Ruth & Kyle's Wedding @ Keystone!

Ruth & Kyle's Wedding Weekend!

This past weekend I went to CO to see my dear friend Ruth get married! I also got to spend the entire weekend with some of my most favorite women in the entire world. It was the most refreshing and enjoyable time away catching up with incredibly dear friends and spending time in some of God's most magnificent creation!
The tag line for their wedding weekend was an invitation to experience the wonder of God's creation, the joy of community, and the unity of love. That couldn't have been a better description of all that we encountered during our time spent together! Thanks for a fun and memorable weekend Ruth and Kyle! Love You Guys!

indulgence!

not that i am accustomed to drinking mimosas every day.... BUT.... my newest favorite drink this summer (since beginning a totally new regimen for my diabetes & baby on the way!) has become....

OJ + diet Squirt!

matt is actually the one who introduced this delightful drink to me when he poured me a class of orange juice and realized how little OJ i can now drink. (*note* orange juice is one of my most favorite beverages) sooo... he surprised me when he delivered what looked like a FULL glass of orange juice...and tasted even more amazing than my ordinary vice. so ordinary... yet so yummy! definitely my new drink of choice!

(i also recommend diet tonic water + limaide! on ice... introduced to me several summers ago by my sister-in-law...sarah!)

p.s. matt and i are expecting a baby at the end of december....hence the much ado about food and drink selection!!!!

SAMUEL MICHAEL JOHNSON!!!!

He is here....

Mike and Sarah had their baby on Sunday, April 18th @ 4:09 PM.

He weighed 6lbs. 6oz....and as Sarah has said..."he is perfect. perfect!"

i haven't seen him in person yet....but i couldn't agree more already.

just look at the faces of his excited older sisters!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD SAMUEL...

WE ARE SOOOO GLAD YOU ARE HERE...SAFE AND SOUND!

SPRING BREAK....

since i will be leaving the field of education....this was my last official spring break! matt and i decided to roadtrip it FLORIDA.... we left on thursday night with our swim suits, credit card, gps and good ol' tent and set out on a grand adventure.....first stop... mammouth, kentucky... mammouth cave national park.... this was the really funny ferry that we took to get into the park!

inside the caves....

next we headed down to miami to see good friends kris & matt... they are working on a cruise boat so we caught them while they were in port...headed out for breakfast and then to miami beach....


after that...we stopped by to visit my mom & dad...and sister + kids.... who were all down there for the week too...


last...we went to visit matt's grandma and grandpa in fort myers... his mom and dad, aunt and uncle and cousins were there too. it was very fun to see everyone....so fun we forgot to take pictures!!!!

oh how i will miss you....spring break!

i feel like i have ants in my pants waiting for spring! the last few days have been so warm here that i have fallen head over heels with the idea that winter will not strike again....and spring is on the way!!! i cannot wait to get outside....and most especially i am getting so excited to plant again. last year was my first attempt at a vegetable garden and i loved every part of it. the best part was planting all my tiny little seeds...hiding them beneath the soil... watching and waiting everyday....

...for that first sight of GREEN!

a blog.....really???

soooo....i really like reading all of my friends blogs....but have never felt quite ready to start my own...mostly because i just wouldn't know what to write about....and i still kinda wonder about the "weirdness" of putting my life on the internet.... but here we go. i'm giving it a try. why, you ask? what has brought on this change of heart....

last year i moved to northern michigan, and now, living so far away from the people and places that i love, i find myself longing for CONNECTION.... life in michigan has been good to me! but one thing i have learned, without a doubt is that nothing can replace old friends, the very best kind of friends who can just look at you and know whats on your mind....the kind of friends who you don't have to make formal plans with....the kind of friends who when you mention something from the past, you don't have to explain details or summarize past events...they already know! ALSO, this past fall i quit teaching and went back to school to pursue my masters in social work....while this has been by far one of the best decisions of my life....it has overturned so many "rocks" in my world....giving further passion to some things i already believed in....and bringing uncertainty to others. i am learning sooooo much!!!! i know God is using this time in my life to further mold my heart....but i'll be honest....at times it seems like too much to process!

AND SO....thus the blog....i miss my "people". the people who know me best and remind me of who i am and what i want to be. the people's whose insights i trust and options i respect because we have already spent hours upon hours questioning each others thoughts and experiences! i treasure all my visits, phone calls and emails....they help me along the way. but with the continued feelings of being on the brink of crazy....i am using this blog to share with my friends, and also just to get out of my head all of the "wonderings" along the way....

and so tonight....although i trust that God is GOOD.... i wonder does the future hold? what is God teaching me as my environment and perceptions change? where does it all lead? and am i willing to go? i hope so.....