Restoration

Though I'm not exactly sure why I feel compelled to write this post, the fact of the matter is that I do. And have for quite some time. So here it is.

As I was listening to K-Love in January, the folks on the morning show were talking about using one word to describe your goal and/or plan for the coming year. Now generally I would half listen to these types of things but, for some reason, this conversation struck me and one word immediately popped into my mind: restoration.

I knew, without a doubt and in an instant, that this was the word for our family this year. But, honestly, that word didn't really line up with what I had personally planned for the next 12 months. In some areas it did but for others, not really. To be more exact, I thought it would take us about six months to get where I wanted our family to be before moving on to what I assumed to be our next phase.

It was a heartwarming moment, though, and so I thought because this word described what I thought was going to happen for about half of the year, that we were on the right track. For instance, I knew Dave was going to have knee surgery and was praying it would restore his ability to go through life without excruciating pain. We were also rehabbing Tay's elbow and was so praying that at-home therapy and time would bring it back to full functionality. I was in the process of dropping some weight and was also restoring some relationships.

So, I thought, it's all good.

And it was. And it is. And it will continue to be.

But what I've realized in the last few days is that the Lord was telling me the entire year was going to be devoted to restoration. Those other dreams I felt were going to come true this year simply will not. And it's not because anyone has done anything wrong. Not because we've driven our lives off into a ditch. 

It's just that I was, yet again, trying to make what I thought I was hearing from Him fit what I wanted for our lives. But here's the thing, instead of smacking myself in the noggin and wondering "When will you EVER learn?" again, I'm embracing it.

Dave's knee is much better. And it will continue to take time.

Taylor needs another surgery. And it will take more time for her to completely heal.

I've lost weight. And will probably take until the New Year before I'm satisfied.

We're making strides financially in managing our funds better, saving better and paying down debt.

We've grown spiritually and it is my prayer that process will NEVER stop.

Our family is closer now than ever before and I, literally, could not be more thankful.

It's not my plan. Never was. I wanted to fast forward through this process and get to the other side where we would reap the harvest I planned in my mind. The one I thought would complete our lives.

And that, my friends, is pretty funny. Bordering on hysterical if you want my opinion. Because our family has come a long, long way and yet I still thought somehow that what I felt was best for us would translate into the Lord blessing and providing it.

I looked up the definition of the word restoration and here's what I found:

Main Entry: res·to·ra·tion 

Pronunciation: \ˌres-tə-ˈrā-shən\

Function: noun

Date: 14th century

1 : an act of restoring or the condition of being restored: as a : a bringing back to a former position or condition : reinstatement  b : restitution c : a restoring to an unimpaired or improved condition  

And that, my friends, is when it all clicked. Finally.

He is restoring our sense of peace in all things. Not halfway. Not six months' worth. Not just as much as I thought was needed before we moved on to the next phase of our lives.

He's doing it ALL THE WAY.

And, in fact, I believe with all of my heart that he's improving our condition to the point that it will dwarf what I felt - in my earthly mind - was "enough." That is one of the things I love the most about Him because this sanguine often moves on to another project before fully completing the previous one. 

So here's to another four months of restoration in the Bowers family. I, for one, can't wait to see what He has in store for us in 2011 but I refuse to cheat myself of the joy of the remainder of 2010 by continuing to try to fit the puzzle pieces I think should work into our lives.

Why? Because I'm all in. 

And I have no doubt it's going to be better than even the most amazing roller coaster.

 ¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, 

       because the LORD has anointed me 

       to preach good news to the poor. 

       He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, 

       to proclaim freedom for the captives 

       and release from darkness for the prisoners, ^[a]

 ² to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor 

       and the day of vengeance of our God, 

       to comfort all who mourn,

 ³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion— 

       to bestow on them a crown of beauty 

       instead of ashes, 

       the oil of gladness 

       instead of mourning, 

       and a garment of praise 

       instead of a spirit of despair. 

       They will be called oaks of righteousness, 

       a planting of the LORD 

       for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:1-3

East Beach - aka Sunday in Galveston

After a great Sunday morning reading Southern Living and chatting with the Lord on the balcony while the man and the girl slept, we headed to East Beach for a lazy Sunday on the sand as our summer vacation continued...

If you look closely, you can see how swollen my right foot still was from the jellyfish sting. You can actually still see the marks so perhaps I got an unexpected souvenir? :-)

The view was spectacular...

...the seashells were plentiful...

...the accommodations were fantabulous...

...the seagulls were amusing...

...the sandcastles were unique...

...the boogie boards were blinding...

...and the company was unmatched.

But apparently I took it one photograph too far...

This guy was super happy to see us that afternoon, though.

Why? Because Dave grilled steaks for linner (that meal between lunch and dinner), we did laundry and watched football. So, basically, he got us all to himself for the rest of the day.

And he didn't complain when we turned the leftover steaks into fajitas either. ;-)

We turned in kind of early because we had a big day on the horizon - Space Center Houston!

Moody Gardens, Part Deaux

Our Saturday morning in Galveston began with this beautiful view. No, I won't ever get tired of sharing these pictures in case you were wondering. :-)

We headed over to the harbor area to hit up a pancake and waffle buffet for which I had a coupon (yes, even on vacation); however, this particular restaurant clearly does not exist anymore. You can only imagine the ribbing I got for that one...and, no, it didn't come from the man...

While in that area, we checked out the cruise ship because that's what we plan to do next summer for our big vacay. That's a different story for a different time, though.

We also got to see the oil rig museum that one of Dave's friends either built or restored...can't really remember the details....it was early...you know, on vacation time anyway...

...and then we found Dave's absolute favorite place to get poboys in Galveston...or at least the place where it USED to be...sensing a theme here?

We checked out the Strand...

...and marveled about the fact that a giant who plays the trumpet clearly live somewhere around the Strand... 

Then we headed back down Seawall and mourned the loss of Davey's favorite hotel...this particular activity continued each and every time he drove by...

...laughed at the Duck Tours bus...because it just cracks me up. Every single time...

...and ended up having a fabulous breakfast at Whataburger. Original, huh?

After making the girl pose for a pic in her skirt (it even had ruffles, y'all, and I didn't have to bribe her or anything!), we decided to head down to the beach...

We frolicked for a while, enjoying the sun, the moment and each other...and then it happened.

The second jellyfish attack (if you had been on the receiving end, you'd call it that as well) of the trip. It was actually a pretty major one (think giant raised and red circle on the top of your foot and actual slits in the skin on the toes) but I didn't whine (even when my man questioned if I'd actually been stung - clearly that was before the redness).

This is also when I learned that chewing tobacco pulls the venom out of the wound. The fact that my husband puts that in his mouth every day is now a bit scarier now that I think about it but, quite frankly, I didn't mind a bit at the time.

Sitting on the shore did give me the opportunity to take some photos of my favorite people, though.

I also had some time to build sand castles with the girl...

...and then Dave looked down at my foot and saw just how swollen my toes had become and immediately decided we needed to get back to the condo for proper treatment (hot water and meat tenderizer - high tech obviously)...

The only problem was that we had chosen to walk (quite a long way) from the condo to that particular area of the beach. We thought a nice walk would do us some good. So the man walked all the way back while the girl and I lugged all of our gear up the steps and waited on Seawall for Dave to make it back. 

At one point we were admonished for "taking up the ENTIRE sidewalk" by a local who was riding his bicycle and clearing the path by waving his fishing pole (hook and all) to and fro...good times, y'all!

After a bit I was feeling much better so we headed back to Moody Gardens to take a ride on The Colonel - the paddlewheel boat. It wasn't thrilling or anything but they do make some really good smoothies ;-)

Then we headed back to the condo for a bit before returning to see the Butterfly Exhibit. Dave decided to have some quality time with Bo so it was just me and the girl. And it was fabulous - special memories!

After riding the Log Ride again and seeing the 4D Happy Feet feature for the second time, it was time for the main event - Shrek 4 at the IMAX theater. It was so good and this time I didn't get seasick. Clearly my negotiating for seats on the third row (instead of the second, thank you, Jesus) paid off...

And, because I believe in providing a good laugh for all...

After the movie we headed back to the condo to pick Dave up for a late night dinner at IHOP. Tay had been dying to try the Despicable Me menu items and her vacation was made complete as she ate ciniminions and drank sparkly lemonade at 11pm. 

It's the little things, right?

Moody Gardens - Take One

After a leisurely breakfast on our second day of vacation, we headed over to Moody Gardens. My dad had told us it was definitely worth seeing and we're always up for an adventure. It certainly didn't hurt that you got a two-day pass when you bought a one-day ticket so, basically, SCORE!

We began our morning in the Aquarium Pyramid and we loved it. When it comes to our family, if you have water AND animals we can be entertained for hours upon end. We're complex like that... :-)

And don't even get me started on the seahorse exhibit because, seriously, I thought that level of cuteness had been outlawed for years.

Because Dave will be Dave, as soon as Tay stuck her hand into this area where you could touch starfish and other sea creatures, he made a sound like she'd been zapped. Everyone around us - including the staff - thought it was hilarious. I'm sure you can imagine how amusing (or not) my 'tween girl thought it was...we've since had some discussions about her mindset and what will exacerbate those crazy hormones. :-)

A giant shark - because what doesn't say relaxing and fun family day like a life size representation of an animal that could eat you?

Penguins - now that's much better. We were fortunate enough to get to this exhibit right before they began feeding the little guys. One of them was waiting very patiently next to the appetizer of ice they provided for his fish. We never actually saw someone walk over and give him the main course so (because we're animal lovers) we worried and talked about him all day.

Again - WHY?!?!?!

Ahhh...this picture was taken right about the time the 'tween monster came out for a bit. She looks innocent and all but Dave's face really kind of says it all, don't you think?

After the penguins, we headed to the giant fish tank (clearly my mind is not working this early in the morning) where the stingrays apparently thought Dave was their daddy. Seriously, they could not get enough of him.

Then we found a whole exhibit about sharks. Because the life size representations weren't enough of an education. In all honesty, Dave and Tay enjoyed it a great deal. I enjoyed that they found activities to bring them back together again after a brief meltdown. We all won.

Then we headed over to the Discovery Pyramid where we enjoyed a 4D log ride and a nice exhibit about immigration through the Port of Galveston. Our final destination for the morning was the Rainforest Pyramid, which was BEAUTIFUL! 

About this time the 'tween monster went over the edge for about 30 minutes so it was an interesting walk through the ol' pyramid but I personally enjoyed it a great deal. Can't speak for the rest of the fam but I thought it was awesome.

I take that back...Tay absolutely loved the parrots and macaws...

And Dave was convinced that all of the orchids were fake. Seriously?!?! Luckily, Mr. I'm Not Shy finally touched one and realized that I had actually not lost my mind and they were, indeed, alive and kicking.

After refreshments in the atrium (is food not my family's love language or what?), both the man and the girl perked up a bit and we headed to a 4D presentation of Happy Feet, which was really cute. Then we hit the 3D IMAX theater for Tahiti: The Ultimate Wave where we sat on the second row. For a movie all about water. In 3D. At the IMAX. If you've never been seasick before and want to experience it, friends, might I suggest this activity?

After the movie we headed over to Wal-Mart where we picked up groceries for the week and then headed to the condo for lunch and a little rest. It was much needed and got everyone back on the right track for the rest of the week. The girl had been at my mom's for VBS all week before vacay so she was exhausted but all was right with the world a short time later... 

 The evening we headed back to Moody Gardens for Band in the Sand at Palm Beach. This is their white sand lagoon area and it was awesome. Very relaxing, no jelly fish and you could watch dolphins swim in the bay while sitting in a waterfall. That's my kind of fun, y'all.

May I present He Who Has Never Met a Stranger?

There were fireworks later that night but we headed back to the condo pool to watch them so we didn't have to deal with the headache of everyone leaving at the same time. It was awesome and, after late night homemade tacos, we hit the hay to get ready for another day of fun in the sun.