I was supposed to pick a winner for the Tea With Hezbollah on Friday. But I didn't because after a very stressful and busy week in our church my husband needed to get away. So we did. We went to a hotel on Friday and sat in the hot tub, went out to a nice dinner and watched a movie in our room. We slept in late and then went downstairs and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast. After we checked out of our hotel we went to the mall (I haven't been there in more than a year) and just walked around holding hands and window shopping. We split a big caramel roll with our coffee and watched people. Finally we went to the big bookstore and bought each other an audio book for Valentine's Day.
Audio books? For Valentine's Day?
Well, yes.
My husband is leaving soon for Peru to be a part of a Work and Witness trip from our church. He has been looking for a book to load on to his iPod to use on the long plane trip. We perused the shelves and he finally chose All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriott. We both read those books years ago and enjoyed them immensely. I told him it was a good choice because it would make him laugh.
Ever since my word of the year - Serenity - was revealed to me I have been thinking about reading the entire Mitford Series again this year. Because I honestly don't know of a more serene place than Mitford. I thought it would be fun to listen to the books this year while I knit and sew. So I chose At Home in Mitford - the first of the series. I can't wait to start. After I got home I looked in iTunes and discovered that you can download the entire unabridged edition of Shepherd's Abiding - the eighth book in the Mitford series for 95 cents! You better believe I jumped on that.
Anyway, the weekend was just what the doctor ordered.
Now, to the winner of Tea With Hezbollah. I had asked you to share what Middle Eastern country you would be interested in visiting and I was really surprised to learn how many of you would love to go to Turkey. I guess it surprises me because in 2007 my husband and I went on a cruise that traced the 2nd and 3rd missionary journey of the Apostle Paul. We started in Italy, went to Greece and finished up in Turkey. I was beyond excited to go to Italy and Greece but Turkey, well Turkey just didn't excite me. I didn't know anything about it and I wasn't really sure I wanted to. It sounded like a scary place to me. Turkey actually turned out to be my favorite part of the whole trip. It was exotic, mystifying, different and more full of church history than I ever imagined. The highlight of the trip was Ephesus. Oh Ephesus! I had no idea how much of that city was still standing. To walk on the very streets that Paul walked on, to sit in the amphitheater where Christians were martyred, to run my hands along the walls of the shops was more than I could contain. I will never forget as we walked toward the city as we rounded the corner and saw that city before me - it took my breath away - literally. I would go back in a minute.
Anyway, the winner. I need to announce the winner.
And the winner is . . . . .
Bev from Girl Raised in the South! Congratulations Bev - I know you will enjoy this book. Just email me your address at rgryan(at)nnu(dot)edu and I will put it in the mail to you.
Now I am going to get back to playing with some sweet little grandbabies that happen to be pulling on my legs. I love it!
3 comments:
I'm so happy that my friend Bev won! She enjoys all sorts of books! Good for her.
And I'm glad you got away for a full 24 hours. Well deserved! I am going to check out the Shepherd's Abiding. That is my annual pre-Christmas read.
Your description of Turkey makes me want to see it. Like you, it's not been high on my list of places to see.
I hadn't thought of the James Herriot books in a long time. I enjoyed them so much years ago. And Mitford -- wouldn't it be lovely to live in such a place? I was sad when the series ended.
Thanks for the editing note - I changed it!
As for playing in the toilet - sounds pretty much like what would happen if I forgot to close the bowl! As it is, yesterday after naptime I was assailed with a horrendous odor as I entered the sleeping sanctuary - little miss Emma has taken to removing her diaper and relieving herself in her bed - oh, my word. Washing machine here comes the pillow, the blanket, outside here comes the mattress thingie that is at the bottom of the play pen (no sheet, unfortunately), bathtub, here comes sweetie pie with "stuff" from, literally, head to toe! Oooo. What a mess!
Congratulations on #3! How exciting!
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