Florida 2012.

I am home from a most wonderful week!

My mom, sisters, Canaan, and I flew down to Orlando last Tuesday. We got in around 4:00, rented Carrie the Caravan, and off we were on our adventure. It was so fun to toodle around together, seeing all the new sights, laughing and talking along the way. We found our hotel, which was absolutely gorgeous, and planted it for the night. We enjoyed some pop at happy hour (are we crazy or what!), and headed up to the room to do absolutely nothing. That's what vacation is all about, right?

The next morning brought me a gorgeous run around the lake, beautiful weather, and a scrumptious breakfast at the hotel. We then got ready and headed to Downtown Disney! Downtown Disney is just a little taste of Disney, with stores, a lake with some boats, a hot air balloon ride, some fun restaurants, and the feel of festivity.

Here I am at Downtown Disney:

The crew:

I got to eat fancy food and share with nobody! It was marvelous!

That evening was rehearsal for Jared and Jillian's big day! It was so fun to meet her friends, his family, and see everybody together. We enjoyed a delicious supper at Bucca de Beppo, then headed back to the hotel where we chatted "girl talk" with Jillian, the bride.

The next day was wedding day!! I forgot my camera while getting ready (duh!!), but I assure it, it was so stinkin' fun! What's better than sitting around with a bunch of ladies, doing hair and make-up, talking about boys and life, and taking in the giddiness of the bride? Not much. It was an absolutely perfect day, wedding, reception, all of it.

The beautiful bride & I:

It was such a joy and honor to stand beside Jillian. I have watched her go through so much in her life, good and bad, and today topped them all! She has watched so many friends get married, and this day was her's! Finally! There was such a sweetness about the day. It was beautiful.

After supper on the lake that night, we hit the hay. The next morning we ate another big breakfast, then hit the road for St. Petersburg. Along the way we got sidetracked by incredible outlet stores. Again...can you say vacation!! After our minor, yet crucial detour, we made our way to the white sand beaches of St. Pete. Beauty!!

We spent the entire next day sitting on the beach, soaking up the 87 degree temps and warm sun. It was perfection. We saw a couple of dolphins extremely close to the shore. I wasn't too keen on getting in the water, especially with their close proximity, but seeing sea life is always incredibly neat. Our resort was wonderful and the weather perfect.

We went out to eat on our last night, courtesy of Papa. It was so fun to sit around and visit with my mom and sisters. We are so fortunate to get along so well. They are my best friends, hands down. I love my time with them.


This little pumpkin was a little gem! He was perfect traveling, was such a trooper going from one thing to the other, and was the star attraction of the week. He may have been a tid bit spoiled with 4 ladies and the little man, but he earned all his loving with being such a rockstar baby!

It was a delightful week that filled me up and fueled me as wife and mama. The break was refreshing, and being with my mom and sisters was so nice. All the kids are such blessings and fun to have around, but sometimes having the time to visit and relax without them is a treat, too.

Congratulations to my life-long best friend, Jillian, who has waited so patiently for her companion for life. There is no doubt in my mind Jared was created for her, and her for him. I pray they have many, many joyful years together!

A huge thank you to my sisters and mom for being so awesome. Not everybody would enjoy a week with their family. Not only did I enjoy it...I treasured it! I am so grateful for our relationship and ability to share life together. What a blessing for me and my family.

And a huge thank you to those who helped with the kids, and of course, my love. I was able to relax all week (really!!) without worrying about them. Dallas's side-kick helps were phenomenal, and his sacrifices to allow me the trip has me overwhelmed in gratitude.

What a wonderful week with wonderful memories!

What *seven* looked like:

We completed our seven month of food! It was stinkin' hard, but oh so good! Please, take a look at what seven looked like:

Lots & lots of bread dipped in olive oil and strawberries. Yummo:

So much dry toast and strawberry smoothies
(Praise the Lord we switched to yogurt!!):

Dallas actually loved his breakfasts. They got old, don't get me wrong, but he ate much more wholesome and hearty than normal days:

Yummy pita pockets with shredded chicken and chopped apples.
Will do this even post seven:

And....the finale!! T&L's pizza, pop, & bunny tracks ice cream!
Well earned, and much appreciated!!

What did we learn?

1. Discipline! Self control! Commitment! Holy smokes was this the challenge. I was in many situations with lots of scrumptious food all around me, and had to say no. There wasn't much fun about that.

2. I don't eat for fuel or nutrition (not entirely, I should say). Rather, we eat because it's fun, we like to, it tastes yummy, it's a reward, and the list goes on. We eat because we want to, not because we should. The entire month we felt incredibly satisfied, as far as feeling full goes. But satisfied as in having what we desired? Absolutely not. We had everything we needed. We just simply wanted more. We desire so much more than necessary.

3. Our society is twisted. We went to Texas Roadhouse twice. Both time we got steak and baked potato with not a single thing on it. They looked at us like aliens. But I guarantee they don't think twice about people supersizing their McDonald's meal.

4. It felt good, in some strange way, to be under discipline. It felt safe to have rules. We knew just what to expect every day. And, those things reminded me just how important it is to have structure/discipline/consequences for my children.

5. We are sinners always going back to the same hole; a dog returning to our vomit. After seven was over, we wanted to incorporate it into our lives. Something about it really was nice, and we wanted to continue, just at a more reasonable pace. But did we? Absolutely not. We are back to eating what we desire when we desire it, eating because we deserve it, and the word excess is a part of our life again. It is a constant battle and struggle.

6. Food is just food. We went away for the weekend to celebrate seven. It was so lovely! We ate a scrumptious restaurant and thought the food would be just out of this world. And it was! It was delicious! But, when all was said and done, it was just food. It was a great realization, and we were all so pleased to see how our attitudes had changed.

7. It was so inconvenient. And, boy howdy do we love convenience! We are a generation of convenience, there is no doubt about that.

Thank you for following alongside us, for asking us how it's going, and for supporting our weirdness in this journey to become less of ourselves so God can be more! Our month of seven was a fast; a spiritual discipline. It was so hard, and so many times we just would whisper, "Jesus, you are all we need." It was an eye opening month. We are thankful to be done with it!! Yet, in some strange way, it was liberating too. Less can certainly allow you so much more!