Wow! Look at me! I’m actually posting my May Favorites on the first day of June! My goal is to post my monthly favorites either on the last day of the featured month or the first day of the new month, but so often I end up doing it a week or two later. Who am I all of a sudden? Ha! Okay!…May Favorites…here we go!
FAVORITE #1
The month started out with a very pleasant surprise on May 1st! Back at the beginning of April, Orangetheory Fitness North Texas posted this giveaway on Instagram:
I got a notification on May 1 that I was the winner of the giveaway! I had completely forgotten about it, so it was quite a surprise! They put my winning post on their stories. Here it is:
On Monday when I went in for my workout, my bag of swag was there waiting for me! Here I am with it:
THAT was a fun way to kick off the month! 😁
FAVORITE #2
I started this Bible study at the beginning of the month, and I am LOVING it!
This study is just what I need right now! If you struggle at times with maintaining your faith, this Bible study is for you! There are videos that go with it, but you don’t have to buy them, because you can find them on YouTube. I’ve done other Beth Moore bible studies, and they were good, but they didn’t impact me the way this one has so far.
An added bonus is that this study gave me the impetus to finally start attending Pathway Church here in town. I’ve been wanting to try it for (get this) over two years! I don’t know why it took me so long, but now that Big Eagle and I have been going, I am really feeling good about it. It was so nice to participate in communion this past Sunday. We hadn’t had communion since last August.
FAVORITE #3
We flew to Florida to spend Mother’s Day with Big Eagle’s mom. We got there the day before Mother’s Day, and I’m so glad we did, because we were able to see my sister Susan, her husband Rob, and son Wesley for an early dinner. Susan and Rob were leaving on a trip the next morning, so it was really the only time we could see them.
On the way back to Big Eagle’s mom’s house, we stopped at Dairy Kurl to get ice cream. I am amazed that this place is still there in Clearwater on the corner of Gulf to Bay Blvd and South Crest Av!
I remember when we first moved to Florida in 1971 and I was about to be a senior in high school, my dad took all of us (my mom, myself, and my three younger sisters) here one night for ice cream. We sat outside there at a picnic table enjoying our cold treats on a very warm night. I want to say back then the picnic tables were wooden. Such a nostalgic place!
On Mother’s Day it was good to have a chance to visit my mother’s gravesite in the morning. After that we spent the rest of the day with Bonnie, Big Eagle’s mom. Then on Monday morning I fit in a workout at OTF there in north Clearwater, and I was able to see my sister Nancy and her family afterwards while I was up in that area. Big Eagle and I met her and her daughter Rachelle at a restaurant right near where she works. Her husband also came by with her son Austin!
That afternoon back at Bonnie’s, Big Eagle’s sister Wynne and her daughter Kimberly came by and we enjoyed visiting with them for a while.
The next morning, it was time to leave already! It was a quick trip, but a really good one!
FAVORITE #4
We were home for two days from Florida and then made a road trip to Louisiana to see my daughter Cara and her family. Helen was participating in a swim meet in Baton Rouge during the weekend, and we wanted to attend.
We got there late Friday afternoon just minutes before Helen had to leave to attend the end-of-sixth-grade social. OMG! She looked like such a young lady!
Cara had styled her hair, and it was just gorgeous!
She came home all smiles afterward, having had a great time. Yay!
The swim meet was the next day. As we were getting ready to leave for it, Edie was in a goofy mood:
Helen wasn’t feeling 100%, but she persevered and did a great job! Here she is about to start her freestyle swim:
Later that night, she was feeling worse. A temperature check revealed she had a fever, and she ended up being sick for a few days, missing the swim meet the next day and missing school on Monday and Tuesday. We had planned on attending her band concert Monday night, but we all hung out at the house instead. Thankfully, she’s better now.
FAVORITE #5
We were glad to host our friends the Parkers for a couple of overnight visits. Time spent with good friends is always a favorite! Their grandson is a pitcher on the TCU baseball team, and we enjoyed attending a game with them and their son.
TCU has an awesome and unusual mascot: Horned Frog!
FAVORITE #6
May was a good month for some garden goodies! I harvested our onions on the 21st. Here they are laid out in the garage with more in the buckets that still need to be laid out:
I let them dry out for a couple of weeks before cutting the tops off and storing them.
We were surprised to start bringing in the first of the tomatoes on the last day of May! It’s the earliest we’ve ever had tomatoes ready to harvest!
These are plum tomatoes that I’ll use for making salsa. They’re bigger than previous years!
FAVORITE #7
About midway through the month, I got a text from a teacher friend inviting me to their end-of-the-year happy hour. As I said above, time with friends is always a favorite. The day before the get together, the tragedy in Uvalde occurred. It didn’t seem like a time to be having a happy hour, let alone even uttering the words happy hour. I almost cancelled, but part of me was thinking that I’m still alive, and I shouldn’t pass up time with friends. Once I was there, I was glad I didn’t cancel. It was so good to catch up with everyone. As much as I grieve for the people who suffered and are suffering at the hands of a monster, we never know what day may be our last. We need to live life to the fullest while we can.
The above picture is five of us who were on the 3rd-grade team together. We’re missing Andrea. She now lives in another state. 😔 Lynn and I have been retired for 12 years, but we still enjoy getting together with these ladies. I love them so much!
When the larger group picture was taken, we had a photobomber having her way with us. Ha!
FAVORITE #8
Cara and her family flew to Lithuania near the end of the month to visit with my son Danny and his wife Erin. It made me SO HAPPY to get a text with this picture of all of them together at the Vilnius airport!
They’ve been having a great time together. All of them even went for a hot-air balloon ride over the city yesterday! This momma has a very happy heart right now!
Those are my May highlights! May is such a busy time of year for so many. I hope you were able to savor some favorite moments amongst all of the busyness. If so, please share some in the comments, and anything else you want to share. In the meantime, HAPPY SUMMERTIME!
Beautiful story and lots of fun pictures. Our month been busy , we are selling our house and moving in our front of land. It’s been to much to take care doing mowing the fields and pool and big place. ! So we been looking at contractors homes and etc. which was little fun. We having a small one built no steps etc. so they be starting that next month. It’s a bitter sweet for me but Steve is happy about moving , but sure be less work !! Getting old have to downsize. Onions looks great. Be pulling ours out in a month. Steve put his in a box and in our old ref , working one. I’m glad all the family looks great !! We are surely so blessed. I’m doing a Bible study too, 15 mins in a book of a friend and she talks , sure starts my day off wonderful. Well thanks for your update on May !!
Hi, Karen! That’s some exciting news! Having a brand new place built will definitely keep y’all busy. How much of your land are you selling with the house? Keep me posted on the progress!
Someone sent me the picture with you guys. Sure miss y’all! Glad you got to go to the end-of-year celebration. You’re right, life is too short to pass up celebrations of any kind.
😘
7 acres with house. Our new one has little under a acre. Up in front of us by Sara’s house !!
Sounds like you had a wonderful month! That is a lot of onions! We are finally warming up here in Wisconsin but I’m sure there won’t be onions or tomatoes at the Farmer’s Markets for quite awhile yet. Thanks for posting the picture of the family in Vilnius. They look great and I was glad to hear they got the hot air balloon ride in. The weather didn’t look too promising! We hope June brings more wonderful produce and fun times. Ann
Being the worry wart I am sometimes, I was glad when I knew the hot air balloon ride was over, and all went well! I’m happy to hear it’s getting warmer up there. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
So enjoyed catching up with you and your gang. Girl, check you out!! That great OrangeTheory swag bag. And your arms look A-MAZING. As I am sure the rest of you does, as well. I thought you were Cara in the photo with the sun glasses.
Glad you were able to spend time with your granddaughters. Helen is so grown up and Edie so much fun. Sorry Helen was under the weather during your visit but sometimes just being together at home is the best thing of all. When my daughter visits, I try to cram in meals at all her favorite local restaurants, and lots of activities but the best visiting comes in the evening in our pjs here at home.
Looks like a great visit to Clearwater. Glad you were able to see so much family while you were there. And indulge in some ice cream at a special place from your childhood. We walked to Baskin Robbins for ice cream when I was a young mom visiting my parents with baby Brennyn. Good memories.
How wonderful for Cara and fam to travel to visit your son and daughter-in-law. Sounds like they are having a good time and making lots of memories together, too.