This last weekend was a busy one.  Not busy in a bad, doing-things-you-don’t-want-to-do kind of way, just busy. 

Friday, my boyfriend and I went out to eat and to a movie.  I am a horrible decision maker (and really so is he even though he wouldn’t admit it) and so we had dinner at a local restaurant named Fuji.  It’s a quick, Japanese stir fry place that has become our place to go when we can’t think of a place to go.  I always get the teriyaki shrimp and he always gets the steak & chicken combo with no mushrooms.  Not a lot of variety in our lives apparently.  It’s a good, fast, and filling meal and solves our problem of mealtime indecision. 

Anyway, once we finished there we trotted off to see the new Al Pacino/Robert DeNiro flick “Righteous Kill.”  Okay, so since I am often indecisive I also regularly forfeit my opportunity to pick a movie too… because I definitely would not have picked this one.  For one reason, I’m not particularly fond of either actor – GASP!!!  I know, I know… probably some of you reading this are thinking “how in the world could you not appreciate two of the greatest actors ever?”  Don’t worry, my dad would’ve thought the same thing.  But no, I do not find either actor or the types of movies they typically produce remotely appealing.  Which leads me to my next reason… this type of film is not the kind of storyline I prefer.  The dark, “I’m a macho cop let me shoot someone” kind of flick just does nothing for me.  My boyfriend enjoyed it and so I suppose it wasn’t a complete waste.  But just know that I will be picking the next film and he’s going to sit through it whether he wants to or not… 

So Saturday morning I spent cleaning up a bit, doing laundry (always seems like I’m doing laundry), and trying to keep the peace in the backyard between Casey, the mother cat, and her kittens.

About a month ago, I received some free tickets to a Little Theater production of “Peter Pan.”  Again, not really my first choice for an evening out but the tickets were free and I knew my mother would enjoy the show.  So on Saturday night, she and I went to a nice dinner and then off to the performance.  I must say that for local community theater the performance was good.  The costumes and sets were actually quite elaborate and they even made Peter Pan fly… a nice special effect for such a little theater.  It was a much longer show than I anticipated – nearly three hours. 

Sunday brought another day spent with my wonderful mother.  We went to church that morning where I was able to meet our youth minister’s four day old daughter – yes, that’s right she was only four days old.  She was born on Thursday and he, his wife, and new daughter dropped by a couple of Sunday school classrooms for a few minutes to show off their new bundle of joy.  She is so tiny, couldn’t believe they brought her but I’m glad they did.  I then met up with my boyfriend and my mother in the sanctuary for worship service and afterwards all three of us were off to the house to have some lunch.

We stayed at my mother’s that afternoon, watching the Ryder’s Cup, reading the newspaper, chatting and laughing.  Then we loaded up in the car again and all headed to the annual church picnic.  Everyone brings a plate a food, a hungry appetite and an open heart.  The weather could not have been better, a little overcast, a slight breeze and temperatures in the mid-70s.  The smorgasbord of homecooked green beans, mac n’ cheese, chicken, desserts, etc… was delicious and makes me wish I could actually cook something remotely as good.   The little ones played on the swings while the adults and teens could amuse themselves by way of the basketball court, a large open field for football or the volleyball net.  At the end of the meal our pastor gave a brief devotion and prayer and then everyone was back to the activities.  I love to go to the church picnic – its a great time to catch up with the wonderful people of our church. 

My Spot of Thankfulness today is for my church family.  The people that make up my church represent some of the finest, most generous, loving Christian folks I have ever met in my life.  I could never truly describe how dear these people are to me and my family.  Four years ago when I entered the sanctuary for the first time, I was greeted by many smiling faces and friendly handshakes and that hasn’t changed.  With all the setbacks and losses my family has experienced over these last several years, our church family has never failed to envelop us with their support and love.  And most importantly, these individuals are centered in God’s will and provide such a shining example of His forgiveness, His love and His teachings.  I have a wonderful church home and for this I am tremendously grateful.

I am getting excited.  I have two great travel opportunities coming up and I’m very much looking forward to seeing new and interesting things and taking some time off from everyday life. 

The first trip is kind of a spontaneous one to Louisville, Kentucky.  My wonderful friend Esther is attending a work conference there at the end of September for most of the week and she did not want to go alone.  So I am accompanying her on the trip and while she is in sessions I will be out and about town taking in the Louisville experience. 

A side note: For those of you who don’t know me well, I am an avid horse person.  I had my first horseback ride at the age of 10 and at that moment fell in love with the majestic creatures.  I worked at a horse stable when I was a teenager and am now saving up for my dream of purchasing my own property to have a few horses myself one day.  I am also intrigued by the tremendous athleticism of horses and while I’m interested in all equine sports there is nothing like horse racing.  The beauty of the animal combined with the strength and grace of each and every motion as they maneuver around the track creates one of the most suspenseful, breathtaking and dangerous sporting events that a person could ever witness.  Each year I find myself lost in that very spirit as I watch the Triple Crown races: The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness, and The Belmont Stakes.  Well, The Kentucky Derby is run every year at Churchill Downs and that track just so happens to be located in Louisville, Kentucky. 

So back to the trip, I’m planning my very first visit to the historic track and am looking forward to learning all about the venue and stopping by The Kentucky Derby Museum while I’m there.  There won’t be any races while I’m in town but this is still right up my alley.  I will be in “horse heaven.” 

Hopefully Esther can join in some of the fun as well.  We haven’t planned everything we are going to do yet, but I know it will be a great time with a terrific friend in bluegrass horse country.

The second, and quite larger trip, is to Monterey, California.  For this one I’ll be traveling solo for work.  I am attending a conference there and then extending my stay a few days after the conference to soak in the Pacific Coast.  I was hoping to have my mother accompany me on this trip, but unfortunately due to her work circumstances and schedule she could not get the time.  (However, I’m scouting out the place this time around, doing my research, and hopefully taking her back next summer for an even bigger and better trip).  But I am looking forward to this trip.  Besides, sometimes its nice to travel alone, when there is no one else to have to worry about, plan for, wait for, hurry up for, etc… 

So I’m attending my conference during the early part of the week and then the last couple of days I am driving around the area in a rental car.  Hopefully during the course of 8 days I’ll make it to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row, drive the famous 17-mile highway down the Pacific Coast, visit Pebble Beach Golf Course, Big Sur, and Carmel.  I’m also looking into scheduling a horseback ride on the beach.  I’ll only be a couple of hours south of San Francisco so we’ll see if I can make it there as well on this trip or if that will have to wait until the next one.

My Spot of Thankfulness for today is that I’m very happy and grateful to have these opportunities.  I have a wonderful job that supports continuing education and makes it possible for me to further my training and career growth.  And with these occassions I often get the bonus of visiting places I would not have the chance to visit otherwise.  I also have a wonderful friend that is extremely generous, always puts others first and is creative enough to always have new ideas of places to go and things to do.  So to have these blessings in my life I am deeply thankful.  And I am definitely looking forward to seeing some new and interesting things on my upcoming adventures.