A night of Louisiana

So the night before we head out of Louisiana, we met with some friends to eat at Shane's. No one could believe that I had been in Louisiana for 2 years and had not eaten a Mudbug. Honestly, what in the name sounds remotely appetizing? So we went and Eddie ordered the little mud dwellers. I tried to convince myself that they lived like shrimp. But no. They literaly live in the crappy mud and people just go pick them up and eat 'em. SO here I go. Kristy picked out the biggest one on the tray, I think Eddie said he was saving that one. Oops!

So after hearing the different methods of eating these beasts, I ripped it's tail off, shook off the poop, and got this little piece of meat. Such a large critter for so little meat. Seemed like a waste. Eddie told me how you can suck the heads. Then showed me. My question...WHY?!?!

The evening was great. I cried all the way home. Regretting that after over a year of saying "lets get together for dinner" we took the LAST night to do so. Why do we do that? Why do we allow our lives to get so busy that we limit ourselves to opportunities to fellowship with those that truly bless our lives. Those friends that are genuine. That do what they say. The ones that when you need a hand they really do show up, and are glad to do so. The ones that rejoice with you and cry with you.

Instead we wasted precious time trying to figure out why the people we thought were our friends disappeared when Mark deployed and why we were no longer "good enough" to be invited over. Why all the promises of help while Mark was deployed were never met. What a waste. If only we had opened our eyes to opportunities right in front of us! We learned that just because your kids are the same age, that doesn't mean that you have found your circle of friends. Okay, before I get ugly I am stepping off that soap box.

Moral of the story - seize the day! I am sure that if you look, you will find one night in the next 2 weeks that you can get together with another family. Go ahead, look, and pick up the phone and call someone. Maybe call someone new. If you don't hit it off - you will know and not waste time trying to figure it out - and you can spend more time will be spent with those who can support you!

Friends are important. I think God made friends as a way for us to be reminded of his blessings. He wants us to have friends to support us. Even in his word he tells us about sending his disciples out in pairs "so that if one falls, the other will be there to lift him up".

There are 3 types of friends. friends for life, friends for a season, and friends for a reason. Friends for a season are those relationships that change as you grow and develop your relationships. friends for a reason are those that come into your life for a specific purpose. This makes me think of a girl I met in Georgia who had endometriosis. After hearing her story, it fit some of the things that were going on with my life. With that knowledge and being able to have a friend I could talk to, I was able to go to the right doctor and make it possible to improve my health and for us to have Madison. Friends for life...there are not many of these. These friends you can go years with out talking and pick up the phone and talk like you have been talking everyday. They know you better then you know yourself. They can tell by the sound of your voice what is going on in your day. You get the idea...

So here are some pictures from that great night...Oh and the Mudbugs were not the only Louisiana experiences. I was given my own copy of Steel Magnolias and some fabulous fleur de lis jewelry!!!