Whirlwind Wedding Weekend: Part 1-The Arrival

This past weekend was quite a whirlwind.  Sadie and I left around 5:30 a.m. on Friday to begin our nine hour trek to Atlanta.  We would only be gone for a couple of days, but naturally we packed for more like a month.  First of all, traveling with a 3 year old by yourself for over 500 miles sort of necessitates having 1) plenty of snacks and 2) enough entertainment to keep the native from getting restless (toys, books, crayons, etc.).  Then, crossing 4 states usually involves changes in weather patterns which require packing for various elements...rain, sun, wind, etc.  Those things alone can result in an overly packed suitcase but I think I can safely say for most of us women out there that when planning to attend a wedding or other formal occasion, we can easily empty a closet trying to decide what to wear and then either only be able to narrow the choices to a "select few" or declare that we have absolutely nothing for the occasion and we must go shopping for something appropriate.  As for me, I packed my "select few" and planned a fashion show with my friend later to help me with the final decision. :)

Honk if You Love Jesus

For those who read my recent post "I'm Pregnant???", I mentioned Justin's occasional "road rage" (I'm guilty of this, too.) and it reminded me of this story a lady in my bible study class read several weeks ago.  I put the words under the video clip for those who have trouble hearing it.  I hope it brings you a chuckle or two!

The other day I went up to a local Christian bookstore and saw a "Honk if you love Jesus" bumper sticker.

I was feeling particularly sassy that day because I had just come from a thrilling choir performance, followed by a thunderous prayer meeting, so I bought the sticker and put it on my bumper.

Boy, I'm glad I did!  What an uplifting experience that followed!

I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection, just lost in thought about the Lord and how good He is... and I didn't notice that the light had changed.

It is a good thing someone else loves Jesus because if he hadn't honked, I'd never have noticed!

I found that LOTS of people love Jesus! Why, while I was sitting there, the guy behind started honking like crazy, and then he leaned out of his window and screamed, "For the love of GOD! GO! GO! Jesus Christ, GO!"

What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus! Everyone started honking!

I just leaned out of my window and started waving and smiling at all these loving people. I even honked my horn a few times to share in the love!

There must have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him yelling something about a "sunny beach"...

I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger stuck up in the air.

Then I asked my teenage grandson in the back seat what that meant, he said that it was probably a Hawaiian good luck sign or something. Well, I've never met anyone from Hawaii, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign back.

My grandson burst out laughing...why, even he was enjoying this religious experience!

A couple of the people were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started walking towards me. I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I noticed the light had changed.

So, I waved to all my sisters and brothers grinning, and drove on through the intersection. I noticed I was the only car that got through the intersection before the light changed again and I felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after all the love we had shared, so I slowed the car down, leaned out of the window and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time as I drove away.

Praise the Lord for such wonderful folks!

Grandma

Want to Save Money on Gasoline?

Some of you may have run across the "Tips on pumping gas" email that's been circling the internet.  After doing a little research, I found this article on urbanlegends.com's website.  As you can see, while there is a little validity to the argument, savings are negligible and probably not worth the effort.

But this got me to thinking, "What can I do that will actually result in keeping my gasoline consumption at a minimum?"  Well, of course, the obvious answer is to limit your driving...but let's be realistic.  It is near impossible NOT to drive in our culture.  For most of us, our jobs are further than a bike ride away and very few of us live on self-sufficient farms that don't require a trip for groceries now and then.  After all, we have to eat, right?  Not to mention that the majority of us would rather not be hermits.  Nonetheless, most of us CAN cut back on the amount of time we spend behind the wheel.  Simple things like running all your errands during the same trip to town can save you not just pennies, but dollars!  Of course, having kids in tow makes this more difficult and your sanity might be worth spending a couple dollars more in gasoline by splitting them up.

Another thing to consider is the distance to your favorite grocery store and the number of trips you typically make in a month.  This suggestion is directed particularly to us "couponers".  I've been guilty of making special trips (out of the way) to pick up one or two things for "free" but if I factored in my gas mileage, did I really save anything?  Answer: sometimes, yes...sometimes, no.  Anyway, my point is that with gas prices continually going up, we would do well to keep this in mind.  Ask yourself, "How much do I need to buy?  How far out of the way is the store from where I am or where I'm going?  Are there other errands I need to make while out that are in the same area?"  Along this same vein, I heard (and I don't remember where) that you can also save fuel by planning your trip in a clock-wise direction, limiting your number of left-hand turns.  Apparently, the theory is that right-hand turns are faster and cut down your idle time.  Food for thought, right? :)

Not satisfied with my money-saving tips?  Neither am I.  These are more scientifically proven.  My favorite is "Stop driving like a maniac." LOL  Got any tips of your own?  Please share.  Drive safely, everyone! :)