in fact, i've had a lot of downright horrible Easters with lots of heartache and tears.
and i don't know why so many traumatic events always seem to fall on the same day!
so needless to say, i never completely look forward to the particular weekend that just passed.
this year was different, though; this year, i got a beautiful Easter weekend and you can bet that i didn't take it for granted.
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friday night i had to myself. i attempted to make homemade lollipops, which turned out horribly (who knew that corn OIL is different than corn SYRUP?? not me, apparently). i tried creating them twice and was unsuccessful both times, but i laughed in spite of myself. after that, i watched roseanne, drank tea and began knitting a scarf with the new brown yarn i just bought. :) it was a lovely evening.
saturday morning i slept in and cleaned around the house until ethan showed up around noon to take me to a late breakfast. we spent the afternoon talking over omelettes and coffee and then went back to my house to get ready for the post-tax season dinner my office was throwing.
i was nervous about the dinner because the other times i've been to the same party in northern california have been dra-ma with a CAPITAL D. all the ladies gossiping about who's sitting with who and who's wearing what and who's had how many drinks...blah blah blah. one of the many reasons i don't get along with women. i always just sat quietly and stuffed my face with bread until it was time to leave.
this year my nerves were unnecessary. the night was a blast. one of the funnest (yes, that's a word) nights i've had in awhile. i felt pretty in my yellow dress with brown belt and brown heels, my hair pulled back. ethan looked handsome in slacks and a button-up shirt.
the theme of the party was a cruise ship, so my whole team took silly pictures with life preservers and sailor hats. the restaurant the party was being hosted at was a brazilian barbecue place where the servers dress like gauchos and bring around long sticks of every different kind of meat you can imagine. if you wanted to try that particular meat, they would cut you off a piece and move to the next table. in between that and a couple rounds of martinis, i was feeling full and happy in no time. the managerial staff came around and played versions of family feud with each table and they raffled off bottles of wine and a couple boat rides in newport harbor. i didn't win, but it was fun just the same. i met some new people, laughed until i cried, and felt a great sense of pride as the owner of the company talked about how this past tax season was one of the most successful in the 23-year history of the company.
overall, the party was a success and i was happy i got to be a part of it.
after ethan and i left the party, we drove down to huntington beach, grabbed some white mochas and braved the cold beach winds to watch the sunset over the water. it was a beautiful and perfect way to end the evening.
sunday was, of course, Easter. i wasn't too thrilled about going to church because even if the rest of the services are powerful and heart-tugging, Easter services always tend to be very generic. well, not with my new church! the pastor spoke in front of an empty tomb setting and broke the Easter story down scene by scene, talking about the significance behind each moment.
one of my favorite things the pastor talked about was when Jesus was being arrested in the garden. Jesus asked the soldiers who they wanted. they responded "Jesus of Nazareth" and when he responded "i am He," they fell to the ground. the pastor said that the same I Am who delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt is the same I Am who spoke in that garden that day and was the same I Am to be slain on the cross to deliver US from slavery.
the title of the entire sermon was the lion and the lamb; Jesus was slain as the lamb, but He will come back as the Lion of Judah. and they brought out a real lion and lamb on stage! it was incredible--the visuals absolutely brought to life the gentleness and innocence of the lamb and the power, strength and majesty of the lion.
he talked about how the most important weapon of a lion is his mouth. the animal can crush thousands of pounds with his mouth. then he spoke about God, how He spoke good things into existence. he spoke about Jesus how He brought people back to life, brought people healing, brought people justice, all with His mouth.
it was a powerful and incredible service--one of the best i've ever been to. i felt so thankful for such an amazing church being only a handful of exits down the freeway.
after church, ethan took me to mimi's for breakfast and we drank mimosa's and coffee over my salad and his pancakes where we prayed and talked about the service and also spent some time reminiscing about how we started dating a little over a year ago. :)
once we finished breakfast, we did a little shopping at tilly's where i got some really cute white wedges and this fakey nerd glasses i've been looking everywhere for. :) i was content.
after i paid for my beloved finds, we went back to my house where i laid down to take a nap and ethan messed around on his bass for awhile. he left shortly after that to go back to los angeles to spend the remainder of Easter Sunday with his dad.
it was a beautiful, perfect, lovely weekend. i never expected so much. so i have to figure, maybe i had to get through some bad Easters to appreciate one good one. i can't be too sure.
all i know is i am extremely thankful
and blessed in ways that i never could've imagined.
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“Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said."
{matthew 28:7}
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