Off to the Zoo!

On Saturday Larry and the residents met me after class and we headed to the Dallas Zoo.  It was perfect weather and the girls did a great job packing a picnic for us all. After lunch we split up and the girls and I enjoyed every second of our zoo adventure together. Larry and I know that our Saturdays look different than if we had stayed on Abbey Rd., but we would not trade this time for anything. It is such a blessing.  We would covet your prayers though, that Larry and I would be diligent and thoughtful about setting aside time for one another. We did get to enjoy a long bike ride tonight, which was much needed! :)

Here are some pictures from my sweet time with my girls.

Headaches and Big Hearts

Last night I came home with an awful headache. For the third day in a row. And it was bad.

I quickly folded myself into bed and told Larry to give me 15 minutes to rest before I needed to cook dinner for the residents. Luckily for me, my sweet husband went and prepared Enchilada Bake without me. He later came upstairs and woke me up to let me know that the girls would soon be bringing me dinner in bed. I mumbled thank you or something of the like and then fell right back to sleep.

A few minutes later, I was awakened to the sound of breathing and quiet talking on Larry's side of the bed. I peaked through my half opened eyes to find L, A and S all lined in a row carefully placing my meal on the bedside table.

It is hard to explain what this simple moment did for me. These girls, they are amazing. They are so precious and service of this kind just pours from their hearts. L is especially a riot because she has a tendency to be stubborn, yet she is also the most like a mother hen, leaving my room and pointing her finger at me saying, "EAT!” And as she closed the door I heard A's last words, which were, "Get some rest.”

I rolled over and closed my eyes, hoping the throbbing would go away, but I had the briefest moment of tears reaching the surface. It was a moment of sheer gratefulness to the Lord for placing me at Cornerstone, for giving us this opportunity, and to be loved and taught how to love by our special friends here.

2009 Cornerstone Retreat

This past weekend the staff and residents loaded up in two vans and headed to Winslow, Arkansas for a little getaway. It was such a wonderful time together and we enjoyed singing songs, face-off challenges, playing football, hiking, smores, napping and lots of laughing! It was so nice to enjoy the weekend without phones and computers and to soak in this sacred, precious little family that we have together. Have I mentioned I sure am a lucky girl?

**Click on the photos to see an enlarged version.

Fall Break

I am a little behind, but last Friday night was the night before the residents headed home to visit their families for fall break. They were very excited and their suitcases were already packed and ready to go. Enjoy them!

*Be sure to pause the music on the right hand side of my blog to hear their voices.

Fall Break from courtney causey on Vimeo.

V{an} Adventure

**Be sure to pause the music in order to hear the sound on the video. Enjoy our friends! There are a few special shout outs to Coach Matt Shabay and Matt Coker. But you have to listen closely!

Van Adventures, 8/12/09 from courtney causey on Vimeo.

Sing-a-long with Laura Marie and A.B.

Laura {Resident Profile}

I want you to know the residents like we do. When you come to visit (wink, wink) I want you to feel like you already know these special, wonderful friends of ours. And so now, in no particular order, I present Laura Marie to you! I myself am only a few days into this journey so I will update you on Laura from time to time as I get to know her better.

Laura is precious.

She loves Grease. And not just the movie, but any rendition of Grease that there is. Yesterday she was sporting her large Grease belt buckle, with her very own name engraved in the back. Oh yeah, real nice. You could see it from a mile a way and no one would wear it more proudly than her.

She loves music. She sat in the floor by my feet last night and showed me every single CD that she owns. A few from her collection included Space Jam (wow - blast from the past), The Sound of Music, Mama Mia, Miley Cyrus and The Jonas Brothers.

She loves to get right up in your face! If you look at Laura (which I do a lot with great endearment) then she will look back at you and get right in your face with a huge grin. It only leaves you able to reach out and hold her face or pull her closer to hug her.

She is excellent at doing laundry. Really. She puts me to shame. In fact, she taught me a new way to fold my shirts and I was almost so inspired that I was going to take out all our clothes from the dresser and refold them. But...then the bed looked too fabulous. And she is patient and does this simple task with excellence. And that taught me a lot.

She wants you to get the details exactly right. If her friend Amanda tells the story slightly different from how it happened, she will correct it until she is heard and justified.

She likes to dance like a chicken in the van. O.M.G. But I sure did pick up her moves real quick. Keep an eye out for us in McKinney. We are the big white van with the coop full of dancing chicks.

She loves food. A lot. And she is learning that moderation is a good thing. Aren't we all?

And she may enjoy shaving other peoples legs (ahem). Because it is good to have smooth legs, ladies. Don't forget it.

Oh Laura, you already make me laugh so much. Yet your diligence in your chores teaches me much about how to be a great wife to my hubby. I can't wait to fall more in love with you!

Signed,

Your newest Pink Lady