August Fave Fives #3

Friday!!

Time to find 5 favorites from the last week......and share them with one another......a huge thank you to Susanne from Living to Tell the Story for hosting this each week.  I am enjoying looking back over the week and finding the "God moments", special events, fave foods, and special people He brings into my path each and every day.  The week was a bit rough....especially parts of last weekend...but...He is good...He is merciful.  When we sin.....even sins we might not be aware of, He is right there to envelop us in His Arms,  love us...and all we need to do is bring our junk to the foot of the Cross and leave it there for Him to carry.  How I praise Him...even in the midst of some trials, I can still praise Him....He is GOOD!  And His mercies are new every morning....Great is His FAITHFULNESS!!  Now...I just need to wait on Him and be patient for some answers to prayer....meanwhile...here's what blessed me this past week:

1.  A day in the mountains with my close friend Melissa (who also happens to live next door!) and her 2 daughters (Meredith & Morgan) and my youngest, Claire.  Claire and Mer are one year apart and get along wonderfully.....they had so much fun playing in the sand and swimming/jumping off the dock into the clear, cold waters of Lake George.  After a full afternoon of sun and swimming/chatting, we headed down the mountain for a delicious late dinner and then home for awesome ice cream cones at a local ice cream stand.

Claire swimming in Lake George
at Bolton Landing
Eastern Adirondacks
14 August 2010

2. Organizing closets!  Yes...this makes my fave five list!  My 2 daughters went through their closets/dressers to discard old shoes, clothing, etc. that no longer fit or are no longer in style.  I did the same thing....we got rid of 2 huge bags....almost everything could be passed on to Goodwill or a good friend who wanted some clothing for her 2 daughters who are younger than mine.  My oldest daughter then helped me organize our linens and some of my clothing.....it felt great to get this task done early. (usually we do this mid-September)

(pic taken from Planet Aid website)

3.  A lunch date with my cousin (Trisha) and one of my sisters (Hope).  I had not seen Trisha since our teen years!!  Her parents came to my wedding 20 years ago but she was living out of the state at that time....what fun we had catching up on the last 30 years!  Her oldest daughter is heading off to a Christian college near Boston next week.  (a different one from where my oldest wants to go...but... I thought it was interesting that they both want the Boston area!)  She has 5 children, none of whom I've met and she hasn't met my husband or 2 girls either. We are going to try to get the 2 families together soon. We found each other through Facebook and she just lives about 30 minutes northwest of me! What a blessing to be back in touch after all these years!

4.  Hiking (followed by swimming) in the Southern Adirondacks with one of my best friends (Lynn) and her daughter Marissa.  I tried to get my oldest to join us, but just Claire came along.  Claire and Marissa are good friends from church/youth group and are both busy with gymnastics (M) and ballet(Claire) during the school year that they really only see each other at church.  So....it was great to spend the day hiking to the waterfalls you see pictured below.  We followed that up with a swim/beach time at Northhampton Beach State Park in Northville.  Lynn and I had a wonderful time sharing what the Lord is doing in our lives, etc. while the girls swam.  We then went to a burger joint for a quick dinner and ice cream before driving back to the 'burbs.  I am so thankful for this time I had in the mountains to recharge.

Claire and her friend Marissa
Tenant Creek Falls
southern Adirondacks
18 August 2010

5.  These Scriptures:

"To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.  O my God, I trust in You;  let me not be ashamed; let not my enemies triumph over me.  Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;  let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.  Show me Your ways, O Lord;  teach me Your paths.  Lead me in Your Truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation;  on You I wait all the day."  Psalm 25:1-5

"Vindicate me, Oh Lord, for I have walked in my integrity.  I have also trusted in the Lord;  I shall not slip.  Examine me, O Lord, and prove me.  Try my mind and my heart.  For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth."  Psalm 26: 1-3

God has spoken to my heart about several things relating to these verses...I want to share them in a devotional post later this weekend......for now...
That's it!

If you are participating in the Friday Fave Fives, link up at Susanne's and leave me a comment...I'll be over to read your post!
For those of you who are new here or are readers who don't leave comments...I would love to hear from you!

Have a blessed weekend, everyone!

Please note:  I will have this blog open for the purpose of the Fave Fives.....it will close again at some point for "invited readers" only so send me an email if you want to be a follower.  THANKS!!!