And More . . .

Brook took off a few weeks ago for a guy's weekend with my dad, brother and BIL. So, my mom and sisters came up for what is becoming our annual girls' weekend. We really did a whole lot of nothin'! It was nice! We went shopping, ate out, went to the beach, ate out . . . you get the picture. I didn't do any cooking - it was wonderful! :-)

Stealin' mommy's chair

What nerds! ;)

Summer Visitors

Wes and Jaime and fam came to visit a few weekends ago and we went up to Michigan Adventure. I hadn't been there in over 10 years and forgot how fun it was! I think Brook and I had more fun at the water park than the kids did! :-)

Let's have ice cream cones outside ;-)

Love these kids!

4th of July . . . in Pictures

How adventurous!

Yummm, smores!

"To infinity and BEYOND!"

Fireworks over the lake

I think this means a good time was had by all!!! :-)

Dance Recital

Maria made her official ballet debut last month. What a hoot!! She danced to a song we listened (and sang) to when we were kids . . . of course, it was on a cassette tape then! :-) It brought back good memories of summer days in the car, with the sun roof open and singing at the top of our lungs. And Ria did the same - not in the car, of course - but on stage! She was front and center, danced like a star and sang at the top of her lungs. She had us all cracking up!

ROCK Wrap-Up

In this post, I mentioned Brook and I would be teaching Religious Ed during the school year at our church. Well, we did . . . but it was a little different than I expected. It was more like a huge youth group, with some small group time. In any event, we had wonderful small groups and made many new friends with the other small group leaders. After the last session, I had a BBQ at our house with the girls in my group. Only about half could make it, but it was still a delightful evening. I am really going to miss these girls. They are so sweet and and had great things to share during our small group time. It is so rewarding to watch their faith deepen and to witness those "Aha!" moments.

She Graduated!

Lots of posts about Hannah lately . . . this is her year! She graduated from good ole' CHS on Sunday and I can't believe she will be a college freshman in the fall. Ugh . . . as Lisa asked “Why, b/c that means you are getting old?” Thanks for the reminder! With Hannah being 12 years younger than me, I always had sort of a maternal instinct toward her. (Of course, she might call is "being bossy." Ha!) Seriously though, the past weekend reminded me how much I want to protect her and keep her safe. When she lived at home, it seemed pretty easy - mom and dad could watch her! :-) Now that she is off to GVSU (and Nicaragua in 2 days!!), I will have to trust that He who "knows every hair on her head" will continue to protect and guide her. In case you didn't get it the first 1000 times I said it - I am proud of you Hannah Rose and I love you!

And since I am a such sentimental sap, it is times like these that I can't help but feel incredibly grateful and humbled by the amount of support we have from our aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. Their presence in the lives of my siblings and I means so much!

Oh Thirty . . . So You've Arrived

I have to admit, this was the 1st birthday I was not looking forward to. (I'd say "dreading," but that sounds a bit dramatic.) I think it's the accountant in me. 30 is such a . . . well . . . round number. Why is 30 bad? Why is 40 bad? Why not 28? Or 37? Sigh. Anyway, turning 30 made me reflect on all the things I thought I would've done by now, but haven't. It made me sad.

So, I decided I can't look at it that way. My twenties were filled with college, living with the Sisters, buying a house by myself (and later selling that house), dating, many adventures with friends, a loving and supportive family, a few trips to Europe and capped off by marrying my best friend. When I look at it that way, it was a great decade!

Now that the big day has come and gone, I have to admit that Jane was right when she said, "Thirty isn't so bad." :-) And I hope Lisa will be right when she says, "This next decade will be wonderful for us!" I can only imagine what the Good Lord has in store! Here's to thirty!

(For memory's sake, I celebrated at the cabin with my family over Memorial Day. On my actual birthday, Brook spoiled me by taking me out to dinner and sitting through SATC 2. He also got me a dozen roses and made chocolate covered strawberries, too. We decided no presents and are saving for a vacation later in the year. The next day, I celebrated with Brook's family. It was a week-long birthday week and I felt extremely loved. Thanks, everyone! :-)))))