hanging out with Amy and Bekah

Last weekend we had some visitors!! My sister-in-law Amy and niece Rebekah came for a long weekend and we had so much fun!! We took a trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It was Rebekah's first experience on a train and she LOVED it!



We'd been there before with her when she was 2, but now 2 years later, it was like a different experience with her! It was fun to watch her get so excited identifying almost every animal by herself. She has recently started reading, too, so it was fun watching her discover new words and signs.


(click on it to see if bigger. And check out "Nana" the monkey!)

We told Rebekah that in Chicago, you often have to flag down your bus or it may not stop!



We stopped for some yummy ice cream and Italian ice on the way home!





We did lots of other things together like a Farmer's Market, antique sale, Red Robin, watched movies, and played many games like Sorry, Life, and Monopoly.

Here Bekah is enjoying her new idea for a dessert: a pumpkin biscuit with hot fudge sauce (??)... she liked it!



One night, we babysat our friends' four week old baby! He was precious and soo good.



Then on the last full day they were here, Adam and I had to work. When we got home, I was surprised by a birthday party that they had put on!!



There were balloons, streamers, pancakes, a card, a present, and a chocolate cake complete with 27 candles!! (All Rebekah's ideas!) And since it was over a month early, I was completely surprised!



Whew! We had to open the window after I blew out my candles! ...that's when you know you're getting old!!



And of course, what's a party without a little Guitar hero?!



Every night Rebekah (and I) ended each fun-packed day completely exhausted!



Thank you for coming guys!! And thank you for my party! You are welcome back anytime :)

hunting

We have a little furry problem in our attic...



but we also have a lean mean (somewhat scared) marksman at hand.



They both think they're all that...





The tall one went hunting last weekend (with a friend's bb gun).



The furry one was nowhere to be found.
But the tall one did some target practice and is all set for their next encounter...



So you better watch out, little furry one!!



disclaimer: no humans or animals have been injured in the creation of this blog post.... yet.

to be continued... ;)

on the front cover

After 8 months of reviewing, correcting, editing, and proofing my paper has been published!


If you'd like to read the whole thing, let me know and I can email you a copy (let me warn you though, it's kind of long and boring!!)

And it's pretty cool- they actually picked my paper to feature on the cover of the journal!


I still don't have an actual copy, so if you happen to get this random journal in the mail, can you save me this issue?! ;)

I've been reading a few books lately that I've really enjoyed. One's called Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes and another is Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges. The concepts of pride and humility seem to be popping up a lot lately in my reading. I can't help but think maybe the Lord's trying to teach me something... especially with the UPs and downs I've had lately with my school work.

"The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts."
Samuel 2:7

Jerry Bridges talks about how both successes and failures in any of our endeavors is under the sovereign control of God. Last month I failed my qualifying exam. Last month I also had my paper published and honored on the front cover. I fully trust that both these events are in God's hands and under His control. I also understand that all the glory goes back to Him! A recent sermon focused on a passage in Luke:

"So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"Luke 17:10

It is by His grace that I've come this far in my graduate work, and I want to make sure that no matter what the circumstances, I continue serve and praise Him with humility and thankfulness.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(Glory to God alone)

flying

This year, Dad's birthday and Easter were on the same day. We had a fun time up with our inlaw's extended family in Crystal Lake.




After dinner we had some fun flying Adam's toy airplanes outside. It was VERY windy and I think all of them broke in some form or another, but it was very fun and worth it even just to be outside for a bit :)

having fun with collages!

Mom and Dad came for a visit last week! It was mostly to see their grand kids, but fortunately they were able to spend some time with us too!

Last Friday, it was a gorgeous day (a great day to take off from work!!) and we met at a forest preserve near their house. It was fun to walk around and see all the wildlife *spring*ing onto the scene


[click on them to get a better view]

Then we took the train to the Choo Choo [Click here to see our first trip]. This time Dad was able to be there :) The food and milkshakes were as yummy as usual and the entertainment can't be beat!



Thanks for a great visit, Mom and Dad! Come back again soon!

making progress

It's starting to look like a bathroom!!



After installing new insulation in the outer walls, we put up drywall and cement board around the shower.



Then we had to mud/Spackle all the joints. Peter came over and helped us for a while.



And Erica and the kids came to hang out for a quick lunch/guitar hero :)



Thanks again, Hangs, for all your help!!! You guys are the best!



Soooo many decisions to make about colors and tile...



The day we were going to start tiling (Wednesday) we realized we were WAY short on tile, so we had to wait till Friday to get more in. Finally, this past Saturday we started in on tiling. Once we got up about halfway, we realized the accent pieces we picked out did not go at all with the wall tile! So back to home depot we went to pick out more. (The problem was the tile we ordered has some variation in color from what we picked out in the store...)

Here's Adam cutting tile in the snow on Sunday!! It's a wet, yucky, and dangerous job, but he's doing great!



While he measured and cut tile, mixed mortar, and made dozens of trips up and down two flights of stairs, I was upstairs spreading mortar and laying the tile. Here's a sneak peek of it:



The wall tile is almost done, we'll just need to finish the shelf and grout. Then, we move on to the floor tile.



It's coming along slowly but surely! Our goal now is to finish before the warmer weather of spring/summer arrives for good!! (We got snow this past week, so we're doing ok!) ;)