Ladies Day Out in Madison

Cheryl, Evelyn and I had a great time in Madison yesterday. It was great to get out of Dubuque and away from my day in and day out not-too-much-going-on lifestyle. Our first stop was Costco! I never thought it would be quite this exciting to shop at Costco, but yesterday it was the highlight for me! I wasn't expecting to get too much because I'm still jobless, so we're cutting down on spending almost totally...even as much as we can for food. But I was able to get a few things that I would normally get there and save a little money in the long run. I am so thankful for that! Next, we went to State Street in Madison and walked around and looked in a few quirky shops. Reminded Cheryl and I of Seattle a little bit. It's a bit more diverse than Dubuque and it was fun to see all kinds of different people and enjoyed a little people watching. We ate lunch at a Nepalese restaurant - it was delicious! I had Dal (a soup prepared with pulses, which are lentils, beans and peas) for starters and chicken korma for my entree. It's chicken, peas and potatoes in a curry and sour cream based sauce with rice on the side. Yum! I always love trying food from other countries. And this was a good experience! After we ate lunch we walked around the city a little more and popped our heads into a cute bookstore. Then we headed over to Trader Joe's! It's so fun to go into stores that Dubuque doesn't have that are just like back in Seattle. A little taste of home out here in the Midwest :o) By this time it was getting later into the afternoon and we decided to head home. I nodded off a little here and there on the way back, but tried to stay awake because I am loving so much spending time with these two wonderful women. I have been so blessed in the past weeks being able to spend time with Cheryl. Then meeting Evelyn last week and now being invited to spend time with them and learn from them and just by interacting with them and being a part of their conversations gleaning their godly wisdom. Praise the Lord for friends! When we got back to the Seeman's we unloaded the stuffed car and Evelyn had to go home and get the girls or something. Cheryl and I spent some time putting groceries away in her pantry and then we sat down to tea and truffles and honey crisp apples. (She makes the truffles herself and they are to DIE for!!!) We spent some time just chatting and talking about what the Lord is teaching us while we've found ourselves unemployed. I am so thankful for Cheryl. She is such a godly woman and I am always encouraged by her and how she points me to the Lord and his guidance for our lives in His Word! What a jewel she is! We prayed together, it was sweet. She invited me to stay for dinner (Nic was working late). She made brats, ones that we had gotten at Costco, for the guys and she served leftover Salmon for herself and me. It was wonderful! Since Nic is allergic it's only special occasions...usually Salmon bakes at LBC...that I ever get this treat!

Overall it was a wonderful day - and here I am praising God for his goodness and mercy on me. He is the best.