Wow! It's getting closer and closer!! I can hardly believe in a few more days I won't have the same last name anymore. I've even started writing my new name on scribble paper to try to get it to flow as well as what I've been writing for 20 years, give or take a couple months. For some reason, "Baker" doesn't seem to flow as well yet, but I am sure it will. I wonder how many times I will write it incorrectly. Sarah B, a good friend of mine, asked me if I was getting excited. I would have to say I am definitely starting to get some tingles, of course that could be because I've been sitting in the same position for the last couple hours, but nonetheless....This beautiful waterfall was right beside our cabin in the Smoky Mountains. You can just barely see the side of the cabin in the right top hand corner. This was the site of my last TRUE family vacation. Not that I won't ever go on vacation with my family again, just that it was last .....well I think you know what I mean. Jason did go with us of course and it made things so much fun. I believe my Dad enjoyed having another man around. He and Brent had another partner on the go-kart tracks!
One of the things each of us did on vacation was lead the morning family devotions. We each had our own idea and we had so much fun doing it. Here we are concentrating on a "boggle" type of game during our family devotions on the top porch of our cabin. I believe this particular photo was taken during Mom's devotions.
Dani's idea was about teamwork I believe. I teamed up with Dad. The guys were stuck out in the parking lot with blindfolds and we "instructors" were on the porch. At Dani's cue, Mom, Ally and I had to instruct our "blind" partners how to walk towards a can lying on the ground and pick it up. The only problem: Dad had to pick out my voice in all the mayhem and follow my instructions. And with Mom and Ally yelling right beside me to their partners, Jason and Brent, it was quite hilarious. I am sure our still-sleeping neighbors didn't quite get the kick out of it that we did since the sun was barely out of its bed. Despite us kids always yelling at my dad for not cleaning out his ears, he somehow managed to hear just my voice and find the can. Turning around and coming back towards my voice proved to be a little more difficult especially since he thought he had won when he picked up the can.
Interesting analogy - The world and daily stuff gets us so bogged down that sometimes we really have to listen up to hear God speaking to us. We might have to set aside a station on our personal radio and make sure we take some time to listen for what He might be saying to us on any given day. Even though sometimes it might just be static, like during a thunderstorm. That's not to say that God stops speaking, only that we sometimes stop listening or we let things get between us and Him. But being dialed in, not giving up and waiting for the storm to pass is what counts. And with all the wedding details, plans, questions, and options crashing in around me, its pretty awesome to know that God cares, even about the little stuff.
