God Winks....

A dear lady once told me about "God Winks." This obviously isn't a Biblical term but instead, its a little phrase that she has coined. "God Winks" are those moments when she feels as if God has winked at her, reminding her how much He loves her.

Our week in Disney world was full of "God Winks" for me! I wish I had taken the time to write them all down because God was winking like crazy last week! I'll share a few of those special moments with you...

It just "so happened" that we were given a free week in Disney World during Star Wars Weekend at Hollywood Studios. Dylan has recently become a huge star wars fan so this made the trip extra special for him! We signed the older boys up for "Jedi Training" bright and early on Sunday morning and they were sooooo excited about it! While I watched Dylan fight Darth Vadar with his light saber, I could feel God winking. This isn't something we needed or even knew we wanted but God allowed this sweet "extra" for Dylan, just because he loves him. Oh what a sweet gift it is to see God winking at my son!

Just as Dylan is a Star Wars fan, Evan loves Mickey Mouse!!! He could not wait to see Mickey! The lines to meet Mickey are usually crazy long. Through out the day on Sunday I would look at the line and try my best to keep Evan from seeing Mickey because I knew he wouldn't do well waiting for an hour. At the end of the day, I "just happened" to see a Mickey line that only had about 3 families waiting in it. Can you believe that? Evan and I got to meet Mickey in about 10 minutes!! It was perfect. Again, nothing major, nothing life changing, but I feel as though God winked at my sweet Evan by allowing him to meet Mickey!

I've always wanted to swim with dolphins. Don't ask me why,  I'm just amazed by these sweet creatures. I really, really wanted to swim with dolphins on this trip but it just didn't work out because it is really expensive!  On Tuesday, at Sea World, my little family got to interact with a dolphin! We got to pet her, do tricks with her, get splashed by her, and play with her. And it was only $15! I didn't think I would get to do anything like this on the trip but, God winked and it happened. Just a sweet little gift from Him! I still hope to swim with dolphins one day but until then, this was perfect!

 

On Wednesday we splurged and took the kids to Chef Mickey's! They got to meet, hug, and get autographs from Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald Duck. It was soooo much fun! And a extra added bonus...the food was amazing. The buffet had so many wonderful choices...things I never get to eat since my family is so picky. I felt like a queen eating all of these delicacies! Those of you who know me, know I love sweets! Do you see all those sweet treats in that picture! Ha! I didn't eat them all but I just had to take a tiny taste of each one. Just another little thing that reminded me that God is smiling on me and my family!

My boys LOVE trains. Most boys do I know, but really, these boys LOVE trains. Did you know that Disney World has a monorail that is free?? It takes its passengers to the different parks and resorts and even if you aren't staying at a resort, you can get a 3 hour parking pass for free and ride the monorail! This was a sweet blessing for my boys! They were so excited!!! And it was sweet for us too because it was free!!!! Wink, wink....

 

On Thursday we went to Magic Kingdom. It just "so happened" that the only lunch reservation I could get was for Tony's Italian Restaurant. This is the Restaurant from the Lady and the Tramp. It's silly but this just made me smile! This trip was special for many reasons but also because Bryan and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary while vacationing. So, I really enjoyed having lunch in a "semi-romantic" place with my honey!! I definitely wasn't expecting this little blessing!

Through out the week I continuously praised my God for all the ways He has used KEEP collective to bless my family! I was especially grateful when we got to Magic Kingdom. This is the trip I've been hoping that we would one day get to go on. I still can't believe we got to go this year! And not only that but even though June 4th was considered to be the busiest the park can be (a 10 out of 10 for crowd) Bryan and I rocked it! The average person gets to ride 9 rides per day at Magic Kingdom because of the long waits but not us....we were able to ride 23 rides!!! That's not counting lunch, dinner, a parade, a light show, and 2 other shows. We had a FULL day of fun in the Magic Kingdom even though is was super duper crowded. God was winking!!

One of my favorite "God Winks" from the week occurred over and over again! Every time we saw Cinderella's Castle, Evan would look at me and say, "There's your castle, Mommy!" He is very sensitive to me being the only girl in our family and he is always pointing out that I am a princess. So the first time he saw castle, he decided that it was mine! It was so adorable! Each time he mentioned "mommy's castle" my heart just smiled!! When we actually visited the castle on Thursday, Evan told Bryan that he HAD to pick a flower for me so that I could have one to take home from my castle!! I still have that little flower and I plan to keep it for a very long time. God used my sweet Evan to wink at me, repeatedly! 

Today I am thankful for "God Winks." I'm not saying that God doesn't care on the days that seem really bad. I'm also not saying that He only cares when things are going well. I'm simply saying that if we keep our eyes open, we can see meaningful blessings in even the simplest things and even on not-so-good days! I felt as though God was "winking" at me and my family all week last week! And you know, if I paid attention, I'd probably feel that way every week! I am grateful that He is at work in the details. He is showing me how much He loves me in and out of every moment! I just need to open my eyes so I can see Him winking!