spring break

this is my lu lu.

she adored the ocean

and her seashell...

we met my sister and ellie down in sarasota

and spent the week with them!

it was the most fun...to see our girls playing, having tea parties,

and going on new "ventures" together.

and what would vacation be without mac dog & dora?

grab your backpack!

The Big Give

this was an incredible moment!

so many of you pitched in for the romey family

and made the big give something larger

than we could imagine!

in total...you gave $795.00 to go towards an

account for main dish kitchen.

and $475.00 was given for travel expenses.

the family is going in october to georgia

to pick up callie's canine assistant.

ryan, tabby & the kids were completely surprised by your generousity. they really were unsure of what was happening.

they were so grateful and very touched by all who were involved.

the next day, tabby called... she kept saying, we didn't know how to respond...we were just SO surprised! more than anything...she thanked you for "getting it"...for understanding.

my heart was moved most by their children.

i believe that they knew what this gift meant.

it meant more time with their family -

it meant that a couple of burdens were

lightened for the time being.

literally - you could see it in their faces, hear it in their laughter...and feel it in their hugs.

and, even though callie isn't able to communicate through verbal words...just one look into her eyes...truly is a window into this child's soul. she said everything to me with one simple look into her eyes. it was amazing - and i was, and am humbled to get to be a part of this

big, big give.

a night away....

ben & i were able to get away to the jw marriott ...a new hotel

downtown grand rapids. what a great escape - we aren't taking

any personal vacations this year...so, we decided to take quarterly

mini-trips. this one just happened to be in our own city.

it's amazing how you can feel like a tourist in your own town.

asking questions like,

"how long has this restaurant been here?"

instantly labels you an "out-of towner".

we dined at gill's fish house in the b.o.b. - after dinner,

we went to z's partypantry store in hopes of getting a

lucky lotto ticket-or two (: - and then went to z's for a night cap

and to scratch off our $1.00 lottos. we were living large!

i think we won $3.00-enough to tip the valet in the morning.

we stayed up watching a late-night movie...eating snacks we purchased at the party store.

the next morning we enjoyed a fantastic work-out and then cashed in our complimentary breakfast vouchers at six.one.six - the restaurant in the hotel.

eating guilt-free thanks to our work-out...we enjoyed fresh o.j. - omlets/waffles/fresh fruit & yogurt...truly anything you would want was served at this breakfast buffet! we didn't have to check out until 2 p.m. we enjoyed every minute we were away!

we both feel so refreshed...it is so good to get away!

kiss me i'm irish!

i made my friend heidi snag this shot!

way to go heid!! maybe they will use this

next year to promote the race. (:

irish jig

i am so glad that our race was last saturday and not today. blizzardy-icy snow-crazed...that is what we have going on in michigan. seriously...

we were very happy to have a perfectly sunny day for the jig. it made the run much more enjoyable-hmmm... i probably shouldn't use that word to describe this race...this was a hard one for me. i need to do a lot more training to get ready for the next one.

one of my favorite days...ever

so, ben surprised me after the race with a day at the spa! aaron & adam surprised their wives as well...it was the most memorable day...filled with lot of incredible moments.

we were at the baths of caracalla...the nicest spa i have ever stepped into. tiffany, kim & i were handed nice, plush robes and slippers and were given a day of massages, facials, hydrotherapy and red wine. it was fantastic! when we were done, we were given a card with directions to our next "location"...the guys made dinner for us at my house. the meal was so good...look out emeril! during dinner, each husband took turns toasting us individually. our husbands completely spoiled us-what an incredible day!

going from this....

to a day at the spa !