June 25, 2009

• Vacation and a Story About a Bagel

  I haven’t posted in so long that I now have post overload.  We just got back from spending eight days in the Smoky Mountains.  Jeff’s mom and dad rented a cabin for the entire family to stay in.  There were twenty two of us total.  It was very nice of them to do, and we are thankful to them for the week we had down there.  We did a little hiking, went to Dollywood, and hung around our cabin.  I’m only putting a few pictures up right now because my computer is taking forever to download them.

   

  We are about 10 hours from Tennessee.  Everyone napped on and off in the car, and once I turned around, and Sophia was kissing Allison’s hand while she was dozing off.  So cute!

  

  All the cousins before our hike up to Grotto Falls.

  

  My favorite man in the world with our daughter on his shoulders!

  

   

  It was 53 and raining the morning we left for Tennessee.  We were so excited to have weather in the 80′s and 90′s once we got down there.  It was our first swim of the year.  The pool was tucked back into the mountains.  It was so pretty.

  

  Tyler taking care of his sister who can’t swim on her own yet.

  

  One of the highlights ~ Getting to take a bath in a huge bathtub.  They thought it was the greatest.

  

  My brother in laws pizza.  Words cannot describe how good it is.  This picture does no justice to it.  I could eat his pizza everyday. It is WONDERFUL!!!

  

  I will put more pictures up later of Dollywood, the waterpark, and our hike.  I don’t know what the problem is?????

   

  We came home on Father’s Day.  We had driven all night and I was really tired and cranky the next day.  I was trying not to be, but the crabbiness kept oozing out.  Since we were gone all week, I really didn’t have much to make for dinner,and didn’t feel much like going to the grocery store. The kids asked if we could go to Panera Bread, we said sure.    We drove over, ordered our food, and then sat down.  I was sitting at the table with my family feeling bad that I was such a pill to be around, and I silently started praying. 

  I told God that I just felt tired and down.  I needed a little encouragement.  Now I know this is a silly and selfish sounding thing to pray for, but I did.  I asked God to please give me a little encouragement.  I asked him if he could please send a Panera Bread employee over to us and give us a dozen bagels just because.  It’s not the bagels that I wanted, I just wanted to see God in an amazing way that evening. 

  Well, we were cleaning up our table, and the manager comes walking over to us carrying a big bag of bagels tied at the top with a curly ribbon.

  “Hi folks.  I saw you sitting here with all your kids and I thought that you might like a bagels for tomorrow morning.” he said.

  I almost fell over onto the floor!!!  The man handed me the bag of bagels and all I said was thank you.   I couldn’t believe it.  I must have had a strange look on my face because Jeff asked me if something was wrong.

  “I have to tell you something when we get into the car!”

  I was in awe. I couldn’t believe God answered my bagel prayer.  All night and the next morning I kept repeating ~ “I can’t believe we got a bag of bagels.” 

  Sometimes God uses something as simple as a bag of bagels to restore and encourage our faith.  Even writing this, I still am amazed!  I am going tell the manager in Panera this story the next time I go back in there.  I wanted to at the time.  I normally would have, but I was too awestruck.  I had to process it.

  When we left for Tennessee, we were having chilly and dreary weather, since we’ve been back, everyday has been over 90 degrees and sunny.  We are on our way outside to enjoy the sunshine!

   

  Hope everyone has a great afternoon whatever your weather!

  

  • 11:48 am
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