Looking forward to the Long weekend!

Ah.... a nice weekend with great company has passed (still catching up on sleep!), and now there's a LONG weekend ahead of us. Sweet. :) For my first 27 years, this long weekend was known as "PEI Conference"... it came with such a mix of emotions. It was usually a good conference with good ministry (usually) and lots of people. It was the conference that a lot of young people attended and the conference with the FUN Monday to complete a great weekend. It was the conference our little family home was "invaded" with the Stewart Clan and anyone else who claimed the title for the weekend... everywhere you turned there was a person. We had ... o.n.e. shower. I think I wouldn't have such claustrophobic memories if we had more than one shower. :) But I wouldn't trade my big family for anything, so a house-full with very little personal space comes with the other blessings.  Those weekends leave a lot of memories of laughter, late nights, long talks, and LOTS OF FOOD. Oh how I miss the food of home. Home being Mom's... Home being Grammie's... Home being my various Aunts'... I am blessed with a family of good cooks who ENJOY baking. Hopefully someday it will rub off on me... Evan will sure be happy! :)

The last 2 years I have been away enjoying married life so have missed the annual event back on PEI. I'm usually lonesome. I can picture where everyone is and what they're doing. Day and night. I'm praying for a good weekend for all of them. I'll tell you more about our plans for this year's long weekend in a minute (I'm excited). But while I'm reminiscing, I have to share news Dad sent me a couple hours ago. Mom was injured while cleaning (this week is also known as the busiest cleaning and stressing week in our household..) She'll receive stitches... and then she'll try to be tough and STILL get everything done all week and be on her feet all weekend. Why such bad timing?? I don't know. Only God does and in His plans, this isnt' bad timing... I'm praying He gives her the strength and pain relief to help her through the next bunch of days. She'll need it. :(  For now, I wish I were home to help her!

But as for our weekend - we're heading to our little piece of heaven here in Ontario... we're going to Grand Bend! Our friends have a cottage there, and they've generously invited us up for the weekend. It's not beach weather, but almost any weather is just fine for wandering a beach... and Grand Bend has a beach!! :) :) :)  Here's a summer picture of what we enjoy up there: