Highlights from my Pine Tree/Longview weekend (these are a week late, I know, but I thought they were worth sharing):

-Seeing Jeremiah exit the house as I got out of my car and running up to give him a big hug...my feet were slipping around in my shoes because it was SO HUMID, but we didn't care. We stood there and hugged forEVER. Call me sappy...I don't care. I missed my boy!

-Playing with Socks, the 10-year-old mini poodle...she's a sweet little ball of gray fluff who loves to be petted!

-Hearing Spencer (the oldest Hemphill boy) play the piano for hours on Sunday afternoon, as the rest of us napped or relaxed

-Riding 4 roller coasters in a row at Six Flags on Monday, with Jeremiah and several high school boys...the highlight of the Batman ride was Spencer Hamm (the preacher's son; different Spencer) yelling, "Jeremiah, I love your girlfriend!"

-Watching Jeremiah lead worship on Sunday night (and trying not to crack up at Spencer's random side comments, which included, "Do you think he'd get mad if I tried to make him laugh?")

-Being asked by at least half a dozen of the Pine Tree kids, "When are you coming to visit us again?"

-Playing basketball in the driveway, tying Jeremiah 1-1 at HORSE, and watching him chunk the basketball into the neighbors' yard at least 3 times

-Spending a whole afternoon with Bethany at McAlister's deli, Old Navy and Books-a-Million, talking as hard as we could

-Talking with Blake (the middle Hemphill boy) about who was sponsoring the trip to Mexico, and Jeremiah saying, "Your mom's going to Mexico!" It was true - Mary Lynn is going - but we must have laughed for 10 minutes!

-Sitting in the kitchen and talking to Mary Lynn as she iced a strawberry cake on Sat. night...then savoring a slice...it was light and sweet and delicious!

-Jeremiah introducing me to the high schoolers on Sunday morning: "This is my girlfriend Katie" - at which point Blake Hemphill casually puts his arm around my shoulders and leaves it there for several minutes. The room cracks up! I love high schoolers.

-Standing on the bridge at Splash Water (at Six Flags) and getting wetter than a river rat...I felt like one too!

-Hearing late Monday night, as I was back in Abilene, that three of the high school guys jumped to my defense when Jeremiah made some comment about girls on the bus ride home. Apparently they were being drama queens, complaining about girls, and he told them girls weren't worth it or something like that. Immediately three of them jumped on him: "I'm gonna tell Katie you said that!" Nice to have someone sticking up for me. :)

If I keep going like this the whole weekend's going to be a highlight. But that's pretty much how it was. The Pine Tree youth group welcomed me right in, and so did the Hemphills. What sweet, wonderful people, and what a fun weekend with my Jeremiah. I want to go back.