He is Risen!

Happy Easter to each and everyone of you. I pray that today was a day of rejoicing for you as we were reminded that death doesn't have the final word. What hope that gives to those of us who trust in Christ for our salvation.

We (my dad, mom, and I) enjoyed a delicious ham dinner at Ben and Kim's. It was a good time. The sun added to the joy of the day as well. I'm thankful for the promise of new seasons. I hope you all had a wonderful day with friends and family.

"It's a great day to be alive. . .

. . . I know the sun's still shining when I close my eyes." This is a line to some country song by some artist (can't remember who), but it popped into my head today as I was walking outside enjoying the sunshine and warmer temperatures. There were kids on bikes, seagulls on the iced-over pond, people playing tennis, and numerous other walkers out enjoying the day. I believe everyday is a gift from God, but something about the feel of spring and signs of the earth being renewed makes me all the more grateful for the life God has graciously given me. Today was one of those days.

Crazy!

I was coming home from church last night around 6:15 and turned onto Porter from Burlingame and saw several cop cars, yellow tape, and people clustered in groups. Apparently there was a double shooting. The police ended up storming the house looking for a third suspect; two had already been arrested down by Chicago Drive and Burlingame. The victims are in critical condition. A little too close to home . . .

Playing Hooky

I was supposed to be at work tonight, but I had the option to leave early so I took it. If I would turn it down it would still count as my turn so I thought I'd head on home. So I was home by 6:30. It does feel a little like playing hooky. Remember those days in college of getting out of class early? How great that felt then and it still does. . . :)

To those of you who placed Uppercase Living orders, they came today! So I'll try to get them to you in a timely manner. I've already put up one of my freebies. Doesn't it look great?!

Grandma Kamps gave us a scare last evening, but she had stabilized some by this morning. She is in hospice care and has been steadily declining. I'm thankful that God has our days numbered and He is in control. Thanks for all your prayers.

Snow, Shopping, & Safety

Julie, Kim, and I headed to IKEA on Friday. I decided we must be doomed because it was nasty weather once again. But we went anyway. Snow isn't so bad; ice is a problem. It took us 3 hours and 15 minutes to get there; it should have taken about an hour less than that. We should have counted the cars we saw in the ditch between here and there, but I'm guessing between 20-25. It was slick, but we took our time and arrived safely.

IKEA was fun, but none of us made any huge purchases. So we went to Pier 1. :) After dinner at Chili's we headed back home. We had dry roads until the Ionia area, then it was snowy and nasty once again. It was solid ice in the Grand Rapids area and I was thankful to just be safely home.

It was worth it though; we had a great time. This might have to be an annual trip. . .