Monday, February 23, 2015

Boundaries. A weekend getaway with Hadassah!

Preparing a teenager for the upcoming teen/adult years can be challenging.  It can also be a very enjoyable time and with some Godly boundaries, good advice and parental guidance, Mike and I will try to do our best!!! 

I planned a weekend with Hadassah to go through Passport2Purity (I would highly recommend this series) and talk about some boundaries in life!  We had such a great time and the whole trip was worth every penny spent, time spent and small preparations!

I picked Hadassah up at school at 1:30 Friday afternoon.  She knew we were going away for the night and spending some time with me!  We were both excited!  We stopped at home for our bags and then headed for some frozen yogurt!  (That's my fave right now!!!)  We filled our yogurt cups with frozen goodness and sprinkled on fruit and chocolates!  We sat at a booth and I presented her her booklet for the weekend.  I explained what we would do and what we would talk about.  Mike and I both wrote a small note to her to start this adventurous weekend!  :)  We were pumped with glee as we drove toward Lebanon.

On the way, we listened to the first session.  It made our drive go fast.  However, we drove and drove all around town to try to find our motel.  The GPS took us to the street but we could not locate the motel!  Finally, after making circles in the town, I called the motel and asked for help!  I punched the address in my phone too and finally we arrived at Holiday Express!  :)

We started session 2 soon after we got settled in our room.  Hadassah loved the projects that went along with these guided lessons for adulthood.  She chose Longhorn Steakhouse to have dinner at later that night!  We enjoyed some chicken and then went to TJ Max for some quick browsing!  Our bed felt good when we got back to the motel!  We were both really enjoying our time together!  Meanwhile, Mike was home with the other children.

Saturday morning, we ate breakfast in the motel lobby in front of the fireplace!  Cozy!  Again, we were excited about the next three lessons and got right down to business.  We did the next two and then it was time to check out of the motel and have some fun!  When we got down to the lobby again, we noticed it was snowing outside like crazy!  Everything had a white blanket of snow over it!  Oh my!  I didn't even check the weather and was surprised to see the snow. 

We made a quick stop at the Salvation Army store right beside the motel and ate some leftover chicken from the night before.  Then we headed for Hobby Lobby!  Hobby Lobby is a favorite place for Hadassah and I to shop at and that was the main reason I picked Lebanon for our getaway!  We browsed the lovely store and even found some treasures!  :)  Yeah! 

Time was going by so fast and it was 3:00 before we knew it!  Time to head home on the snow covered roads!  We made one more quick stop at Kmart.  Shopping Kmart is not some place I go to often and Hadassah and I went there the other week to find a footie pajama for her fun days at school.  She liked Kmart and so making another stop here was great for her.  At 3:30, we started our last session while we headed for home.  Our conversations were meaningful and we talked a whole bunch about boundaries in our lives.  Self control of our bodies.  Limits.  Goals.  Commitments to obeying the word of God and staying "pure" until marriage!

We made a final stop at Panera Bread for some sandwiches, soup and salad!  After we ate, I gave her a gift!  She absolutely loved it and she can't wait to wear it on special occasions!

It was great to be off the snowy roads and back home with the hubby and kiddoes again!  The whole getaway was perfect and God blessed us with a lovely, sweet girl that wants to follow Jesus with her whole heart, mind and soul!  I know this weekend will be a big impact on her teenage and upcoming years!  It's one weekend I will always treasure!!!  Forever!

"I love you so much Hadassah!!!  Always trust in the Lord!"

Enjoying the frozen yogurt even when it's freezing outside!!!  :)
She loved the fun little projects with each lesson!

 
Hadassah thinks Longhorn has the best ever chicken strips!  I went with something not fried since little baby inside would like that much, much better!  :)
 
Hadassah could not get over the moon scene when we left the motel that night.  The moon was only a fingernail bright but there were two bright stars right beside it!  She tried to capture it on the photo but it really was way prettier than this!

The way home ... blizzard conditions but only ended up with three or so inches.
Panera Bread!
  A "promise ring"!

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Yesterday church was canceled because of the snowy, icy roads.  We enjoyed the morning at home with church in the living room.  :)  We listened to a sermon online/live and the topic was on ... boundaries!  Pretty fitting for our weekend.  :)

In the afternoon, Mike and Matthew threw some football in the back yard.  In the snow. 

 
 
We are still having winter conditions here but guess what???  It is still winter.  :)  Even though we can't wait for Spring to arrive, we will be patient. 
 
I am feeling that more packing things in boxes should get done today.?.  I think I might tackle the hutch dishes ... after I restock the fridge with fresh fruit and veggies!  I plan on selling my big, cherry hutch.  If you or if you know someone who might be interested in a hutch, let me know. 
 
Have a great wintry day!