Well, it's the end of September and I think maybe our super hot and humid weather we've had for about 2 weeks now here in eastern NYS, is finally gone...hopefully until next July. Cooler, drier air came back yesterday and I'm actually liking it. Although I love summer, I also love autumn because I can open windows more and turn off the central air! There's nothing like sleeping with fresh, brisk air blowing into open windows. It's definitely a fave of mine.
And speaking of faves...let's take a few minutes to pause, reflect back on the week and share the FIVE things that made us grateful. Then link up by going over to Susanne's, our hostess.
- PARENTS WEEKEND! Dave and I got up early on Saturday to make the 4 hour trip to UNH to see Claire and meet her roommate. We had so much fun with her, exploring some areas of campus that we didn't get to see the last time. She took us on a route she takes for a class and for going to CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ) on Wednesday evenings. It's near her dorm....well..about 2 blocks away but she just has to cross one road and then walk on a short sidewalk area before entering a wooded trail which crosses a very pretty stream (see photo below). She loves it and informed us that even though it appears dark, there are plenty of lights along all the walkways and the emergency blue light/call boxes are always within 10 feet of wherever you are on campus. We were impressed with her roommate and their room is so neat and clean! We took her out to lunch and dinner off campus and then after visiting her new church on Sunday, we took her out for lunch in the little downtown area which hugs the outer edge of the campus. Because it was also Homecoming, the village of Durham was absolutely bustling. It was so crowded with all kinds of students, parents and alumni. It was a lot of fun. I'm grateful for that time we had with our girl.
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| Dave with his baby girl :) |
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| Claire and I upon arrival...I was so happy to hug on this girl! |
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| her route to a couple of classes, the art gallery and CRU |
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| the brook through the woods....very dry due to no rain! |
- BREATHE! The small group I lead began on Tuesday evening. Including me, there are 9 of us. Two of the ladies are women who have been in my groups before and 6 are new to me. It was so much fun to meet new women from church and find out which service they go to. And the first session of the Breathe study was great. Priscilla Shirer (it's a DVD series) is engaging and dynamic. She is so thoroughly grounded in Scripture, and when she talks, you really sit up and pay attention. I think this is going to be a great study and it is definitely a topic dear to my heart.....Sabbath...what it means and how to make it intentional in our daily lives. So important for our relationship with the Lord.
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| image courtesy of goodreads website |
- ENCOURAGING CARD! oh my goodness. When Dave and I got home early Sunday evening, our oldest daughter said we had a bunch of mail that she brought in on Saturday. And among the bills was a card for Claire from our senior pastor and his wife. I was so touched. I mailed it right away to Claire so she should have gotten it yesterday or Wednesday. When you are members of a mega-church, it is sometimes easy to get lost in the crowd,and I find that to have a relationship with the leadership, you really do need to be intentional. (which Dave and i have no problem doing but some people do find it difficult). This card will make Claire so happy and it shows that they really do care about the people in their congregation. I'm so thankful for our pastor and his wife.
- FOUND! On Tuesday, when I was dressing for work, I chose the blue/white/gold earrings that came from Venice. Either my mother in law bought them or Dave did...I just can't remember...but anyways, about half way through the preschool day, my co-worker noticed I only had one earring on! We searched high and low for that earring. It was no where to be found...and because it was so darn hot and humid that day, we didn't take the children to the playground so I knew it wasn't out there. Well, at dismissal I walked to my car and lo and behold, it was lying there right on the ground next to the car!! Praise God!! I was so thankful it was found!
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| glass vase on living room bookshelf filled with artificial pumpkins, gourds and squash |
- TIME FOR HOBBIES: I've been blessed with some extra time in the late afternoons this past week to enjoy some hobbies, one of which is reading, and the other, decorating. I brought out some of my autumnal decor and began to switch out the summer look for an autumn look. I love a simple, minimal look so here's a sample of a few things that bring a touch of autumn to my home.
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| Our DVD cabinet in the family room the votive cup contains a battery operated candle so it is smoke free! |
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| new autumn leaf wreath for living room wall above my Adirondack Mountains bookshelf |
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| simple sign on living room wall brings a dash of autumn color to a corner |
That wraps up my week.
I'm looking forward to the Annual Autumn Girls Day away tomorrow with one of my younger sisters (Joy) and my oldest daughter Courtney.
Whatever you have planned, take time to put a margin of Sabbath into your days!
HAPPY WEEKEND!
7 comments:
Oh it must have been lovely spending time with Claire and you certainly seem to have a supportive community around you. That was lucky finding the earring.
Even though it has been 10 years you post on Parent's Weekend flooded my with memories of going to see our one and only child (daughter)at University...I remember trying so hard to be proud and happy, when I really wanted to do was hold on and never let go!!! Have a grand weekend!!
Sounds like a great Parent's Weekend. It's great that colleges have them. I'm happy to hear that Priscilla Shirer is grounded in Scripture. Our daughter in law is attending a study that is using one of her books this fall. I didn't know anything about her but her name keeps popping up here and there. It's been a while since I've linked up to Fave Five. Hope you have a good weekend!
So glad you got to visit with Claire and see parts of her current life! It sounds like she's adjusting well to college. That was sweet of your pastor and his wife to send a card for Claire. So glad you found the missing earring! Love your fall decor. I am hoping to get mine out tomorrow.
I loved the photos of how you decorated for Fall.
It really doesn’t take a lot of decorations to create a new look.
I need to go find my autumn tub of decorations.
HURRAY for the found earrings from Venice.
I think of cards as mini gifts. This is probably truer now because letter writing and/or sending cards is becoming a lost art.
What a thoughtful “gift” your senior pastor and his wife sent to Claire.
I checked out the Breathe series the last time you mentioned it.
Margin is such an important topic for so many ladies, me included.
This study is now on my wish list.
Last year we went through a Priscilla Shirer study on discerning the voice of God.
I enjoyed her teaching style and got a lot out of the study.
Wow, Claire’s campus is beautiful.
What a treat to be able to live and study in such surroundings.
I went to a college in Oregon where it was also a beautiful campus.
Sounds like you got lots of good daughter time.
Have a good week.
How nice that you were able to up and see Claire. Beautiful campus she is on. I'm sure it was hard to leave once again. That's great that you found your earring. That would have been a real shame to lose that one. I'll be putting that study on a list to consider for when we are done the book of Ruth. Sounds really good.
It sounds like such a nice visit with your daughter. It's a beautiful campus.
Yay on the found earring!
New beginnings such as the one with your group is always exciting. So full of promise, don't you think?
Your fall decorations are very pretty! Autumn is such a lovely season to decorate for.
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