We Are Family

Last night after work, we set off for northwest Indiana to visit my brother and sister-in-law. We hadn't been over to their place since New Year's Day 2009, so it was about time for another visit. Because every road in Chicagoland is under construction, the trip took us 1 hour and 35 minutes, but it was worth the travel time.

After what I refer to as our year of craziness, the time in our married life where we inevitably learned that busyness and an always-on-the-go lifestyle do not work for us, we made the commitment to visit family more often. In that year, I realized how much I missed seeing my family, and I decided I didn't want other things to come in the way of my relationships with family members. This has meant that we try to see my parents at least once a month and my brother and sister-in-law more than once every three or four months. This has meant that I make plans with my aunt in Michigan to meet for lunch when I'm in town for a conference. Sometimes, these get togethers include some sacrifice, such as sitting in a car for a while or spending money on gas to make the trip, but the benefits are so worth it. My family mean the world to me, and I'm grateful for the chances I get to see them.

So last night, after the hour and 35-minute drive to my brother and sister-in-law's and the 20-minute trip to the restaurant, we had a great time eating Portillo's (oh, their chopped salads are the best!) and roaming the aisles of Old Time Pottery. I still can't believe we spent hours in that store!

I was just telling Dave that I anticipate these visits so much now that the day after always feels like the day after Christmas--with the hint of sadness that comes after looking forward to a fun event for so long. I've learned that a life without making your family a priority isn't a very fun life, so I want to do all I can to make sure that we place them high on the list.

Baskin Robbins . . . or Not

Did you know that tonight was 31-cent scoops night at Baskin Robbins? Judging from the line extending out the door, you probably knew, along with everyone else in the country. Dave and I headed over to take part as soon as he got home from his open house at school. The following is a pictorial account of our adventure.

I scrambled for some change in our change bowl, but this was the largest coin I found. Do you think they'd accept euro currency?

Alas, the line was too long and the temps a little too chilly to take part, so we headed home. I was very sad, but Dave missed the memo that you're supposed to be sad when you miss out on Baskin Robbins.

Ah, here we go. There's nothing like unity in marriage, even when it comes to sadness over missed ice cream.

All was not lost, thanks to the pudding cups we had waiting for us in the fridge. Hooray for another sweet treat!

We didn't even have to wait outside in the cold for this!

Perhaps next year, we'll have the patience and better temps to take part in the cheap ice cream night, but I'm happy with my pudding cups and another fun adventure with my husband.

So Long, Insecurity

I have been a fan of Beth Moore's Bible studies ever since I did her Daniel Bible study in the fall of 2006. I took that workbook of mine across the ocean with me when I went on my missions trip to Scotland, and my Bible study girls prayed with me about the guy I met when I was over there (who now is my husband). Now, I know that Beth Moore had nothing to do with my meeting my husband--that was all God's doing--but remembering that time in my life brings sweet memories, and her Bible study helped me get into a habit of studying God's Word and listening for His voice--a very important practice to have when one is making huge decisions like who to marry!

On Saturday, I had the privilege of attending Beth's simulcast for her book So Long, Insecurity. I had bought my mom a ticket and the book for her birthday present in March. It was a fun girls' day, but it was also a life-changing day for me and my mom. Insecurity affects women everywhere, and it's about time we fought against it! I was encouraged to know that, with God's power, I can become a confident, secure woman. My prayer is that the 300,000+ women who attended the event on Saturday will find their security in Christ and start spreading that message to everyone they know. It could have quite the impact on our world!

Good-bye, Clutter!

Crystal at Money Saving Mom is hosting the Clear Out the Clutter Challenge this week. She'll be giving us 5 decluttering assignments to complete as we clear out our homes. I knew this was for me, especially when I saw the first challenge: the living room and front closet.

Our front closet has been giving me grief for a loooong time, but I was always so overwhelmed by it that I didn't bother trying. This challenge gave me the motivation to finally tackle it.

I dragged everything, and I mean everything, out of that closet, organizing it into "trash," "donate," and "keep" piles. Here's my trash pile. It included bulbs I ordered last year and never planted, despite the warning to plant as soon as possible. Oops!

The lovely, now-organized front closet. I am so happy with it! That printer on the shelf will be given to a recycling center once I find a good one. Does anyone have tips for recycling electronics? The places I've found so far all charge at least $10.

Up next is the kitchen. I was hoping to tackle it tonight, but I think I'll take the day off and get started on it this weekend.

Easter 2010

This Easter was certainly different from any other Easter I've celebrated. At our Good Friday service, our pastor asked regular attenders to attend the Saturday evening services to make room for visitors on Sunday morning. I, being the die-hard, "Easter is celebrated on Sunday" girl, planned to go on Sunday, anyway. (I know, I'm such a rebel.) But Saturday evening rolled around, and Dave asked if I wanted to just get up and go to church then. We're used to attending on Saturday evening, so why not? I wasn't dressed in my Easter best, but I said yes. Then I insisted we take pictures to document our holiday.

I love this picture because it accurately shows our Saturday church habits--casual dress, coffee mug, and all. I don't quite know how the mug ended up in the pic, but it's fitting because we almost always take some along for the trip to church.

Dave surprised me with chocolate bunnies. True to form, I haven't touched mine yet. What can I say? I've always been a saver!

I don't know why I didn't get a picture of the family on Easter Sunday, but I did manage to get a shot of our "lamb cake." I have many fond memories of the classic lamb cakes, but this one tops them all. My dad is so creative!

Good Friday

The sun and warm temps were too much of a temptation to resist on this Good Friday. We soaked up every minute we could, drinking our morning coffee on the balcony, braving the crazy April wind to eat both lunch and dinner, all the while hoping our food didn't fly away. We spent our afternoon at a local forest preserve, enjoying the sights and sounds of the quiet life tucked away in the trees.

We saw signs of new life budding on the trees.

We burned some calories walking down the paths.

We enjoyed the peaceful lake as its water met the shore.

I insisted Dave take a picture of me to prove I'd been there.

We enjoyed the peaceful oasis in the midst of suburbia.

Getaway to Galena

Dave had the brilliant idea to book a trip to Galena for a recent three-day weekend he had. I took last Friday off, and we headed to the northwest corner of our state for a getaway. It is such a different world out there--no strip malls in sight, hills and winding roads, and a downtown filled with shops and restaurants. We loved being able to leave the car at the hotel and walk up and down Main Street. It was a great place to take a break from the hustle and bustle of life in the suburbs. In fact, we experienced some culture shock when we found ourselves in Chicago traffic upon our return. Yes, there are conveniences of suburban life that I love, but sometimes I long for the wide, open spaces.

I've lived in the midst of farm fields before, but I've never seen rolling hills of farmland as far as the eye can see. I wish I could have captured the dizzying heights we found ourselves at as we drove to Galena. I could only imagine how much more incredible the mountains in the West are.


A picture of our inn. Our suite was just a bit smaller than our apartment and decorated in Victorian style. It was the prettiest room I've ever stayed in.

Galena tends to have high-end restaurants, but we found one that suited our casual tastes. Durty Gurt's had the most delicious, most unhealthy food I've ever tasted.

Kandy Kitchen was a fun find on Main Street. We found it just before closing time on Friday night and filled our bags with candy for the weekend. We also picked up some caramel corn. Yum!

Everyone warned us about the stairs in Galena, but because our inn was on nice, level Main Street, we didn't have to navigate any. However, we made the choice to trek up the highest set of steps we could find for our Saturday morning workout, and what a workout it was! There were points I didn't think I could lift my leg to the next step! But we made it and enjoyed the view from the top.

Ulysses S. Grant, once-president of the United States, had a home in Galena before he was elected. It was fun to learn some new things about him while we were on the tour.

Neither Dave nor I had been to Iowa before our trip, but we decided to make the 20-minute drive to visit Dubuque. After getting lost in the maze of one-way streets in the downtown district in search of the visitors' center, we made our way to the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. Among the animals we saw there was this giant catfish.
All in all, it was a lovely trip. We actually found ourselves bored at points and ended up walking through Walmart on Saturday afternoon to spend our time before dinner. Yes, that's how small this town was--the most exciting thing to do after exploring the shops on Main Street was to walk the aisles of Walmart Supercenter. I enjoyed the slower pace and have really missed it this week as we've jumped back into our busy routine. Too bad we can't make a trip out to Galena every weekend.