Spring Happenings

A lot has happened in our lives since the last time I sat down to update my blog with the most recent happenings.  It seems that life continues to accelerate at a speed which makes it difficult for one to find time to stop and write.  The spring has been very full, and I am backlogged on uploading my pictures which capture some of the fun moments and special memories we have shared with family and friends.  So here goes an attempt to summarize what has transpired the last several weeks - most likely in more than one post!

Perhaps the most notable event at the beginning of May was Rachael's successful completion of a very intense and challenging semester in her college studies.  We all breathed a huge sigh of relief when she submitted that last paper and completed that last exam!  We are so grateful for God's faithfulness in sustaining her and blessing her efforts.  One more semester to go!  December 19, 2015 is THE day for graduation!!!

The Saturday after her final day in school for the semester, Rachael prepared a little thank you celebration for everyone in the family who helped and prayed her through the last five months.   She had a picnic theme, complete with a checkered tablecloth, potted plants, and "ants" (chocolate covered raisins) crawling on the table.  She also had a basket filled with small gifts for both children and adults.  It was so cute, and the kids loved it!

To go along with the picnic theme, we had sandwiches, chips, fruit, and cookies with ice cream for dessert.  It was all very yummy and a most relaxing evening for everyone.

For a special friend's birthday the end of April, a group of us from church spent an evening together walking the canal and enjoying frozen yogurt.  Thankfully the Lord held off the deluge of rain until everyone had made it back to the cars for the drive to the frozen yogurt shop - and no one got too wet!

In mid-May, Dad, Rachael, and I made a quick trip to Chicago that weekend.  Dad was on the commission to install the new pastor of the Westminster RP church in North Chicago that Sunday, so we decided to go up a day early and take a little vacation.  We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon at the Chicago Botanic Gardens!  More on that in a future post, but here's a sneak preview to some of the pictures I shot with my Nikon.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself!

And last but not least, the kids participated in their spring music recital last Friday.  Essie made it a point to ask me to bring my camera to take pictures since the ones I snapped with my phone the last time in December didn't turn out the best.  I gladly agreed!

Essie, Benjamin, and Sarah all did an outstanding job playing their pieces, and parents, siblings, grandparents, and aunts were all very proud of them!

And while we had almost everyone was dressed up for the occasion, we had to try and snap a quick shot of the happy family.  

So that's it for now!  Little Grace will be turning two this Sunday, so I look forward to posting pictures from her birthday as well as sharing more from our excursion in Chicago.  And in two-and-a-half short weeks, we'll be moving Kathy to Jackson, Mississippi for the summer as she takes an intensive Greek class for seven weeks.  So more to come (as time allows)... :)