Time with good friends

Last Thursday I headed out of town on vacation. A group of friends from seminary, most of whom no longer live here, were getting together to spend a few days of rest and relaxation at Panama City Beach, Florida. So James (the only other person from the group who still lives in TX) and I headed out Thursday morning on a 14-hour drive to FL. Man, it was long! But we made it. I spent Friday and Saturday with Tina and her kiddos at her mom's house in Dothan, AL, before we finally left for Panama City on Saturday late afternoon (I'll write about the beach in another post).

It was nice just to relax and hang out with Tina in a low-stress environment, and her mom was so sweet to allow me to stay with them. I babysat Cale and Caiden while the whole family went to a rehearsal dinner for a wedding on Friday night, and then the wedding on Saturday. Of course, I took several pictures of the kids. I tell you, Cale (2-years) is a spitfire! She knows what she wants, when she wants it, and won't take no for an answer! Tina's going to have her hands full with that girl. One thing cracked me up though - Cale is a girl after my own heart. She wants "tickles" (pickles) for breakfast on Saturday. She ate about 3 of them, couldn't get enough. Oh, and Genny, check out her t-shirt. Can you believe little Cale is actually fitting in her Wild Worship shirt that Tina designed while she was pregnant with her? She's so big!

(strike a pose, baby girl!)

This was the first time I met Caiden, who was born in September. He's a big, bouncy boy, and loves to be on the move, but he's also a cuddler. One of my favorite moments was sitting on the outside swing at Tina's grandparents' house, swinging with Caiden while he sat in my lap contentedly. I could get used to that.
Anyway, I loved getting to spend time with Tina and love on her kiddos. It was definitely a sweet time for me. And the beach... well that was just great too. More about that in the next post.