A Day trip to Reconnect & Relax - #1000Gifts

This summer... things are different.  

Change is looming large and while for me, I am learning to lean in to it and to embrace the adventure of it (or at least I am attempting to take that approach) - my girlie is not quite there yet.  

This means that she wants All the Things to remain the same... which is clearly not possible.  

She has a job... and that eats into her teenage lifestyle of sleeping during summer.  She needs to deal with college and classes and financial aid. Our normal Vacation is not happening this year... and to top it all off, she has been battling some sort of sickness week after week. (A price she has paid since working with the elderly! She never used to get sick... but almost to the day - she has battled a little bug here, or the stomach flu there... we are ready for THAT to change!)

So - I am drinking in all the moments that we get to relax together... to snuggle in and take it slow, yet I'm hinting at the coming shifts and sowing Seeds of Hope and Faith and Expectation for Good... reminding her of what she already knows: that God is good, and He's in a good mood! That He is for her and not against her... that He will lead and guide her, that He will go before her - He'll be her shield and buckler... and the fire in her midst!

He's got this... all this change that causes her to want to pull the covers up over her head and cuddle in tighter! He's got her... She is not paralyzed by fear... but forward motion is making her motion-sick... so I am finding a balance of releasing and gently guiding her toward what is next!

All of this has taken quite a bit of time and energy and emotion... which means that her precious Daddy has been patiently waiting by our sides - letting us bond and work through some things... giving encouragement and wisdom here and there... however, all of that to say this, we NEEDED a Day Trip.  We needed to just hit the road for a few hours and reconnect and relax together... just us two.

We needed to drink in some togetherness... to sit side by side in the car, holding hands, watching beauty just pass us by... 

This is some of the beauty that we found:

In Linking up with Ann and the Multitudes on Mondays,

I count on... listing gifts, -blessings...

one after another...

#1284 - New contacts waiting to be picked up (& old contacts ready to be thrown out!)

#1287 - New Screen in our Screen door

#1291 - A busy day creatively (editing photo's, word art with Scripture, painting)

#1300 - Nutella Crepes - OH MY

#1301 - Al Fresca enjoying a gorgeous summer eve outdoors!

#1302 - (Gifts in His Word:) I love it whenever it is recorded that Jesus spoke someones' name... I love the reminder that He speaks my name too!

#1307 - Fleece blankets - yes, even in the summertime!

#1310 - Blisters healing up... braving going for a walk this morning (in new shoes)

#1311 - Cars that are reliable and take us places!

#1312 - Green trees - light filtering through the wind.

#1317 - Pedi date with my girlie... pre-tattoo

#1320 - Watching my girlie hug a friend and tell him "Happy Father's Day!" (He's the Dad of one of her good friends... she has grown up with him and I think he needed to hear it!)

#1324 - My Bible - worn out, and falling apart - highlighted, underlined, and notes in the margins... still how He speaks to me and starts up a conversation!

#1337 - (A Gift Bent) - Peonies, heavy on their stems, bloomed wide and full, and bowing down.

#1346 - (A Gift that is Difficult) - Supporting Dreams, but speaking a small dose of reality too (knowing how much is enough!)

#1348 - Knowing when NOT to ask the 20 Questions you want answers to!

#1353 - His words, whenever I pray for Jack... "This is not unto death."

#1355 - Walking in the warm summer rain with my Honey

#1356 - Farmers Markets

#1362 - The soft touch on a warm night... sheets tangled up with a summer breeze.

#1365 - A chilled glass of Reisling and a handful of cold Rainier Cherries - divine!

#1369 - Love Does by Bob Goff... Daring Greatly by Brene Brown... Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist 

Speak Life. Be Love. Shine On.

~Karrilee~

Linking with Ann...