Memorial Day

It's been a good weekend. After two days of mostly rest and some work, we did some organizing as Christina's open house is less than four weeks away! It's hard to get motivated to do stuff around the house when you come home tired from work and just want to kick back and play some Scrabulous on Facebook. I just beat Tim at a game, so it's really a cause to celebrate.

There was a bad storm in our area yesterday, and dozens of homes were destroyed northeast of here about 20 miles or so. One little boy (two years old) passed away, and several people were hurt. Homes were totally destroyed. There were some amazing stories of survival, too--one where a man covered his wife and little one with his body, and though the house was torn apart, they survived basically unhurt.

Today is nice and a bit overcast, but no rain is forecast.

Diane from work passed away on Friday evening. It's so sad, but I'm glad she is resting with Jesus now. Please pray for her friends and family who are grieving after this sudden loss. She will be missed at Bethel too--she was a key player in the Academic Affairs office and greeted everyone who came with a warm smile, and she was kind and efficient in her work, too.

Today Christina and Luke were here for a BBQ--Luke did the grilling as Mark was at a good-bye party for a friend most of the day. It was nice to have young voices in the house (and on the back porch). Good to get the grill going after sitting all winter (we're not those sort of folks who grill outdoors in the winter--although we do have friends like that!).

Hope you've enjoyed the weekend and have taken time to reflect on those who've gone before us, especially those who have served our country in the armed forces.

Till next time,

Suzi

Back again

Wow, I guess it's been awhile since I blogged! Lots has happened both good and bad.

I'll start with the bad so I can end with the good. Christina lost her job--I think due to some misunderstandings, but she is now looking somewhat diligently for another. It's tough--she's competing with lots of students looking for summer work.

A student at Bethel was killed in an accident over the past weekend. Christina knew her--she attended her high school (although at different times--they met through mutual friends), and she also attended Plymouth Covenant Church, where we attended for a couple of years. Please pray for her family and friends. Many students are taking the news very hard, of course, and this is finals week. Some professors are changing classrooms where Danielle (the student) would have sat so students will not have the added heartache of taking their finals with her empty chair in the room.

One of the administrative assistants at Bethel, Diane, collapsed last week with two blood clots in her lung. She seemed to be getting better, even talking and recognizing people in the middle of last week. But she had lost a lot of oxygen and over the weekend she lost her sight. Now her brain is shutting down and she has a Do Not Resuscitate sign. She is only 53 and has three young adult children.

Good news--it's a beautiful spring day, although this morning we woke to temps in the 40s! I had a nice mother's day--my boys brought me flowers and my daughter gave me breakfast in bed! Tomorrow at Bethel we are celebrating the retirement of the president with a huge barbecue. Our senior students are presenting their final papers in the afternoon, and we will have refreshments there as well.

Life is hard, but God is good. Every moment, every breath is precious. I spoke with the dean who had Diane as her assistant, and she said--"live every day as if you're going to be hit by a truck." This was after Diane was starting to do better--before her turn for the worse. At that point, Diane had been worrying about work piling up. It makes you think about how easy or not it would be for someone to step into your shoes at your job if something were to happen.

Lots to pray about. Lots to be thankful for.

Till next time,


Suzi

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my Mom's birthday. It is a special birthday--she is my age plus half my age. That's all I'm gonna say.

Here she is with my sister Cheri, who has now joined her permanently in Tennessee. I stole this picture from Cheri's blog. Aren't they cute together?

Wish I could be down there with you too, Mom! Have a happy happy day!

Till next time,

Suzi

My Porchtrait

At the church Tim and I often attend, the Powers That Be (actually the art community of the church) decided that instead of a photo directory of the church family, they would do Porchtraits (the church's name is Solomon's Porch). So, I signed up.

Above is the result. Kinda cool, huh? It's on a wall of about a dozen other porchtraits--some are also oil paintings, others are photographs. I can't wait till Tim gets his done--his artist hasn't called him yet.

Today I was back at work, but it felt like I'd been gone for a long time. We packed so much into our day yesterday! Brunch at Original House of Pancakes, then off to Church Basement Ladies, A Second Helping (soooooo funny--and so touching too) and then dinner at our favorite local "elegant" restaurant--Thistles.

This morning we honored our TAs (teaching assistants) at Bethel with breakfast out. I got them all little gifts packaged by the university bookstore. Then, was I surprised when one of the professors pulled out a bunch of flowers to honor Tim & my anniversary yesterday.

Back at the UReg office, I received a nice card signed by everyone on staff. Kimberly brought donuts to help me celebrate with everyone.

Then, I received the best news of all--I'll be able to work full-time hours this summer! Hurray!

And, we celebrated my father-in-law's birthday this evening at Old Country Buffet. I think I should probably fast for the next week!

I am blessed. Good friends, good job, great family. And even a nice painting of myself.

A very good God, too! Thank you Lord!

Till next time,

Suzi

Twenty-five years and counting...

I think I post this picture every year, but it's hard to find a better one! Today Tim and I have been married 25 years--yes, it's our silver anniversary! I thought that was just an anniversary for "old" folks! Hard to believe I've been married half my life, but it's also hard to remember Life Before Tim.

He has enriched my life so much, and I don't know what I'd do without him. I appreciate his love, his loyalty, his wisdom and his care for me and our three kids.

Today we are taking the day off and plan to have brunch, see a play (The Church Basement Ladies--A Second Helping) and have an early dinner. During the matinee performance we'll see, we will relive our wedding day through the eyes of the wonderful ladies who prepared our reception in the fellowship hall of our church.

I'm looking forward to the next 25+ years with my honey. Happy anniversary sweetie! I love you more every day!

Till next time,

Suzi