Best Buds

Last weekend we had the privilege of having Nathan's brother stay with us. It was a short weekend, but we had fun--especially these two boys. They are the best of friends! I think it was a nice break for Nathan to have his brother come and visit. He has been working SO HARD on his dissertation and it was nice for him to have a break.

We did have one ironic story. David flew in and out of Chicago when he came to stay due to business. On Sunday, we drove several hours to get David back to Chicago so that he could catch his flight. His flight departed at 4:00 pm and we drove up to the drop off at the airport around 3:15 pm (we had a delay due to construction detours). A few minutes later David called us saying that he can't make his flight because he missed the check in time for his baggage and that he was going to take a later flight.

To make a looonnngggg story short, David ended up flying into Cedar Rapids (an airport that is very close to our home) to stay with us again Sunday night, and then catching a flight out of Cedar Rapids Monday morning to go home. So basically...we drove to Chicago and back to pick David up in Cedar Rapids. Ah the irony.

Happy Mother's Day

Here is a photo tribute to some of the BEST women I have known in my life.

**In no particular order**

Nathan's mother and maternal grandmother--they have so much love for the world and EVERYONE in it. They are very kind and loving women.

My paternal grandma is the jolliest grandma a girl could ever ask for. She has been a big part of my life and such a wonderful example of unconditional love.

My maternal grandmother is the most virtuous and faithful woman you would ever meet. Her faith in the gospel NEVER wavered.

My mom is a wonderful example of service to me and others. She is always giving of her time to help those around her.

I am truly blessed to have these women in my life. Happy Mother's Day to you all.

Farewell sunglasses

As I was leaving a church meeting last Thursday evening I reached into my purse to grab my keys and saw this:

My sunglasses split in two. I was so DEVASTATED! These sunglasses were a wedding gift that I had received 5+ years ago and they finally gave up the ghost. My heart was so broken. I have worn these almost every day of my life since I've been married. They have served my eyes extremely well and have accompanied me on many occasions--all over California, to Utah (multiple times), the move out to Iowa, all over the state of Iowa, to Chicago, to many baseball games, to about a half a dozen zoos, to St. Louis, to help with the 2008 flood, to multiple church history sites, to a couple church girls camps, to work, to Boston, to Washington D.C., etc etc...

So this last weekend Nathan and I went to the mall on a mission--to find me a new pair of sunglasses. Luckily, the mission was accomplished quickly and I found a new pair. I just hope that they can provide as much use as the old ones.

Check out the new shades:

Farewell old sunglasses...you will be missed. :(