The Raiders & Morocco

Richard needed to go to Disney today to finalize his off time for our upcoming family reunion trip in June. Of course, he really didn't stand a chance since that is smack dab in the midst of Disney's busy time and Richard has less than two years seniority. We had prayed and both of us believed enough to actually plan our trip.

I waited in the pickup while Richard went in to talk with management about time off. The best we could hope for was to have the time granted, certainly, we hadn't even thought of getting more than a day or two of paid vacation or Floating Holiday time. Well, as you might guess, our God is so much bigger than we expect and He just loves to give His children good gifts. Richard will be off from June 9 through June 25 with every day paid! Scripture says, "You have not because you ask not." (James 4:2) But God smiled tolerantly and took joy in providing more than we asked. Not because we are deserving or have been better than we asked for, but because in Christ, we are highly favored... Pure GRACE!

Athena will travel with us in June and she says getting time off is no problem for her. She has much seniority at UCF and they love her work and her person... Plus, of course, we've been praying!

So, after we praised God for His loving gifts to us, we headed over to Epcot where the International Flower & Garden show is in full swing. We toured the amazing displays scattered throughout the park and tantalized our taste buds with Moroccan cuisine. I chose to bypass an entree and instead tried a trio of appetizers and a dessert featuring three delectable pastries. 

Ethnic music and authentic decor set the mood and a crimson clad belly dancer amazed us with the moves her super flexible torso was capable of. All the while Richard relished his beef but turned up his nose at the couscous and veggies rounding out his meal. I, loved everything I was served and ate his veggies as well. The couscous and some bread came home with us and I will make short work of them tomorrow.  

It is a special time at Disney with the festival going on and it's also Spring Break, so the park was packed. Disney expects this and has designated this time "Blackout Days," meaning cast members may not bring unpaid guests to the park. Because of this, we didn't expect to get into Paul Revere & the Raiders show which was slated to begin just about the time we finished our meal, but again, we were highly favored and walked right in finding seats only about six rows from the stage!

The show rocked! What a treat to see one of my favorite bands - free! As I looked around the crowd, I was also surprised that nearly every seat was taken as the show got underway. Again, I was shocked we had been able to walk right in to great seats five minutes before show time.

We were well fed and well entertained, and I only wanted to do one other thing before heading for the house, see the new O Canada circle-vision movie. We both frankly didn't think we'd get in without a long wait, but it was on our way out of the park, so we gave it a shot. 

Again, we arrived just before the show was to begin, and again, we walked right in! The movie was good. Not fantastic, but quite well done. But the biggest treat of all was feeling like God had just given us one more special treat. It was like receiving a warm hug and gentle kiss from our Heavenly Father. He makes me feel so loved!

I will add more to my book later, tonight I am just basking in Abba's love.