My Week - Part 1

This past full and exciting week was such a blessing to me in so many ways. It had such a mix of experiences and emotions, and I am so thankful for each one.

It started last Friday when I got to hang out with my oldest brother Mark and his son Christian for the weekend. They stayed at my parents’ house in New Waterford, and it was just so cool to reconnect with them after nine months. I love them both so much (and Cyndi, too, who I was sad wasn’t able to make the trip), and wish they could have stayed longer – maybe forever. We said good-bye to them on Monday afternoon.

After they left, our family and Dave and Betsy and JJ all went blueberry picking at this cool farm. My stomach is still not the same after all the blueberries I ate, but I think it was worth it – YUM! It was great to have a long weekend full of family.

Tuesday was Johnny’s birthday. I still can’t believe he is 2 – and even weirder is that he just turned 2, and we also have one child younger than him. Sometimes I do think we’re crazy to have three kids so close in age. But, it is certainly a blast! And the boys are such great friends now, it’s precious to see them run and laugh and play with each other.

Wednesday was “Mom’s Plus Dave” group at the mall, and it was fun to celebrate Johnny’s birthday with his little friends. They were so cute! Good times! Those moms (and Dave) and their sweet little ones are such a blessing to me. I had Micah Dazet with me that morning, as I did last week, and it was amazing to see the community of parents just surround him with love and each play such a part in helping to care for him.

Wednesday night was so cool. Jon played and sang at Caribou Coffee with Scott Couchenour. He was nervous going in, but did SUCH an incredible job. I know I’m a bit biased, but he was really, really, good. I have such a talented husband. It was awesome to see the place overflowing with people from our community, all out to support a couple guys they love. It was really fun!

Every Thursday we hang out with Scott and Jennie Couchenour, and Paul and Stacy Dazet (although, they’ve sadly been out of commission the past few weeks), and share dinner, conversation, and LOST together. This week we were invited last minute to go to Sean and Becca Ferrier’s house with some others (including Scott and Jennie) to watch the Steelers (boo!) pre-season game. I have no idea if they even won or lost (I think they may have lost), but the community was great! Caleb stayed up the entire time, and it was awesome to watch our friends just love him. He’s so entertaining and full of life. We loved watching him interact with our friends.

Friday evening I hosted a scrapbooking night at the church building. There were 10 of us girls, and we had a blast. It was cool, because everyone was working on their own thing, but sharing what they had, whether it be materials, food, good ideas, and conversation with the others. There were 5 new girls there that I had never met before, and they were so great! I loved making those new connections and learning things about new friends. Jon, too, had the chance to hang out with friends while I was gone. A couple guys came over for awhile and they just hung out in the back yard and talked. He had a great time.

Saturday was our 5 year anniversary. I can’t believe all that has happened in 5 years. At the end of the night, Jon and I were sitting around our fire outside talking about some of those things. In the 5 years, we’ve had 3 kids, lived in 5 different homes, lived on 2 continents, and been in 6 different countries. The path that God has led us on over these years has been an amazing and exciting one.

Sunday was an incredible day in so many ways! Too many, actually, to add to this post…I’ll wait until next time. Anyway, the week was a gift, truly, from God, and I am very thankful for it, and for those who played a part in this gift.