Weekend Happenings

Good Friday morning!

NOTE TO JENNIFER: Thanks for the websites. I'll check them out in detail this weekend, and I'll post them next Thursday under Weekend Family Fun. I appreciate your prayers!

NOTE TO MELANEY: Roxie and I would love to see one of the free movies with you and the girls. There are several we haven't seen yet... plus, we usually don't mind seeing them twice! We'll check the schedule the first of next week, and see which ones we're all interested in!

Graduation was amazing. Austin did such a good job with his commencement address. I was so proud. The reception afterward in our Fellowship Hall was fun, and we had 19 family members attend the graduation and/or reception. It was a sweet time of fellowship and celebration. The Gallery is FULL of pictures from the reception. (All pictures taken during the graduation ceremony were taken with the "good" camera.) It all seems very surreal. I'm sure it hasn't hit me yet. I'll probably get the full effect closer to August when he prepares to leave for college. But that's another subject for another day on another post. Tonight... WE PARTY!

The Showcase Pic is of Josh conversing with some horses at The Wildhorse Saloon... our last activity before we left Nashville. I've also put the last of our Nashville pictures in the Gallery. We finished our City Adventure by eating a late lunch at The Wildhorse Saloon, owned and operated by Reba McEntire. On Sunday afternoons, it is strictly a family place. Mike and Roxie took line dancing lessons on the huge dance floor while we waited for our meal of ribs, sandwiches and some of the best French fries I've ever had. The Saloon is in a three-story warehouse and each floor offers a view of a big stage below. They host concerts there on weekends, too. After lunch, we went to the third floor and played pool and darts for about an hour before calling it quits and heading home.

All in all, the kids declared this our best City Adventure to date. My favorite part of our City Adventures is we can still go back and do an entirely different set of activities in each city (Atlanta, Memphis and Nashville). We didn't even touch the surface. (NOTE: Our main goal was to go to the Grand Ol' Opry, but as the date got closer and closer, there were not any performers we all wanted to pay the money to see. Our next trip to Nashville will probably revolve around dates that feature entertainers we want to hear.)

Our Weekend Happenings are mentioned toward the end of the post today. I just like to keep you on your toes, you know!

TV REVIEW

Jon & Kate - This was quite possibly the most depressing show I've ever seen. The picture of both of them sitting on the couch saying, "I'm here for the kids," but not saying anything about being there for each other or the marriage was heartbreaking. I'm praying they can save their marriage and their family. Roxie doesn't really want to watch it again. It was just too sad. I haven't made up my mind. If I think things are working toward getting better, I'll probably keep up my Monday night ritual. If things stay as tense as they were Monday, I'll probably let this show go.

Book

This is quite possibly the book that started it all for me and my way of thinking. It is 15 Minute Family Traditions & Memories by Emilie Barnes. While I have read many books on family traditions and how to make memories with your children, this was the first, and thus, the most memorable to me.

I want to share a little of the foreword with you. It is called Measure Your Moments... Treasure Your Memories.

"As we live in this hectic world that says, 'Faster, faster, you must go faster,' our souls cry out, 'Slower, slower, I must go slower.' What a conflict between what we hear and what we want to do!

"In Romans 12:2, Paul writes, 'Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will.'

"When we take time in our hurried lives to create memories through the things we do, we are in essence saying, 'Lord, what is important for me and my family's life? Show me what is important for everyday living. How can I beat the system?'"

And let me tell you, guys... The system is hard to beat, and getting harder and harder every day. Between school and church and just ONE extracurricular activity per child, it is a daily struggle to carve out the time we so desperately NEED with our family.

But it's worth the struggle. It's worth the fight to spend precious quantity AND quality time with these very important people in our lives... our family.

As I finish writing this, my oldest son just graduated from high school, and he will be starting college in a few weeks an hour and 15 minutes away. My mind is going a million miles an hour. Am I going to make him come home EVERY weekend? Am I going to insist he be a Mama's Boy and call me three times a day? Am I going to smother him? No... even though I want to very much. But am I going to think, think, think and pray, pray, pray and work harder than I've ever worked before on thinking of new ways for us to stay connected as the The Fabulous Faulkner Five. Uh, yeah!

Our family is changing. It's not finished. Big difference. And while change is not something I've ever done very well, The Faulkner Five is definitely worth fighting for.

Back to the book. I lovingly recommend it. It is, and will always be, one of my most favorite books. Why? Because it has taught me so much, and confirmed what I think I already knew in my "heart of hearts." Having a family is an honor and a privilege and hard work and blood, sweat and tears... and so much more. I honestly think you'll enjoy having this book in your own library.

Well, I'm emotionally spent. Lucky for me there's nothing happening this weekend. WHAT? Roxie has a Dance Recital Saturday and dress rehearsal tonight? And three costume changes and three hair-do changes? And I have to buy body glitter and more film and more tapes for the video recorder?

Someone take a nap for me sometime this weekend, will you?

Take care, and I'll talk to you on Monday.