Swimsuit Saga-Part 3

I realized that I had never finished the swimsuit saga. In part 2, I mentioned that I was waiting to get yet another top in the mail. I did get a swim top in the mail finally! It was sent to me by one of the sister stores of the company that I had originally had been shopping at. I'm so glad the company worked with me in order to help me out. That is good customer service!

About a week later, my mom and I were at our local store where I had gotten my other swimsuit pieces from. They also had a few swimsuit left there, so I thought I would take a look. I ended up finding the same exact top that I had sent to me, only in a different color. I bought that piece as well.

So in the long run, I did end up with two complete swimsuits! All from the same company. I ended up paying less than $40 for each swimsuit (top and bottom). Since I ended up with two that worked in the end, I decided to keep both. I just hope they last a while! And I don't have to go on the great swimsuit hunt again any time soon!

Part 1: http://musingsmadebymandy.blogspot.com/2014/07/swimsuit-shopping.html

Part 2: http://musingsmadebymandy.blogspot.com/2014/07/swimsuit-shopping-part-2.html 

What do you write when you don't know what to write?

What do you write when you don't know what to write?

I apparently write nothing. I have been wanting to get a post up for a few weeks now, but I can't think of anything to write... Well, I have thought of a few things, but they either are only relevant at that moment, are long forgotten, or are the last thoughts I have before I fall asleep at night (in which case, they don't get written down). Top that with the busyness that seems never-ending and, well, you get no blog post from me...

So here I am writing, rambling, sharing my musings with you. Hoping that I am reaching you where you are, in your season of life. What is it that you long to be doing? Are you making time for what is important to you? Are you letting excuses keep you from what you should be doing, maybe what God wants you to be doing? Or are you running away? (Makes me think of Jonah!)

When it comes right down to it, I may be asking these questions of myself as much as I am throwing them out to you. Yes, I am busy. It is an honest excuse to why I don't write as much as I would like to. On the other hand, I could make more time, give up something. Or I could just let the musings flow as they do, off and on, now and then. Or I could be more intentional. Take notes when I have ideas and then write them when I have time. I'm not sure...

When I started to write tonight, I didn't have anything in mind to write. My goal was just to write. Writing is very therapeutic to me and I hope that in some way my words may help you as well! So those are my musings for today, enjoy!

Vacation 2014 - Branson, MO

Back in August, our family went on vacation. We traveled to the Branson, Missouri area. It was beautiful! I fell in love with the area. 

I was excited to travel to Branson for a few different reasons. One was because it was a place my grandparents had been to many different times and very much enjoyed. Another reason was because I read the book called "Love finds you in Branson, Missouri" by Gwen Ford Faulkenberry which tells about the Shepherd of the Hills Play that is produced there. And lastly, I was excited to go there because I wanted to go to some of the productions around the area. In particular, I wanted to go to the Sight and Sound production. Last year on our vacation, we were going to go to their production of Noah which they were doing in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but that was when our car broke down and we were not able to make to it. Thus, I was thrilled that we were going to get to go this time around. Even though it wasn't for Noah, we did get to see the Jonah play.

I have to say, the Sight and Sound production of Jonah was the the best play I have ever seen and I would highly recommend going to one of their productions. If I am ever going through Lancaster or Branson again, I am going to go to another one! It was so real! The sets were unbelievable. There were real live animals in the theatre. The music and sound effects were great. I absolutely loved it!

Below is a picture of the keychain that I got there.  

So we saw "Jonah" the first night, then we went to the Shepherd of the Hills production. I enjoyed this play, too. It had a great message in it. It was also cool because the book I mentioned above was about people who were in this play. This play was also one that my grandparents attended while on one of their many trips to Branson. Oh, and did I mention that it was an outdoor theater!

Here is the keychain I got there and it has my name on it!

The final production we went to while in the area was The Great Passion Play that is in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It was also an outdoor theater. I very much enjoyed it. Besides the play, we also saw two shorter shows while there. One was about the potter and the clay and the man that that did it was actually making a vase while he talked about it. The other was about David, the Shepherd Boy. The man who did this one also gave a good talk and showed everyone how to use a sling like the one David would have used to kill Goliath. (My sister actually made one of these when we got home. Just by seeing them, she was able to make one!)

Here is the keychain I got from there.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip! I would love to go back there someday. There is so much to see and do. And it was beautiful. We stayed at Table Rock Lake and it was gorgeous there!

On our way home, we got to visit my great-aunt and my great-uncle! It was great to see them as it had been a few years. I will treasure the time that I was able to spend with them. All of my grandparents have passed away and it made me miss them a lot. But I feel privileged to have people like them in my life, even if I don't get to see them often.

The trip was a very much needed break and I'm so thankful that it worked out so well! Now summer is mostly over and school has started here. But I am going to enjoy whatever is left of the summer and I hope you will, too!