A Long Overdue Road Trip Adventure {Claremore Gordon Mote Concert}

Last night and in the wee hours of the morning, proposed opening sentences and other content for this blog post kept popping into my head soundbite style.

This morning, I got up, took care of a few odds and ends that needed to be completed before starting this post, lightly edited some photos, and opened a new post window.

And my mind promptly went completely blank.

Arrrgggggggggghhhh!! 

I hate that!

Sometimes the really important posts just fly off my fingers.  Other times, they are the ones I struggle with most.  I want so much to get across what is in my heart that it completely paralyzes me.

That would be the case today. Sigh.

Here's what I posted on Facebook last night:

Spur of the moment road trip to see Gordon Mote in Claremore. Laughed until we couldn't breathe, cried a bit, and had some serious worship. Loved seeing the amazing Mrs. Shirley again, really enjoyed Sound Decision Quartet, and were blown away by Gordon Mote's music and message. It had been over a year since we'd done a real road trip, so we were way overdue.

My friend the Concert Fairy and I had talked months ago about going to this concert. As the time drew nearer, though, it just didn't seem there was any way it was going to work into either of our hectic schedules.  We regretfully decided that despite the fact that we really wanted to see Gordon Mote in person, we were just going to have to let this opportunity pass us by.

Then the phone call: "I know it's the last minute, but want to go to Claremore??"  Our road trip adventures often happen that way.  And almost quicker than you can say, "Gordon Mote at Claremore Naz", we were headed over the Garrison Avenue bridge.

It only took Jodie until we got to Sallisaw to ask, "OH! Do you have your camera battery??"  On this memorable trip to Claremore last year, with the promise of 2nd row seats to see Guy Penrod, I pulled out my camera to take a few shots of downtown Claremore and realized that my camera battery was charging away at my desk in Fort Smith.  I had been very careful to make sure that the battery was safely inside the camera, with the camera safely inside my bag, before leaving the house this time!

We chatted about first one thing and then another until we arrived at the Muskogee Turnpike McDonalds.  It's our standard Oklahoma roadtrip food-and-bathroom break stop.  The trip had been pretty uneventful to that point...as uneventful as things get for Jodie and I, anyway. :)

Things began to take a different turn at that point, however.

First, there was a little parking issue when Jodie tried to pull into this space:

(In case you can't tell from the odd angle of the photo, that's a walkway.  It's about 2/3 as wide as the car. I might have given her a teeny, tiny bit of a hard time about this. She insists that from her vantage point, it looked wider.  That's her story and she's sticking to it. :-D  She's one of the best drivers I know, though, so I'm mostly giving her the benefit of the doubt...along with the hard time. :))

By this time, the uncontrollable laughter had begun.  Once that starts, we're pretty much doomed.  All it takes is a glance and we can both be dissolved in laughter for no apparent reason to anyone but us.

And then came a little episode involving an alarm, hysterical laughter in the restroom, faucet (or faucet user) malfunction, and the sudden terrifying realization that we couldn't find the car keys.


I'm going to say that the alarm episode might not have gotten so out of control if we hadn't already hit the point of no return, although frankly, I can't be sure. Here's what's important to know from this part of the adventure:

• We did nothing illegal, immoral, or otherwise wrong. 
• We didn't get kicked out of the place, although we did get some funny looks from those around us. 
• Jodie's keys were not locked in the car. Our hearts stopped for less than a minute before she finally found them. 
• The remainder of the trip to Claremore was relatively uneventful.

 

We arrived in Claremore with plenty of time to spare, pulled into a parking space in front of the church, and I hopped out to take a picture or two while we were waiting.

I was once again amazed at the thought of the amazing concert ministry this unassuming little church has had for years.  It appears on the calendar of many of the Southern Gospel greats who regularly perform in much larger and more famous venues.  And yet it is obvious that they all love Claremore Naz and Mrs. Shirley, the amazing lady who has brought these concerts to Claremore all these years.

 

Then came the obligatory photo of the bus.  I don't know why, but I always have to get a picture of the bus.  As we said over and over again last night, it doesn't take much to excite us!

A stop by the product table, a quick word with Mrs. Shirley, and then we found our spots in the second row. Ready and waiting!
 

 We loved this verse during the pre-concert video.  How appropriate and timely!

We had an unexpected treat in the appearance of Sound Decision Quartet as the opening act.  I'm  a real sucker for good tight barbershop quartet harmony anyway, and these guys truly delivered!  Besides, how can you not like a group with such a fab sense of style?!  (Wish I'd gotten a better picture of the shoes, but maybe you can get an idea here. :))

And finally...Gordon Mote.  Jodie and I were practically having to pinch ourselves to believe that we were actually sitting 25ish feet away from this incredibly gifted pianist we'd watched so many times on Gaither dvds! 

He started off the concert with a tribute to the veterans, singing "I'm Proud to Be An American".  Intensely beautiful and emotional.  Here's my Veterans' Day Facebook cover photo with my thoughts:

"I started my Veterans' Day early last night when Gordon Mote opened his concert by singing/playing "I'm Proud to Be An American" as a tribute to the veterans. I would give anything to have a video.  Chills down my spine and tears in my eyes...it was amazing. Even more poignant sitting by my friend whose husband's cousin [the original said nephew...I'm operating on too little sleep and my fingers were moving faster than my brain. :)] was killed in action in Afghanistan last year, in a church in his hometown...brought it home in a whole new way.  Thankful for all those who have sacrificed much...both those who have served and serving, and their families."

 

"Don't Let Me Miss The Glory" was next.  I would have loved this song regardless...it's just my kind of song about the wonders of Creation and God's Glory.  But to hear it sung with such passion by a man who has never seen a bird or flower or fall color or sunset or the view from a mountaintop with his eyes...that was incredible.  I sat and thought about how much I depend on seeing God's glory in Creation, realizing that even if I could only hear, smell, and feel there would still be amazing evidence of it. Wow.   

I had no idea that in addition to his keyboard and vocal talent, Gordon is also a gifted song writer.  He shared that the song "I Want to Have Faith Like That" was inspired by friends who had lost a child.    Gave me goosebumps last night, and it has as I've listened over and over again today.

I want to have faith like that
Let it be who I am
I want to see the bigger picture 
And trust it's in God's hands
I want to have faith
I want to have faith like that
I want to walk the walk
Not just talk the talk
I want to make it who I am

 

I kept trying to get good pictures of his hands.  They were moving so fast it was a challenge, even from the second row!  

Other songs I loved (and which I plan to add to my playlist soon!):

Through It All (a wonderful old Andre Crouch fave)
Meanwhile Back at the Cross
The Sound a Dream Makes 

 

And then there was "God of Second Chances".  Wow.  Jodie and I have talked about the fact that every concert we go to, God seems to have a particular reason for us to be there...something specific He has for us in it that goes way above loving the music and worship.

I told her last night that as the concert was nearing a close, I had loved every bit, but I didn't feel like there had been that "Aha!" moment when I realized, "THIS is why God brought me here!"

Then came "God of Second Chances", Gordon's words that followed, and Pastor Mark Hiehle's prayer, all of which God used to hit me right between the eyes about something I least expected.  It was such a convicting jolt that I'm still processing through it...maybe I'll share a bit at some point.  There was no doubt in my mind that God had spoken to my heart in a huge way, and that we were supposed to be exactly where we were last night.

Here's a little taste of what Gordon said at the end of the concert.  (You'll be seeing more of this in another post to come soon...it went right along with a post that's been percolating for a while.  Since both Bro. Gary's sermon yesterday morning, and Gordon's words last night worked right into what I was already working on, I decided perhaps it's time to finish and post it. :))

The challenge is to take the love we feel right now and take it out into our community and love like Jesus.  If we loved better, maybe we wouldn't have to beg people to come to church...they might be beating down our doors.

 

 
As I've shared in the past about Guy Penrod, Gordon Mote is another whose love for the Lord and for people just radiates.  He stood and visited with every. single. person. who waited to meet with him last night, talking about kids, physical disabilities and healing, loss and grieving, and the Arkansas Razorbacks. :)

(Yes, that last conversation was with Yours Truly. Gordon is from Gadsden, AL, and is a die hard Crimson Tide fan.  I shared with him about coming home from the hospital in Birmingham as a newborn in my handknit Razorback sweater and booties the day after Arkansas beat Alabama in a bowl game. We had a good laugh about our respective sports loyalties. :))

There were about 6 people trying to get this photo.  I was not in a good spot, as you can see, but still thought it was fun. :)

I think this is my favorite shot of the whole night.  I love the expression on Mrs. Shirley's face as she is chatting with Gordon.  Seeing how much these musicians love and admire Mrs. Shirley is just a precious thing.  We have come to love her dearly in our brief encounters with her.  She has blessed so many in such huge ways in bringing these concerts to Claremore.  

We had to laugh when we came out to the car.  When we pulled in there before the concert, I had joked that Jodie would have to let everyone else parked on that side of the church leave before she would pull out of this spot.  We came out and immediately realized that we were almost the last people who weren't directly involved with working the concert to leave the church.  No worries about waiting for the traffic to clear!

(And the good news, for those who remember the story of our first Claremore road trip adventure, is that we did not drive around lost in Jenks, Oklahoma, in the dark of night for hours. ;-)) 

There is just no way to adequately express the blessing and ministry of concerts like last night's in words and pictures.  As Jodie always says, "You just have to be there."  And you do.  And if you ever get a chance, I encourage you to.

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Huge, huge thanks to Jodie (aka Concert Fairy/Chauffeur/Chief Adventure Architect) for going with and driving last night. Her friendship is such a blessing! Another status from today says this:

Reminded today how richly blessed I am with friends. Had my monthly lunch date with one friend Friday, annual family bonfire with another on Saturday, and then the last minute road trip with another yesterday. So thankful for those and other iron-sharpens-iron, laughing, crying, praying friendships!

Huge thanks also to Mrs. Shirley for providing the opportunities for these concerts for so many who wouldn't be able to experience them otherwise.  

And more huge thanks to Billy and the kids, who are always as excited about these adventures as we are, and who held down the fort at home while we were gone!

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Interested in reading more?  The concert/southern gospel posts are not only some of my favorites on the blog, but also some of the most-read of all time. 

More on previous Claremore Road Trip Adventures:

The Original Claremore Road Trip Adventure {Steve Ladd, Jonathan Martin, and Michael English}

Another Road Trip {Claremore Guy Penrod Concert}

Links to the Penrod Posts, All in One Place:

The Penrod Posts {Guy Penrod} 

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Thank you for stopping by! If you're new here, welcome! I'd love to hear from you in the comments or via the email option in the sidebar. If you'd like to keep up with future posts,  it's easy to follow via  Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest.  You can also sign up in the sidebar to receive new posts by email. I'm also on Instagram at jenbh68. Thanks! 

In Which I Play a Bit of Catch-Up...

Soooooo...in early October I posted that I wanted to try to post an average of 5 days a week for the month.  Not only did I not post 5 days a week...I didn't manage to post even 5 days total in October!  It turned out to be one of my worst blogging months ever.  

 

October always looks like it's going to be a relatively calm month here, but always somehow ends up being a wild month, and always for different reasons.  This year it was my adding an almost-full-time temporary  job to our normally full schedule while my mom was out of town for three weeks.  Whew!  This was no new revelation, but I do not know how working moms do it.  What a challenge.

I had a whole list of planned blog posts for the month, which I'm pretty sure has now grown long enough to last to the end of the year.  Most of those posts are not in any way time-sensitive; however, one is now officially "late". 

October was pastor appreciation month.  I had planned to do a pastor appreciation month post early on, but I never made it that far.  It may be late, but I cannot let this opportunity go by without expressing my appreciation for our pastor. 

 

 

We first met Bro. Gary and Becky when they joined our {old} church 6 years or so ago.  They were new grandparents, and I was a teacher in the Bed Babies department in Sunday School.   I spent hours rocking little Brandon in Sunday School, and always enjoyed visiting with his doting grandparents. 

Brandon's parents moved out of state, Bro. Gary and Becky were called to another church, and we lost contact for a few years.  Then one night Billy and the kids came home from prayer meeting talking about how the new mission church our church was sponsoring.  They had invited our church to a cookout and gospel singing.  It sounded like fun, and we wanted to support our church's new mission, so we went.  What a surprise to arrive and discover that Bro. Gary was the pastor! 

I have told the story of the following year here. You may want to pop over and read about God's work in leading us to a new adventure at Grace Lavaca, if you haven't already. 

God has blessed us in many ways in the 14 months since our move.  Bro. Gary and Becky are high on the list of those blessings.  Bro. Gary preaches the truth of the Word without reservation.  He is committed to our church following God's ways, not man's.  He loves our little flock and he and Becky are quick to see needs and minister to them.  They love people and have a burden for the lost. We love them and are so thankful for them!

And while I'm on the subject of pastors...I have to add how grateful I am for the "long line of godly men" (to borrow Steven Lawson's series title) who have served as my/our pastors in the past.  Each one has taught me much and each one has a special place in my heart: Bill Probasco, David McGowin, David Hatfield, Phil Whitten, and Kent Sweatman.  How blessed we have been!  

 

 

On a completely different note, I have a couple of other items of catching up to do.  First, last month I was privileged to be part of a "31 Days" blog called 31 Days of OpenHearted Living.  This blog was a project of the launch team for Mary DeMuth's new book, The Wall Around Your Heart.  Want to bless me in a big way??  Here are a few things I'd like to invite you to do:

• First...pop over there and read Rip Van Winkle, Wrecking Balls, and the Journey Back to Transparency. (You can also leave a comment there or back here, if you'd like. :))
• Second...If you're on Pinterest, share any or all of the photo quotes there.  You can pin from the post if you have the "Pin It" button in your toolbar; otherwise, you can go to my Wall Around Your Heart board and repin directly from there. 
• Third...feel free to share the post on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites. 
• While you're at the OpenHearted Living blog, hang around a while and read some of the other great posts by my fellow launch team members.  
• Be sure to check out the book itself: The Wall Around Your Heart. If you deal with any type of difficult relationships (and who doesn't??), this book will bless and challenge you! 

 

 One last item of "catch up" for today...a few weeks ago, Crisi at Reserved and Waiting nominated me for the Versatile Blogger award. This came about during the three weeks of utter chaos of working for my mom while she was gone, and I didn't even  discover it until a few days later. However, my lateness in acknowledging the award doesn't in any way reflect my excitement...I am honored and tickled pink!  

Recipients of the award are to do these things:

• Thank the person who gave you this award. That is common courtesy.
• Include a link to their blog. That is also common courtesy – if you can figure out how to do it.
• Next, Select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or that you follow regularly. ( I would add, pick blogs or bloggers that are excellent!)
• Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award – you might include a link to this site.
• You can not nominate the person who nominated you.
• Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

Due to time and space issues with this post, I am going to come back with my own nominations and the 7 things about myself in another post, but I wanted to give a shout out to Crisi asap! 

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Thank you for stopping by! If you're new here, welcome! I'd love to hear from you in the comments or via the email option in the sidebar. If you'd like to keep up with future posts,  it's easy to follow via  Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest.  You can also sign up in the sidebar to receive new posts by email. I'm also on Instagram at jenbh68. Thanks! 

Simple Things Sunday

After a crazy week of everyone going in different directions, it was wonderful to have a weekend full of simple family fun.  I've been wanting to link up with Simple Things Sunday for a while now, and finally remembered! (And thought this was a great week to do so, since I savored every simple moment. *insert big mushy heart here*)

Daddy's Little Helper Loves Daddy's Big Tools!

Em and AG hanging out "surrounded by taxidermy", as Emlyn said, at the Tackle Box. :)

Em's Cool New Shoes...LOVE 50% Off Clearance Sales at Academy!

All Em Wants For Christmas...Light Up Eiffel Tower. :)

Odd Beauty in the Parking Lot

Not a particularly flattering shot of me...I'd been up since 4 a.m. and had very little sleep for 3 days...but I'm trying to do better about getting an occasional "mom shot" (and besides, my daughter begged! :))

She also begged for this one...aren't we lovely? :)

Had a late lunch date here with Billy this week...so funny, because we used to eat there fairly often in our dating/early married years when it was 3-Pete's, but hadn't been there in a LONG time.  Now it's La Huerta, with new colors and decor, but still very much the same architectural feel as 3-Pete's. 

One of my favorite "simple things"...sitting in the back yard with Billy...talking, reading, taking pictures of the birds and squirrels...today we had a little visitor. :)

Love This Crazy Bunch!!

Thank you for stopping by! If you're new here, welcome! I'd love to hear from you in the comments or via the email option in the sidebar. If you'd like to keep up with future posts,  it's easy to follow via  Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest.  You can also sign up in the sidebar to receive new posts by email. I'm also on Instagram at jenbh68. Thanks!

OpenHeart Monday (On Tuesday)

...And barely on Tuesday, I'm afraid!

I've hit one of those walls of fatigue tonight that makes it hard work to hold your head up and breathe. But...I'm determined to get this post up before I crawl to bed. :)  So...as often happens, it won't be the post I had really planned...but it will be a post!

My poor blogs...both of them...have been horribly neglected lately.  I had gotten into such a good groove with posting regularly early in the summer, and then "life happened", as it so often does :), and although I get up every day planning to post, and have even started a number of posts, it just hasn't happened much.  Lots of other good stuff has gotten done...decluttering the dining room/school room, long and short term school planning, school itself :), and lots of good family time, among other things...but not much blogging.

Then I read about The Nester's 31 Days link-up for October.  I wanted so badly to participate, but could not for the life of me come up with any way to make the hodge podge of post topics I have on my "to be blogged" list work as a series of posts on one topic.  I thought about trying "31 Days of Completely Unrelated Posts", but decided that probably wouldn't fly with the rules of the link-up. :)

I decided that in lieu of being part of all the fun in the official challenge, I would challenge myself to post 31 days on a hodge podge of topics in October.  Then I looked at the October calendar (and the list of stuff that hasn't even made it to the calendar yet!), and decided perhaps I should challenge myself to post 5 days a week in October.  Technically, I'm planning to post once for every week-day in October, which works out to 23 days.  I may post on weekends and miss some days during the week, but at the end of the month, I'd like to end up with at least 23 posts :)

The other reason I am bound and determined to get a post up before my head hits the pillow tonight is that I am beyond thrilled to be part of the launch team for Mary DeMuth's soon-to-be-released book, The Wall Around Your Heart. Those who follow my blog regularly know that Mary DeMuth is one of my favorite authors.  Her writing and ministry have made a huge impact on my life.

A fellow launch team member is doing a link-up on her blog called OpenHeart Mondays, where we can share our thoughts on a chapter of the book each week.  I've missed the first few weeks,but I'm going to jump in with this week's link-up on chapter 4 and then hopefully do a catch up post on the earlier chapters.  I'll be posting additional info about the book throughout this month as well.

Tonight's OpenHeart Monday post is pretty simple...I'm trying to journal my way through the book.  This week's journal was done very quickly...one of those "done is better than perfect" things. :)  Sometimes I have to abandon what I really want to do in favor of what is doable at the moment, and this is one of those times!  Hopefully I'll be able to share a bit more about this chapter later.  For now...a few of the notes/quotes in my #Openheart Journal:

 

For Overwhelmed Me...and Maybe Overwhelmed You? On "One of Those Mondays"

 

Weeks of struggle,
Culminating in days of deep distress,
Followed by a day of immense encouragement,
Leading to Today.

Today is filled with a mixed up mess of emotion and mental chaos.
Gratitude, anticipation, joy, relief, 
Anxiety, mental fog, restlessness, pain.
Needing to accomplish much, 
Feeling like the long-ago cartoon characters running, running, running, and never moving forward, 
Watching the clock tick by,
Uncrossed list staring back at me, schedule revamped, reworked, and revamped again.

Physical impairments, circumstantial stressors, "what ifs?" piling on top of "what ifs?" 
All are surface problems. 
The root, I know...needing to sit at Jesus's feet like Mary.
And yet I struggle to clear the way.

Unfinished Bible studies beg for my attention. 
Responsibilities beckon.
"Should dos" line up at my door. 

Day upon day of "not keeping up" in every direction
Brings a near-paralysis as mind and body threaten to shut down. 
Overwhelmed.
Time to "do the next thing".

I struggle to get into the Word, but I know the Word must get into me. 
Unable to word a coherent prayer, I cling to these words from Romans 8:26:

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 

 As I look up the verse, I begin to marvel once again at the verses just before...just after...the entire chapter. 

Do the next thing.
Read Romans 8. Read again. And again. Soak in its rich truth.
Thank God for the groanings of the Holy Spirit in my overwhelming weakness this morning.
Ask for wisdom...He promises to supply!
Move on to the next thing...and the next...

Loving the words of this poem again this morning:

Do The Next Thing

From an old English parsonage,

Down by the sea,

There came in the twilight,

A message to me;

Its quaint Saxon legend,

Deeply engraven,

Hath, as it seems to me,

Teaching from Heaven.

And on through the hours

The quiet words ring

Like a low inspiration-

Do the next thing.

Many a questioning, many a fear,

Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.

Moment by moment,

Let down from Heaven,

Time, opportunity,

Guidance, are given.

Fear not tomorrows,

Child of the King,

Trust them with Jesus,

Do the next thing.

Do it immediately;

Do it with prayer;

Do it reliantly, casting all care;

Do it with reverence,

Tracing His Hand,

Who placed it before thee with

Earnest command.

Stayed on Omnipotence,

Safe 'neath His wing,

Leave all resultings,

Do the next thing.

Looking to Jesus, ever serener,

(Working or suffering)

Be thy demeanor,

In His dear presence,

The rest of His calm,

The light of His countenance

Be thy psalm,

Strong in His faithfulness,

Praise and sing,

Then, as He beckons thee,

Do the next thing.

-Author unknown

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.  

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?  Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 

~Romans 8:26-35

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Today's post was not a planned post.  Even as I typed it, I really didn't plan to publish...I was processing through my own struggle this morning, and I often do that best through words on a page.  However, as I neared the end and worked my way through the passage in Romans 8 and the simple old poem God has used on similar days in the past, I began to reconsider.  

God has been working on me for the last 18 months or so about being more transparent. He began the process through a casual comment from an old friend while on vacation last year, and is continuing it currently through my participation on the Launch Team for Mary DeMuth's soon-to-be released book, The Wall Around Your Heart.  He continues to remind me that He works through our transparency, even when we would sometimes be much more comfortable avoiding the vulnerability that requires. 

I may not be the only one who has started this week sludging through "a mixed up mess of emotion and mental chaos".  Perhaps others need the encouragement of these verses today, and the reminder to "do the next thing" in the strength and power He gives for this. very. moment....not this afternoon, or next week, or next year, but just this moment.  

So...I'm hesitantly going to hit "publish" a few minutes from now, and pray that God will use these raw, mostly-unedited, off-my-beaten path words to encourage someone today.  If you've been encouraged, I'd love to hear from you...that would be an encouragement to me!  And if you are struggling today, I would love to pray for you.  Leave a comment below, or send a note via the email widget in the sidebar.

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Thank you for stopping by! If you're new here, welcome! I'd love to hear from you in the comments or via the email option in the sidebar. If you'd like to keep up with future posts,  it's easy to follow via  Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest. You can also sign up in the sidebar to receive new posts by email. Thank you!

If I Were Stuck on a Desert Island With One Adhesive {Glue Dots}

 

 

I always hated those games and quizzes that asked, "If you were stuck on a desert island and only had one food to eat..." or "If you were stuck on a desert island and only had one fiction book..." 

One food...forever?  Or one book to read over and over for the rest of my life?  I'm seriously not good at that kind of choices. 

But...put me on a desert island and tell me I have to pick just one adhesive, and I wouldn't bat an eyelash. I'd pick Glue Dots, hands down. 

I first encountered Glue Dots years ago when I was teaching scrapbooking classes.  3L Photo Squares were and still are my adhesive of choice for paper and photos.  For anything heavy or bulky, Glue Dots quickly became my "go to" adhesive.  

Then I began to introduce Glue Dots to my scrapbooking class attendees, children in church and homeschool craft classes, and friends, and they began to get hooked on them.  One little boy actually asked his mom for Glue Dots for Christmas! 

Not only do I use Glue Dots on all types of scrapbooking and craft projects (as do my children :)), but they come in handy for repairs as well.  We've used them for emergency hem fixes, short-term shoe mending, and a long-term patch on our microwave door handle. 

The only thing better than Glue Dots is free Glue Dots!  I recently won a Back-to-School pack from Glue Dots through an online giveaway.  Then last week I was cleaning out some boxes from long-ago craft classes, and I found an almost-full box of Glue Dots in the bottom of a RubberMaid tub.  It was like finding buried treasure. :)

Do you have  a favorite adhesive or craft project?  Please tell me about it in the comments! 

Joining in today (a little late :)) with Works for Me Wednesday.  Check out Kristen's blog to see what's working for others this week!

(I am not a paid representative for Glue Dots, although I probably should be! I just really appreciate their products, because they fill a need and fill it well.)