First of all, Erin got her braces off! I waited to announce anything here because she wanted to see if her friends noticed without being told. Sure enough, some of them asked her if her hair or glasses had changed, realizing that something was different, but not certain what it was.
Also in the works- we are expecting a visit from Nathaniel! He will leave Iraq on Thursday and get to Kuwait. From there it could be 2 to 5 days before he gets here, depending on the availability of flights. As strange as it sounds, we are hoping it takes longer for him to arrive. Once he gets to the Atlanta airport his time for leave begins to tick down. He'll have 15 days and we want it to hopefully encompass Rebekah's graduation on June 10th, or at least catch a bit of my parents' visit up here for the graduation. It's a stretch, but at least having some overlap of visits would be a blessing. Nathaniel hasn't seen his Grandparents in, well, I don't know how long.
Along with planning for Nathaniel's visit, we have a camping trip coming up for which we need to be ready. The annual Memorial Day Weekend camping trip with the group from church will be at Hickory Run State Park this year and Nathaniel is joining us. Erin and I are bringing our running shoes and recruiting other runners in the group to join us, which leads to my next point...
Erin and I have joined a Tuesday evening 5K class given by a local running supply store, A Running Start, to improve our runs. We both were fitted for running shoes at this store and were impressed with their knowledge and attention to detail. The personal attention given to each of us and our unique needs in shoes was such a departure from the non-existent "customer service" in most stores these days. I was able to begin and carry through to running a 5K race with the online encouragement of the Couch 2 5K program, but I am glad to have someone to run alongside me and help with details that might have been missed with my "virtual" training. We've had two classes already and will finish in mid-June with a "Thirsty Thursday" race nearby. It's funny, one thing they are emphasizing in the class is talking while we run. I love, absolutely love, the solitude of my runs. Yet here they are, encouraging the social aspect of running. I can handle that once a week...
There is also a Wedding this summer which we are excited to attend- in Michigan! Jim's cousin Guy proposed to his Sweetheart Angie last July 4th and they are hosting the annual family 4th of July party at their home in Michigan the day after their wedding. Plans for a vacation in Michigan have been made, and we are all excited to see this area of the country. The fact that Michigan is running some gorgeous tourism commercials right now helps too- we've already spotted one of our destinations in one of them!
Did I mention earlier that Rebekah is graduating?! There's something else for which we've been planning! There's not only a party for which to plan, but the visit from my parents as well.
And the washing machine broke down, awaited repair for a week, and was fixed- under warranty.
And we attended the Souper Bowl for our third year in a row.
And Bekah went to three proms on three consecutive weekends.
And my family treated me to a lovely Mother's Day weekend with a walk at Gring's Mill on Saturday, a yummy beverage at Haute Chocolate in West Reading, and a Sunday with no cooking or dishes to do!
And Bible Study is wrapping up for the year with a final meeting and brunch here on Thursday.
And there have been flowers planted, beds weeded, tomatoes and peppers planted and mulched, with much more yet to do...
Whew! I'd better get off the computer and get busy! I need to get some housework done then meet Jim at our polling station to help encourage people to vote for Sam Rohrer for Republican candidate for Governor today!
I'm blessed to be the Mother of five wonderful children, and soon we'll get them all together in front of the camera!
