Bed & Breakfast

I'm writing this from Louisville, Kentucky. Jeff and I headed down here Sunday after church for a conference for the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination. We decided to stay in a bed and breakfast about 2 miles away from the conference center. Central Park B&B is located in a historical area of downtown. All the homes are similar in size and shape as the one we are staying in (pictured above). This house was built in the 1880's and has the original hand carved wood work, stained glass, and 12 fire places. Some of the flooring is original, too.

It's been a relaxing day for me so far. The conference officially doesn't begin until tonight. Jeff has had meetings and a golf tournament since last night, so I have been lounging around here doing some reading and some daycare work that I brought with me. It should be a really good week.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

Tonight Jeff and I went on a date. He had tickets to the Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs AAA team) in Des Moines. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening to be outside. There was a good crowd of people, but I think the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks was a lot more fun. No one really seemed to be into the game - or even watching it! We ended the evening by getting ice cream at Coldstone Creamery. It was a good evening and I'm glad I got to spend it with my man!

Bird Watching

After seeing so many different birds at our feeders this past winter, I was really disappointed when they disappeared this spring and were replaced by grackles...and of course our very greedy squirrels. But I have discovered that spring brings a different set of birds, I just have to look closer.

As I sit typing this blog, there is a female flicker pecking away at the tree outside my window; I almost missed it because it blends in with the tree trunk so well. We've also been watching a pair of Baltimore Orioles come to our hummingbird feeder on the deck. They are very timid, so the only way to see it is to sit quietly or they won't come close.

That's the way it is in my own life, too. I get so caught up in what I had or what I think is missing that if I'm not careful, I completely miss the new blessings that God has given me. Sometimes I need to just sit quietly and focus on what is here in front of me right now. There is ALWAYS a blessing in your life...you just have to discover it.

Our Trip Home

After a fun time in Indiana at our college reunion, we headed home Saturday afternoon. After a bit, we started noticing that when we turned left the Yukon made a grinding sound - like the tire was rubbing on something. We pulled over and couldn't find anything. The further we drove the worse it seemed to get. We made the decision to get off the single lane highway through nowheresville and find a larger city just in case. It was a good move. We stopped and got a hotel about an hour south of Chicago in Bradley, IL, and ended up stranded there.

We are happy that we were stranded in a location that had just about every restaurant or store a person could want...there was even a mall, all within walking distance. Since there wasn't any garages open until Monday, we did a lot of walking. Monday morning we were able to get the Yukon in to be fixed. They were working on it by 8 a.m. and we were on the road by 10 a.m. The wheel bearing assembly was in bad shape and needed replaced. The mechanic say it was a good thing we stopped because it would never have made it back to Iowa.

No, we weren't happy about the delay or the expense of car repair, extra hotel, food, etc., but we are still thankful. Thankful that we didn't break down on the side of the road. Thankful that I wasn't traveling alone. Thankful that we weren't stuck in a town of 500 people. And thankful that God provided Jeff and I the opportunity to spend quality time together without the distractions of jobs and church.

College Reunion

A few months ago Taylor University Fort Wayne announced that it was permanently closing its doors due to financial reasons. This is the college that Jeff and I went to back in the mid to late 1980's. It was actually Fort Wayne Bible College at that time. While we are sad to see the college shut down, we were pleased that there was one more reunion planned. Jeff and I were excited to go to Heritage Weekend.

We had a great time touring the campus and seeing how it has changed since we went to school there. We went to one last chapel and Jeff sat through a class with one of his favorite professors. We chatted with many friends from college days and was able to tell past professors how much we appreciated them. For me, it was totally awesome to see close to a thousand alumni, of all ages, who sacrificed to go to a Christian college. Imagine how many lives that have been touched because of that sacrifice. Missionaries, pastors, teachers, counselors, administration, social services, and on and on and on. Wow...mind boggling!!

Check back soon for more about our trip!

A Weekend in Chicago

Last weekend, I headed to Chicago for my grandma's 90th birthday open house. It worked out that I could take Zach, Andrea, Bryce, and Hailey with me. Josh and his girlfriend, Katie, drove down from Minnesota. This was an exciting trip for Andrea and the kids because none of them have ever been out of the state of Iowa!

On Saturday, the four young adults took the metro train into Chicago to the Navy Pier. They had a good time despite the rain. My sister, Julie, and I kept Bryce and Hailey and went to a petting zoo and a park. They had fun feeding the ducks and seeing all the different animals. Hailey especially liked the animals and just stared at each one for a long time. Bryce had more fun at the park where he had a great time jumping from rock to rock over the water, climbing into his "castle" (a really fancy picnic shelter), down the steps, over the bridge, and back to the rocks...over...and over...and over!

It was a good open house on Sunday, too. I can't believe that Grandma is 90 and still doing so well. It was fun to introduce all my new family members to everyone. I'm really glad I could go.

We did have a little trouble with the Yukon. The truck wouldn't start after we checked out of the hotel Sunday morning. We ended up missing church because of it and had to find something to do with just one car, 5 adults, 2 carseats, and pouring down rain. We ended up at the mall until Jeff got done preaching here in Iowa and could tell the boys how to fix the car. A couple of good thunks on the gas tank with a broom and one very wet son later, and we were good to go!