Seeing Stars

Bryan can you believe we are approaching 10yrs of marriage.  Gosh we have been dating/married for 15.  Seems crazy.  Glad we have this crazy thing called love.   Play this video for the song… while you read the rest :)

Thank you Bryan for being my MAN.  You do so much for me:

 

So on to some frugal fun in Gainesville (this was our date night this past Friday): 

I’ll start with the stars!!!  So I highly suggesting going to the UF Observatory (has it own little side road that takes off from the parking lot across from the Reitz Union).  There are a few signs, though I have walked and driven past them several times and missed them.  This is a great time of the year from what the Astronomers told us.  We got to see the moon - beautiful detail, Mars - "the red planet", a forming nebulous, and the 7 sisters.  God shows off his amazing creation by allowing us to enjoy it yet again in a fun and refreshing way.  The evening was magnificent. It is open from 8:30-10.  We got to look through the huge refractory telescope that is inside the building with the roof pulled back too.

We also want to give some props to Peach Tree Cafe.  A little restaurant that has been here for a while that is yummy.  Bryan had some of the best Shrimp and grits either of us has ever tasted.  And you know we have had a few versions of them.  I think it was the full fat cream that might have made them yummy.  (thank you to Ms. Debra too for keeping the girls)

I would love to take Adeline, but I don't know if she can stay up that late and not be completely frustrated with looking through the telescope.  Maybe we will have to work on that some with a paper towel roll or something.   We are going on a cruise soon and should have some opportunities to check out some stars there, and skip the paper towel roll. 

Psalm 136 3-9,26 (The Message)

³Thank the Lord of all lords.
His love never quits.

⁴Thank the miracle-working God,
His love never quits.

⁵The God whose skill formed the cosmos,
His love never quits.

⁶The God who laid out earth on ocean foundations,
His love never quits.

⁷The God who filled the skies with light,
His love never quits.

⁸The sun to watch over the day,
His love never quits.

⁹Moon and stars as guardians of the night,
His love never quits.

²⁶Thank God, who did it all!
His love never quits!

Thank you God for doing it ALL!  Creating this earth, sun, moon, stars and us silly little people redeeming us, adopting us, allowing us to be your children to spend eternity in heaven (and abundant life on earth) with you through the price of your son’s, Jesus, death on the cross, burial and then resurrection!!!  

Bryan you are a significant part of my abundant life on earth!

Epic Family Adventure

This post is not in order.  We made this trip when we had that last COLD spell.  Needless to say when we left the house it was 50 or so.  When we got home after it was 38.  It was the first time we have ever heard Adeline complain it was too cold.  We went for a bike ride to the La Chua trail, walked to the sink and then had a picnic dinner as the sun was setting (very cold).  Then we had the best finale chosen by freezing cold Adeline – stop for Ice Cream.  We were warmed up by then :)

Misc Fun

Happy New Year!!!

Bath time:

Princess Aurora

Essie:

Hats:

Best Buddies:

Spontaneous

Well!  A yummy start to French Toast made by Adeline and Bryan.

 

Delicious!  Next we boxed up some important stuff (and actually even had Martha and Bill drop in for a quick visit – and pick something up):

Then we got to thinking… cold 17 degree weather is gone and we happily welcomed the rainy, cloudy 70 degree weather today.  Though due to the very rainy start we started out with a simple trip to the FL museum:

Then it got a little crazy… we started another Epic Family Adventure and decided to go on a “ day trip”  without having more than the diaper bag we started out with.  If we get wet we get wet.  We will have to have joy in the journey.  Every adventure starts with food right? So we went to Jimmy Johns for lunch!

Next the St. John River (and played right beside the pier in Palatka).  No pictures for proof, but we had a lot of fun looking up at the cloudy sky, playing chase, hiding and seeking Adeline style (count to 5, hide in an obvious place, if not obvious enough say where you are going to hide, call out to the seeker as soon as they are done counting, giggle the entire time… it is the most fun version of hide and seek I have ever played). 

Next was the beach in St. Augustine.  It was slightly cool and windy.  We threw sand – Esther style – down your back over your ears and a little out in front of you.  We watches some cool kites, some kite boarders, some kite wheel cart things, played chase, made sand angels (the cutest kinds), burried feet in the sand to see if it was warmer there or on the sand (didn’t matter, by that point it was all cold).  Bryan won the “who can stay in the freezing water the longest”, so a big congratulations to him for toughness.  Though Adeline and Esther were handing with him for a while.

Then to the most awesome of awesome play grounds there in St. Augustine.  S.I.N.G. was over the walkway in, though I don’t have a clue to what it stood for.  We had all kinds of   playground fun.  It was off of Ponce De Leon Drive I believe and right by some huge historic district parking.

 

Then Chick-fil-A on the way home.  Perfect day wouldn’t you say?!  Thank you God for a wonderful day of enjoying all you created and each others company.  We loved seeing so much along the roadside too.  I would say I feel we have arrived to some level of accomplishment/growth when you can be “spontaneous” and it be more than getting ice-cream.  What is next?  We have been thinking of camping – the 4 of us… brave or crazy.  I’m sure we will tell you all about it either way!

Christmas fun!!!

A couple of pics prior to Christmas to warm you up to their cuteness!:

Christmas Eve with the Conrad/Overmans at Martha and Bills.  Bryan took some profile pics to start the festivities off:

Then the girls having fun.  Bill had lighted colored teeth here:

Christmas Morning fun (really on the 24th at Martha and Bill’s):

After a long fun day that started off with Bryan and I reading a small devotional with Adeline who wanted to read a few more before getting out of bed.  She is such a blessing with her tender heart (and not knowing of all the fun presents awaiting her – next year she may not have such patience with the delay), presents, naps (for me and the girls – bryan got to play a laser chess game), a walk to check out a house Bill is building, delivering breads/danishes (ALL of us in one minivan), and a wonderful Christmas Eve service by candlelight. Christmas Day at our home.  Pom-poms were a real hit!

Worn out and played out lounging on Daddy:

Before Christmas came:

So we put up the tree Dec 1st.  Oh what fun when you have little ones to experience the season fresh.  Adeline loved the ornaments.  For several cute ornaments and several worn and old ornaments she would pull them out and say… “(gasp) ah, look at this one it is oh so cute.  i love it, this one is my favorite.”  We were decorating a “family” tree and another very small one for her room.  She kept putting so many of her “favorite” ornaments on her tree that it kept falling over.  It never made it to her room either, she wanted it right there front and center with the “family tree".  Esther loved the ornaments as well.  We gave her a bell one to carry around and called it hers.  It was rarely on the tree.  Every time she would head over to the tree we would distract and redirect her to finding her ornament… the beaded bell that couldn’t hurt her.

notice the not so lonely branch":

 

Adeline took a picture of me with the tree.

 

She also had her “Birthday party for Jesus” at Sonshine Day.  They sang five songs.  She did oh so good.

Adeline is participating in Worship Dance at Grace United Methodist and they did a Christmas program (In the first snap she is near the bottom with a HUGE smile, in the second she is posing with Baby Jesus’ manger – an idea she liked):

Adeline loved all the parties and dressing up.  She did so well.  She was always confused when folks would ask about Santa and him bringing toys.  She would just smile.  Once she said after being asked about Santa that “it is Jesus’ birthday”.  That is right little girl, when you don’t know what someone is talking about you just answer with something you do know all about.  She would play with the Little People play set and retell the story – with a few prompts.  If it was up to her the wise men would have come several times on those camels.  She loved the Gainesville Christmas Festival that WBC preformed.  I think it is the live camels that made the impression on her.  This year she was really awestruck by the beating, death, and resurrection of Jesus in the play.  She asked a ton of questions.  Where normally when Cinderella’s dress gets torn she cries or runs out of the room.  I guess she just really needed to know more about Jesus this year.  During Christmas day festivities she even had us read the story of his death and resurrection when she got her Young Readers Bible.   It is something she keeps coming back to whenever we talk about Christmas…keeps jumping ahead to Easter.  Praise the Lord… the point is we serve a Living Savior who defeated death (for us to have life)!!!

PhinisheD

So graduation was Friday.  Thanks to Aunt Mary for watching the girls so we could all enjoy the ceremony stress free.  It was great.  Due to the amount of time to wait prior to and after bryan walked.  I did a lot of thinking. There were many moments of it feeling surreal.  Proud moments, just so proud of his persistence, brains, integrity, balance (family, work, school and God).  Moments of tearing up, I am Suzanne after all.   Moments of wanting to yell and cheer for him (though non of that reached the ears of anyone because the choked up moments would quickly come). Moments of praising God for ALL He has done in our lives for this to happen. Moments of being thankful for friends and family caring for us during this time with care and words of encouragement. A moment or 2 of wondering what is next, again I am Suzanne and though very content in having bryan back I am sure it will pick up a bit more than the past couple weeks we have had with bryan. Moments of playing with Martha’s iphone.  Pretty cool!  Moments of wishing adeline was there because just maybe she might have understood and had this proud moment etched on her heart… especially when one little girl kept yelling Mommy, mommy, mommy as her mommy walked across.  That so would have been Adeline.

God is great and we thank Him for allowing so much… for keeping our relationship strong during this time, for giving bryan the ideas, knowledge and wisdom when needed, for the time, for the ability, for the perfect committee, for timing, for him having favor at work with this project, for all He allowed while bryan was working on this, for just being Him and holding bryan through it all.

Bryan, professor and the other 2 he graduated with (Bo, JD, and Dr. Banks:

Family there:

My love:

The party fun: