We're back!

We got back yesterday from a wonderful weekend retreat to the mountains. I think of all the times that Jesus went away to the mountains to pray. This past weekend we tried to follow His example. It was WONDERFUL! I feel so refreshed. I finished two of the books that have been sitting half-finished on my "to read/complete" pile for a while. That was nice. Most importantly we spent lots of time together as a family talking, hiking, playing, laughing, praying, and reading God's Word.

When we got back last night we un-installed the over-the-range microwave that came with our house and installed a new one. (About two weeks ago, the old one died. It went out with a flame - literally! I followed all my normal procedures for microwaving a baked potato, but the microwave caught it on fire. Smoke was pouring out the vent and set off the smoke alarm in the living room. When I opened the door, half the potato was uncooked, and the other half was a charred black mess. To this day the interior of the old one still smells a bit like a fire!) Neither hubby or I had installed an over-the-range microwave before. It involved some complicated things like drilling holes in the wall and cabinets, so I was pretty excited to get it successfully done.

I've been reading and studying Matthew 6 for my women's Bible study, and it talks a lot about God's provisions for his children. Here's a cool story that hubby told me about work today which goes right along with it:

Hubby and his co-workers headed to the dining hall to clean up after a pizza party they hosted for 70 fifth graders. When they got there the other two guys bought sodas from the vending machine. Hubby didn't have change on him (We're trying not to carry much cash - it's too easy to spend!), so he got a glass of water. He was drinking it, consciously thanking God for it since it quenched his thirst. At the same time, he was kind of wishing he had something yummier to drink. Just then his co-worker came out with a bottle of one of his favorite flavors of Gatorade. "Hey, would you like this? We've got a bunch left over from a camp we hosted." Hubby accepted and thanked God for not only quenching his thirst, but providing a yummy drink in one of his favorite flavors!