Spring Break 2011

**Disclaimer** This post is not meant to be a bragging one-, or "look what we did" kind of thing. The original intention of this blog was to capture memories for my girls. I totally get it if you are bored reading all the goofy posts lately, but I'm praying that one day, my girls will appreciate them.

We thought we had Spring Break 2011 planned. About 30 minutes before we were supposed to leave for the farm, we got a call that it was on fire. Besides being worried about family, we were disappointed. I had my books packed and ready, the girls were looking forward to playing with cousins and Brian had his fishing poles and tackle box sitting by the garage door.

We decided Brian should go ahead and head to the farm to help build fences and chop down trees. That left me with both girls. Did I say that they were not happy about staying home? Oh, and let me throw in the fact that one of the perks of the farm is that we don’t spend any money except for gas to get there.

Saturday didn’t start out so well. Our pantry was pretty bare so I had to go to the grocery store and since Brian had already left, the girls got to come with me. For those who have never grocery shopped with your kiddos, let me just say, there are few things I would rather do in life than have them jumping on the cart, asking to buy crap food and arguing with each other while I just try to get my eggs through the store without them getting broken. I have been known to shop at 5am so that I could do it alone—sleep is a small price to pay for sanity.

Saturday night shaped up a little better. Thanks to Nickelodeon, we watched a silly movie and did a girls night party (complete with chocolate covered strawberries and pigs in a blanket—we Royal girls know how to party).

Sunday night, we watched Anne of Green Gables. I’ve waited to introduce the girls to the greatness of Anne because I wanted them to be old enough to appreciate it. If they didn’t like her, I might have to find new children—seriously—you don’t mess with my love of Anne of Green Gables. Thankfully, Hope loved the movie (even though she originally thought Anne was from Green Bay). Caroline was not as enamored—she thought Anne talked too much (she's still young--I'll give her another year or so to change her mind before I disown her). I have to say, there's not much better than sharing a love of something with your daughter.

On Monday, both girls slept late (and by late, I mean 9 and 9:30). We met a friend at the park and played all afternoon. It was a fun, relaxing way to start the week. I always dread hanging out at the park, but end up having a great time.

Tuesday, we went with friends to the Dallas Museum of Art (after a brunch stop at Chick-Fil-A). It was a great day—it’s always nice to go places with friends whose kids are just as energetic as your own. To hear more about our adventures there, you’ll have to check out April’s blog post “A Step By Step Guide to Getting Kicked out of the Dallas Museum of Art.” Since I'm technologically-challenged, I can't figureout how to make a link work so you can go to www.coffee-mateblog.blogspot.com to read it.(If you don’t follow her blog, you should—she’s funny and she appreciates Anne of Green Gables—two things that make her a great friend in my book).

I’ve already talked about Wednesday and Thursday in my last two posts. They were fun days, but exhausting for me. I don’t regret them, but am hoping to catch a nap before the weekend is over.

Friday, we headed to my brother’s house in East Texas—about 3 hours away. Brandon has 2 girls that get along great with my girls, but we don’t get together enough to play. The girls shot bows and arrows, played mini-golf and ate dinner together. The best part of the day, though, was a horse-riding lesson they each got—the perfect ending to a fun week.

I don’t want to over-spiritualize, but I can’t help but think what a great analogy this week has been. In life, we plan and think we know what is best for ourselves and those we love. When God has different plans, we can sit paralyzed or we can move forward in what we’ve been given. This was one of those moments for me. Honestly, going to the farm is the best vacation for me because I get to sit and read and relax the whole time. This week, while fun, was not a time of relaxation and certainly was not all about me. BUT, I don’t think I regret one minute of it. We were able to do some fun things and excluding food, we spent less than $50 for the entire week, but did something fun every day.

I can’t help but think about Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Why do we doubt when plans don’t go the way we think they should instead of embracing the changes immediately?