let joy be your compass.

All seven of us piled into the mini van before the sun rose with a sense of anticipation. We were headed south on a road trip to Raleigh, North Carolina to celebrate a college graduation and the arrival of a new son for our good friends Ryan and Denise. The week before we left ended up being busy with a field trip and other appointments and the kids seemed to be fighting and I was tired. I questioned whether it was crazy for us to drive seven hours for 48 hours there. But it felt like it was time for an adventure. Sometimes you need to get out of your everyday surroundings and go on a road trip to get perspective. This trip was just that.

It was a full weekend of celebrating and connecting and we come home blessed.  I also came away refreshed in the journey of parenting. Our children traveled so well and were amazingly well behaved at the restaurants we went to and the hotel.  It was one of those times that God seemed to be opening up my eyes to see that I really do have good kids. Sometimes when we are all in our house together we are too close and I loose sight. I start knit picking and worrying that they will never get it. It was an encouragement to see some fruit of our labor! And we had some good times together as a family as well as connecting with the Ryan and Denise and Hayden.

The highlight of the trip was staying at the hotel. We had not been at a hotel since Sarah was a baby. So it was a whole new experience! They loved the glass elevator and the free breakfast. And if you asked any one of them their favorite part was most definitely the pool! 

Some other highlights were watching Moses dig into the wings at Buffalo Brothers, Sarah and Hayden playing together, holding little Ezekiel, catching up with Denise, seeing Ryan accomplish his dream, meeting Ginny at the park, cracking up at Hope and the crazy things she says in the car, five guys mother day dinner, long talks in the front seat of the van with my man and devouring half a pig at the hotel breakfast (think plates full of sausage and bacon). Good memories.

 I came away with this reminder....

and

Let JOY be your COMPASS