Busy Weekend...

Do you ever wonder if life will ever s-l-o-w down. It seems as if Mike and I are constantly on the go, yet we don't really do anything either. I know I can't be the only one who feels like that...

But here it is, another Friday, start of a weekend (a rare 3-day weekend at that) and instead of being off to rest, it appears we'll once again be on the go all weekend long. And please don't get me wrong and I certainly don't want to offend anyone, but wouldn't it be wonderful to just do nothing sometime? No schedules, no obligations, no lists, no....

This Friday night will be special though because it will be spent watching our niece, Katelyn, graduate from high school. Jeez! It seems like just yesterday that my kids were starting kindergarten. Maybe that's my problem. I always wanted their childhood years to slow down. I think even back then I knew I should be preparing myself for the time that they would be 'mostly' independent of me. It's hard to let those little chicks fly. My sister-in-law is about to get a dose of that tonight.

Katelyn then...

Katelyn now.













Sweet, pretty little girl. Sweet and beautiful young woman :)

Saturday morning will start early. Heading to the country to take care of some honey-do's that my dad is struggling to get done. I'm blessed to be married to a man who can not only keep up with his, but do theirs as well. Life is getting hard for my parents and it hurts.

Saturday evening we'll be attending the wedding of a sweet young couple, Chelsi and Grant. I'm really looking forward to sharing in their special day and can't wait to see how a fellow M.O.B. handles it :) This time I'll be the one who gets to relax!

Our Sunday will start as always with an amazing morning of worship at http://www.gcomchurch.com/ . After that, we'll head to a good ol' southern cook-out to celebrate Katelyn's graduation along with her high school sweetheart and fellow graduate, Dillan. Then, once we're able to roll home (because I know there will be too much food there) we'll hopefully get in a couple of hours of relaxing on the patio before bed.

Then there's Monday, which is Memorial Day. With all of the recent losses of our brave American men and women, this day is bound to be a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made on our behalf for freedoms that we so often take for granted. Praying comfort for their families.

And if that new son-in-law of ours has the day off, I'm thinking this would be the perfect opportunity for him to really try out his grillin' skills. I'm sure he would like to get as good on his grill as his father-in-law is on his. Just sayin'...

That should bring another busy Sheppard Weekend to an end. But I'll just keep reminding myself - there's always the next one - right?

Filler' Up!

For today’s blog, I'm just going to share a devotion I received today.

The wedding of our Princess and her Prince has really consumed me for quite a while. And while I don't regret a single second of it, this really made me realize just how much I've been preoccupied lately. Enjoy ...

God’s Oxygen Mask

Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest (Mark 6:31 NIV)

One mother with three active boys was playing cops and robbers in the back yard after dinner on a summer evening. One of the boys "shot" his mother and yelled, "Bang, bang you’re dead." She slumped to the ground and when she didn’t get up right away, a neighbor ran over to see if she had been hurt in the fall. As the neighbor bent over, the overworked mother opened one eye and said, "Shhh. Don’t give me away. It’s the only chance I get to rest."

Busy moms all need a break from time to time. Mothers need time to recharge, refuel, and refresh. When Steven was two-years-old, some days I would brush quickly past my husband as he came in the door from work. "Hi, honey," I’d say "I need a break." And off I’d go to walk around the mall or the neighborhood for thirty minutes.

Even Jesus encouraged his disciples: "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest" (Mark 6:31 NIV). He knew that we all need time to recharge, reflect, and refresh.

When I was on an airplane recently, the flight attendant gave her usual instructions on the use of the oxygen mask. She said, "If you are traveling with young children, place the mask on yourself first, then assist the child." I thought to myself, That seems a little selfish. Then I realized that if I passed out, I certainly wouldn’t be much help to the child sitting next to me.

So ladies, take a break today. Spend time with God and ask Him to fill your empty cup!

Dear God,

You know that parenting is a hard job. Thank you for allowing me the honor and privilege of being a mom. Thank You that I don’t have to parent alone. You are right there with me all the time. I pray that You will refresh my soul today.

In Jesus’ Name,
Amen

When is the last time you got away alone to spend some refreshing time with God?

Mark out a 15 minute time block in your daily schedule for quiet reflection.

Note * This, by no means, applies only to those who may be Mom to a baby, toddler or even a teen. Because most women in general have a tendency to think we can tackle and handle it ALL. A friend gave me some unsolicited, yet very good advice a couple of weeks ago ...

'If you don't take the time to pamper and take care of yourself, you'll be in no shape to properly take care of others.'

She's a very wise woman :)

Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!

Life has been beyond hectic, but I have found out that stress relief can be spelled . . . baby girl is married and all is good :)



Is she beautiful or what? And that handsome hunk is her happy dad.






And on top of everything else, we have a new family member! Couldn't be happier about that because - yep . . .




I'd say Mr. Forbes is gonna fit in just fine!







Oh, and trust me. There's much more to come.

But right now I'm just looking forward to a plan-on-doing-nothing-and-hoping-to-start-a-new-book-weekend :)

Later!

Excitement!

Gosh I'm getting excited! I mean, I've BEEN excited for so long that it's practically like normal now. But with the weekend prior to the wedding approaching things are really beginning to spin.

Joanne, Brandon's mom and future mother-in-law of Priss, will be here on Saturday. I'm not sure who's more excited - me, her or Brandon! I know she feels like she's missed out on so much of the planning, stressing, etc. but that's going to change as soon as her feet hit Tennessee dirt. :) We even though we have a lot to do next week, we also have a lot of FUN stuff planned just for us. It's going to be a great time and I plan to enjoy every single minute of it.

I'm really excited to introduce her to Grace on Sunday. Can't wait for her to worship with us and to experience up-close and personal all the many, many reasons we all love our church so much. She'll get to meet some of our friends and it makes me smile just knowing how welcome they are going to make her feel.

She will also get to experience a Sunday lunch with my family :) Certainly hope she's prepared for that one! But all she needs to bring is a healthy appetite and a definite sense of humor. Everyone in my family thinks they're a comedian . . .

But the best thing about this Sunday is that she will be able to spend Mother's Day with Brandon! I know it's going to be one to remember and honored that we all get to be a part of it.

...and that's just Sunday!

THE List . . .

To think of all the joy I would have missed by not being the mother of my Miss Priss! It's an almost unbearable thought. She's a blessing, an amazing daughter and I can't imagine life without her.

I realize of course that I am biased (I have the right to be :), but there is no doubt that Priss is definitely a unique individual. In more ways than one. Always has been. For instance, growing up she was never a very picky child. She was always happy with so little. Maybe that's why she still gets a huge grin on her face when finding a coloring book and crayons! And then there was her clothing style. But I won't lie and say that my wallet wasn't all too happy when she shoped at Goodwill and headed straight for the clearance-clearance racks - as a teenager no less - just so she wouldn't be a clone of everyone else. But her outlook at picky changed a little when it came to the man she hoped to one day marry. Yep, that was an entirely different story. I guess you could say 'picky' arrived and she had game. :)

She didn't just dream of her Knight in shining armor. She put a lot of thought into him and even developed what would become her ‘Top Eleven List’ (..'too important to have just 10'..) that he would have to meet. She began using it as a guide for dating in school when the time came, which meant she didn’t date that much...

Let me share her requirements:

#1 - NOT military

Did you get that? I mean - #1 – right of the bat! She always said, adamantly, that she would NEVER date (which meant certainly not marry) someone in the military. Her reasoning was that she would never, ever leave Clarksville.

I'm pretty sure if you're a mom you'll agree that motherly instinct is stronger than any radar system ever created by man. So you'll understand when I say that instinct kicked straight into overdrive the moment she uttered those four words “Mom . . . he’s the one.”

She grew up knowing that her daddy and I were praying for her future husband and she always had faith that God would provide him when the time came. So here we were and we both knew that Brandon did not meet the requirements on her list. I mean he couldn't even make it past # 1!!!!! :) But knowing my baby's heart - the only way her mother can – it did not surprise me in the least to hear her simply say . . . ‘Then I guess God has a different list for me . . .’

So here we are. TEN days from her wedding day. To the man of her dreams. To the one she's always waited for. To answered prayers. To hopes and dreams. And of course we love Brandon already and are so excited he will be a part of our family. I can honestly say that I could not have hand picked a better man to love and cherish my baby as she deserves. He makes her happy - and that makes Mama happy :)

But hey...I don't want to leave you hanging on the rest of her list. It went like this:

#2 - Christian - PASS
#3 - Family has to be important - PASS
#4 - Tall (er than me) - PASS
#5 - Can support me and a family - PASS
#6 - Will spoil me (like my daddy does) - PASS, PASS :)
#7 - Loves and respects me - PASS
#8 - Makes me feel safe - PASS
#9 - Outspoken - PASS
#10 - Can have fun with me - but keep me in check - PASS
#11 - Loves the outdoors - PASS

So, it is with a mother’s happy heart that I look forward to watching these two complete each other, grow together as man and wife, and some day (not too far away I hope) become parents themselves.