Happy Memorial Day!

I feel a little guilty enjoying the day on "Memorial Day", so I try to keep in the forefront of my mind the reason we have this holiday. I've been reading articles on Memorial Day and yesterday at Church we honored those who have given their lives serving our Country.

Terry and I were alone today, so we tried to figure out what to do. I started the day by reading and would probably have been happy to continue, but we decided to get out of the house. I had been to a Belk in Montgomery a few weeks ago, but it was near closing time so I didn't get to look at the clothes that were on sale. We don't have a Belk in our area, so I mentioned to Terry that maybe we could drive over to Gulfport, MS and do a little shopping. So we drove over, about 90 miles from us and first went to the Coast and rode up and down the beach area. It was good to see some of the rebuilding that has taken place since the last time we were there. Although the beaches looked beautiful, there were not that many people on them. I think the oil spill is scaring people away. Even though there isn't any oil in Gulfport...yet!

Then we stopped at a few stores. I made it to Belk and purchased some items and then to Cracker Barrel for dinner. We don't have a Cracker Barrel in New Orleans either. After that, we went to the Outlet Mall. We found some more bargins that we needed and then headed home.

It was a nice day out and we enjoyed our holiday together. Terry did get to meet a young man who is stationed at Keesler Air Force Base and will be deployed to Afganistan in a few weeks. He was able to talk with him and promised to keep him in prayer. It was a meaningful meeting on Memorial Day.

Judy - this is for you!!

My flower garden is just bursting with blooms. I so enjoy this time of year when everything in the garden is flourishing. The days are so hot now and not much cool down in the evening, so it won't be long before some of the plants start to wither.

My Mandevilla is just full of blooms

This year, my Queen of the Nile flowers are just so full and the buds keep coming. They have never been like this, I think the hard freeze this past winter somehow helped them to come back stronger.

My Hydrangeas are the same....this one is so full, they are on the ground. I cut more than half of them off today, in hopes of getting more blooms.

I love this pink hydrangea...it is different from my purple one, thicker leaves and stems. Holds up well in vases, they last forever as long as you keep water in the vase.

So Judy, give me some tips, how often should I trim them back, cut them off, etc??

I chose to end my temp assignment after 8 months, but I am at peace with my decision and I am enjoying my summer at home so far. Ashley has finished her school year, so we are planning a few quick trips this summer.

Brittany and Justin will be here next week for a couple days. They are coming down to help Jose and Ashley with their team, leading worship at our Annual State Church Conference in Baton Rouge. It will be good to see them - but as usual, too fast and too busy.