You ain't missin' out on nothin'.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” - Luke 6:38

So, something happened that's very rare these days: I had a Saturday with absolutely nothing on my calendar!

Between events that I'll attend for work, serving at my church, leading a mentor program and celebrating family & friends, usually there is something occupying my time on Saturdays. No complaints though. It's the kinda busy life that I'd prayed to have. That said...I love and NEED days like yesterday. Days to just go wherever the day decides to takes me...

Of course, this day also included my love and built-in best friend, my husband Quentin. 💛

We woke up early in the morning and got a quick workout in. (So proud of myself for working out 5 times this week 😊)

When we got back, we both got showered and dressed. I didn't know where we were going at this point but, wherever we were going, I wanted to wear this cute gray maxi dress that I'd been dying to wear from SHEIN. I slipped the dress on and was inspired to try out a new braided bun hairstyle - you like?

Alright, we're both dressed. Now....where we going?!

I knew that I wanted to be outside...but only for brief moments because it's wayyy too hot! For me, it was giving more of a "shopping at a strip mall" kinda day. Quentin was feeling something a little more active. Going in and out of several stores is not his thing!

After some conversation, here's how the day went:

Our first stop was at Ingram's Farm in High Point, NC. We first visited this charming farm during our honeymoon, when we came to pick muscadines. The farm features a country store with homegrown produce and goods, a dessert barn, farm animals, and a pond. They also have seasonal strawberry picking and a pumpkin patch.

Since there's no picking going on, we decided to go to the country store.

The country vibes made the place feel very homey, but what tickled me was some of the signs that they had, including one that read: "Wash your hands and say your prayers 'cuz Jesus and germs are everywhere" (True, true!)

Quentin had a ball exploring all of the produce and goods made on the farm - many of the vegetables you didn't really see in stores. He ended up grabbing a haul of peppers, tomatoes, corn, muscadine jelly, and a watermelon.

We went to the cashier - whom I believe was actually the owner of the farm - to check out. Quentin placed his basket full of goodies on the counter and the total came up to $27.

He starts to pull out his credit card from his wallet and the cashier let him know that she can only accept cash and checks. The problem was that he only had $20 in cash (and I had none)...

We spot an ATM in the corner and he let her know that he would grab some cash from it. The next random act of kindness neither of us saw coming:

She quickly snapped back (something to the effect of), "That machine is gonna charge you a $3 fee when you use it. You can pay the difference whenever you come back."

Wow.

I think it stopped Quentin and I both in our tracks in that moment. How was she so confident that we would return? Did she not want the money that she was owed?

The more that I thought about it, I realized: she didn't miss out on a thing.

She could have insisted on getting the money that she was rightfully owed in that moment...but how much more likely are we to return, remembering the kindness that she'd shown? Not only will she get that $7 back, but we'll likely spend more money on the next trip between fruit picking, the country store, and grabbing dessert from the dessert barn. What she gained in loyalty and trust in us was far more valuable!

This was also a simple reminder of how Jesus loves us: we have nothing to give to pay the debt that we owe. Yet, he pours His salvation, love, grace, and mercy on us freely. When we fully receive all that He's given us, we are moved to give the same to others. He promises that whatever we give, He will return (Luke 6:38).

After that moment, we took that brief walk around the farm and visited goats, peacocks, and turkeys. (Between me and you - I think the turkeys knew that I'd eaten more than a few of their cousins... 👀 😂)

After getting a little outside air, we went to ParTee Shack to play mini golf and arcade games.

Now, this place will change everything you think you know about mini golf. At any given hole, you might have to zip line, play basketball, or even play a game like PLINKO from The Price Is Right! Since mini golf can kind of get monotonous, I love how this new take keeps you on your toes.

After having fun going through the course and playing games, we finished off the day with a little Target and vibes! I had no idea what I was going to Target for but, after strolling through the aisles, the store let me know what I needed:

• TGIN Rose Water Shampoo to wash my hair soon

• A pair of wireless headphones that I'd been meaning to get for the gym

• TWO bags of Tabitha Brown's Roasted Garlic Parmesan Popcorn - the BEST popcorn out there (and I'm not just saying that because it's Auntie Tab!)

With a little communication, my husband and I ended up having a day that each of us was happy with. God even threw in a beautiful surprise at the end: as we pulled up to our apartment building, I spotted a hot air balloon! I felt like such a kid again running out of the car to grab pictures of it.

Ahhhh...#YesterdayWasAGoodDay