A Long Time Comin’

I didn’t get around to writing a Perfect Moment Monday entry last week. I was too wiped out to do so. But If I could have I would have written the one I’m gonna write now.

This year was the first year in 17 years that I got to spend Mother’s Day with my mother. The last time I was with her was when I was pregnant with Michael and dad flew me home from Florida to surprise her. That was in 1993. It was really very  nice and a long time comin’. We have bonded quite a bit in the last couple of years during my dad’s illness. I saw a strong side of her that I wasn’t sure (as she wasn’t sure) she had it in her. But we all found out that she did. The times in the last few years they have come down for a visit they have always left before church on Sunday morning because of needing to get home early enough in the evening for mom to rest and get ready for work on Monday. But since she is retired now they didn’t have to leave on Sunday. So, they went to church with us. It was wonderful to share our awesome church with them. The people loved meeting them and getting to tell them how much we had all prayed for dad’s healing. I was a proud daughter.

After church we went to a new (to us) Italian place in West Nashville called Coco’s Italian Restaurant and Market. It has quite a lively atmosphere. They had a violinist and guitarist who would play for you at your table. It was different than anyplace we had ever been. I think it was a little beyond mom and dad’s comfort zone. But it was very unique. Besides, it’s good to stretch yourself every now and then.

Three generations of girls in Coco's Italian Market

The kids with my parents at lunch today in Coco's

Then after we all went back and rested for a bit, Mom and I went shopping to my favorite consignment shop in town, Clothes Mentor. We both found some good deals. So, church, dinner, resting, shopping on Mother’s Day makes for a lot of Perfect Moments!

Zip on over to Lori’s blog at link up your own Perfect Moment Monday Post too.

Too Much Happiness….Is There Such A Thing?

So many perfect moments today to pick from. Lauren and I had a lot of fun times getting ready for prom Saturday night. Prom was fabulous! The kids looked so beautiful. They all truly took my breath away. Once we got them off for their evening Ron and I had a Prom Date night at The Melting Pot. And then last night we got news that Osama Bin Laden has been killed. All such perfect moments!! I can’t choose just one. So, I’m gonna make the entire weekend a Perfect Moment!

Lauren and I had a wonderful time together at the salon letting our girl, Angie, do her hair and makeup for their big night. Watching the transformation before us was a beautiful thing. It was like watching Lauren become a girl right before my eyes. HA! She is a tomboy and would rather be playing the guys in soccer in the mud than wear a dress and go to a dance.

Before Shot

After

And Michael cleaned up perfectly as well. We all went to Centennial Park (with every other student going to a prom that night) for prom pictures. Here are Michael and Lauren with their dates. They looked beautiful. They were all so nervous it was adorable.

Michael, Hannah, Lauren and Alex

Once we finished with pictures, Ron and I thought we deserved a nice night out to celebrate as well. Prom ain’t cheap for ONE kid – not to mention we had TWO!! So, we had a gift card from Ron’s Randall House board for Christmas last year to The Melting Pot. TMP is our “go to” date spot for very special occasions. We told our waitress what we were celebrating because Ron had delivered some roses for me. So she wrote on our ticket “Happy Prom Night”. So cute!

Sorry for the glare! It came in a frame. But you get the idea!

The evening ended beautifully for everyone. No troubles. Just good clean fun all around.

Then last night Ron and I were watching Celebrity Apprentice when they broke into the show to tell us that it had been verified that Osama Bin Laden had been killed and we (America) had his body.

He's Dead!!

So a perfect weekend indeed! I look forward to jumping over to Lori’s blog and seeing what other Perfect Moment Monday moments are linked up. So much to be happy about.

Perfection Can Last An Entire Day

Yesterday was Easter Sunday! And I think it was just a perfect day. I made it to church with my family. That doesn’t happen very often but this weekend it did. I am so grateful that it did too. I was proud to walk in and sit with them all by my side.

Together for Easter

Well I should add that as soon as Lauren saw her bestie, Amelia, she got up and went to sit with her. But I had them all with me for about 5 minutes.

My Sweeties

I will admit that I had to tell them to act like they liked each other for this picture. Why do kids do that? I just hold on to the hope that one day they will be the best of buds again like when they were little. I haven’t seen it for a long time. But I can have hope!

Me and my man

He’s kind of a cutie! He makes me look good. I keep him around for that reason.

After church we went to dinner at our friends’, Phil and Jeanie’s, house. We had a great meal and a great time! I’d like to go back for leftovers for lunch.

The day was just perfect all the way around. The service was beautiful. The music was amazing! God was there in our midst and everyone was freely worshiping – including me. If there’s anything I love more than worshiping the Lord I haven’t come across it yet. It was a glorious day to celebration the resurrection of Jesus!

My Perfect Moment Monday entry for this week was an entire day! Beautiful, fun and perfect! You should jump over to Lori’s blog and share yours with us all.

She Makes Me Proud

I’m not sure this perfect moment should make me smile or cry. Maybe I will do both in a very dramatic way. But anyway the prom plans are coming together slower around here. Lauren got her finished dress this weekend and some shoes to match. She just takes my breath away. She is very excited. I have enjoyed helping her. We are now discussing what to do with her hair. I’m taking her to tan. Her tan is coming right along. The whole season is my perfect moment for this Monday. Here’s what we’ve got so far:

Just looking at her makes for the perfect moment in my mind. I’m not completely sure how we got so quickly from 1995 to prom. But I’m proud of her. My children ARE the perfect moments of my life. I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir though. Every parent feels that way about their children. As well you should.

Lauren made me very proud in another way on Friday. She was late meeting Michael at the car after school. I tried to call her but the call rolled straight to voice mail. I was prepared to give her a talking to when she got home. But when she got home she said that she and her friends saw a fight that was including an autistic boy in their school. A bigger boy had him down on the ground. She and her friends went over to break it up and she asked the boy if he was ok and asked when his mom was coming to get him. They discovered the older boy was his brother and was trying to keep him from wandering off. The older brother said that he didn’t know where his mom was. So, Lauren let him use her phone to call his mom. I was so proud of her and her friends. I assured her that she had truly been Jesus to someone that day. She didn’t know what was going on. She just knew that the autistic boy was being held down by boy bigger than himself and she went into action.

Yep – Perfect Moment!!! And if you have one to share come by Lori’s blog and share it for Perfect Moment Monday.

A Perfect Swim With The Fishes

Friday I went to Red Lobster for lunch and “swam with the fishes” and lived to tell the story! That was pretty near perfect but it wasn’t the perfect moment I’m writing about today for the Perfect Moment Monday linky. The perfect moment was who I went with. I went with my bestie, Jeanie! We have been trying to get together for weeks. But between each of us traveling the world and me feeling well enough to get out we couldn’t get a good time for it. We planned for Thursday but, of course, my fibro body said NO quite emphatically. So, we rescheduled it for Friday. We got there at 11 and we talked and talked and talked. Then we ate and ate and ate. Then we talked and ate and talked and ate. I think it is just what each of us needed. We talked about family, friends, good times, bad times, advice on the good times and advice on the bad times. You know, all the things that besties talk about when they get together.

We ordered the Lobster and Crab Dip (I think that’s what it’s called) for an appetizer. I would have seriously picked the dish up and licked it clean if I didn’t think everyone would be looking at me. I probably looked gross cramming it in my mouth so fast. It was super yummy. I think Jeanie even got to eat a little bit. Then I got the fried shrimp as my entree. So delish! She got the fried shrimp too. We pretty much rolled out of there talking and laughing. It was two hours of perfection! We are planning another lunch and maybe some shopping/movie to go along with it soon. And our families are having dinner Friday night. I love her! She makes me smile!

Me and my bestie, Jeanie

Have you had a Perfect Moment in the last week? Jump over to Lori’s blog and share it with the rest of us who are sharing our Perfect Moment Monday moments. We’d love to have you. I think you might be able to identify with some of them.

 

Finding The Perfect Happy Moment

This is my Finding The Happy entry this week. It doesn’t have so much to do with what is showing in this picture but more about what happened AFTER the picture was taken. This picture was taken on the Santa Monica Pier after dinner at Bubba Gumps. She and I were taking pictures of the sunset. However it’s important to realize that it was incredibly FREEZING OUT THERE!!!!!!! The wind was seriously blowing off of the Pacific and we were not dressed for cold. It was very nice when we went into the restaurant. We were shivering and laughing and talking…….I was trying to say I wondered if Bubba Gumps had sweatshirts in their gift shop. But with the shivering and the laughing at the shivering it came out like “I wonder if Bubba – SNORT……..hahahahahaaahahahahhahaa!” Yes I snorted while shivering and laughing and talking. It was hilarious. She and I were rolling and so were all the people around us – laughing at us. You know how it is when you start laughing and you can’t stop and it only gets worse. Yep that was us! People all around us were trying to enjoy the sunset but we were making it impossible because we were cackling so much that they all started cackling at us cackling. It was HILALRIOUS!!!  It was a perfect moment for Perfect Moment Monday and it made me super happy for Finding The Happy.

Did you have a time this week like mine? Visit those two links above and share yours. Maybe you didn’t snort and make a fool of yourself but not all of us are so talented….there’s always this week for you.

Girls of Grace – Perfectly Happy Day Full of Happy Moments

Today was filled with good music, amazing lessons and special bonding with Lauren. She and I went to the Girls of Grace Event sponsored by Point of Grace. If you aren’t familiar with POG you really should give them a listen. They’ve been around for a LONG time and I have loved them from the beginning. They have a passion for reaching teen girls with their message of Christlike Spirit, positive self-image and healthy relationships. We heard some terrific music from artists/bands we have never heard. The post I just posted was one of those new bands, Satellites and Sirens. I predict they will be huge in no time. They remind me a lot of Skillet and Disciple. They fall in the Christian Rock category. If you wanna reach young people today that is where you need to go.

Lauren and I with Point of Grace (Shelley, Denise, Lauren, Me and Leigh)

I wish they had distributed a booklet of some kind with a place to make notes on each of the speakers. I saw Lauren making notes on her iPod. And I made a few on my Droid. But it would have really helped to have had a booklet set aside to help this poor mom remember more about the speakers and what they said. But I will do the best I can off of memory just to give you a brief overview. There are 3 more GOG Events in this year so check out the website to see if one is coming near you. If you have a teenage girl it would be worth making the trip and paying the cost to attend.

Constance Rhodes from Finding Balance spoke on having a positive body image and about the weight loss/eating disorder struggle. I think I gained more from this than anyone else in the room. She has amazing resources on her website as well. Please check it out whether you need it or your daughter. It is a lesson we all need to learn – what is inside matters more than what is outside.

Leigh Cappillino with Point of Grace spoke on loving yourself and accepting yourself for who you are. Unfortunately Lauren and I spent most of this time in the line at Starbucks (Yes, World Outreach church has a Starbucks in their lobby). So, we didn’t get to hear most of what she said.

Chris Wheeler was an emcee and he spoke next on relationships and how a girl (and women) should not look for a guy (or man) to complete them. They need to find their completion in Christ. He talked about the difference between boys and men and how boys are not mature enough to know how to handle the tender heart of our girls. POWERFUL!

There was a fashion show by Amber Lehman – fashion stylist to the stars. She used 10 girls from the audience to serve as models to show fashions today in a fashion show titled Classy Not Trashy. It was a lesson in how to be stylish but modest and to remain mysterious like God intended us to be. She stressed how to respect ourselves and focusing on what kind of character we portray from the inside and letting it show on the outside.

Denise Jones – another member of Point of Grace – spoke on how to keep our hearts Clean, Committed and Created in Christ. She used the analogy of how our closets reveal things about our hearts.

Mixed into all of the speakers we heard the music of Point of Grace, Jason Castro (2007 season of American Idol – the guy with the dreadlocks), Meredith Andrews, Satellites and Sirens and Dara McLean.

Lauren with Jason Castro

 

This day was so amazing that it qualifies as my Perfect Moment Monday and my Finding the Happy moment for Monday as well. Click on the links here or on the buttons in my sidebar to visit the sites to participate.

How could you spend a whole day with your teenage daughter and get your picture made with Point of Grace and NOT have a perfectly happy day full of happy moments!