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Hello, my friends! It's been a GOOD week...but I haven't had a chance to blog about anything because I've been too busy having fun! :) This past Monday Dale and I went to Mississippi. Dale did some work around his mom and dad's house that needed to be done, and I got to go to Lake Charles to see my best friends in the world...Glenn & MaDonna Massey. It was kind of a last minute thing and I didn't have a lot of time, but it was SO GOOD to be able to see them and their beautiful children again.

MaDonna and I met 16 years ago!! It doesn't seem like it's been that long since we were in college together, and other times, it seems like we've known each other forever. The cool thing about our friendship is that our husbands were best friends growing up at youth camps together. God smiled on all of us when He allowed best friends to marry best friends. It's been a beautiful, colorful, never-a-dull-moment friendship over the past 16 years. We've cried together, vacationed together, went to our first pastorates at the same time, weathered deaths and births together, and ALWAYS enjoyed life over a good cup of coffee.

I have so many fond memories and this week was just another wonderful time to file away into my box of memories. The theme of the week was FOOD. I wanted to consume as much good southern, cajun food as I could. So, MaDonna took me to a bunch of the local hangouts that had the most fabulous food I've ever put in my mouth! I'm telling you, I've traveled all over the United States, and there is just NOTHING like good ole Southern cooking. Those people down there just know how to make it so much better than the rest of us. I had some out-of-this-world Seafood Gumbo, a loaded baked potato with fried shrimp and crawfish etouffee (I know...I thought it sounded like an odd combination...BUT! OMG...SO GOOD), and then some good ole chicken fried steak smothered in white gravy with mashed potatoes so good it'll make you wanna slap 'yo mama! But the best thing I ate the whole time I was down there was some Rice Dressing from a little restaurant called Nina P's. And can you believe the lady that ran the restaurant was nice enough to give us the recipe for the dressing!! (with the promise that we would not ever open a restaurant and steal her rice dressing recipe)!

Man, I can't wait to try that stuff out on all you yankees who grace my dining room table. I know it won't come close to comparing to Nina P's, but I'm sure going to give it a good old college try.

So, now that I've made myself and everyone else sufficiently hungry for good ole southern comfort food I guess I better hurry this up so we can all go find a snack! :)

I am truly thankful that my life has been blessed with such wonderful friends. They are the kind of people I know I can always count on and I am blessed to have them in my life.

It was good to get away for a few days, but I was also glad to get back home to my guys. I missed them terribly and especially my little Gent-man. It felt so good to feel his little arms wrap tightly around my neck and welcome me back home.

Tomorrow is the first official day of fall, so we're going to be busy this week getting our pumpkins carved and fixing up our front porch for the beautiful harvest season. I'll post pictures when we get it all fixed up. Have a great week and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you during this time of year!

Until next time - Mel