Confessions of a Sweet Tea Queen

Doesn't that sound like the title of a book?! I know I thought it did ... :) So, I did come to the staff picnic today in costume as Sweet Tea Queen. And ... my costume was surprisingly easy to put together. Which is good since I'm not particularly artistic!! It was so cool ... a co-worker told me yesterday that his wife had a tiarra I could use. Then I brought an umbrella I used as a parasol ... kind of like in the southern plantation days. :-) I also had a bright floral patterned purse ... which seems like a southern thing? And around my neck I had a placard that said "Sweet Tea Queen" and included a slogan about saving the world ... one sweet tea at a time. :) I also dressed up like I would imagine a southern belle on a plantation would!

If you'd like to see pictures from the picnic, you can at this link. [This is mainly for you all reading this blog in its original form on vesselsofclay.blogspot.com, since if you're on Facebook you can already access these photos. :)]

I was thinking a bit today about how sometimes I think it would have been fun to live in the days of southern plantations. Don't get me wrong, I know that a lot of things went on that weren't right and were not good things. But I just mean the whole aspect of women dressing up in a feminine way and there being formal balls all the time, and all that ... I think there is something in me that loves that and would have enjoyed those aspects of being born in that era.

Of course in some aspects I'm totally not a girlie girl ... I tend to go pretty much natural in that I've always kept my natural hair color (with the exception of putting some temporary dye in it just for fun, years back ;-) and I generally don't wear much make-up ... and most of the time not at all. It's rare that I paint my nails. And I have always had at least a wee bit of a tomboy side in me, I think ... and I still absolutely love hiking, biking, skating, volleyball, camping ... pretty much anything outdoors.

But there are very girlie sides to me too ... I like to wear a little jewelry, and I like shopping (although thankfully haven't been doing it as often lately :)) and I'm always up for a good chick flick and in fact went and saw one with a rowful of other girls last weekend. :) I also LOVE it when guys are chivalrous and do nice gentleman-ish stuff like open doors for me. I also, like many girls, find it helpful to "have a good cry" every now and then. And I am in a lot of ways sentimental, too, treasuring memories and sometimes remembering people by smells like their perfume and cologne. And while I like to be comfy, there are also times where I love dressing up a bit, just because I feel like it! It's kind of cool to think about how a lot of these things are reflections of how God made me ... they are His handiwork in me ... and the same could be said for all of us in the unique characteristics he has given us as men or women.

Oh, the picnic today was so much fun! I had such a wonderful time and was thinking about how grateful I am for the people I work with ... becasue of the nature of the ministry where we work, it's really more like one big family rather than "co-workers". It's great! I know that there are aspects of working in ministry that can be incredibly challenging, and it's not always easy, but I truly rejoice and thank the Lord for giving me this little taste of heaven on earth! Think about how amazing heaven will be ... as we fellowship with people of "every nation, tongue and tribe" as described in Revelation 5:9.