Saying thanks

We don't get a ton of visitors out this way, but the people we welcomed to town yesterday will stay in my mind forever.

A little over a month ago, we found out that Chad's Granddad Rhodes would be making the trip out to DC - just for a day - with other WWII vets to see the memorial for the first time. (It's part of a program called the Honor Flight network, which sends WWII vets to the memorial for free, many of whom are terminally ill. I love this program. My donation is in the mail!)

Granddad was part of a group of over 160 veterans who came from the Quad Cities area. Yesterday morning, we met up with them when they got off the bus and spent a few hours seeing the memorial through their eyes. It was a really emotional moment.

All of the photos can be found on Snapfish, but here are some of my favorites:

Getting off the bus and meeting the founder of the Honor Flight program

Chad and me with Granddad at the front of the Memorial

Random people stopping to say thank you (I cried)

All 160-something of the Quad Cities vets

The flag that was draped over the coffin of an IL vet who almost made it to the memorial but died in January (I cried...)

Chad and his Granddad at the Illinois pillar

At the wall that remembers the men and women who died

 

With his photo at the archived records

Granddad in front of the Memorial

Family ties

Why haven't I written for the last two weeks, you ask? Not because I've been busy. Not because nothing has happened. But simply because I haven't felt like it. So, sorry. Kind of.

But here's something that made me laugh:

Earlier today, Rachel, Paul, Janice, Nick and I got an email from Chad with the subject, "New Thanksgiving Day tradition." Here's what he proposed:

So I was trying to think of something that all of us could begin doing, as a family, that would really bring everyone together on Thanksgiving.  It's such a great holiday and a tremendous time to spend with family and friends.  The history of it all is also something that should be remembered on that great day.  As I pondered these two thoughts, I arrived at the perfect solution.  I propose we celebrate Thanksgiving in Miami this year.  I can think of no place better for all of us to truly appreciate Thanksgiving this year than Miami, FL.  I mean Columbus landed just 400 miles south of Miami and had this not occured, who knows if this great land would have ever been founded, as we know it.  I know as everyone considers this they will agree with my thoughts and I look forward to spending Thanksgiving in Miami with all of you this year.

On a COMPLETELY separate note: while we are down there, it could be fun to take in the Bears-Dolphins game that night.

Nevermind that Nick and I both work on Black Friday, Chad says. He's sure our respective bosses would appreciate the significance of Miami enough to give us that day off.

Breathe in, breathe out

It's been hot here. Really hot. So hot, in fact, we're going to turn the air on in our house tonight. Once Chad gets home, that is, because I still don't know how to do it yet.

While Lucy and I were out on our walk tonight, the trees were in full bloom. Lilacs were bursting from their seams. Tulips were about ready to bust. Bright pink and purple bushes were around every corner. You could smell dogwoods a block away. I mean, everything smells.

It was so fragrant outside that it was sometimes hard to breathe. We went straight from winter to summer, but I can't complain. I love this time of year!

Bottle it up

We've had the most incredible five days of weather here I can remember, and we had such a fun weekend!

Friday night, Chad and I hung out in the backyard, watched Lucy chase a ball (as much as you can chase anything in our tiny backyard) and then walked down to a new pizza place a few blocks away for dinner.

On Saturday, Chad got up at the crack of dawn - actually, before dawn - to golf with some friends and I went to kickboxing. In the afternoon, we took Lucy swimming at her favorite dog park. That evening, we had Janice and Nick over for shish kebabs - my summertime favorite - and played pitch until Chad fell asleep holding his cards in his hand.

Yesterday - Easter - we tried a new church (we gave it a 9 out of 10 with the only downside being that it's 20 minutes away) and celebrated our Easter traditions at Rachel's house with some incredible appetizers, ham, twice-baked potatoes and angel food cake. And Easter baskets! (She also made spinach, but that was kind of a dud...no offense, RT.) I brought Grandma Davis's rolls and a prosciutto, pear and walnut salad (my "new recipe" for the month of April - not bad but the dressing was a little too oily). The six of us sat outside until it got dark, all decided that the day after Easter should most definitely be a federal holiday, then went home and took Lucy for a walk.

What an awesome weekend. I wish I could bottle up days like these and bring them out when it's rainy, cold, or life has me stressed out.

Picture perfect

The one thing I love more than anything else about taking pictures is that they really force me to stop and look at something. I mean really look at it.

I'm working from home today waiting for the cable guy and the window repairman. While I was sitting here on the couch eating my lunch, I happened to look outside at the amazing contrast of the white flower petals on our tree and huge blue sky. I went up to grab my camera and embarked on a little photo shoot of our street. Here's what it looks like.

Granted, these are the trees in their beautiful stage. If we've learned anything in the last six years, it's that sooner or later, these little flower petals will drop all over the place. In about a week, our neighborhood will turn into a place where people will park at their own risk. Until then, we're loving the brilliance of nature.