lately

Our area annually hosts a river rubber duckie race. Community events and rubber duckies are a few of our favorite things, so this race was of high interest. We live only a few streets from the river and it was a short walk (read: no issues trying to find parking).

Our downtown is very small and we were all huddled in to watch the duckies get dumped from the bridge.

They quickly floated down the river, racing as fast as they could. We bought three duckies (we didn't want to leave Sushi out) and the proceeds went to local schools and non-profits. Watching everyones donation float down the river was really incredible. I'm sure that some people entered to win the money or the trip to Disney (there were 90 prizes overall), but it really is just a fun day and a chance to make a difference.

Next year, I may even hug the duck.

Our day was filled with lots of fun and enjoying each other's company. We rarely spend time on the weekends together and it was such a treat. During Lent, we started to really prune back our activities and we are looking forward to continuing this. While being a part of things can be rewarding and fun, we need more time as a couple, with friends, and individually. We have a hard time saying 'no' when someone needs leaders, help, or wants us to attend. As we learn to set boundaries and carve out time for us, we hope that others will not take it personally.

We have friends and family coming in from out of state this year and we want to enjoy them. There are lots of other community events that we are looking forward to (concerts and plays in the park, festivals) and they are important to us. We want our hearts to be ready before we go to Brazil and minister to the hurting children.

Our summer priorities will include:

enjoying guests

using our nearby library

starting and maintaining our garden

riding bikes

taking the kitty to the park
walking in the neighborhood

the church softball league (Eric plays, I watch)

For a few days, we had summer weather, but are now returning to mild spring days. The few days of heat made flowers around the neighborhood pop. Tulips (including ours) are everywhere. Our front yard even surprised us with grape hyacinths.

The parrot tulips we planted in fall are so beautiful. There is already talk about how many more bulbs will go into the front garden in the spring.

Trees and shrubs are blooming all over town. They lift my heart and give me hope that we'll see more birds, squirrels, and life around our home. It has been such a cold winter and my soul is ready for warmth and growth.