Spring is in...

Yes, spring is in the air. The chilly, rainy days have far outnumbered the sunny ones so far. The daffodils are prolific and yellow. The swing in our yard has held a tiny bum any time there has been a touch of warmth in the air. The birds start their singing early every morning even when it is pouring rain, like it was today. Spring has arrived, forgiving the winter for its cold harshness and redeeming it with fresh smells, green grass, new buds and the promise of blue skies. I am thankful that it is here. Fall used to be my favorite season, but I think that spring has moved in to take its place. Spring is the promise of things to come. It is about new life. And Easter makes it about redemption. How grateful I am that Jesus paid the ultimate price for a sinner like me and gave me the opportunity to have new life.

I am glad that my birthday falls in the spring, as well. I can start my 28th year with the blooming grape hyacinths and the first warm breezes of 2009. It was actually sunny and kind of warm on my birthday this year. I had a very special day carefully planned out by Ryan. I assumed that we would be spending some of my birthday cash in Roanoke and hanging out, but was very surprised when we headed south on 220 and ended up in Greensboro. We stopped for ice cream at a place called Yum Yum's and made a few other fun stops along the way. Our final destination, however, was the new Anthropologie store there! It happens to be my favorite store (here is the link if you are curious...www.anthropologie.com) We wandered the store for a long time and Gabe helped me try on a bunch of dresses and the cutest pair of pants. (Sorry I forgot to text you a picture, Tiff!) It was a memorable birthday, for sure.

Some updates...
-Ryan has check-ups in Maryland next week--please pray for good results.
-Gabe can't get enough of his jets and airplanes and helicopter. He is flying something at almost any given time of the day.
-Lasternight is still a word in his vocabulary. He also pronounces airport "orport"; Bear is a pilot and Duck is his co-pilot; he'd love to have a whole bag of jellybeans in the tupperware container of his choice; a box full of packing peanuts has produced many bowls of popcorn for him and I while we all watch AFV; and last but not least, he thinks that we don't need to pray for our food if it isn't hot!