Three weekends ago, Mom, Melissa, Annabeth and I headed north to Dallas-Fort Worth. Our co-worker’s son was getting married and we were excited to make a girls weekend out of it. I realize the relevance of this post has now dwindled, but it’s been sitting in the draft folder for a couple of weeks and I would hate to waste it.
As always, we had many “That’s going on the blog!” moments, some of which I will document for you.
The first was when we passed the giant statue of Sam Houston just outside of Huntsville on I-45. If you’ve heard Beth tell about the night she thought she saw our Lord on the highway, you will appreciate this. At night Sam is lit up against the pitch black background of pine trees.
Too many hours later (Mom was behind the wheel and she drives like a granny), we finally arrived in the Metroplex. We went through Irving and got one last look at Texas Stadium. It was already very stripped down in preparation for Sunday morning’s implosion.
After a much needed stop at Starbucks, we stayed the course of our long journey until we arrived at the perfect Moore Girls Weekend destination – a hotel at Southlake Town Square. Praise the Lord and amen.
In this spot, please imagine a picture of Melissa and me unloading our overpacked bags and toddler paraphernalia out of the car while Mom visited with two really cute ladies who seemed a little surprised to be seeing her.
Right here, please imagine a picture of my mom’s face when they told her that their church was hosting a women’s retreat at that very hotel and – you’ll never believe this – Mom was the retreat speaker! Yes, you read that right. They were using the Revelation DVD’s for their women’s retreat. Isn’t that ironic/hilarious/crazy?
We didn’t waste much time unpacking. There was eating and shopping to do before bedtime!
We had a great time exploring Southlake and just being together. We met lots of really neat ladies and even a few Siestas!
Our time flew by and before we knew it, it was time for the Mattingly/Simpson wedding. We all got dressed up. Mom wore the gold dress that she’s worn to almost every wedding in the last 8 years. I wore a “new again” black dress that hadn’t fit since Annabeth was born. I also wore a brand new pair of heels that quickly became my nemesis. Melissa took a fashion risk and wore something less conventional. Halfway through the night, she saw a picture of herself and suddenly there was no convincing her that she didn’t look exactly like the wedding cake in her voluminous, tiered white blouse. She said she feared people would begin approaching her with their cake plates. I believe this was Melissa’s first time to experience fashion remorse. Unfortunately, all pictures of it have been destroyed. (I thought she looked beautiful!) Annabeth wore a sweet little dress that had pink tulips on it. Unfortunately, a toddler really limits one’s participation in a wedding celebration. Annabeth and I just walked up and down the halls of the church during the ceremony. Our time at the reception ended up being short and sweet, seeing as how my daughter was two hours past her bedtime and nothing could make her happy. At least she was cute!
The Lord allowed us to have a couple of unexpected moments with Adam and Laura, the beautiful bride and handsome groom, on our way out.
There happened to have been some red and pink tulips nearby that matched Annabeth’s dress. What a great photographic opportunity, right? Annabeth did not agree.
The next hour held one mishap after another. I got us terribly lost, Melissa dropped a room service tray on the floor and broke some plates, and Mom and I accidentally ate her dinner while she was cleaning it up. (We thought it was an appetizer for all of us.) Bless her heart.
Soon we called it a night. Early the next morning I woke up to a rumbling sound. I glanced at the clock and realized it must have been the stadium coming down. You can see a video of the implosion here. People cheer at the end but I thought it was pretty sad to watch! (I used to live by this stadium and even though it was u-g-l-y, I felt sorry for it.)
We dropped Melissa off at DFW airport so that she could fly home to Atlanta. Then Mom, Annabeth and I made our way toward the stadium so we could see the pile of rubble. It was so freaky! It looked like there had been an earthquake. I tried to imagine how horrifying Port Au Prince must be with most of the buildings looking like that. Awful.
A highlight on the way home was stopping for lunch at the Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana. One word – YUM! There was a big field of bluebonnets (our celebrated state flower) next to the parking lot, so we did what every self-respecting mother and grandmother in Texas would do. We plopped ourselves and our baby down in the middle of it and took some pictures! Ideally, these would not have been taken with an iPhone and Annabeth would have been wearing a cute summer dress. We also had to hurry because we could tell the church crowd was about to arrive at the restaurant.
And this concludes the semi-annual Moore Girls Weekend recap. Our DFW trip was a great success. Thank you, Adam and Laura Mattingly for getting married and giving us a great reason to get away. We love you guys!
Amanda,
LOL! I loved your post…thanks for digging it out of the “draft” folder and posting it. It totally made me think of me and my sisters and mom getting away for some girl getaways. Like your mom often says she loves being a woman, I do too, and I love my mom, sisters, my daughters and all things “girly”. We all share treasured memories of happier times in our family when life was a little more carefree than they are now. We have weathered economic crisis, divorces and many heartaches in recent years. So it was fun to relive those happy times like the weekend you shared with your mom, sister and Annabeth. Have a blessed weekend with your family.
My friends and I watched the Simulcast last Saturday. Unfortunately, there were terrible storms and tornadoes (we had to take cover in the basement twice)and the satellite messed up because of the weather. Do you know that we still got all 6 points? Even throughout all of those interruptions! We serve a big God!
Wait – does AB have yellow laces with her track suit…I can’t! 2 much!
They are actually yellow bows on her white shoes. She should have been in her tennis shoes but they were packed deep in a bag!
Beth, I met you at your book signing at the Barnes and Noble in Dallas. I know you met a TON of people that day…but I wanted to share a request w/ you. I shared with you that my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for 4 years and teared up. You stopped right there and said a prayer for us and I was blessed beyond belief. Brings tears to my eyes, still. Thank you SO much for taking the time to do that. You also said to keep you updated. Well, we had an IUI (insemination) a week ago and are awaiting the results. We will find out in a week if it worked or not. We tried a new medicine and have made many changes. We are hopeful…it feels like everything has fallen into the right place for this perfect time!!! Please pray for us in the next week or so!!!! Pray for our future baby/babies and that my husband and I find peace/patience to get through the next week without going crazy! Thank you for being an inspiration and a light shining for our GREAT GOD!!!!
Kristina
[email protected]
http://www.kristinascackles.blogspot.com
Praying for you right now!
Hi Kristina,
I am praying for you as well. I know from personal experience that it can an emotional rollercoaster trying to get pregnant and having to take fertility treatments. Beloved, take heart!
You all are so cute!! I love how you enjoy life. Nothing like a good girls’ wkend…..fun memories.
Thank you for sharing you life with us. It is always a joy to read your posts. You are greatly loved and appreciated.
I have one request for Ms. Beth. Would you prayerfully consider publishing “New Every Morning” again. I loved reading them and miss not being able to. They helped me so much in my walk with the Lord.
Thanks again for all you do,
Snowbyrrd
Amanda,
I needed a moment of R&R and reading your story, along with all the other siesta comments, is just what Thank you for sticking with this. You’ve been through a lot lately and your ability to keep going speaks volumes for your inner strength that can only come from the good Lord. I just gotta know, did your mom do Annabeth’s hair in those pics? She is just precious!
I hope that your husband is recovering from his ordeal and that things are as normal as they can be with two little ones in your home.
In His Love,
Donna B.
Thought the siestas would love this siesta’s rhyme!
Now this is awesome in just 1 minute 41 seconds!
View it!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=WUQYJ77qa50
Thanks, Amanda, for being secure enough (yes, I attended the simulcast this past weekend) to share that fantastic 3-week-old post about the wedding trip with your Siestas – Loved it! And, a bonus for me was finding the website for the Collin St. Bakery. I’ve been looking for it for years. I’ve been Googling “Texas Fruit Cake” but never did come up with the correct website. Now I can indulge in one of my favorite treats (along with the possibility of trying some of those other yummy-looking offerings). XOXO’s to the Moore siestas! Love you guys – so much!
How fun!
Thanks for sharing the picture of Sam Houston. 🙂 I remember the story from one of the Bible studies. 🙂
I went with some friends to Southlake Square in March for Beth’s book signing.
What a neat area.
I’m so glad you all were able to take a fun girls trip.
loved the pic of the two beauties in the bluebonnets! i lived in texas for a semester and loved seeing all the bluebonnets along side the road. what a wonderful time you all had, and nice to read about it. too funny about revelation Bible study going on the same time! way cool.
Great recap! I’ve gotta say, I really like the pictures with the blue bonnets. Mamma Beth and AB were in blue, so they matched the flowers. Grin.
Blessings,
Anna
Hey, Amanda…not sure what angle the video was shot, but if you had been there, you’d have been with us and there was DEAD SILENCE…we heard a few far away cheers from some other sector, but they were short-lived…it was soo respectful!
On a lighter note: y’all are hysterical, love the recap of your DFW trip!
So happy you went to the wedding… My husband and I have not gone to any weddings all our married lives. We just felt it was not pertinent in our busy lives, but this year is different. My brother lost his youngest child, Kristey, who was on her way to college the following week. Anyway, we had that tragedy, and God brought us home just passed their home, when we heard the news. We got the God-given opportunity to love on them. They still need much love: The Bill King Family of Hopewell, NJ. Their oldest daughter got married in Oct. Their oldest son is to be married in July. And the best news yet: We are all going! This is a miracle, so pray for us all. My Christian mom just lost her house in a fire. This is God pulling us all out to share love with one another. We are all little shards of broken glass, but I am trying to trust God to bring us all to him through this whole saved and unsaved family. Pray that my husband and I will be used in a mighty way through all of the insecurities of the past. I know Jesus is all about security, love, and hope! Thank you. May we all let Jesus love through us! For God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us. So, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Believing, Conni
Love those Moore Girls!!
I hate asking for help…but I’m asking for it now. I need prayer more than anything I’ve ever needed in my life. Not only do I need a job but because of some confusion with my school and state taxes…I need like $2000 quick to pay the MO Dept. of Rev.
I hate feeling like this. I hate not being financially able to help others instead of having to be going from pay check to pay check (oh wait I dont’ have a pay check). I have been praying and praying about this and the only thing that the Lord tells my heart to do is tell other’s to pray and about my need and wait on Him. I’m not going to lie I’m scared. I dont know how bills are going to get paid let alone back taxes.
Anyway…I’m trying to do what the Lord says and tell people I trust to really pray. It is a very hard thing for me to do to let people know I’m in this much trouble.
Sometimes I wish life had a redo button. I’m only 23…ugh
Loved the bluebonnet picture. I have a similar picture of my father-in-love with my firstborn daughter. We were driving down from Utah and stopped the motorhome to let my toddler see the bluebonnets. She is now in college in Tucson and recently came with me to see your mom and loved it.
You southern girls are too cute with all the proper ways of life. Annabeth and your mom look amazingly cute as they actually match the bluebonnets. I would be thrilled that my mom and daughter matched each other let alone the flowers especially without it being planned. Guess that’s why I live in the west and am not a southern belle.
Thanks for sharing with us. And BTW, you look GREAT! It’s obvious you are staying within your WW points. 🙂 I’m inspired!!!
Deanna, I really got off track during my husband’s ordeal but I’m starting fresh today! Amen? Thanks for your sweet words.
Don’t be too hard on yourself, Sweetie. Some people lose weight during stress. Others of us can gain. I’m the latter. Understandably you don’t want to back track, but, hey, if you fit in a pre-Annabeth dress three weeks ago, I daresay you’re in good shape. The Lord knows that living out of vending machines and neighbor’s casserole dishes isn’t anyone’s idea of fun. That’s survival mode. Hope you’re enjoying a healthy, fun-filled lunch 🙂 How about the crust from the kid’s PBJ sandwiches? jk Please excuse me. I’m hungry now.
Amen! I love fresh starts. Glad Curtis is better.
I loved this post for many reasons but manly because of the pictures of Annabeth in her tulip dress. The unhappy expression on her face matches my attitude to a T !! Good thing I have learned from mama Beth how to let the Holy Spirit adjust my attitude and Annabeth will too someday! Love you Moore ladies!
I still can’t get over the fact that there was a ladies retreat where y’all were staying and your MOM was the speaker. Crazy! Y’all are so fun. Loved this post. Love me some Mattingly’s. Love me some Sam Houston. (Did you know he was a wild man? True story.)
I WORK IN SOUTHLAKE! It is a hop, skip & a jump away…as they say. Who is “they” anyway?
We send all our guests to Gateway to the very hotel where you stayed. We eat at Brios… did you eat at Brios? Oh, now if you come again you must! Brios is most excellent.
I do wish I had given you a personal tour 🙂
In October my husband and I picked up a couple who are Messianic Jews and Regional Pastors who oversee several large congregations in Argentina. It was delightful to get to know them. My heart leaps as I recall our conversation that drizzly, rainy morning.
Oh well, thanks for sharing. You are delightful and I’m so grateful you enjoyed our neck of the woods.
On a side note… We also went to a wedding recently due North and a little east of here. We happened to also drive by that pile of rubble in the cross hairs of Hwys 114, 183, Northwest Hwy and Loop 12 – Oh my goodness. It does make one sad. I might even write a blog post about my experiences there! 🙂 HUGS!
Love reading your stories! Always brightens my day.
God arrays even the meadows in splender, a little Texas bluebonnet named Annabeth!
The pictures are beautiful! I love the girl’s dresses…too cute!
You all had an interesting trip! The pics were great and the blue bonnets were beautiful:) Weddings are so much fun! Thanks for sharing with us:)
katiegfromtennessee
Amanda, I have left several comments but they don’t show up. I discovered this when I just went back to read “Baffled” post and wondered what I had said about it. Usually never re-read anything but am wondering if it has something to do with this new wordpress or if I am doing something wrong. It said that the comments were awaiting moderation. I am posting this on an older post just to ask—maybe I am doing something wrong. Thanks, Bev
My husband, who is CLEARLY NOT a Texan always asks why we Texans insist on taking pictures with the bluebonnets. And then I get a sad place in my heart that thinks, “I don’t have any pictures of my family in the bluebonnets.” Should bluebonnets be capitalized….it is the TEXAS state flower….thought to ponder.
I Thank you for taking the time to explain this subject. I like your point of view on this subject.
Your words are too cheap. Migration from Korea or India to the US is by far biggger than Russia. Without counting mexicans, guatemalans… You just write out of boredom. Talk to real people, is good for you.