Easter weekend recap

Last week, we had more than 20 church services between Palm Sunday morning and Easter Sunday morning. As church staff, we've been given a few days off to recover. I cannot imagine having to write sermons and preach at all of those services nor can I imagine how our minister of music planned the music to fit so perfectly.

I worked the Welcome desk on Thursday night for the Maundy Thursday service and didn't make it upstairs. I heard that service was amazing!

On Friday night, Mark and I went to our Good Friday service and it may have been the best one yet. It is truly one of the most powerful services I have ever attended. I texted my boss (the senior pastor) and said how could my soul be so full and my heart so broken at the same time.

Not long after we got home on Friday night, our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter #2 arrived at our house for the weekend. They had stopped at our son's house for dinner.

Our neighborhood was to have an Easter Egg hunt on Saturday morning BUT the weather was nasty most of the weekend. They moved the Easter bunny indoors and divided the eggs into bags. The girls plus one daddy took the golf cart to our Townhall and our son and I took the car. It is only two blocks away but the weather was very iffy.

just FYI - I apologize for the antebellum dresses
if they are offensive to anyone. I didn't
choose the hostesses nor their outfits.

We came back to the house and gave the girls their Easter baskets from us and the big kids got a card with some cash. Then we all went out to lunch at the Front Porch.

Since I was going to be working on Sunday morning, Mark and I headed to church on Saturday night. We've started offering the first Easter service at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday night and that works so well. Our sanctuary seemed very full which felt awesome. The Easter service was filled with the light and love.

Sunday morning was still rainy-ish. Mark headed to the neighborhood Sunrise service which they had moved indoors. It is usually at the pond. He said it was well done. I, on the other hand, headed to work. I worked the welcome desk beginning at 7:45 until about 11:15. When I left the church, the bottom had fallen out and I had parked as far away as possible so that visitors/members would have parking spots. While I was at work, Mark smoked a turkey for our family lunch. We all gathered at his mother's house and feasted on turkey and ham, potato salad, carrot salad, Asian slaw, Watergate salad, cucumber/tomato salad, deviled eggs, and asparagus casserole. My sister-in-law made a homemade coconut cake and the sitter, Latonia's, brother made homemade peanut butter cookies. Latonia has been a God send for our family. She is so good with Mark's momma and she has made it where each family is just having to spend one night a week and then Mark and George are going to rotate a second night (Saturday night). 

Mark's momma with her two
great granddaughters

This sweet girl is wearing a dress
that Mark's mom and I made
for Laura - so the dress is 30+ years
old and it is timeless.

After lunch, we came home and "shoveled out." That is what Mark calls it after we've had overnight guests. I loaded sheets and towels into the washer and dryer all afternoon but FIRST -- I TOOK A NAP. I didn't take a long nap -- it was about 25 minutes and it was just right.

Late in the afternoon (early evening), we took a golf cart ride around the neighborhood.

What did you do over the Easter weekend? Did you eat any special foods? It was so wonderful to be back to a more "normal" Easter this year!