Weekend Roundup and Happenings!

Hey everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Ours was pretty busy!

John had to work Friday so our weekend really didn't start until Saturday.

Saturday: John and I got up bright and early. We packed the car and headed to Chic-fil-a for breakfast. We then enjoyed the view on the 3 hour trip to Asheville, NC. We arrived at Byron's house (my step-mother in-law's brother) and unpacked the car. My step-mother-in law and father in law arrived shortly after. They gave us fresh veggies and fruit from their garden. Lynell had even canned us some spaghetti sauce, soup, green beans, and squash. We caught up on things and Lynell showed us pictures from a recent visit with my nephew. He is growing up so fast and looks like a totally different baby! I can't wait to see him again! We then headed to dinner at a place called Okie Dokie's, where we enjoyed some delicious bar-b-que! Lynell's brother, David had also came down for his vacation. He is autistic and it's always nice to see him and his zest for life. Lynell works with special needs children and she truly has a heart for it. She is amazing with her brother and the children she teaches. After dinner, Mark, Lynell, and David left to go to their hotel room. David was very excited about that! Byron and Marinis (his wife) headed back to the church he pastors. (They were finishing up a week of Vacation Bible school) John and I explored Asheville and we were pretty pleased with what we found. I'm in love! I'm hoping and praying that this is where we will end up next year. (I'm also keeping in mind that whatever God has in store is the best thing. He always has better plans than the one's we develop on our own. ;) John and I visited the Visitor's center and picked up some info. I took pics of some of the interesting sculptors in the front of the building. We road around and explored some more---we stopped at a nearby Cracker Barrel to ask about tourist stuff and I found some super cute owl figurines that say "See No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil." We ended our exploring at Dairy Queen. We got one of the new Nutter Butter blizzards to share. I think Nutter Butters are one of the most underrated cookies...they are oh so good! We then headed back to the church to meet up with everyone. Then it was off to bed, we had an early morning approaching.

Sunday: John and I attended Byron's church. We went to Sunday School and the message was about different/styles and ways to study the Bible. It was pretty interesting and really made me think about ways that I could approach my bible study. After Sunday School, we went on into the Worship service. An intern at the church, Trey, preached about evangelism and making most of the time we have. We then had lunch at a Japanese hibachi grill. I got a rather bland meal and was very scared. (The last time I ate Japanese I got very sick. So I was taking all precautions.) The meal came with soup and it was delicious. The meal was also tastier than I expected, just needed salt and pepper. ;) During the meal, I talked with Byron's daughter, also named Anna. We talked about Asheville, pets, etc. We then said our goodbyes and headed back to the house to pack. Byron and Marinis also gave us some more veggies to add to Mark and Lynell's so we came home with a treasure trove of healthy stuff. ;) We then headed home and had a great, safe trip back.

Monday: John and I did some tidying up and watched a couple of episodes of The Office. My friend, Victoria and her son, Balian came for a visit. We talked for most of the night and played with Balian and Sophie. Balian has started walking so he was into everything. It was great to have that bundle of energy in the house again. ;) Balian and Victoria went to bed around 11:30 and I caught up on some school work and some chores. For some reason my leg was cramping up and I wasn't feeling my best, so I was happy to go to bed at the end of a late night!

Today: John and I woke around 10:30 and I made coffee. We talked and played some more. John and Victoria discussed the pros and cons with The Nook. John is getting one for his b-day and he is super excited about it. I made Lasagna Soup last night and we reheated it for lunch. It was pretty good. If you are interested in the recipe, you can check it out here: http://www.5dollardinners.com/2010/04/lasagna-soup.html John watched Balian and I helped Victoria pack the car and they were on their way. It was a nice visit and I look forward to seeing them again.

So how was your weekend?

<3 Anna