Project 365, Week 19

This week was so fun as we Facetimed each day with Avery and got to hear about adventures in Italy. What an experience she was given!

May 6

The newness of each season will never get old.

May 7

I am good to the local theater and they are good to me...months ago they sent me a great deal on tickets and I accepted. Wicked was in town for a couple weeks so I grabbed some of my theater buddies. It was the loveliest warm evening and we enjoyed dinner on the patio. Yes, we were happy in the end. 😉

May 8

The party lights mean 1. people were at our house and 2. it was warm enough to be on the porch. Happy day.

May 9

Amanda has a second job now, working the takeout window at a different restaurant, at least until she's old enough to serve. Her brother has been enjoying taste-testing the newly-available fare.

May 10

A cozy evening in this hotel room [insert cliff hanger. ha!]. More on that in my 10 on 10 post.

May 11

For a couple decades these girls and I have been a special little group. We have celebrated big and little life things, we've confided struggles, cheered, encouraged, challenged, served, prayed, hoped, cried, laughed and prayed some more. 

This day we were mourning the passing of Lil's dad, Meg's grandfather while also celebrating a long life well-lived. It is no small thing to finish strong, to stay "faithful and true". He's with Jesus now, just exactly where he wants to be.

Sarah's mom saw Avery off at the Venice airport and then Avery was on her own. She navigated a layover in London, which included changing airlines and dealt with customs at JFK. I was tracking her progress and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding when she landed in New York. As a surprise, Jack was there waiting for her and she was a happy girl.

Our crew had an uneventful ride home and got back by dinner time.

Avery was excited to distribute the treasures she carefully picked out for each one of us, all from different cities. It was really, really good to have everyone back in the kitchen together.

Avery had SUCH a great time and it was no surprise to us that she proved to be a competent traveler.

May 12

Knowing the girls were working opposite shifts, I snagged the kids for a picture at 8 AM before we headed out. They gave me the gift of us all sitting together in church. 

I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth. 3 John 1:4

Very often I question if I'm mom-ing "right" or if I'm enough. The short answer is no...I regularly get things wrong and I'm not enough. But what they do have is a mom who prays regularly and fervently for them. Parenting is so hard and it is such a joy. It has been the great delight of my life to be their mom.

I told them what I most wanted for Mother's Day was to go to Chick-fil-A. 😉  Instead, they gave me time together and such heartfelt cards.

And....Wicked again. Amanda worked and Aiden had a soccer game so it was a sweet little threesome. Neither Shaun or Avery had seen it and our world traveler was a champ muscling through jetlag.