Easter @ UF!

   

Spanish moss cascading from a tree at UF. Beautiful.

Blessed.  I spoke the word inside my head, but kept my mouth closed in slight smile.  My daughter sat next to me, both of us relaxing in massage chairs indulging in our foot rub.  Only two chairs were anchored in the private nail spa room, which felt nice compared to those nail factory shops whose sanitation practices are questionable.  In a moment of quiet mediation I drifted back to a time when I was a young single Mama living on a prayer that my girls would have better opportunities than I; that they'd make better choices than their mom.  I glanced over at my Bella and my heart sung out with pride.  
   "Which color would you like?" The "girl-next-door" nail tech with an angelic face said, breaking the silence.  
   "What' trendy right now?" I asked. 
   "Pink is popular for spring.  Do you like any of these?" she handed me a nail color wheel.
    I tilted the colors and held them up for Bella to see, "What do you think?"
    "They're all pretty."  
    "Hmmm. I can't decide. You choose," I told the sweet blonde sitting in front of me. 
    "Okay," and she did and it was perfect. 
   
   Saturday afternoon we left Cloud 9 Spa of Gainesville feeling rested, relaxed, and ready for lunch.  The roomies came to pick us up and we headed to Adams Rib Co.  
    "Have y'all heard of it?  This place has great ratings on Yelp," I asked Bella, Ali, Sarah R., and Sarah B.
    "Isn't that the place with Comic Sans font?" Ali asked.
    "Weird detail to remember.  You should definitely change your major to marketing Ali."
    Arriving, Ali confirmed the Comic Sans font.  The girls then voiced their concerns due to the appearance of the exterior.  Other than small rectangular windows positioned at the top of the square building the place looked devoid of light and all together sketchy.  However, I remained positive. "Look, the parking lot is full.  That's a good sign."

 Ali poses below the unique ceiling mural @Adams Rib Co.

    Circling round to the back we met a dilapidated rusted old car that wouldn't go without comment from within. "But that car is not a good sign," Bella retorted.  
   "Bell, you know better.  Don't judge a book....and look at that nice, cute couple leaving." I said rounding out to the other side. 
   "Who wears pearls to eat BBQ?" remarked Bella noticing the girl's accessories.
   "Uh, your mother.  And that just means she's classy, which means this place is gonna be great!"
   "Classy eats Comic Sans, too," Ali quipped and the group giggled.
    The verdict: BEST ribs I've ever had and that's coming from a Texas girl.  Those folks at Adams know how to make BBQ.  
    That afternoon Sarah B., Bella, and I shopped storage places to house their furniture over the summer.  Once reserving a unit, and upon leaving the facility, we stopped in an adorable boutique, Pink Narcissus, that carried Lilly Pulitzer.  Here's the deal.  If you don't know or haven't figured it out, Bella is not a girly-girl.  So Lilly's bright pastels and busy patterns appeal not to her sensibilities.  Nonetheless, Sarah and I dove in with energized enthusiasm and forced Bell to come with. We could have left her alone sifting through clothes like one might pick for lice, but we wouldn't be so cruel as to leave her isolated on the yuppy island.  Instead we were quite kind, begging her to try on a pair of adorable seersucker scalloped shorts and begrudgingly she obliged her mother.  The moral of the story:  she found a pair she liked!

  Saturday evening we went to the theater to see the Disney film, Bears.  Considering Bell is a Natural Resource Conservation major minoring in Wildlife Ecology, watching these annual DisneyNature movies has become tradition for us. If you've seen one you know that the filmography is amazing and the observation to detail is fascinating, but that the applause stop there.  The storyline is fair, and if you zone out for a scene you can zone back in just as easily.  Ali and I sat next to each other, which made for a bad combination.  We talked loudly and incessantly and remained totally obnoxious throughout.  When the cub was lost and the audience thought he was killed, Ali and I held on to each other.  Sincerely upset I said, "He can't die.  This is rated G.  He can't die," I kept repeating. 
   "Mom, this is nature.  If he died in the wild, then he'll die in the movie," Bella answered.
   "I can't do this," I said and followed with an indignant, "I'll tell you what,  I would not let my four-year old watch this!  It's rated G, but there has been terrible violence!"  
   "Really Mom? You don't have a four year old,"   Bella said rather matter-of-factly.
   "If I did, he wouldn't come to see this movie!"  I have a flair for the dramatic, which irritates Bell; therefore, I amp up my dramatics just for her  :).
  "Mom, it's fine.  Watch the movie," she told me sounding more like the mother than I.
   Well, Ali and I took the role of rater and ran.  When the bears ripped apart the fish and crimson blood spewed from the flailing scales I said, "Horror and gore!  Can't believe it's G!"  
   When another bear missed the fish, smacking him across the jaw, Ali cracked, "He just got fish slapped!" Yep, we lost all composure at that one and the girls shushed us.  
   Moments later Ali whispered, "Nudity too.  Those bears aren't wearing clothes!" and that sent us back into hysterics. 

Ali, Sarah B. and Bella before service.

  Sunday morning I met the girls in front of their dorm to walk to a campus Easter service.  Sarah R. went to mass and Sammy went to Mormon service.  We'd convinced Ali, Bella's Jewish friend to attend service with us.  "Go for the experience," I said,  "gives you a reason to wear a cute dress!  Bella can go to synagogue with you sometime,"  I said without considering the possibility that non Jews may not allowed to attend.  I actually have no idea.  Hmm, I should look into that.
   Sarah B. interjected, "Except Ali never goes.  I think her parents told her she was Jewish, but she doesn't really know what that means!" 
   Mouth opened in protest, Ali argued, "I do know! I went to..." and she told us about a couple of events she had attended this year
   "I don't know Ali.  You said that you eat pulled pork at the BBQ pit in Georgia," I said. 
    "But only in Georgia," Ali rebutted. 
    I carefully replied, "I feel like Jews are supposed to eat Kosher at all times, right?" 
   Ali's face lit up and she chuckled lightly without comment.  

Easter Service 2014

   Walking through the gorgeous University of Florida campus in our Sunday finest, we arrived to a venerable sanctuary on the UF campus to enjoy a service by Greenhouse ministries.  The historic building was packed, and we quickly shuffled behind streams of college students climbing stairs to procure balcony seats.  All seats full, we stood at the back with many others until the minister asked for the gentlemen in the congregation to kindly sit on the balcony stairs so that the ladies could have a seat.  We generously thanked them and quietly moved to the front row balcony chairs.  Chivalry lives on!  Oh, how I do LOVE the South. 
   The pastor's sermon was engaging and his presence dynamic.  He spoke on Christ's love and forgiveness, and I found myself praying prayers of gratitude.  I peered around the large space and saw a handful of parents in attendance but droves of college students were present this glorious Easter morning.  Inevitably during these great times of joy, sorrow creeps in.  It is then that I dwell on past mistakes, and think of all the decisions and moments I would change over the course of my life.  I  will ride the pity train and zip past morose monstrous memories that haunt my present.  I begin with the "why didn't I" move to the "if only's" and usually end up in despairing regret.  But the train came to grinding halt, and the Lord spoke to my spirit.  You are blessed.  You are sitting here at a fine university, next to your beautiful daughter and her remarkable friends.  Your other daughter is thriving in spite of moving to a new city and a new school, and your step-daughter is a sweet girl who just made the high school dance/pom squad.  Your husband is kind and loving and generous and handsome (okay, that part might have belonged to me.)  Above all, know that I have been with you every step of the way, even when you made mistakes; mistakes are part of the journey.  I will always be with you.  You are blessed. 

Ali, Bella, Sarah B., Sarah R waiting for brunch.

   Moved nearly to tears, I thanked Him for revealing his kindness to me yet again, and prayed that my girls would always know His grace and love.  After service we enjoyed a delightful, delicious brunch at Peach Valley. If you go, I recommend the apple fritter appetizers!  Yummy!  That afternoon I said goodbye to the girls and wished them well until July.  (All five are coming to visit!  Can't wait!) And on the drive back to the airport, I basked in blessings, interrupted only once by a wrong turn!