS area tinkering around, then went and sat down and wondered when church would start...and then Sis. Brooks got up and started church...and I suddenly remembered...OH NO...I'M THE SUNDAY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT!!!!!!! I'M SUPPOSED TO START CHURCH! I keep forgetting that! I am so used to Mike being the superintendent for years and years. Bro. Adam Clifton has filled in for me a couple of Sundays and leading us in song and this Sunday I just forgot! Sigh~ Old grooves are hard to get out of.
Speaking of grooves...I was Sunday School Coord in AL and here I am now the WMB one and I am having the hardest time switching my mind back around to Missions. However, it just may be my mind. I am fixing to be 51 ya know. I'm praying I get the inspiration for the WMB.
I have no clue when the district coventions are, but I do know that one is 5 1/2 hours away in Hatch NM and we will drive there...and the other will probably be in Denver area...which will mean I will be catching a plane flight. Hear that Alabama people!!! I HAVE TO FLY IN A PLANE TO GO TO A DISTRICT CONVENTION!! I haven't figured out how I am going to pull it off yet...I will have to get off work, board a plane and land in Denver. Sis. Haley has promised to pick me up and keep me. I guess I need to badger someone into telling me when the conventions are so I can make plans. Arizona is on the back 40 ya know.
Will be holding down the fort at work for a few days while the others are at a conference, so hopefull it will be peaceful and quiet. I will revamp the filing drawers while everyone is away. I am working about 42 hours per week and had my raise kick in this paycheck. Although I am salary now, those extra hours will go toward my trip to Israel.
STORY ABOUT THE ISRAEL TRIP:
When the trip to Israel were last taken.... while my Dad was completely blind...I told him that if God ever healed him I wanted to make sure that he and mom went to Israel. Well, God healed him and his eyesight is still improving every month. When the Evening Light came out with all the pictures of the new marker, everyone got excited and Dad is making sure that he and mom, me and Mike and my sister and her husband are going to Israel. We need God to still do some more healing, but we are all going on by faith. Keep praying. I had already witnessed to my new employer of this healing and then later told him of the trip to Israel and he agreed that I needed to go. So he is giving me the time off for two weeks to make the trip. ( I haven't explained the Assembly to him yet. :-)
5 comments:
For many years I used to look forward to hunting season in Colorado. That meant that my husband and kids would be gone for 5 or 6 days to the cabin (a.k.a. my in-law's home in the mountains) and I would be home ALL ALONE. I LOVED that time of doing what I wanted, when I wanted. I wouldn't want to live like that every day, but one a year was FANTASTIC. Now the kids are gone and I miss them. Brother Smith seldom travels alone without me these days and on the rare occasion he does it seems like I have a Ladies' Retreat or something else going on that prevents me from really kicking back and relaxing--staying up late reading or doing a puzzle or something. Oh well. There are more important things in life.
Did Brother Mike enjoy the Men's Retreat? I'm certain the Lord pours extra blessings out on those who travel the extra mile (or a few hundred) to be faithful to Church activities. It's always worth the sacrifice!
I'm so excited about the Israel trip! I kept thinking yesterday that I was homesick for Israel. There's just something about being in the that land. When you go the first time, you leave thinking you want to go back again! And again! It's a special place. And there's nothing better than being there with other TCOG folks. I can't wait!
Sister Tammy,
The dates for the district conventions are on the region's website...www.tcogsouthwest.com
But I can give you the heads-up...
Southern District convention is March 7-8
Youth convention is April 18-19 Northern District convention is May 9-10.
Sis. Smith: Mike said he enjoyed the Men's Retreat, but he never gives me any details. Mike and I used to get mini vacations when we sent the kids to youth camp and BTI. :-) But Mike will start traveling soon on his job and I will have several evenings to myself every few weeks. I'll probably get tired of it then, but that's the job he accepted when he moved to AZ.
Sis. Emilee: March & May??? Wow. I was panicking because I was used to them all being done in February. Guess I have plenty of time to find that plane ticket. I don't think I ever looked at the AL website more than 3 times, I am going to have to get used to looking at our website.
Also Sis. Emilee, unfortunately, with our jobs, we will only be able to make it on Saturdays. Flying or driving in on Friday nights and back again on Sunday. So when ya'll are making up the programs....
I too like to shop when Sam is gone. I have the same story as you. He always likes what I bring home he just does not like to see the tag. :-) Looking forward to seeing you at convention. Sam will be getting the
programs done soon and he will be emailing out info on lodging and such in Hatch the next week or so.
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