Sabbath Serenity

We've been on a two o'clock meeting schedule since September of last year. They made this decision because the building is so full we have had to have the same time so the parking lot will not be overcrowded. It sucks. There's no other good way to say it. I have been closer to inactive this year than I have been since I started coming back to church. With two littles who need naps, a horrible cold and flu season, and other various traumas, I am looking forward with great relief to a 9 am meeting schedule.



This morning I just couldn't make us sit around all morning. I decided we would go for a hike. Be out in the cool fall air together as a family and try to enjoy the day. It was brilliant on my part, I must say. We took our poor dog who gets no exploration time. I brought snacks for the kids and we just tromped around Lake Grapevine for an hour.
We saw some beautiful fall color. I even found some flowers. The dog went in the lake (heaven on earth for a labrador) and the kids found feathers, sticks, rocks and mud. We enjoyed it so much we decided to try to make it a regular event.
The only down side was that the area we were in had no facilities. Not so much a big deal for the boys but Ayla had to go potty too. So the boys found a "restroom" and went off into the trees. The dog somehow found a gigantic pile of stinkiness and rolled in it. Then Dave stepped in it. Then they ran into the lake to wash off. The boys followed. So all the males in my family are frolicking in the lake water trying to wash off the nastiness. Then Ayla peed on her shorts. The only people not stinking to high heaven were Abby and I and we had sand and mud all over our shoes. So the plan is to try to choose a place next time that doesn't have quite so much horse poop or lake water.