Wednesday, May 16, 2007

MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND

Well I'm not a mom yet (unless you count Niko), maybe next year :); but TJ and I are so thankful to have wonderful mothers who love the Lord. They did their best to train us in the right way- to love God above all else. We miss our moms a lot. Even though we are all separated by hundreds of miles, they are still very close to our hearts. We could never adequately put into words how much they mean to us.
Last Sat. TJ and I went strawberry picking. We went last year and got a lot of deliciously fresh strawberries, so we decided to go again this year. We both LOVE strawberries, especially strawberry pie and homemade strawberry jam (which I have yet to attempt myself). Our picking was a success. We brought home lots of luscious berries. If any one wants strawberry pie come on over before it's gone. :)




















Sunday, after church the women were all treated to a wonderful meal which was all put together by the men in the church. The food was great! After lunch all the fathers/husbands surprised the women by presenting them with a perennial flower to plant outside on the church grounds. They had cleared out an area on one side of the church for a lot of the flowers to be planted. Seeing as how roses are my favorite flower, TJ gave me a rose bush. It was such a great idea. I can't wait to see all the flowers/plants bloom and grow.




















We didn't have an evening service Sunday so we spent most of the rest of the day at Waller Mill Park in Williamsburg. We went with our friends, Don and Katrina. We rented a couple of boats and the guys went fishing. Unfortunately they didn't catch anything, except branches, twigs, and seaweed. Although, they almost brought one in. We saw it right before it spit out the lure. But, it was a beautiful day, so it was nice to just be out on the water enjoying nature and spending time with friends.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Back Home in Michigan...


Two weekends ago TJ and I flew to Michigan to visit my family for a few days. We hadn't been back in over a year. I saw my parents last Thanksgiving, but it's been almost a year since my brother and sister-in-law (Aaron and Beth) were here last summer. We had a surprise waiting for us when we got back to my parent's house. My Nana and Papa were there! I wasn't expecting to see them since they were suppose to be in Arizona for a few more days. But, they changed their tickets and flew home early to see us. The weekend we were there was beautiful. It was warm and sunny (which can be hard to come by this time of year in Michigan). We had such a wonderful time with everyone. We got to see my brother's new house. And, we got reacquainted with my almost two-year old nephew (Ryan), who I'm sure didn't remember us from last summer. He's a completely different child from when we saw him last. It's amazing how fast babies grow up when you don't see them very often. He was a bundle of joy and energy.
Another highlight of our trip was being able to see TJ's sister(Laura) and her husband. Matt is attending seminary in Detroit and they only live about an hour from my parent's house. It was great to see them and see their home for the first time. We just praise the Lord so much for our wonderful families and the opportunity we had to spend time with my family for a few days. We miss you all and love you lots!!