On Saturday morning, we drove from Dwayne's parents' house to the resort in Orlando. Dwayne's parents followed us in their own car. Our Jeep isn't big enough for everybody. It barely holds us. Dwayne's company was providing us a room because he had to be there for the conference. His parents were coming along to stay with us while we were at the resort so we could spend more time together.

When we arrived, I was the last to walk into our hotel room. I think it because I was bringing the baby up in the stroller. But, I used the door that lead into Dwayne's parents' side of the suite, but didn't realize that I was walking into "their side" at the time. I thought their living room must be the main room for all of us, their laundry room must be our laundry, their bathroom must be our bathroom, etc. since it was so all so nice and so big that it had to be the space we'd share... right? Here are some pictures of "their side."





But, that's when Dwayne said, "Come see our side." So, I walked through the door that connected our rooms and I think my jaw must have hit the floor! Here are some of the pictures of "our side" below.











I still can't believe how exceptional the accommodations were! The room was so comfortable, it was hard to leave, even when it was just to run down to the Jeep for something! I found myself so thankful we hadn't purchased tickets to the various parks. We couldn't do so because we hadn't saved enough cash to cover the expense. We were very tempted to put it on our credit card, but Dwayne made the hard decision not to and I, after some fussing with him, submitted to him about it. I arrived in Orlando very discouraged that we couldn't take Norah to Disney ...again. But, once I saw our room, I realized that I would have hated feeling obligated to stay away from it just to get our "money's worth" at the parks. I would have been even more discouraged not to have been free to enjoy such a beautiful suite and time at such an awesome resort with my in-laws. Once again, I find that God knows me better than I know myself! If I submit to Him, even when He says, "No" by not providing the means for something I really think I want, I am never sorry for it in the end.

Dwayne and I have since vowed to stay in an absolute pit of a hotel if/ when we do go to Disney, so we don't feel like we are wasting money on a nice room we don't really use. On our way home, Dwayne also commented that he wasn't as eager as he thought he'd be to get home since he didn't feel as if he'd been living out of a suitcase for two whole weeks. The room at the resort was so much like a house, it was so comfortable and spacious, it was as if we were at home while on vacation.

Praise God! He is the giver of all good gifts! And, in the case of our accommodations, He really did give us "abundantly more than we could ask for or even imagine!"

From Charleston, we drove on to Barefoot Bay, Florida, where Dwayne's parents live. We stayed at their house for two nights. While there, we had dinner with Dwayne's favorite cousin and some dear family friends we often meet up with when we visit. We had a nice, long visit with Great Grand mom Gerda at her convalescent home. And we had time for a quick trip to a local spray park and play ground to get our first bit of fun in the sun in months.

Norah had her first real bug bite that day at the park. She picked up a stick and it happened to be full of red ants. They crawled up her arm and one of them bit her. She screamed like she was on fire! Norah was totally unprepared for a land where bugs live year 'round and we had forgotten to warn her. She picks up sticks in our yard all the time, but at least half the year it is so cold here, nothing's living on them! The picture below was taken before she was bitten, obviously.

Even more about our trip tomorrow.

"It's comparable to Jesus Christ
being elected Emperor of Rome."

-Bob Thompson on Senator Scott Brown's victory
in the traditionally liberal state of Massachusetts.

We stopped somewhere in Pennsylvania the first night of our vacation and had Chick-fil-a for dinner. We ate there as often as we could throughout the entire two weeks, since we don't have any Chick-fil-a restaurants in Connecticut. Most of the stores had a play place, so it was nice for Norah to run around and climb after being strapped into her car seat all day or cooped up in a hotel room in the evenings.

Norah poses with the cow. She wondered why he was there, so we explained why cows would encourage people to eat chicken and she chuckled. It is a great ad campaign.

On the second and third nights we stopped in Charleston, South Carolina. We actually stayed at a new hotel built on our old college campus. Dwayne and I met while at school there. We even lived there for two years after we graduated. So, needless to say, the place holds countless memories.

Norah poses in the hotel lobby with a princess themed white board her uncle, my brother, gave her on the occasion. My immediate family: brother, sister, mother and father, all still live in the area, so we saw a lot of them while we were there and they gave the kids a lot of presents like the one Norah's holding.

Avril watches TV in our hotel room. Too cute!

We took Norah for a few walks around the college campus.

Lightsey Chapel and the Reflection Pond. The water used to be brown and kind of thick from all the duck poo. They've since upgraded to this fresher, bluer version. It's nice, but it just isn't the same somehow. The new water doesn't bring back the sentimental yucky feeling in the pit of my stomach.

We let Norah feed the ducks, something we did all the time while we were students.

The new science building.

Norah had never seen moss growing on trees before. It was everywhere! Even the most common looking trees were draped with it. I had forgotten about it and I'd forgotten how beautiful it can be!

I'd also forgotten about all the pine needles that cover the ground. I can't say how many times I got one of those stuck in my sandal! It's the simplest things that can take you right back...

More on our trip on tomorrow's post.

Avril is army crawling! This video was also taken on our vacation, in one of the lovely hotels where we stayed on our way home. Dwayne, Norah and I were watching and coaching her from our places on the full beds. Avril can also come up onto her hands and knees, but doesn't have the strength to crawl that way just yet.

Avril's using sign language! We've been teaching her a few words and phrases like "Please" and "Thank you" and "All done!" In this video, she is saying "More" to tell us she wants another bite of applesauce. She also woke up the morning after we shot this video and signed "More" when she wanted to start breakfast. Very cool! Sign language equips babies too young to talk with a means of communicating without whining, so I am a big proponent. It worked wonders with our oldest daughter Norah, too. The video was taken at Texas Roadhouse on our recent vacation, so the background noise is loud.

Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.

Proverbs 31:23

I know this appears arrogant, but hear me out. I never understood why this verse was sandwiched right in the middle of verses outlining what it means to be a virtuous wife... It didn't seem to fit. I always wondered, "What does her husband's success have to do with her success?!" I didn't understand the connection until I had to be a virtuous wife and support my husband when he called after dinner was ready and waiting on him to say he that hasn't even left work yet and that he'll be late... again. When a woman hears the words, "Just eat without me." after she's made pot roast and kept a hungry five year old from eating because "We are waiting for Daddy." and she doesn't throw a fit right there on the phone, that woman is virtuous in a God-like way, plain and simple. And, when a woman like that's husband is recognized for the good job he's done at work, she can take some of the credit.

Honestly, it took me years to understand the connection between Dwayne's success and my own. At times, I've learned it the hard way, discovering just how much we are linked by screaming at him as he leaves for work and then seeing how terrible his day went because his countenance was off due to the mean things I said. Other times, it was through simple things, by seeing how faithfully serving him in "small" ways like showing affection or preparing meals can minister to him and make his days go smoother. There are countless ways that I try and help him and make it possible for him to do his job well, so I feel like this reward, in part, is my own.

And, this connection goes for every wife. It goes for every marriage. Perhaps the most obvious thing that we women can do to help our husbands succeed at work is to simply do what we are supposed to do. If we manage our family's schedule, keep our household running, stay within budget (this is, perhaps, the most important thing we can do, especially if our husbands are the only "earners" and we are the "spenders"), care for our children, educate them, etc. If we do what has been settled as "our job" well, our husbands can have full confidence in us, like the same passage says later on, and they will be free to go to work and concentrate on their work while there, since they won't be worrying about us or our kids or the family finances and on and on...

That said, the most important thing I think I've ever done over the years is pray. My prayers have been that Dwayne will bring glory to God through his performance at work, that he will be honored among his colleagues, that he will bless his employer, that he will be paid every bit of what he is worth, that he will savor what he does... And, I praise God that Dwayne has a career path, a job that provides enough for us to live on, a good work ethic, a quick mind, a capable body and most of all, that he has never forgotten why he goes to work in the first place. He's a family man, first and foremost, and they just aren't making that many of his kind anymore.