Girl time

We are a family that loves tradition. We take very seriously God’s call to remember, and traditions help us do just that. They are a sort of Sabbath for us, providing an opportunity to step back from our normal busy lives and celebrate what God has done for His people and for us specifically.

When Evan was nearing a very significant birthday that would take him from one digit to two, we decided that we’d start a tradition of a little surprise getaway alone with Mom or Dad when each child turned 10. Mark took Evan, a big chocolate lover, to Hershey, PA for his man weekend, a surprise that included a Hershey bar with a golden ticket. Ashlyn’s been anticipating her time away ever since. With snowmageddon this year, a marriage retreat, and two trips out of the country, her getaway was two and a half months after her actual birthday. But, that didn’t matter at all when I showed her folded clothes lined up perfectly by day and purpose on her bed and handed her a suitcase.

I wanted to do something different for Ashlyn’s trip. So, I chose to study God’s word with her, a girl who loves to learn just like her mother. I chose Esther. It’s the perfect book to study with a young girl—an adventure, a romance, a mystery complete with cliffhangers, a villain and a hero and…of course…Esther, an orphan who becomes a Queen who changes the world. It’s the perfect book to invite conversation about standing up for what is right, having courage despite fear, living wisely, and choosing to be a part of God’s Kingdom work. All that in the context of a book that doesn’t actually mention the name of God a single time but has His name written all over it as it overflows with His sovereignty and redemption.

We feasted on calamari and New York strip steak and talked about the king’s feasts. We got the red carpet (white robe?) treatment and Ashlyn got her first manicure and pedicure complete with mother-daughter matching blue and purple polish, during which we talked to the spa ladies about what it would be like to get beauty treatments for a year like Esther and the other young women got in preparation to meet the king. We went swimming in a heated pool and talked about ripple effects. And, we decorated a t-shirt with Sharpies and rubbing alcohol and talked about how something little and seemingly plain can become something really big and exciting.

She opened up about some of her own stuff with me. And, she taught me a thing or two as we sat with Bibles opened over six meals together. Isn’t that just how God works?

Since Ashlyn is currently Insta-obsessed (go follow her at ashlyn124—shameless plug for her Instagram feed that currently features more images from Frozen than anything else), I jumped right in there with her, posting lots of pictures to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter while we were away. That led to some requests for the study I used. So, I edited it after our “trial run” for other mamas to use with their girlies for sweet times together like ours. Here it is at no charge to you. Just promise to come back and let us know how it went and how God blessed you during your time together and after—and maybe post some pictures on Instagram and tag us. That would rock.