ahora

Today, myself and three of my girlfriends from Bible study drove for about an hour to see rows and rows of beautifully colored tulips. It was amazing! As soon as I saw the flowers (well, I really just saw the huge blocks of color out in the fields), I immediately felt happy and excited for summer.

It was difficult to choose between the 100+ pictures I took (thankfully, on my digital camera), but here are some pictures from today's adventure:

Today in Lynden, the weather was incredible! 72 degrees and sunny! Kent cleaned out the garage while I weeded the flower bed and listened to the radio. If we didn't live right on a golf course, I totally would have worn my bathing suit, but there were many golfers outside today. Needless to say, we felt really proud of ourselves. After working hard for about 4 hours, we decided to walk a few miles to one of the local coffee shops to meet Kent's dad and sister for an afternoon coffee treat (in my case, a strawberry banana smoothie - delightful!).

After the working and walking, I actually got some color!!! :) I got a definite tan line from my tank top and my shoulders are even a little red. I feel so good for the first time in a long time - got some sun, got some work done, got some walking in, and - best of all - got to enjoy an entire day without rain and with the sun!

Too bad it's not going to last long (according to the meteorologists, anyway). They're already forecasting rain for tomorrow and back down to the 50's...oh well. I thank God for the gift of today and for the taste of summer. I think it put everyone in a good mood: the golfers are laughing a lot, kids are selling some lemonade from their driveway for $0.25, people are washing their cars, mowing their lawns and weeding their gardens, kids are playing softball (or tee ball?) games down the street where many cheers can be heard from the comfort of our back yard. I hope that we have this weather frequently very soon.

So about 16 years ago, Sara's mom and my dad got married...our families had been friends for a long time and then we became sisters! :) Sara and I were the closest in age between the step-siblings so we experienced a lot together: going up north, camping, telling bedtime stories to each other, burying Rocky Raccoon together, tanning on the deck of the cabin...and much much more.

Although we've experienced a lot of hurts and frustrations, I am so thankful that Sara, Mike, Lia and Dan (and their families) became a part of my family.

Happy Birthday, Sara - I hope you have a great day and know how much you are loved and missed by those who aren't around you. Love you!

Your sis,

I have this picture as the background of my computer - it's my niece, Bella, with her mommy helping her make a silly face. It makes me smile every time I turn my computer on and just had to share it with you!

for SPRING BREAK!!!


too bad I won't be seeing any of this all week:

ah well...at least I can do some more of this (minus the snoring):