Does Life Ever Slow Down?

Slow weekends don't come around very often in the Brown household, and this weekend proved to be no different. We didn't really have much planned, but it is amazing how quickly two days can fill up.

I don't believe a Saturday could have started any better than yesterday. Corey, Riley and I, along with our friend, Ginny, had breakfast at Yoder's Dutch Pantry. Yoder's is a small Mennonite restaurant/store in between Grifton and Vanceboro that my mom and I discovered a few years back. From Winterville it takes about 30 minutes, but it is well worth the drive. They make the most amazing french toast and cinnamon rolls you have ever tasted! I was so excited that Ginny decided to join us. You see, Ginny and her husband Shane have been in Life Group with Corey and I for the last 3 1/2 years. They have become dear friends of ours. Unfortunately, they are no longer able to attend our Life Group (sniff, sniff) because of other obligations. So, it was a great opportunity to play catch up.

After breakfast, Corey had some daddy/daughter time so that I could go shopping!! So, I headed to the mall and got some great deals for both Riley and myself. Having a little girl is so dangerous - financially I mean. There are just so many adorable outfits, and never enough money to buy them all. Fortunately, I had some Gymbucks from Gymboree, which definitely helped the cause.

Once I returned from my shopping trip, it was time to get ready for the Family Fun Festival for our church. It was at the Boys and Girls Club this year and we had a blast. They had lots of fun activities including a dunking booth, a clown making balloon animals and a huge inflatable slide! Riley loves slides, and this one was right up her alley. We started her off going down with Corey and I, but our little girl proved to be quite the daredevil, eventually going down all by herself!

Needless to say, by the time we returned home, we were all pretty worn out! And, we needed to rest up for a busy Sunday!

Today, we had the Barham family reunion in Raleigh - my dad's mother was a Barham. It began at lunchtime, which didn't allow us time to go to our church and still make it in time, so we headed to Goldsboro and went to church with my Dad. Then we all headed off to Rolesville for great food and fellowship!! As a kid, I used to loathe family reunions - just seemed like an excuse for a lot of people who really didn't know each other to get together and eat. But, now as I have a family of my own, I am really learning to appreciate them. So we spent a few hours playing catch up with everyone and then on the way out of town, we took the opportunity to visit the gravesite of my Granny and Poppee and also the family farm that my Dad and Aunt Julie still own. We made it back to Greenville by 5:00, leaving me enough time to get my fall decor out and relax a little with Riley before her bedtime.

And now, as I wrap this up, it's time to prepare for another busy week. And, it leaves me wondering if life ever slows down.