Lauren Sparks

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Evening in June

June 24, 2022 by Lauren 4 Comments

evening in June

“On an evening in June, it can get so sentimental.”  – Van Morrison

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Sentimental sounds about right now that my youngest is officially a high school senior.  What?  I’m not ready.  And you probably aren’t either since I will most definitely be in my feels for the next 47 months.  But I’d better get to telling you about our summer time happenings before I get too misty!

 

Speaking of misty – Chuck had a PET scan and the results are great!  Nothing on the scan or lab results to be concerned about.  We are so thankful.  Now he gets to work harder than ever on eating more calories.  Once he is 100% by mouth for 1 month without loosing weight he can pull his feeding tube.

 

After getting these results, he asked me if it sounded crazy that he felt like he finally had permission to be well.  No, it doesn’t.  He went back to work on Memorial Day and has nothing scheduled from this point on but follow up appointments.  A little more normalcy every day.  Go be well, my dearest love!

 

I still continue to manage pain in my back and elbow.  Blah, blah, blah.  Nothing as exciting as the hubs’ news.

 

Even though Chuck jumped back into the grind on Memorial Day, we enjoyed some family time over the weekend.  We celebrated my niece’s graduation, enjoyed a yummy Italian lunch provided by my in-laws and drove out to my parent’s house for a visit.  We also, unfortunately, drove to Waco for the funeral of my great-aunt Barbara.  I had not seen her in many years, but adored her as a girl.  The reason I now own my sweet Yorkie Meg is because Aunt Barbara had one many years ago.  She kept her hair in ribbons and I thought she was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.  Until I found mine, of course.

 

The Fun Stuff

 

The first weekend of this month, we drove down to Chuck’s parents house on Canyon Lake to see family and attend the wedding of a friend’s daughter.  Not just any friend, actually.  One of my best friends from elementary through high school.  She invited several of the old gang and it was the most fun mini reunion.  Most of us sat at a table together for the reception and laughed and caught up and laughed some more.  It reminded me that sometimes old friends (I really shouldn’t be throwing around the word “old”) are the best friends.

 

The wedding was absolutely stunning and I even got a two step or three in with Chuck.  So much fun.  And I hope to see those friends again very soon.

 

The day after the wedding we had a four hour drive to take Shelby to a fairly new camp for Special Needs Adults – Beloved and Beyond.  It went beyond our expectations – with her camp buddy being a nursing student!  And getting lost – twice – on the way to pick her up with my good friend Terri was a hoot!

 

Speaking of Terri, I started a bible study at my home with her and another neighborhood friend.  We are working through Jennifer Rothschild’s Psalm 23:  The Shepherd and Me.  I agreed to the study for friend time, but God knew I needed it.  Time with Jesus and with my friends fills my cup!

 

I am not much of a water recreation person, but I got to bring my sister and nieces to the REC of Grapevine (where I work) to play at the indoor pool and slides and I also played at Great Wolf Lodge with my grandkids – who came down to visit from Illinois.  The aforementioned nieces danced in a Greatest Show themed dance recital and the grandkids went with me to the Perot Museum and the Rainforest Cafe.  Lots of playing for Aunt Lauren/ Lolli.

 

Entertainment

 

With that high school senior  I told you about, I shopped, grabbed lunch, got manis and pedis and watched her pose for senior year book pics.  I told her that I probably won’t say no to much that she asks me to do with her for the next year.  It could get expensive!

 

I got to hold a baby kangaroo at work.  Her name is Lilly and I wanted to take her home.  Until they told me she would grow to about 7 feet tall! 

 

When not socializing or trying to spend all of our money I read Waves of Mercy by Lynn Austin.  I’m really enjoying her books lately.  The hubs and I went with fun friends Karen and Bert to see Top Gun: Maverick!  Let’s give that some more exclamation points!!!!  I loved the action and nostalgia and everything else.  I wanted to go see it again, but haven’t made it back.

 

At home we went on a true crime spree.  Not committing, but watching Candy and Under the Banner of Heaven on Hulu.  Both are eerie and thought provoking.  When we needed something lighter, Abbott Elementary fit the bill nicely.  I also heart Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Much more my speed than the other new Star Wars series.

 

That hits the high lights.  I’ll be here hydrating and staying indoors until the triple digits have disappeared from my rear view mirror.  I would love to hear what you have done or plan to do with your summer.  Drop a comment below.  And as always, I thank you, I love you and I hope July treats you well!

The Link Up

 

I know I’m not the only one who feels heavy right now.  From gun violence to skyrocketing prices to political poohockey (throw in some stifling heat here in the south).  Linda Stoll’s post Porch #47* A Summer Palate felt like a welcome breeze.  Hop over and lighten up like I did.

 

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Now Let’s Link Up!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

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Marking Time in May

May 27, 2022 by Lauren 18 Comments

Marking timeDo I start every month end round up with some sort of soliloquy on how fast time flies?  I just wanted to check because I’m definitely thinking that now.  For any parent of school aged children, May is murderously busy – which makes the time go even faster. But I’ll take a little time to slow down and reflect now that school is over and a long weekend looms large in front of us.  I’ll be marking time, will you?

 

What’s Keeping Us Busy in May

 

Shelby kicked off the month with an ice cream social for Best Buddies at a park.  I cannot begin to describe to you the joy she finds in spending time with other young adults.  She finished May with a small graduation from the transition program at the local high school.  I could write a book on how fortunate we feel to be in the school district we have for the last 19 years.  Their special education department is top notch.  Shelby has been well loved and taken care of from the time she was 3.  From the bus drivers and monitors to the teachers and aids and the sweet kids who volunteer their time with best buddies.  I have to wrap this up because I’m starting to cry.  But we are forever grateful for her time in GCISD.

 

We took our first official college tour for Allie on the 4th.  We didn’t have to travel far to Baylor University – our girl’s number one pick.  She still has another year to decide so that could change.  But this Baylor Bear wouldn’t mind.  Sic ‘Em!  I might have been as excited as she was to tour the campus.  It has changed and grown so much in the couple of years since I graduated.  And it didn’t disappoint.  So beautiful.  Dorm rooms (which look like apartments) sure are different!  Afterward, Allie had several days of AP testing – which is important (among other things) if she wants to go to Baylor!

 

 

 

Marking Time in Mother’s May

 

My mom went on a well deserved weekend away with my dad for Mother’s Day, so I decided to host my husband’s mom and some of his family.  He and I had fun laying out a creative spread on my new charcuterie board to serve the small crowd.  I got some sweet cards to go with the board, which really is the best present.  I didn’t get to relax for Mother’s Day, but I did get to be with family, which is often better.

 

Allie and friends had a busy banquet season.  Theater was first, where she took home the Best SOAP Actress award.  No, that doesn’t mean she’s been moonlighting on Days of Our Lives.  It stands for Senior Directed One Act Play.  There were 7 plays and she won best actress out of them all!  I am so proud of how she jumped into her high school’s theater program as a newbie mid year and worked so hard.  She put her whole heart into performing and it paid off.

 

Chuck and I got to attend Allie’s choir banquet.  She won the “jazz hands award”, meaning she’s always, always on stage. Sounds about right. We also witnessed the handoff from this year’s president to her. She is over the moon about the heading the department next year.  She finished banquet season by attending the golf soirée with her boyfriend. I enjoyed seeing her get dressed up for each one.

 

Allie’s last concert and voice recital of the year put a nice bow on semester’s end.  You can hear her recital solo here.

 

Medical Stuff in May

 

Chuck had a CT scan, which shows much smaller lymph nodes and no new growth.  Exactly what the doctor wanted to see.  We anxiously await a PET scan next month to see if he is clear of cancer.  I had a follow up with the doctor for my back and decided to increase one of my meds.  Slowly because it makes me tired and a tad loopy (some would say that’s normal).  Allie had all four wisdom teeth removed on the 13th and I had surgery for tennis elbow on the 18th.  As my younger sister said, “Way to support the medical community, Sparks family!”  I would like to stop supporting them to such a degree now.

 

Allie sailed through her wisdom teeth surgery – singing a solo with her choir the next night and going to a concert with friends at the House of Blues the next!  Ah to be 17! I have been slower to bounce back from my endeavor. I am definitely not 17.

 

Entertainment in May

 

A television program about the late, great Patrick Swayze listed the movie Skatetown USA as his first film appearance.  When the clip used showed a shirtless Swayze rollerskating across the screen, I had to look it up. When I saw the film also starred Scott Baio and Maureen McCormack, I knew I had to see it. I found it was unavailable on any streaming service, so I bought a DVD and planned a girls’ night.  This movie was the literal worst.  I won’t spoil it for those of you who are chomping at the bit to witness it yourself.  I will say that Mr. Swayze plays the leader of a gang called the Westside Wheelers – and that I haven’t laughed that hard with friends in a long time.  So it was well worth the time and money.

 

Chuck, Shelby and my sister Kristen went with me to see Downton Abbey: A New Era.  Loved this.  It had a much better plot than the first Downton feature movie.  We have also been sopping up every last minute of the final episodes of This is Us.  And last, we have been biding our time until we can see Top Gun: Maverick. We plan to do so very soon.

 

How are you marking time these days? Let’s catch up in the comments below. And as always I love you, thank you, and I hope Gene treats you well.

 

The Link Up

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

Last week I wrote about my exploration of rest. So many of your linked up posts spoke directly to this. I wish I could feature them all, but will settle for these two. Jen Avellaneda of richfaithrising.com wrote about the importance of quiet and the reason it’s so hard to stay there.  Stacey Pardoe talked to us about being still. Put those together and it’s quite a challenge, but one I need to work on. Maybe you do too. Thanks to both authors for linking up with Grace and Truth.

 

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

 Now Let’s Link Up!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

 

Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

To find some great places where I might be sharing this post, click here.

 

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About Me

I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
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