Date Night on the First Day of Spring

George and I had a date night planned for Friday March 20th to get out together and have some quality alone time after George traveled all week. I arranged for a sitter for Ava and we headed to dinner at Noma in South Bend and then to the South Bend Chocolate Factory for some sweets and to sit by the fireplace and talk. Shortly after we arrived at SBCF, We get a call from Ashley and she asked what we were up to? I said, "Date Night" and that we were just relaxing in front of the fireplace at SBCF. She said, hey I'm close by and I'll see you in a few minutes. Well, it's always nice to see your children, but it was ironic that we got a sitter for Ava, in order to be alone, and ending spending time with our daughter Ashley. (ha,ha)

Spring Fever-Ava Outside

Filet of Finger

Yesterday in a sleepy haze, I attempted to open a can of cat food for our cat Opal. I popped the lid open with one swift movement, and also sliced my thumb on my right hand. Needless to say there was blood everywhere and George had to get Ava away from my dripping blood and then get me an icepack and some towels. My family doctor was not available until the afternoon and I was dreading the thought of sitting in the ER. I called a friend of ours who is a Doctor and asked if he would look at it to see if I needed stitches. Yes, I needed stitches, and in fact, received 6 0r 7. The wound was deep and my thumb throbbed ALL day long. You don't realize how important the thumb is until you cannot use it. It was amazing to me how many things I could not do with a bum thumb and I needed help with caring for Ava. George's Mom came over to help with Ava and freed me up to rest and ice my swollen appendage. Today has been a better day and I was able to take care of most things. A BIG THANK YOU to Larry who took care of my wound and stitched me up. A thank you to Carol who cared for Ava all day long and a loving thank you to my husband who bathed me, washed and dryed my hair for me (I really enjoyed it).

Ashley's Mission Trip Update

Ashley is now only three months away from going on her mission trip to Mexico. She has her passport and her vaccines and best of all she has more than half of her money raised for the trip. She is getting excited but also a little nervous as she is the only single person going. However, someone has already taken her under her wing so that Ashley will feel less like a third wheel. It's great because George and I both know this woman and we know that she is a good person for Ashley to be around. We are praying often for Ashley and for this trip, and we are hoping our friends and family are too.

Ava is 10 months old today

Ava is 10 months old today and we don't know where the time went! She now is pulling herself up on things and is standing with just one hand hanging on. I believe that she will be walking before Easter as she seems so determined". Her second tooth has finally come in, but it has not improved her sleeping patterns.

She is still very much a morning girl and she is ready for her day to begin at 6:00am. I pray that this will change sometime soon! I know when she is a teenager, I will complain that she sleeps too late (ha,ha). She is still so very sweet and fun to be around. George and I are grateful and wonder how we got to be so blessed!!

Love Dare Group

This year before Valentine's day, George and I decided to start a small group based on Love/Marriage. We bought a CD that had six sessions of video clips from the movie, Fireproof, along with the 40 day devotional guide called the "Love Dare." We invited a group of friends to join us in this six week series and it has been a great journey! We will be wrapping up our last week and it has been a growth experience for all of us. I know George and I will continue to re-read and reference our Love Dare book and we are thankful that we were led to host this group. It has been fun and inspiring, but most of all has brought us closer to God, each other, and our friends.

Farewell to our Feline Friend Abby

Last week marked the end of a 14 year journey for our cat, Abbey. We knew at Christmas that it was just a matter of time, and we vascilated weekly as to when it was time. George did the hard part and took her to the vet and stayed with her while she took her last breath. She is now buried by our pond and we will always have fond memories of what a special cat she was.