Hoppy Easter!

From our house to yours – Happy Easter! 

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Big Date Night

Saturday was Big Date Night or BDN as Ben calls it.  We had so much fun!  I dont really have my own photos but here’s a run down:

We started at the GRAM, it was corporate sponsor day, so admission was $1 :)  We saw Calder Jewelry (weird) and ‘Open Water’ the 2009 Art Prize Winner.

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Dinner was at Tre Cugini – delish! I had never been, it was a good experience.  Good food, good atmosphere, convenient, attentive staff.

Then it was off to the Symphony!  We were able to hear world renown violinist Midori play, she was awesome!  It was beautiful.

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We had decided to grab some dessert after the concert, and we ended up trying Bloom.  It was ok, they were trying really hard to be artsy.  And the dessert didnt really hit the spot, so we drove through Wendy’s! :)  A frosty never fails!

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I had so much fun, it was like an 8 hour vacation!

Hello my name is: Bridesmaid

I’m on Round 6 of bridesmaiding, this time it’s my Middle/High School and College friend/tennis partner Laura McCully.  Here’s some of the adventures so far -

December ‘09: Shop for dresses.  Three of the four bridesmaids present and accounted for.

February ‘10: Retry and buy Dress, as well as look for shoes.  Kari and I went to the Bridal Mecca – David’s Bridal!

 

March ‘10: Trek to shower in Chicago! Laura’s soon to be family threw her a shower, Kari and I were there for moral support and lots of delicious treats! :)  We also bought the shoes! Hooray!

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More to come the weekend of April 10th – shower in South Bend!  Mom, Judi Lipinski (K’s mom) and Judy Koning are all invited too!  Pictures to come!

Happy Palm Sunday!

Saturdate and Wednesdate

Over the weekend mom and I took Will and Wes to the Tale of Jemima Puddleduck and out for delicious Horrock’s grilled cheese sandwiches, just ask them, they’re the best GCS’ in the city! :) 

This was at the play – they were a little nervous about it.  We got to go on the stage and meet the cast afterwards, Mrs Perkins was a perfect Henrietta Hen, they werent too sure about her though!

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They definitely warmed up at Horrock’s though, I think the grilled cheese had something to do with it! Here are some faces of fun!

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Tonight I had a little girl time with Jenn and Becca at the Design Design factory sale.  Not as good as in the Fall, but I still did ok.  Then Bec and I went to Cherry Street Deli and ran a few other errands.  Sometimes you just need your girls! :)

Happy St Patty’s Day everyone!

Friday Night

Tonight I went to the Church Ministries Conference at Calvary Baptist Church. I had never been before and it was a really wonderful experience! Chad Vitarelli put together a combined praise choir that I participated in. When we finished I felt energized and refreshed and I thought to myself, 'That was fun!' Something about worshiping with fellow believers - people you dont even know, who have come together to give praise and glory to God, so cool!

Joe Stowell spoke tonight and it was like he was speaking straight to my heart. He spoke on the Ephesian church who were commended in a number of areas but ultimately had lost their first love for Christ. Then he went to Luke 2 and tied in the story of the prostitute who washed Jesus' feet with her tears. She showed her love for Christ through her actions. Dr Stowell encouraged us to return to our first love: Christ. To view the things we do in our churches as acts of worship and not work, to do and help as a way to demonstrate our love for Christ. We were indebted to Christ far beyond anything we could imagine, but he canceled that debt, he forgave before we even had need of being forgiven. Now love as a response of gratefulness.

Hike to the Beach

Over the weekend I went to Ludington to hike.  It was a beautiful!  The sun was sparkling off the snow and it was just a great day to hike to the beach!  It reminded me of when winter left Narnia and everything was starting to melt. Here’s a few photos -

The Beach – believe it or not Lake Michigan is still there! :)

 

The night before I had a Mexican Fiesta with my girlfriends! SO fun! :)  check out Kari’s blog for photos of that adventure!

Bible study was tonight, it’s funny how the Holy Spirit works.  I sometimes struggle getting my lesson done, or dont feel like fitting it in at the end of a long day, but I always am refreshed when I go.  And I learn and grow every time, God is SO good!

Happy Week everyone!

Hockey Stick to the Face

Just got home from our Senior High Youth Retreat - it was SO much fun! I was a little hesitant at first, dreading what I was figuring would be a busy weekend with no sleep and not a good start to another busy week. But God is good even when we're whiners! He met my little physical needs, but it seems like he met some far greater spiritual needs this weekend as well - and praise him for it! I unfortunately forgot my camera - I know! I didnt take my purse...sorry. But our speaker Drew challenged the teens to take seriously and understand the weight of the covenant we make with God when we become believers. It effects everything, and should change the way we go about our daily lives. We played Spokes in the snow, had a snow ball fight, Eucher, boot hockey (stick to the face), and just enjoyed spending time together.

I hope everyone had a great weekend too!