Easter...expectations and reality...

Well, it's April now y'all- April's Fool's Day was Monday and I officially confess I am terrible at April Fool's jokes. Monday morning I quickly wrote something up on my homework board for my homeroom.  I wrote "50 states and capitals test tomorrow"---as they came in and started to question me, I used my best poker face and said, "Well, we have studied them all and I told you I would be testing you." Then one student told another she thought it was an April Fool's joke. That's when I started to crumble. That's all it took. One person calling me out- and I folded.

Reminds me of our honeymoon trip to Negril, Jamaica- we went to the market and Hubs told me to try out my bargaining skills. The man was selling those colorful (made in China) bracelets. He said $3.00. I said "How about $2.50?" He said "ok, if you buy 3." I did it. Yep, put a sucker sticker on my forehead.

So, as I write this post...know that it does not include any April Fool's jokes. Because I am no good at them. At all.
I have no April Fool's game.

Easter has come and gone. So quickly...there are some things I realized and wanted to write about. I had some expectations that didn't become reality. But to give myself some credit, here are some things that DID happen.

• My mama came up to see Red play soccer and go to church with us. Here's a picture of the two of them. They are peas in a pod. People used to call Red a "Mini-Mimi". They are both Sport Models! I will explain more on this picture later...

• Our family was together at our wonderful church. (see more on this below) The message was POWERFUL. The music was amazing- really amazing. He is RISEN...He is RISEN INDEED! Here's my little family in our Easter finery. More on this picture later too. LOL.

• We had a nice lunch together at our house before Mama headed south again.
• I made deviled eggs for me and Mama, which Hubs can't stand.
• Red was excited about the Easter bunny! This is BIG- as I will explain later!

Now, on to the things that DID NOT happen or came out on the minus side..... (i.e. the things I wanted to happen, but didn't.)

• I didn't buy my Mama that Easter lily corsage I meant to get...this is sort of-kind-of a tradition. Her mama used to like them, so she likes them.
• Hubs and I both forgot our phones/cameras. So- the above pictures are all we have. That expression on Red's face is cracking me up. Not exactly the cutest or most complimentary....but it's a picture nonetheless. We had to use my Mama's cell phone.
• As for our family picture...I look like a giant because Hubs stood on the street and I was up on the curb. But Mama bought me and Caroline our new Easter finery so we were excited. Poor Hubs needs some new duds. He did look dapper in his bow tie though ;)
• We didn't have sweet relish to put in my deviled eggs- I am a sweet relish girl. Hubs said to use dill relish- he said they were the same! How dare he?? I also couldn't find my egg plate given to me by my Mema...boo.
• It was our 2nd Easter in the ATL, but our 1st at our new church...(which I do love!) Last year we went down to our old church to the egg hunt. (Note: this is the "old church" I will always consider my home church, I get weepy when I drive by it, I love the people there, feels like home, etc. sob story....waa, waaa)
• I didn't even get out my Easter decorations this year. Fail. I also couldn't find the Easter napkins.
• I missed seeing the rest of my family- Daddy, B, my sisters and their families, my brother and his family, my nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and my Mema...I missed Mema's sweet tea. 
• I didn't get to add some other special little things in the basket for Red. I meant to...but ran out of time. But as I said above, her being excited about the E.B. is a BIG thing. She is so funny...she has been questioning Santa, E.B., the Tooth Fairy, etc. for a few years now. Side story: When we went to Disney, she was five years old. As we stood at the base of the magical castle, we awaited the descent of Tinkerbell. It was January, so the night was a little chilly but the sky was clear....the music was playing, the lights were twinkling..it was pure magic. Then the lights go out...I was so excited...and as Tinkerbell comes flying down to the ground right above us, I say to Red, "Look, look! It's magic...look who's flying down! It's Tinkerbell!" Red turns to me and says in her very matter-of-fact tone, "Mama, she's not flying. Don't you see that wire? She's on a wire. Oh, Mama", and she rolled her eyes. Yep. that's my girl. I cried on the way back to our hotel that night. I just wished she had a little more time before she saw things like that wire.

So...if you are still reading...I write all of this to explain that even though there were expectations (and I admit they were expectations I had for myself- no one else was holding me to these) and some were not met...it was still a GOOD day. Why? Because of those bullet points up at the top. And that I even had bullet points.

Hello! He is RISEN. 

That is enough. 

It doesn't really matter that Hubs didn't have a new shirt, or that Red didn't smile her best smile in the picture, or that I look like a giant in our family pic. It doesn't matter that there was no relish, or that I didn't decorate. What matters is that God is my Heavenly Father and that Death did not win! 

What matters is Grace. Pure and Simple. Grace. Undeserved. Unpaid. Grace.

It's a long journey for me...the one to the place where I am really ok with all of those "didn'ts" and "should'ves" up there. One thing is for sure though...the closer I get to that place- the happier I am. But I still won't use dill relish.