Unexpected Adventures

I'm a planner. So most days I tend to have a general outline for what I expect to do. It's not often that I wake up without any plans, but I did the day after Easter. That tends to happen the day after a holiday. We're usually tired. The day after a celebration the girls are most likely detoxing from too many sweet treats and lack of sleep, so I never plan much. We take it easy, stay in our PJs for a while and play A LOT, while we recharge to start the week for real on Tuesday.

Every now and then, God surprises us with other plans! When I'm flexible enough to roll with it (a trait I'm learning to cultivate more and more), I'm always so glad I did. His ways are so much greater than ours...even in the simple day to day moments when I'm willing to follow Him.

Monday morning our plans were shaken up by 9:00 when we learned we had to make a spontaneous trip to my hometown. On Easter, my dad took our green car home with him to work on it for the week. With all the happenings of the day, Joe didn't realize that he had left his wallet in the car after church. On Monday morning, when Joe went looking for his wallet..he quickly realized it was an hour and a half away in my dad's driveway. So, the girls and I got ready quickly and packed up for our unexpected adventure. (Side note: So thankful for my dad and his willingness to spend his days off fixing our cars for us when we need him! Thanks, Dad!)


It was a beautiful day, so on the way I called my mom and asked her if she wanted to picnic with us at my favorite park. She rearranged her day and packed up a picnic for us. After visiting with Papa and Uncle Cory for a bit, we spent the afternoon with Grandma enjoying the day! 

 

I have years of memories at this very spot. Picnics by the river as a kid. Learning how to pump for the first time on the swings as a little girl. Fourth of July fireworks. Class field trips. Hikes with friends. College goodbyes. Birthday lunches. More picnics.  I loved being with my mom and taking my girls here for the first time! 

 

Everyone was flying kites down by the river. The girls were fascinated and asked if we could try flying a kite this summer. I'm adding that to our summer bucket list!

Let the record show, I was totally spontaneous!  I love days like these when it really works, we choose to embrace life (even the unexpected) and everything about the day is a beautiful success. It didn't hurt that a really grateful husband was waiting for us when we got home that night! To think a misplaced wallet could provide such unexpected joy!