Girl’s Trip!

My Mom and I just went on a girl’s trip this past weekend to Texas! We had a lot of laughs and adventures in the short amount of time we had.

I saw that the closest Joyce Meyer would get to Oklahoma would be in Houston, Texas. Thankfully, my Mom agreed to the spontaneous trip so I could see my life long spiritual mentor! We thought we’d stop at Buc-ee’s, Magnolia, and NASA space station while we were there.

If you haven’t been to Buc-ee’s, it’s like the Ritz of gas stations. It’s like it’s own little shopping mall inside with all kinds of cute things! So if you have a chance to go visit, you should! My Mom was freaking out over the decor they had like I did the first time visiting.

After Buc-ee’s we stayed in Waco for the night and got to see the Magnolia Silos. We were so excited to see Chip and Joanna Gaine’s store! They have the TV show Fixer Upper on HGTV. My sister-in-law warned me how hot it is there and she was so right.

We got in late the night before so we got to Magnolia around noon. To give you an idea of how hot it was, we stepped outside to get in the car and had instant sweat.

Magnolia was very crowded and hot but everyone was friendly. They had umbrellas to shelter us from the hot sun while we waited in line to see the Market behind us in this picture.

Joanna Gaine’s farmhouse style is right up my alley. Everything in the store was just too cute (and pricey)! Half of the Market was indoors in air conditioning and the other half in sort of a factory style building with fans. We didn’t have to wait outside for longer than 10 minutes, thank God.

After that we needed some food and a cold drink. They had food trucks in the outskirts of the courtyard. We picked up some grilled cheese sandwiches from the Cheddar Box food truck that were the best we’ve ever had!

They had large covered picnic benches spread out and we found one open next to a mom with her girls. We saw people drinking out of watermelons with straws and were trying to figure out where they came from. Mom spotted the Juice Bar food truck that was selling these for $10.

Naturally, we HAD to get a refreshing watermelon after sweating our makeup off. It was interesting because you could have lemonade mixed in, strawberry, and some other flavor. I chose lemonade and it was refreshing! It wasn’t very cold but it quenched our thirst. (See picture above with my Mom holding the watermelon).

The garden area was so pretty! On the way to the garden, they had cornhole games and wooden swings throughout the courtyard. We heard the bakery was delicious but didn’t have time. My Mom did grab a tasty coffee from the Magnolia Bakery food truck though.

We rushed to Houston for the evening service at Lakewood Church. We barely had enough time to shower but needed to desperately! Parking in downtown Houston was quite confusing for us but we finally found the right parking garage.

I didn’t realize that Lakewood Church was literally a stadium that previous pro teams had played in. I also didn’t know that Joel Osteen’s father was the one who started the church and it used to be Baptist denomination. Now it’s non-denominational.

Anyway, it was exactly what you expect from a stadium with cool lighting. The only differences were the warm smiling greeters and inspirational scriptures throughout. I was disappointed when I didn’t see free coffee and water available (yes I like to muche when I can, don’t judge me). But in their defense, it’s got to be expensive to provide drinks for that amount of people.

We were surprised by the rising stage where the band came up and the contemporary worship music they played. The band was incredible and one singer really rocked it. The Spirit was powerful on her when she sang. It felt like being in a worship concert because the crowd was so loud when they sang.

I was glad a church of this size still had time for prayer. During the fourth song, they gave an altar call for those who want prayer to come down. After about the fifth song, Joyce Meyer was introduced by a video recording of Joel and Victoria Osteen who weren’t there.

Joyce Meyer was just as good in person as she is on TV. She has always been my inspiration for bettering my relationship with God. God used her to help me overcome anger and my toxic thought life. Battlefield of the Mind is a great book of hers by the way.

It’s astounding to me how simple but profound she makes her messages. Anyone can understand what she’s saying regardless of their background. And her personality is just hilarious.

Hearing and seeing Joyce in person along with spending time with my Mom was the highlight of my trip. I wish my sister would’ve gone too but maybe next time.

After service we got some scrumptious dinner from Goode Co. Seafood restaurant recommended by a local. Pricey but worth it like Pappadeaux restaurant is.

The next day we drove by NASA Space Station and then the beach! We had to head home so didn’t have time to linger but glad we were able to see it at least. Mom and I were deliriously tired but the laughs did us lots of good on this trip!

One big thing I took away from Joyce Meyer’s talk was that it’s okay to rest. Don’t feel guilty that you are taking 1 hour, 1 day, or 1 week off from working. Your schedule doesn’t have to be maxed out everyday to be successful in life.

We are all going to make mistakes in life. We all have weaknesses and that’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up when you make a mistake. “If you make mistakes, you’re normal.”

Also know that God’s correction doesn’t mean condemnation so quit living in guilt and defeat. “Correction is not rejection, it’s direction.” That means God is working out His goodness through you. “God will never convict you of something wrong if He’s not ready to help you overcome it.”

If you don’t love yourself, you can’t love others. If you don’t extend grace to yourself, you can’t give grace to others.

It’s also okay to be happy with yourself. If you do a good job on something, acknowledge it. Not in a proud or arrogant way but give yourself credit. For example, I cleaned the house really well or I did a great job on that work project.

The enemy wants to steal the good things that God has brought into our lives. Satan wants us to second guess our victories and fail backward instead of forward. We can’t let the enemy’s lies and attacks steal our joy and livelihood. We can’t do everything on our own either.

Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should. We have to let others who are gifted in certain areas do their thing. Joyce explained that her and her husband Dave were doing everything in their ministry. They learned to delegate tasks to others and stick to what they’re gifted at.

Will you join me in resting? Life gets so hectic and stressful. We need rest and don’t need to feel guilty for it either. Working hard is important but we must rest. We also have to realize it’s okay to make mistakes. You learn from them and fail forward.

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend as well!

Stay hopeful!