Nashville!

Thursday morning we got up early and hit the road to go to Nashville, Tennessee, for the National Collegiate Ministers' Summit Conference. (Basically, a great way to reconnect with old friends!) It rained on our way there...while we were there...on our way home...and after we got home. But we had a good time!

When we got to our really nice hotel, Mike registered us and we got so many free books!!! The Holman Apologetics Bible {insert quote from Mike: if we truly lived the Christian life, we wouldn't need apologetics}, The Case for Faith 6-week Bible study and DVD, and The Unexpected Adventure, also by Lee Strobel (& Mark Mittelberg). It was fun. We also saw our friend Rea, from the Northwest, almost right away, and she told us our friends Beth and Susan would be there (yay!) but not Matt and Jackie (boo). :( We also saw lots of other BCM directors that we've known through the years--I was walking down the hall and heard, "That's Kecia," and it was Robert, a guy I went to college with who lives in Quebec now! It was really fun. The girls started begging to swim the moment we got there, but I made them wait until after supper. Mike and I got to go to a banquet sponsored by NAMB, where we sat with his boss man and his wife, and I slipped out after I ate to take the girls to the pool. I really hate indoor swimming pools. I don't care how heated they are, I'm always cold. I only like to swim when I'm hot. But I swam with them for an hour or so until Mike came and relieved me.
Friday morning breakfast was really crowded, and I lost Mike and the girls while I was getting my food. Beth and Rea called me over to them, so I ate and talked with them...when I saw Mike looking for me, I was glad they had given us such big honking name tags, so I could hide from him! Just kidding, he was happy to let me visit. In fact, the girls wanted to swim again that morning, and he slipped away as soon as he could and jumped in with them and the Inman girls (who used to be in Arkadelphia but are now in Ruston). He was throwing them around and making them all so happy. He's a great dad. I left him with them so I could meet my friend Beth in the lobby and get all caught up. Beth was Mike's associate at LCSC in Lewiston, Idaho, and took over when he left. She was living with us when Jessica was born, bless her heart. And she's still our friend! ;) Now she works with Matt & Jackie in Portland. She is a gifted woman with a big heart for college students. The girls caught up with me when they were done swimming, and Jessica and AnnaKate decided to entertain us on the piano.

(not safe. but cute.)


Me and Beth!
Entertainers

After everybody dried off we grabbed lunch with Susan and the Nelsons (who are currently in Arkadelphia) and then scooted off to have some fun! We went to Opry Mills, and had so much fun walking through the Aquarium restaurant that we got arm bands for the girls to pet the stingrays and ride the merry-go-round. Okay, actually they started chickening out about petting the stingrays and I told them they had to pet the stingrays or they couldn't ride the merry-go-round. Whatever. They were proud they did it, anyway.






We had fun at the mall, buying Jessica some summer clothes, and buying new Webkinz for $1 at the Webkinz Extravaganza, and especially getting ice cream at the Marble Slab. Then we walked swam over to the Grand Ole Opry museum. I love free fun! And I love Brad Paisley. But that's another story.
Here are the girls performing at the Grand Ole Opry...

Jessica with Minnie Pearl...

Rebecca with some country singer because she wanted a picture, too...

And Mikayla on stage again.

When we got back to the hotel, we tried to warm up and dry off while we ordered the girls room service. Okay, so here's the deal...the night before, we left them locked in the room while we went to the banquet, so we ordered them one plate of chicken tenders. It was plenty for the three of them, came with fries and one glass of water, and they loved it. So the next night we decided to do the same thing. Only this time the lady who brought it in (same lady) said, "No extra charge, but I brought you some chips and water, too." Ahem: 4 bottles of water, 2 bottles of Sprite, 3 bags of Doritos, 2 bags of white cheddar popcorn and 1 bag of Cracker Jacks. Then she said, "Wait a minute, I have another thing," and she brings in a fancy cheese/fruit tray and a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries!!! Have I mentioned that I love free stuff?! I was thinking that maybe we tipped her more than usual or something the night before, and Mike was saying how God had blessed us, when suddenly it dawned on both of us--she felt sorry for us! She thought all 5 of us were eating that one plate of chicken tenders for supper, and brought us extra food! We laughed so hard. But we sure did enjoy it. :)

The IMB treated Mike and I to supper that night, and again I took the girls swimming. This time I told them I was just too tired to get in, and read until Rebecca got too cold and we went upstairs for a warm bath.
The next day we told everyone good-bye, and got the best free book of all: Vicki Courtney's 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter!!! I had been wanting Mike to buy it for me all weekend, but there was never anyone at that table, and finally somebody told Mike they were giving all those books away at the end of the conference. He picked one out, too. So much fun! Then we drove 8 long, looong, wet hours home. We did have fun eating a late lunch/early supper at the original Corky's BBQ in Memphis. Mmm-mmm.
And now it's one more week until Mozambique!