After work Tuesday evening, I went shopping for a birthday gift at TJ Maxx and decided to grab a bite to eat before heading home.

Of course, when one goes to TJ Maxx, one can never leave with just what they initially came for, so I walked away with a few goodies for gifts and a thing or two for myself.

A place that was near me was called Crafty Crab and since I’m always down for seafood, I gave it a try.

I made a surprising discovery, in that I found a seafood that I do not like (a first, really): raw oysters. I covered them in Tabasco AND horseradish, but still couldn’t find it in me to enjoy them.

The steamed scallops, on the other hand, were quite good. So, it wasn’t all for naught.

When I got home, Jess, Carly, and I played some games together to finish out the evening: Anomia (one I’ve since bought to bring back with me) and another called Stone Age.

I love learning new games with friends! And it has certainly become a way I enjoy spending time with people. Anyone have some favorites they are willing to suggest?

I finished “The Hiding Place” (in three days! Quickest read through in a while!), so I moved on to my next read: Band of Brothers.

My family and I, for the past several years, have watched the entire HBO mini-series over Memorial Day weekend. So, to finally read the source material is something I’m looking forward to!

Kristen and I have had a list going of movies/TV shows we want to watch together before I leave. Honestly, most of these are recommendations on my end.

The first of my recs we watched Friday evening: “Master and Commander”. Kristen rated it an 8/10!

Friday, my department closed early for the holiday weekend, so I drove straight from DC to a church near Fort Bragg, NC, just in time to hear the first session for a conference I’d been anticipating for several weeks!

There were people working for/associated with the military Navigators from all over the country. I knew people from Washington (state), Georgia, DC, Ohio, North Carolina, and Tennessee! Considering there were over 400 people registered, there were probably more states represented than that!

It was so fun getting to catch up with familiar faces and to meet new ones, and to all be gathered together to learn about the Bible was a gift not lost on me.

Some ladies from the Rio Grande “family”and I stayed at an Airbnb nearby. It was so good to be with them again and to get to hear about what the summer has held for each of us. They are a dear group of women, who bring no shortage of love and laughter.

Our Airbnb was great and our hosts went out of their way to make us feel welcomed.

Between sessions Saturday, we ate lunch with several peeps from Washington (state). Afterwards, we eyed a frozen yogurt shop in the same plaza and made our way over there promptly.

My only regret was that I wasn’t able to stay in North Carolina longer.

Soon after the last session Saturday afternoon, I hit the road again, this time heading to Anderson, South Carolina.

Carly invited me and some other DC friends to celebrate the 4th with her and her family. Considering I hadn’t seen her family since traveling to Israel two years ago, I was excited for the reunion.

Carly’s family was incredibly hospitable, making me feel immediately at home and a part of the crew. They emulated Jesus in so many ways and I was truly sad to leave them again when the time came.

What a fitting image for Independence Day!

Sunday morning, Destry invited us over to his family’s home for horseback riding! Destry and Kristen have gotten engaged since I’ve been in DC, so it’s been fun getting to know him.

He and his family were kind enough to help us inexperienced riders/caretakers and answered all our (my) questions about taking care of horses. They let us shower and fed us before we hit the road and headed back to DC!

I listened to a podcast on the way to North Carolina called Cultish. I would highly recommend, especially if you are interested in cults/cultish behavior and approaching them from the Christian perspective.

A thought one guest shared on the episode was especially relevant to the weekend. She argued that freedom has been redefined to something those that have gone before us would not have recognized. Licentiousness (doing whatever you want) and freedom (the ability to do the right thing) are accused of being synonymous, when they are actually quite different. I think she was on to something.

This wasn’t a traditional Independence Day weekend, but that didn’t stop it from being good.