sweet & salty.

It's been an awesome three-day weekend.

I started it all off with a power-walk down some back, country roads with my dear friend, Courtney. She teaches 5th grade at a four-day week school (lucky duck) and recently got married to good ol' boy, Nehemiah. Her and I decided that we would make Friday afternoons a standing date--for walking and talking. So far we have gone walking the past two Fridays and I have loved every minute of our hangout time. One of the many things we talked about was our love of food. Haha. She brought up the fact that she loves sweet and salty snacks. Which then brought to my own attention that I love sweet and salty snacks too!

It wasn't 24 hours later that I was headed to Wal Mart to buy a few things for my revelation of my love for sweet and salty. I decided that I wanted to make my own trial mix. I did a bit of research and picked one that sounded pretty good and made a few modifications to it:
>>1 cup of almonds
>>1/2 cup of dark chocolate chocolate chips
>>1 cup of 50% less sugar craisins
>>2 cups of pretzels (small)
>>1 cup of honey toasted Heart-to-Heart Kashi cereal

Directions: Measure and pour all ingredients in a large bowl, then mix together! Delicious. Try it!

Another reason my weekend was awesome was that two of my life-long friends, Eleni and Lauren, were in town---without their husbands = girl time! :) YAY.

I got to spend Sunday afternoon sitting in the sunshine catching up with Eleni (drinking coffee) and Monday morning catching up with Lauren (drinking coffee). This was the first time that I spent one-on-one time with both of them as married women.These two girls are so precious to me. Precious in their own unique ways. I thought it would be so weird when they got married, but it actually isn't at all.  Eleni and Lauren both said that it just feels normal, not really too different (except for the fact that they live with a boy!). Jesus really does prepare each one of His children for the different seasons of their lives. Eleni and her husband, Colin, live in north Louisiana where Eleni is currently in PA school. Lauren and her husband, Logan, live in the big D where she is a teacher and he works as an allergist specialist. I am so thankful for the moments we had together this weekend and can't wait until I get to see them again (Mardi Gras!). It was so fun!

I did visit the same new church on Sunday and fell in love with it even more. The people are SO nice and it's all about Jesus! The pastor spoke on how vital prayer is in Jesus' Mission and how we are called to pray for all people. He preached from 1 Timothy 2:1-7. I am thankful for living in a country that I can worship my Savior freely. 

A word from Lord that He gave me Sunday morning, from my devotional God Calling, before heading off to church:

"So you must be careful to think of and desire that which will help, not hinder, your spiritual growth.  Think Love, Love surrounds you, and all whom you think about. Think thoughts of ill-will and ill surrounds you, and all whom you think about. Think health--health comes. The physical reflects the mental and the spiritual."

MK's yummy trial mix.

(Eleni trying on ski pants) Eleni Sallinger: This is what married life does to a woman.

Lauren Chabot. :)