THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN MAY, JUNE, JULY 2013

Well, I’ve been on a sabbatical from technology for a few weeks (actually months), and I’m a bit behind on writing about the once a month gathering of THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN.  Don’t worry, we haven’t gone away!

I have to tell you though, April and May were tough months for us.  June found us holding on, and July found us having gone through many storms, trials and tribulations and we are still in the process of coming out on the other side.  August will surely find us looking forward to Fall and a more peaceful, less stressful season than what we've been through this summer.  I've begun to think of this summer as a time of teaching and transition.  God is teaching us how to thrive in the midst of troubles and how to survive the hard places of life in this season of living in America.  We know we are not alone.  The whole country is suffering, yet hoping for better days to come.  Only in America will you find the spirit of survival and the need to thrive in the midst of troubled times so alive.   God is making deep friendships valuable and golden as we walk through these paths together.  I am so thankful for my life-long friends.    We have all vowed that no matter how tough times get, we will always find a way to gather together and enjoy each other's company. 

We never want to call off our time together, but we did call off our April gathering and for a very good reason.  We usually say to call off our gathering, it must be a matter of life or death.  It was.  My dear friend TC’s brother Mickey died quickly and unexpectedly, leaving a whole town morning over his absence in their lives. 

Mickey was dearly loved by all, and I was not a bit surprised to find the town’s whole football team dressed and sitting together at his funeral.  They were the pall-bearers, and the stories they had to tell really grabbed at your heartstrings.  Mickey was a legend for this small town's football activities.  Mickey was legend for all the good things about life.  Everything he did spoke a testimony of God and what is good and right.  Mickey loved sports and people.  He had given much time and effort to the care of the local football team and coaching staff of his community.  I don't mean he helped out a little, no; Mickey made this his life's work.  So many people were touched by the love and care that Mickey put into everything.  It wasn't just about the sport, Mickey did things that changed people's lives.  He was always there for anyone who needed a friend.  Football season will not be the same without him there to keep everyone organized and ready.  But it isn't just the football team that will miss him; it is a whole community of loving family and friends that were blessed every time he walked into the room. 

The legend that Mickey left behind will live on.    

Bucket and I held TC’s hand through it all, and we wished there was more we could do for her.  We mourn for her loss and pray for her comfort each passing day. 

When God closes a door He always opens a window.  The beautiful spark of happiness that kept us all glued together over these last few months of hard times was the arrival of TC’s new grandson, Hunter.  Hunter is an adorable bundle of joy!  We are so excited to see him enter this world and bless us with his presence! I'm so happy that TC has this beautiful family to surround her and make her smile every day.  We love all the pics she now shares with us of Hunter and all of his adventures. 

Hunter is a reminder from God to us that life goes on.  Morning turns to dancing.  The gift of life brings it's abundance and we are so thankful for every minute we experience.   This seems to be how deep friendships thrive, life and death happen, and we continue moving together in God's grace and love.  We hurt and we heal and we love again, each time stronger and stronger.  God always brings us through to the sunrise when we hold on through the night.

The month of May found the three of us gathering at The Olive Garden for some good Italian Food. 

We were all so glad to be getting together, however, we had another life and death situation going on in May. A beautiful child was experiencing the terror of the horrid disease of cancer. All three of us had been praying for a long time for a little boy named Thomas Sullivan who lived in Bucket’s home town.  Thomas had been bravely fighting cancer for a long time, and it was a little after we gathered together in May that his brave battle ended. 

Our prayers were only a small part of the many who had heard the story of Thomas and had daily been lifting up petitions for this dear child and his beautiful family.  The whole town where Bucket lived came out in full force to support Thomas and his family.  They came along with many others who drove for miles and miles to offer comfort and do whatever they could to help this family get through the grief of losing their precious son.  Thomas's nickname was “Superman.”  He truly lived up to the name in every way.  His battle with the horrible disease of cancer was heroic.  His story touched so many and changed so many lives.  His family still honors him with a website where they are now sharing their journey of recovering from the grief of losing Thomas until the time they meet again in Heaven.  You may wish to view this site at:  "Prayers for Thomas Sullivan.com."  The stories and the things that are shared in his honor are amazing and uplifting.

Bucket’s daughter, Katie, had a heart for Thomas's cause.  She coordinated a lot of events that helped this very lovable family.  We all watched and prayed with them day after day after day.  They had the eyes of people from all over the world on them, lifting them up before God, hoping for healing for Thomas.  He was a very brave little boy.  He seemed to love people so much, and people definitely loved him back.   

The discussion at The Olive Garden was mostly about our hopes for this family and our prayers for Thomas and our concern over how Katie would take it if God decided different than our requests for healing and took Thomas to be with him in Heaven.  We knew time was short.  We met at The Olive Garden right before the announcement of his trip to Heaven.    It seemed that Katie’s love and concern for this little fellow had changed her whole focus in life.  She had taken all the negative energy she once carried around and turned it into something very positive in rallying people to be aware and support Thomas.  It was a beautiful thing to see the two of them together.  It was a beautiful thing to see Katie's face light up with love when she spoke of her "little hero."  Our friend TC was still mourning the loss of her dear brother, and she had a lot to tell us about how wonderful the community had been in honoring his life.  I was also in a state of concern for my Dad who is battling Parkinson's disease and my Mom who is such a faithful care-giver for him.  We all had heavy things going on, but we were determined to cheer one another up and keep moving toward hope and joy.

 

So it was with mixed emotions that we tasted the great Italian fare offered up at The Olive Garden. 

The food was all good and delicious. 
Good food always helps to lift the spirits! 

I wanted a little taste of everything – so I ordered the Tour of Italy which allowed me to taste the homemade lasagna, the breaded chicken parmigiana and the creamy fettuccine alfredo.  Quite delicious! 

TC ordered the Greek Chicken Salad and it looked very tasty. 

Bucket tried the Chicken Marsala and pronounced it very good. 

No one was disappointed in their food.  We all enjoyed our meals.  Our salads were good with freshly grated cheese shredded at the table.   The service was good; and our waiter even put up with the fact that I was about 45 minutes late!  TC and Bucket were not as polite to me as the waiter.  I’ll never do it again!  My explanation would only bore you, so I’ll leave it to your imagination.

We will go to The Olive Garden again.  We all decided next time maybe we should just enjoy a coffee and dessert, because their desserts all looked good, but we were too stuffed to be tempted after our meal in May. 

One bright spot in our May conversations was hearing Bucket's stories about her vacation in North Carolina.  She had visited several of the Carolina beach towns which were the settings for some of the  Nicholas Sparks novels.  Nicholas Sparks just happens to be one of my heroes, and one of the greatest writers that ever lived.  We all LOVE his novels and the movies that have been made about them.  It was fun to hear from Bucket how all of the scenes and places looked in real life.  Of course, I think she would have had more fun if she had taken TC and I along.....LOL.  Maybe next time!  I've always wanted to tour these coastal towns, I've thought about that for a long time now.  I actually remembered telling Bucket this several years ago.  I'm so glad my friend got the opportunity to do this, and it was fun to share the stories of her adventures.  Maybe next time TC and I WILL tag along. 

At the end of our evening in May, TC surprised Bucket and I with the gift of a copy of the latest Rachael Houck novel “Once Upon A Prince.”  This brought forth screams of delight. (We all did go to school together, and occasionally we revert back to those silly school girl ways.)  I think a few heads turned outside The Olive Garden as we screamed with joy at the sight of the newest Rachel Houck novel!  It would be very accurate to say that we are definitely hooked on Rachael Houck’s writings thanks to TC; and we can’t get enough of them.  I'm still loving the last one; "The Wedding Dress."  She is an awesome writer and this new book is the beginning of a Royal Wedding Series.  So far we've read several of her series, and each of them have been so good!  We left our visit anxious to begin turning the pages of the new novel.

By June we had all read every page. and were still living out the story in our imaginations when we gathered together at La Paz.  It was fun discussing the lively characters of the book that we loved reading.  We all felt like we had visited with each one of them in person.     We agreed this last book was yet another outstanding effort from one of our favorite authors.  We were glad to hear it was the first of a series of three.  This gave us something else to look forward to in the future.  So,.....lots of happy talk about the novel went around the table as we met at La Paz. 

None of us had eaten at La Paz before.  We were not disappointed.  La Paz is a great place for casual Mexican Food with a good upbeat atmosphere.  The name means “peace.”  Their margaritas were very good.  I ordered the Barbeque Quesadilla Platter and found it enjoyable.   TC had the Beef Fajitas and they looked very tasty.  Bucket ordered the California Club Wrap which was also proclaimed delicious. 

The place was cheerful, and tastefully decorated with not-so-typical Mexican decor.  One unique feature was a huge chalk board that anyone could leave a message on.  It was a bit novel, and some of the messages we read were interesting.  We didn't write, maybe another day.

That June night, we all had the family of Thomas Sullivan on our minds.  Little Thomas had gone to heaven between this gathering and our last one. 

TC and I inquired about Katie.  We knew she would taking this very hard.  God had answered our prayers for her, because Katie had come out of the experience stronger.  Of course she was sad and misses her little buddy very much.  Her concern for this little family is on-going.  Never have we ever known of a funeral for such a young child having such an impact on a community.  The whole town rallied around the Sullivan’s. 

The fire department carried Thomas’s casket to his grave.  The life support helicopters hovered over the beginning of the service in tribute.  People floated balloons across the sky.  So many people came to say “good journey” to Thomas, and to pay their respects to his beloved family.  The church was packed out and motorcycles led the way for the procession. 

God was definitely there.  So many received Christ as their Savior that day.  We all know Thomas was watching from Heaven and would have been delighted.  Katie rededicated her life to God.  I could tell that my friend Bucket had made a few new vows too.  It seemed to be a serious, moving, mile marking day in the history of the earth.  There was not a soul in the town that wasn’t touched by this precious child who lived in such love and was such a SUPERMAN example to all of us.   We were thankful for the little time on earth that Thomas was granted.  We will all be offering up many prayers for the peace and comfort for Thomas’s family in the future.  Bucket and Katie continue to share in the worship services of this hometown church every week.  They speak of stories that paint the picture of God's kingdom.  It is encouraging. 

Our little June gathering ended on a happy note with TC showing us the cutest new pictures of Hunter.  He is growing every day!  TC is one proud grandmother!  We loved seeing the photos of Hunter with big brother Kaiden.  They were adorable together.

We left with the thoughts of meeting at J. Alexander’s in July.  We had weathered lots of life and death together in these last few months.  So many stories were going on behind the scenes of each of our lives.  We left each other hopeful that July would be a time of nothing but fun.

.......And it was!  J. Alexander's was a great place to meet in July.  I LOVE the Rattlesnake pasta.  It is not really rattlesnake, just chicken, but the spicy flavor has earned it the name.  

We were so glad to be getting together again.    

I have to say it once more;  I LOVE J. Alexander's.  I like the quiet atmosphere, the excellent service, the quality of the food and the feeling of not being crowded yet there is still a cozy feeling about their spaces.  The decor is elegant.  It is a bit pricier than a lot of the restaurants we frequent, but I think well worth the little extra cost.  

As I’ve mentioned a few times before, most of our personal conversations will not be spoken of in this blog.  One of the highest qualities of true friendship is confidentiality and my friends always have this, which may be an oddity for a writer like me!  However; it seems this group is constantly sharing quite public information on the best authors to read, and in July another great author was a conversation topic around our table.  This is something I feel I CAN share with our readers.  Bucket actually mentioned the great author named Andy Andrews.  She has read several of his books and she spent a lot of time explaining the main plots to us.  They sounded wonderful.  I had often used Andy Andrews's quotes in articles that I’ve written, and I've read articles and essays he has published, but I had not yet had the pleasure of reading any of his novels.  I had even given one of his books to my daughter for Christmas last year.   The conversation sent me on a quest to learn more about this author.  His story is fascinating.  The New York Times has written about him calling him a “modern day Will Rogers.”  He has spoken before four presidents.  At the age of 19 both his parents died, one died in an automobile accident and the other one died of cancer, all in the same year.  That started a downward spiral in Andy’s life that eventually left him homeless.  He spent lots of nights sleeping under the pier on the Gulf Coast beaches.  One day he went on a quest for answers about life.  He asked himself “Is life just a lottery ticket or are there choices one can make to direct his future?”  He headed to the local library and buried himself in the reading of over 200 biographies of the world’s most successful people.  He eventually came up with seven characteristics that they all had in common.  He called these “The Seven Decisions” and he patterned his own life after them from that day forward.  Later he wrote about them in a book called “The Traveler’s Gift.”  Later this book was documented with a PBS Special.  His book was turned down by 51 publishers before Thomas Nelson decided to publish it.  (As I aspire to become published, I find this very encouraging.)  Now his many books have topped the bestseller list for years.  It is required reading for many high schools and the subject matter for seminars for many large employers.  Now Andy is a world famous speaker who is in great demand.  He is an excellent teacher and communicator with the blessing of a wonderful sense of humor.  His speeches and writings have changed lives all across the globe.  One of his latest books is called “The Noticer.”  This book is based on Andy’s life story, and is about how a person’s perspective affects everything.  Bucket loved reading this one.  She told us a lot of the story.   As she talked about it I remembered picking it up in the bookstore last December thinking it was be a good read.  I bought it and gave it  to one of my daughter's for Christmas.  I doubt she has had time to read it yet – maybe I should borrow it back from her to read myself!  I think though, should I purchase one for myself it would be his latest novel that took a turn from the familiar route and actually displayed a lot of history of the politics of this world.  It is titled "How Do You Kill 11 Million People?"   I would love to hear this inspirational writer's perspective on the state of the leaders on planet earth, and how they have ruled and misruled and how people have responded over the ages.  This book is on my literary bucket list.  

So, once again, our conversations leaned toward literary discoveries.  I'm glad that we can share such things.  I feel thely are very important.  What an excellent subject to be shared among friends.  So far we have journeyed together through the discoveries of Rachael Houck, Fannie Flagg, Nicholas Sparks and Andy Andrews.  It has been fun sharing the gifts of these talented writers at our once-a-month outings.  The really neat thing is that none of it has been planned, these are simply people we’ve noticed and admired and love sharing in our conversations.  

One more novel highlight happened that evening as we were leaving the restaurant from enjoying the scrumptious meals and  excellent service.  We were standing together outside in the sidewalk-patio area making our way to our cars, but lingering over our conversations.  As usual we had not been able to finish saying all we wanted to share is such a short time, and we were chatting away when we noticed a limo circling the restaurant.  We watched curiously, anxious to see what famous person was going to step out of the limo and go inside.  

We pondered the plays, concerts, political events going on in town, trying to decide who it might be?????  I surely wish I could tell you.  We watched and watched only to discover that the celebrity must have snuck in the back door.  The limo circled again, empty except for the driver now, and left.  It will always be a mystery.  All I know is, famous or not, the person who went inside through the back entrance more than likely had a great meal.  You can't beat J. Alexander's.  It was quite a treat.  We all loved it. 

There is no telling what THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN will get into next!  Keep reading and watching for our upcoming adventures.

HOME PAGE - IN SEASON BLOG GETS A FACE-LIFT

Welcome to the blog I've called "IN SEASON."   If you ever lose this link and want to look it up again just go to your search engine and type in dancinginseason@blogspot.com.  I'm easy to find.  

I'm so glad to have you here!  I hope you like the new "face-lift" I just gave the blog.  Real life should be that easy - LOL.   I value your input and hope we can share life's journey a bit on these pages.  Think of my blog like a big magazine that is full of articles about the life of a Christian woman living in the South.  Southern women have many interests and this blog is full of many different subjects that they are interested in.  Don't worry though, lots of men read this blog, so come on in guys.  Also, you don't have to be a southerner, I just wanted to share a bit of my heritage.   Just click on the LABEL category of my page and hover your mouse over a any interesting photo, the pic will flip to give you the subject behind it.  Find anything your interested in, click, and start reading.  I'd love your feedback!  Also, some of these articles are a bit old and need editing, so please excuse a mistake here and there.  I'm working on it!

I've been blogging for awhile, but I haven't seriously studied the design and organization of my blog until

recently.  The whole idea for me is to share and have fun writing.   Life is great fun every day, but blogs are like houses, eventually you have to get around to cleaning your room and doing laundry.  I'm sort of in that process at the moment, but I'm trying to be creative so it isn't really boring.  I love the results too, so I'm staying encouraged!   I'm just now getting around to updating my layouts, so bear with me.  I can be a lot more creative with much of this, and hope to do just that.  I'm sorting through and updating articles that I've jotted down almost like a diary of daily thoughts about the seasons of life on this earth over the last two years.  Most all of these articles are simply about a journey through the seasons of life in the South as a Christian and a member of an ever evolving group of family and friends.  The articles are such a hodge-podge of different subjects that I'm now trying to organize the different subjects into more recognizable pages.  I haven't done this before, so please bear with me.  It may take awhile!

To sum it all up; this little site is all about how daily life and God mix and mingle for the Christian believer seeking to honor God through each season that He gives to them with their home, marriage, family life, church, career and social life.  There are serious articles on thoughts about the scriptures and there are other times of just plain silliness.  I'm a firm believer in the fact that God has a great sense of humor.   I also believe in and get excited about keeping the Holy Days God spelled out to us in The Book of Leviticus; so I love to write down my thoughts on these sacred moments and spaces in time, especially as I enjoy the ebb and flow of the seasons lived out in the church.  I am a pastor's wife, so I'm trying to tab many such articles as these under THE PASTOR'S WIFE SPEAKS section of the blog.  Click into these if you are looking to find such subjects.  I welcome your comments.

I have also written and participated in a bible study called COME AS A CHILD.  I have lessons that I

teach groups with simple childish toys that illustrate how God wants us to simply be His children and come to Him with the heart of a child.  I've written articles about the results of these studies that are on-going and they are found under a page called COME AS A CHILD.  Just click on that title if you are interested in reading any of these.

There are also a bunch of informational articles about fun places to go visit in the South, as well as family friendly fun things to do in the South  (many of them can be done just about anywhere.)   These are all in interesting places to stop and relax and play as we go through our journey through the seasons..  I'm trying to organize them into pages called FUN UNDER THE SUN.  You may wish to look for these titles.

If you love the subject of friendship, you might enjoy my page called THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN.  Here I speak of the adventures shared with two lifelong friends that I meet with once a month.  We've done this for years now, and we always choose a local restaurant to gather in each time.  No cooking/no husbands, usually no kids.  We've known each other since elementary school and it is just an uninterrupted time to play catch up with each other and to take a break from our over-busy lives and chill out.  If your into the night-life scene, don't refer to us for your main source of information.  LOL.  We are older and quite settled married ladies just enjoying the benefits of a long and sure friendship.  I've jotted down restaurant reviews along the way, and I've mostly just written about the wonderful gift of friendships that never end.  I call it THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN.  We are happy for you to join in on the fun of these pages.  Sometimes I combine the months together just to save time.  Believe me, I don't even begin to reveal our private conversations!  Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall?

Like a lot of other southern women, cooking and entertaining are like breathing for me.  I constantly need them in my life. 

I have tried to be creative and fun with my ideas, and I like to keep family traditions going in a big way.  I share these things on a page called:  FOOD ART AND FAMILY TRADITIONS if you are interested in such things. 

My favorite pass-time is the art of the written word.  I love to read great writing and I love to write myself.  I have aspirations of becoming a great writer one day, but I know I have a long way to go to reach that lofty goal.  This blog is my "practice" field.  I practice for at least one hour every day.  I'll be happy if people are even reading the words from my pen long after I leave this earth.  It would make me feel I left a legacy behind.  I've included short stories and poems throughout this blog, whenever the inspiration seems appropriate.  I welcome comments and critique on these.   Some are mine, and sometimes I share the poems and stories of friends and special discoveries I've cherished and found interesting along the way.  I have written a novel and am slowly beginning work on two more novel ideas; but I'll not share those here.  Pray that I find a good publisher!  I'm calling these pages of my blog:  PEN ART.

 Occasionally I will have to throw in some other art forms; music, painting, sketching, dance, etc., just for good measure. 

I LOVE the seasons of the church, the country of America, and the daily life as a citizen in America.  I am a true Patriot, and I hold the values that this country was founded on dear to my heart.  Often my heart breaks for the changes I see taking place all around America.  I sometimes write these thoughts down into words, or poems, and they can be found under a few pages here called SEASONS.

  It is my hope that I can encourage others to keep the seasonal traditions of my God and my country that I hold so dear.  It would make me happy if I could be of use to teach young people the values long neglected of our forefathers.

Decorating and remodeling are another hobby that I have enjoyed for years.  I love to assist others with home improvement plans, and my present home has been a 21 year old evolution.  My theme song here is that a house should always be a HOME.  It should reflect the heart and soul of the person or people dwelling under it's roof. No homes should ever be the same.  Each should have their own personality.  I live under the philosophy that a cardboard box can be charming if it reflects it's owners personality.   I have a page called THE HOUSE DOCTOR where I share my own experiences of making and remodeling a home and write down new ideas and suggestions that anyone can apply to their own remodeling plan for a better way to live.    

So you see, there are SO MANY things I want to share here in this blog, and they are varied and come in assorted shapes, colors and sizes.  So don't let just one article throw you off.  There is a lot to discover, but you must dig into the blog to find it.    I know there will be even more categories and subjects as I continue to blog in the years to come. Bear with me as I add one article after another.  Feel free to express your opinion!  

Thank you so much for visiting with me here.  I cherish your comments!  I long to have more followers - the more the merrier!  Please join me in walking through the seasonal roads of life.

God bless you and keep you always!

Gail Landgraf

Sabbatical

To all of my dear readers:

I still love you, and I haven't forgotten you.  I've been very busy setting up submissions for my novel and organizing some of my many articles to submit for publication. 

I've also had a lot of personal business to tend to.  I am almost done!

I'm on a very short sabbatical but will return shortly, sometime within the next two weeks for sure!

Thanks for reading and please keep checking in.  This blog is about to get much more interesting and much more regular!

Blessings!

Gail Landgraf