It's a Girl "Thang"

About 3 or 4 years ago the Lord introduced me to a wonderful friend named Carla. (Actually I have two wonderful friends named Carla...how about that!?!) This Carla is a snowbird....she comes to Florida with her husband every fall and stays until spring and then off she goes to Michigan. She and I became fast friends as we drove to Bible Study every Wednesday night for months. We had the best times in her car. She has kind of adopted me as a daughter and I love her for it! My husband laughs because she has always been my standing date at our church's Ladies Christmas Tea and every year when we get back from the tea, we just sit in my driveway for hours talking...not kidding...hours! It is usually our first time to catch up since she gets back to Florida after being away for months.

I'm thankful that the Lord is faithful to place people in my life who love me like a daughter...I think of Grandma Carole (who I consider to be "real family" to me (not "like family")....thank you for sharing Tracy Catherine!)...I'm sure I'll be writing more about her in March when I get to see her (hopefully), and I think of my friend Cindy, and others like these, who have daughters of their own yet, who for some reason take me under their loving wing and shower me with motherly love as well!

Well, Carla invited a few women together to share dinner and have a girls night! It was fun. We had fresh shrimp that she and her husband had caught and then we sat around and shared a favorite bible verse. I shared from Titus 2, because I felt she was doing such a great job being a godly mentor to so many younger women.

Then we did some beading. Yup...not my cup of tea...but I tried. Through sweat and almost tears, I made a bracelet. My children will tell you, I do not have a "crafty" bone in my body. I decided my problem is I have a hard time seeing the final product. My son Kyle can totally see what his drawing will look like before he draws. Me...I see, black...nothing...just blank nothingness. That is exactly what I saw as she placed all of these beads before me. Oh, I sat with my baseball cap on, and my eyes hidden, as all of my friends easily went through the beads of their liking to make beautiful bracelets. Seriously, I thought I would cry...so much anxiety...but, I pressed on, my hand is present in that circle at the top of this blog (it's the hairiest arm...of course..oh and it's black...of course!) Here are some other photos from our fun Girls Night!

Some people are just natural at girly things...look how beautiful she is in all of her purple...(that's my Ms. Amanda).
Below is my Carla in the blue sweater!
Here is my Kristen....do you see that red band above that beautiful bracelet. She was a little anxious too, but you'd never know it by her end result!
Oh, and here below is my other Carla...hard at work...wearing a beaded bracelet made by her daughter! How sweet!
I have decided that this is why it is so important that I have regular Girls Nights.....I am surrounded by boys and men all day and night. I love it...don't misunderstand...but after feeling so "out of my element" with jewelry and beads and all things girly, I realized....I need these ladies in my life...desperately.