A time to grieve...

Lately it seems like everywhere I turn I am crossing paths with hurting people. It seems that this seems to be a "season of grief" for so many around me. This past Friday one of my friends lost her mother too early, and very unexpectedly. Also in the same week my family received some very bad news about a close family friend that is dying of cancer (also too young to be leaving us), and only has a few weeks to live. Not to mention that last week started with the Virginia Tech shootings. So much unbelievable hurt & loss all in the same week....it got thinking and praying.

In times like these the one thing that I've learned NOT to do is question the goodness of God. Why? Because I believe that God is good. Without God...goodness would not exist. These people we love and cherish would not be "good" if God was not good. If God was not love, then love would cease to exist. So, who am I to challenge the goodness of God? Without God & His infinite wisdom and power I would not know such love. Am I making any sense?

I know there is not going to be an answer that I can comprehend with my human mind to all of the "why?" questions out there. In times like these I've learned to just pray for peace...for hope...for comfort. My heart just aches for all of the hurt and loss that burdens those who I love and care about. No...it just doesn't seem fair. However, I know that God is just...and one day we will have the answers to all the "why questions". Since those answers won't come this side of heaven I'll continue to pray for peace right now.

"On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken."
-Isaiah 25:6-8

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD the LORD, is the rock eternal."
-Isaiah 26:3-4

I GIVE UP!!!!

I mentioned in my anniversary post the strange phenomenon that happens to Jon and I every time we try to plan a weekend "getaway" (all hell breaks loose!), yet for some reason I tried once again to test fate. I had planned for some time to run the St. Louis half-marathon with a group of running friends from TNT. For some unknown reason I thought "Hey, maybe THIS could be a good opportunity for Jonathan and I to get a weekend away...just the two of us". Sounds like a good plan, eh? SO, the plans were made. The hotel was booked (a beautiful Sheraton just a few blocks from the start line), plans were made with friends, and we even scheduled a late-checkout time at the hotel to give us extra time to stay and enjoy the city after I was done running. The plan was "perfect".

Let me share with you how the trip started out.....

Susan and Theresa had these cute blue shirts made for everyone that said: "St. Louis or bust!"


We just couldn't resist!


I have no idea what this bronzed bunny is supposed to be doing????


Now, does this look like the face of someone who is about to barf their brains out in about 7 hours?

So, now you can probably guess the end of the story....

After spending a lot of time, money, and a TREMENDOUS effort planning a great weekend getaway, we got to spend about two hours of "fun time" together before I woke up at 2:30 a.m. sick as a dog! I spent the majority of my time in St. Louis on the bathroom floor of our hotel puking non-stop. Finally, after throwing up every little sip of water I swallowed, I made the decision to QUIT drinking anything and just drag my butt to the car for the torture ride home.

Folks, I cannot remember another time in my whole life where I was in such agony! My poor hubby drove as fast as he could to get us home, and by the time we made home I was begging him to take me ANYWHERE to get help! Like any good husband would do he drove me straight to an ER where I finally got some relief! My diagnosis....a horrid sinus infection, coupled with a "fun" bladder infection, topped off with what we could only assume was either food poisoning or the stomach flu! How's that for a slap in the face?



It's like God was trying to tell me something...no? Because, Lord knows I'm stubborn enough to run a half-marathon with a sinus infection AND a bladder infection. It was the whole "puking-until-I-cried-for-mercy" thing that put the final nail in the coffin I think. Now, if I could only get an answer to why my husband and I can't catch a break. That one will remain one of life's greatest mysteries.....

Easter Fun!

Everybody say it with me.... AWWWWW! I actually found matching dresses for the girls this year & they were so cute! I even sort of matched them as well, although that really wasn't planned. I was just wearing the same Easter outfit that I've worn for the past three years (at least the ones were I wasn't pregnant)-ha! That's the price you pay when you spend all your money on cute little girl clothes, instead of clothes for yourself.

I bought these hilarious bunny ears on the dollar aisle at Target, thinking the kids wouldn't really wear them. However, I was pleasantly surprised when they were a hit on Easter Day! In fact, they didn't want to take them off the whole day!

*Thanks, Avery! I loved your "bunny impression"... you rock!


Nothing says "cute" like "Z-Man" in fuzzy bunny ears. Poor thing! His mommy wouldn't let him have a real peep, so he had to chew on a little stuffed one. Maybe next year little man.

Finally...no Easter is complete without a "Little White" melt-down! This year we had the good pleasure of being an audience to Maya - the "drama queen" AND her big brother Chandler - the "YOU NO TELL ME NO" king!

Two acts are always better than one :-)

*Sorry buddy....don't think you are going to fit under the couch. You're going to have to find a better pouting place (sigh).



*Although it is against my tradition, there were no outdoor pictures on Easter this year. Seeing as it was a whopping 34 degrees, I couldn't bear to drag myself or the kids outside for that sort of torture. Geez, we had better weather for Christmas this year. I'm still not sure this is Spring, cause I'm still wearing the puffy winter coat over here & I'm just a little bitter about it!