the weekend of many firsts

This was the first weekend i did not go to Ruston for MLK. Since it was such a crazy week at home i got to rest at home, well kinda, ha. Saturday i got to spend the afternoon with my so called "plan C" friends. haha. Nate, Greg, Kyle, Adam, Jeremy, and few sweet girls. Sarah Kate, Allison, Parker, and Leslie. It was an interesting day. We went to Jeremy's camp on Caney Lake. It was so nice out there. The weather was not so beautiful. It rained on and off all day=( BUT. I had a few first times that day. It was my first time to drive a jet ski. and might i add that i threw Nate and i off. ha. And then... Jeremy taught me how to ski!! It was so awesome!! I loved it. Got up on my first try. Woo WOO!! I was sooo excited! ha. Those boys are so funny. I did not stop laughing at them all day. I got to tell them stories about working for dad. And a few of them are construction majors and they said they were a bit impressed with the things i do. ha. I find it funny that they actually know what i'm talking about. Not so much funny. But relieving. That i could say things to them and they actually would understand without me having to explain everything. Anyway. I stayed and had dinner with them and just hung out till after dark. It was a sweet, fun day.

Then. The real adventure of the weekend was Sunday. First time for the families to meet! The Dugard family came to Bentley. The WHOLE dugard family! Jake. Logan. his girlfriend Kelsey, whom i LOVE. Neely, her husband and 2 boys. And Mr. Bill and Mrs. Sharon.  It was a bit AWESOME. Then my grandparents came, and my lil boys, Rhys and Zell came. Funny kids. We had a delicious lunch. We went swimming, and went to the place that steph and jake are getting married. Sweet sweet loooonnnnggg day=) I loved loved his family.

Such a sweet time this is between Steph and Jake. Like now we're one big family. Pray the Lord is preparing Steph and Jake. That their unity will bring Him much glory. They would seek the Lord out in every decision. They are so great! I love Jake and Steph so very much! I'm excited for them!

A Sweet Week

Ah. Another week has went by. Its really kinda crazy to think its been almost 3 months that i've been home?! WOW. Its really went by kinda fast. Some days seem like they take forever. but. On usually thats monday and friday is always here before you know it. So with today being friday its been an awesome week.
During the week i just got to work around Bentley. One day i went to Pine Prairie and helped dad build a road. ha. Shot grades and measured out the road and the ditches. And. Picked up sticks. ha. I'm getting pretty good at that. That was really the only day i worked REALLY hard. ha. Other days steph and i did office stuff and mini storage stuff. I got to see the kids a lot this week. On my lunch breaks i usually go see them. My grandma keeps Rhys and Ella. So i usually go help her put them down for naps. Except sometimes i prolly stir them up more than help calm them down. ha.

A lil update on the garden- steph and i tied up the tomato plants. They're getting pretty big and there are lil green tomatoes on them. In about a week we should have big fresh bright red tomatoes=) I don't even like them, but. Its just exciting to see the fruit of the harvest. Ya know? I know everyone likes that feeling. The garden has been fun to do. The easy work is now. Just watering it about everyday and picking a few weeds here and there. The hardest part comes, having to pick it everyday! Both gardens! ha. But. That will come soon enough. I'm enjoying the easy stuff right now.

Friday was the best day of the week.  Crawfish boil with Grant Eastern Construction BAY BAY!!! ha. So fun. So all day we prepared. I had very random task throughout the day.
1) Pick up and sweep out shop
2) Ice down the drinks
3) Bake cookies, Cake, and brownies
4) Move picnic tables.... and my favorite....
5) Water down the driveway. ba ha.

The task were kinda fun actually. haha. While icing down the drinks i drop a dr. pepper and i busted all over me. ha. Then... everyone of my baked goodies were eaten. Best lemon cake they ever had=) haha. I love to bake for people! And the best of all was me standing out at the shop in the driveway with a super loooonnngggg water hose wetting down the dirt and rocks so it wouldn't be so dusty. ha. My dads brilliant idea=) Then when the men would come in and out i would wash off their windows for them=) it was fun. I like my men. They always take care of me. I just think so much of them. Their loyalty to my dad and his business. And just being the hard workers they are. I am so thankful for them.

Dad invited a lot of people to come eat crawfish. All his workers and all their families. Precious. This lil boy in this picture was Jimbo's grandson. FUNNY kid. He had a legit awesome rat tail. haha. You can kinda see it in the picture with steph. He kept us entertained. It was a fun time to just get to sit and talk and not have to work. To get to meet all their families and like 4 of them all have lil kids. They were fun to play with.
Just a sweet time for us to love on them. I can see the Lord moving in my dads business. Work is kinda slowing down a lil bit for my dad. So my pray the Lord provides enough work to keep his workers busy. But. Just how it was kinda weird at first for me to be around all these men and now they're just like big brothers to me. I love being able to encourage them and talk to them about their sweet families. And they love telling me about life! I really do love it.

The past few weeks i have just been struggling with work. Like... not wanting to work. Questioning the Lord why we work? Why right now i have to work? Anyway. I was randomly talking to Jake the other day. He was kinda struggling with working also. I was telling him all i wanted to do was love on people and serve. NOT work. ha. But then he reminded me that Paul worked along with sharing the gospel. He built tents. Umm... hello. Jesus was a carpenter. I mean... they worked and were in the ministry. When jake told me that it just became so real to me. Its pretty normal to work. I mean... its ok to work. Jesus did it. Right? I mean... i'm still learning about all this and studying it. I just hate the idea that once i go back to school and when i finish i will work until i pretty much die. Thats what i feel like happens. and i DO NOT want that to be all. I also have been reminded the Lord works and uses our places of work to love on people. What better way for us to connect to the world. I know that maybe only one man that works for my dad is a believer. I don't know what its like for him. If its hard for him to share about Christ to his coworkers or what. but. I know the men see a difference in him. Be praying for him, Lee. That the men, and people around would only see Christ in him. That he would be able to love and encourage our lil business men.

I just love my lil family=) They are so dear and precious to me. Em leaves next thursday for the whole summer. She'll be working in South Carolina as like assistant director of Mfuge camp. She is really struggling with leaving home, with wedding planning and all, family, and her sweet friends. It twas a good friday! 

A Grateful Mothers day!!

Sweet Sweet mothers day=) One of the absolute best! On saturday i left mom a note that morning to open that said something like, "Dear Best mom ever, Seeing as you have been so great the past 25 or so years of being a mommy. Today you must be ready 1pm sharp. Wear something smokin' and have a hot date. Make no other plans for the evening. 1pm. SHARP."
Ha. So that was her invite type thing. It was fun. She kept asking questions and wanting to know what was happening, who was going, should she do this or that, what to wear. ha. She was funny. Dad finally told her we were going to lafayette. So she just thought she was gunna go shopping and eat. Thinking everyone was coming. ha. But it was just dad and me. Anyway. Once we got there, we shopped as she thought we would. Then took her to our favorite mexican restaurant, then acted as if we were just going home. When we missed our turn she thought i had just gotten lost on our way back. Ha. Then i told her to look in my purse and get the papers in there and read them. I was watching her in the mirror. Funny. Her faced started to get real excited and she looked up and said, "is this tonight??" Ha. So cute. She was freaking out all the way there. haha.
Once we got there it was only like 30 mins before the concert started. Mom and i were upset we didn't get the memo to wear cutoffs and boots. ha. EVERYONE had them on. haha. So. Sons of Sylvia opened for Carrie. They good. Not my favorite. But they were believers and played some bluegrass. It was pretty awesome. Then Craig Morgan was 2nd. I had never really heard of him before, but he was so AWESOME. he is also a believer. He talked about Christ which i thought was really neat. He sang 'Amazing Grace' and 'Easy Like Sunday Morning.' he was funny! He had some serious hip action going on and a few butt dances to the crowd. ha. My dad loved him! I mean... considering how he slept through the first band. Funny dad. THEN.

Carrie Underwood!!!!!!!
When i first came across the tickets i was like, "this will be good. Moms will love it so it'll be great!' Not thinking i was really gunna enjoy it a whole lot. but friends. it was AWESOME. Carrie just did and incredible job. She put on and awesome concert. And she sang "How Great Thou Art." She good. She talked to the crowd and danced around a bit. She was cute. So real. She forgot the words to like her 2nd or 3rd song and that made me like her even more. ha. She was precious. Mom and i had so much fun dancing around. Singing her songs. On thursday and friday i sold moms carrie cd and had to learn the songs. So it payed off at the concert. I knew most of them=)

Mom absolutely LOVED it. This morning we went to church, had lunch at my Dads mom. Sweet time. Then. Dinner with the Zell family. Fun day it was. I really love my family. The more time i get to spend with them the more i love them. i am just so grateful.

At lifegroup we're studying Philippians. And a few weeks ago we talked about when we have a grateful attitude towards things its always a bit easier. Easier to serve you dad when he has a whole list of things for you to do for the day. Easier to help Em cook when i'm grateful that i just have time to spend with her. Grateful that i can work with Steph each day. Does that make sense? When we have grateful attitudes sometimes you let people be jerks to you and its ok. So lately i have been trying to have a grateful attitude about everything. Work. Chores. Helping. Doing. Pray that my attitude is grateful. That i'm reminded to be grateful. I can just tell when i am how much more i enjoy things.

I just want to be grateful. Today. I am so grateful for my mom. For my grandma. And my granny. And really all the women who do so much and don't get credit. Not that Moms often do any thing and expect a thank you. But they deserve it. My mom is incredible. She is so great at being a mom and knowing when its ok to be my friend, while still correcting and encouraging me. She is so loving. So AMAZING with children. So patient. So selfless. She is a servant. She is a heck of a cleaner. haha. She loves to work in the yard. She loves to spend her money and time on her family. Ah. I hope in so many ways i become like her. Precious she is to me. =) Now that you know more about my sweet Cindy. ha. I just challenge yall to be so grateful. To really step back and look at the things of life. Friends. My mom by no means is perfect. But who's is? I think things could always be worse. So be grateful. And by being grateful you somehow become selfless in those moments. Not just with your mom, or your parents, or even your families. But the sweet mentors we have, the loyal sometimes annoying friends we have. Be grateful.

Updatesssssss.

Oh my! I can't believe its almost been 2 weeks since i last blogged. I had a friend text me and said they missed reading my blog. Had another wanted to know if everything was ok because i haven't wrote lately. Ha. And yes. Everything has been fine. Just crazy. As always. I don't think i can remember a time in my life when things haven't been crazy. But. I don't think i would have it any other way. Maybe at some moments i wish it weren't as crazy. But i really love it. Ok. So. Here i go. 

The past few weeks have been filled with many exciting things. One day Steph and i had to pull weeds at all the mini storages. I've painted our patio furniture a few days. Washed trucks. Ran errands. Worked at my dads camp. Played with the kids. One day steph and i were working at the camp and it hadn't even been 30 mins and dad pulled up and he said, "yall wanna go fishing?" ha. So no work happened that morning. haha. But. One of the most exciting things that has happened was last weekend my lil group of friends got to come to BENTLEY!!!! Isn't that crazy. It was so surreal to me. Colin, Zach, Caleb, Kevin, Camille, Leah, Becca, and Megan got to come. They got to see where i worked. Where the kids live, my gardens, and other fun things. It was so weird having them here. I loved it though. I hope they would come back again.

This past thursday i got to go to Ruston to see a few of my friends, but specifically Spencer McAfee, in Fiddler on the Roof. It was so cute. I laughed a lot. But. 30 mins before we were all meeting up to go the boys decided they were gunna suit up and wanted up to girl style. ha. So. After i already was dressed in blue jean shorts and a tank i got the text and had to find clothes to suit up in. Luckily becca had an awesome blue dress that was perfect! It was perfect. The night was so fun. After the play we went the the TWIRP dance. It was AWESOME. I love to dance, so i automatically LOVE dances. It was so exciting to see friends and dance with everyone. Loved seeing Kyle and Sutton. Two of my favorite people to dance with. ha. Such a sweet time getting to see Kevin Inman and all the others i miss much. 

Yesterday i drove back in the morning. Worked for 2 hours and then went to our cousins graduation from NSU. She was SO stinkin excited! Such a sweet time with all our family. We did have all the kids. They were FUNNY. I did get to run into a few random friends, which was funny. My friend Mark Worsham, and my friend from high school, Nick Griffin. So good to briefly catch up with them. After the graduation, we drove back to Alexandria to eat at copelands with our family and Lacey's friend Halie's family. It was a bit crazy. Well. It was crazy. About 50 of us. ha. After that i came home and worked on some awesome mothers day stuff and passed out. I was running off about 3 hours of sleep. 

Usually we aren't too awesome at doing stuff for our mom. We try to do better all the time. ha. And this year is gunna be hard to top. We're reaching our peak ha. But tonight i'm surprising her with something AWESOME!!!! I shall not tell you yet, but tomorrow after with LOTS of pictures! I'm bringing Dad along with and he might be more excited than she will be. ha. Its gunna be FABULOUS. I'm going to get ready now and we're leaving soon. Gunna be trickin her. 

Things have been so good. Hard at times, but that normal. You have highs and lows. Goods and bads. So i'm learning to trust the Lord more and enjoy wherever i am, with whoever i'm with. The Lord is teaching me much! I hope to start blogging more again. At least a few times a week! 

Just be praying for direction for the future. What to do in the fall? School? work? Where to go to school? Stay home? Go back to Tech? Ah. i really have NO idea right now. I have to keep myself from freaking out all the time. ha. But. I'm learning to trust the Lord through all this decision making. I know i have awhile. but. Ya know. Just want to be praying about it now. Anyway. Its Saturday=) I like saturdays!