Life Lately, April 5

Winter is almost over, right?  I mowed my yard today, and the birds are chirping, but I've heard rumors that there's a chance of snow this weekend.  Who knows!  I wanted to take a bit of time to just recap 2018 so far.

You know Sarah had surgery in January.  She has recovered so well!  Two weeks after the eye surgery the surgery coordinator called to check on Sarah, and I was able to tell her that she was doing really well.  We just put ointment in her eyes once a day for a week, and since then she's been doing great.  She never had the bloody noses that we had been warned she could have.  Her eyes hardly water now, and I'm so glad we had the surgery done.  Six weeks after her bilateral ureteral reimplantation we saw Dr. Coplen.  I was so glad that we could see him on his one day a week that he comes down to southwest Missouri.  Sarah gave a urine sample, and it looked good.  He couldn't believe how good her scar looked.  He pressed around, and she didn't feel pain.  And that was it.  Our two year journey with vesicoureteral reflux had been so consuming and a daily battle with taking medicine, and then it ended in a five minute post-op appointment.  I cannot sing enough praises for Dr. Coplen and Dr. Song.  They are incredibly knowledgeable, kind to Sarah, thorough with explanations with Robert and me, easily accessible when needed, and having clearly found their calling.  It took a couple of weeks for Sarah to stop reminding me to give her her medicine every day.  I think she thought I was just forgetting!  The only thing remaining on this journey is that she will get one last (hopefully the last) renal ultrasound next winter to see if her smaller kidney is catching up so that both are more similar sizes now that the reflux has been corrected.

Robert is entering his busy season.  He has DNow in a week.  That's always a great weekend!  Then this summer he'll have his normal local mission trip, VBS, summer camp, and international mission trip.  I cannot say enough how thankful I am that Robert's busiest time of year is also my mom's most available time of year since she's a teacher.

I'll be wrapping up MOPS and BSF for the year in a couple of weeks.  Glad to have been a part of both of those organizations again this year!

 We got a couple of snows this winter, and it was extra fun since Sarah was interested in playing!

Sarah had a good dental checkup in February:

Our new niece, Eleanor, was born in February!

Sarah is 2 1/2.  She's such a fun girl.  Her imagination is soaring, we have funny and serious conversations, she's helpful, her highs are high and her lows are low, and she has a very sensitive heart that is in touch with people's feelings and emotions.

She also rocks the French braid and prairie bonnet.

I'm going to be in two weddings this summer!  It's my first time to be a bridesmaid, and I get to do it on May 5 and June 9, so I've been going to wedding showers, working on projects, shopping for a dress and accessories, and participating in lots of group texts. :)

2017 Recap

2017 is coming to a close, so I wanted to take a minute to think about this year:

In March Robert's dad, Ray, and Ray's two sisters were able to visit from Alabama.  It was fun to have all three of them here, and it was extra special since this was one of Aunt Leah's last big trips before moving to Asia.  It was also the first time for Aunt Tammy and Aunt Leah to visit us since we'd moved back to Missouri.

We continued to work on home improvement projects.  The list is never done when you're a homeowner, right?  We did a lot of yard work this fall in hopes that we'll have grass in the spring.  I think there's a good chance we're going to have success!  We have a couple of small projects left, and then there's that elusive kitchen remodel that'll probably never happen but is fun to imagine. :)

I joined Robert's sister, mom, and grandma for our fifth annual girls trip in May.  We went to Arkansas this year and had a great time!  Sarah and Robert enjoyed their time together back at home, too.

Also in May, Robert and I got to go to Louisville for a week to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary.  Sarah spent time at our house with my parents and Robert's mom, and this was the longest time I'd ever been away from her.  We had an awesome week staying with our friends Anna and Forrest from our seminary days in NC.  We did lots of sightseeing, game playing, eating, talking, and laughing.  It was a wonderful week!

We went to Alabama at the start of July.  Sarah LOVED the beach this year!  We enjoyed getting to celebrate the 4th of July with Robert's family!

Sarah turned two in August.  Can I say that this is my favorite age so far?  I genuinely think that she went through the "Terrible Two's" from about 18-24 months old, and her being two has actually been easier compared to that (although 18-24 months was a pretty cute time, too!).  She loves doing art activities, putting on concerts, seeing friends, Minnie Mouse, anything girly, and Mittens.

Robert had a jam-packed summer as always: Serve Springfield, VBS, summer camp, mission trip to Kentucky, and a mission trip to Asia.  In January he will have been working at South Gate Baptist Church for three years as the student minister.  I'm still a stay-at-home mom and enjoy teaching the 2-3 year old Sunday School class, serving in MOPS, and serving alongside Robert in student ministry.

Merry Christmas!  We hope you had a great year!

Alabama Visitors

Several months ago Robert was talking to his dad, and we learned that his wife, Terri, would be going to Honduras on a mission trip in March.  We invited Ray up to visit while she was out of town.  Shortly before the trip was to occur, his two sisters, Leah and Tammy, decided they'd like to come, so it became a big sibling trip.  Leah is about to move to Singapore for a few years, so it was an extra special trip before her big move.  This was also Leah and Tammy's first trip back to Missouri since our wedding five years ago.

Sarah was super jazzed the night they arrived and stayed up late to see them.  She got a bedtime story from Papa.

We did a Branson day with them and enjoyed lunch at Hook and Ladder Pizza in Hollister and the Ralph Foster Museum at College of the Ozarks.

It worked out perfectly that they were here over spring break, so Robert got to preach while pastor John was out for a family vacation.

Sarah soaked up all the extra attention, and was so sad when they left!

We spent plenty of time just doing our normal thing around the house, but it's always fun to have company there to make the day more exciting.  We got to eat good food, play Trivial Pursuit, and go shopping.  We enjoyed lots of chatting and time together.  I'm glad we could host them!

Charleston, South Carolina

My parents came to visit about two weeks ago.  It's hard to believe this was their last visit before Robert graduates.  Actually, we don't have any more house guests scheduled to visit until graduation.  Weird!  Of course, we're open to changing that if you want to come and visit. :)  One of the things on Robert's and my to do list of things to do an see while we live in NC was going to Charleston, SC, so while my parents were here we made a weekend trip, and it was great!  Here are some highlights of the trip:

Fort Sumter - I can't say that I'm much of a history buff, but this was still an enjoyable stop.  It took about 30 minutes to get there by ferry.  It was a pretty ride, but it was unbelievably humid.  I'm not even sure why I straightened my hair; I had it up in a ponytail with 10 minutes of the day.

T-Bonz - One of my former co-workers who is from Charleston had suggested several restaurants and attractions.  One of the restaurants Tomeka recommended was T-Bonz, and it did not disappoint.  I got a southern classic of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and veggies.  Delish!  T-Bonz just so happened to be next to a bakery called Kaminsky's.  This place was insane.  We were too full for dessert right after lunch, but we went back that night, and there was a line you had to wait in just in order to get inside to wait in another line, although I was quite impressed that it moved as quickly as it did considering how many people were there.

We failed to take a picture of our own dessert, but here is a pic from their website.  Sinful!

One of my current co-workers (Ryan) is from Charleston, and he recommended The City Market.  It was a lot of fun!  It was kind of overwhelming at times as there were so many vendors and so many people everywhere, but we still enjoyed looking through all the different booths.
 
Our hotel was very nice.  We opted out of a historic inn (too pricey), and really enjoyed our time at the Holiday Inn Express - tasty hot breakfast, a pool, and very clean rooms.  That's all I need in a hotel.

We also made a trip to Folly Beach at sunset.  Gorgeous!

Yet another former co-worker (Dorothy) made another good suggestion for our trip.  Apparently, I only work with people from Charleston.  Side note: Dorothy and I worked together in NC, but she had just moved back to Charleston the day before we got there so Robert and I were able to be her first guests as we stopped by one afternoon while we were in town.  Dorothy suggested that we go to The Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon.  We had told her that we wanted to go on some sort of tour but didn't wanted to pay the $40+ that it would take to tour a plantation.  This was the alternative that she suggested, and it was really interesting.  Here's a teaser from the website:

Is the Old Exchange Building a fancy architectural jewel designed to house 18th-century assemblies? Or is it the ghoulish prison of the Revolution, the place where the martyr Isaac Hayne spent his last night? Or is it the place where George Washington greeted his fellow citizens? And there is no question that slaves were sold for close to a generation next to the very balcony from which the Declaration of Independence was read.

We really enjoyed our time in Charleston, and I would recommend a visit if you're in the area.  We're glad we got to go!

3 Day Weekend

My 3 day Martin Luther King weekend was absolutely wonderful!  May parents had made plans about two months ago to come to NC for the weekend for a little visit.  The trip was way to short, as usual, but I cherish any amount of time we get to spend together.  We picked them up from the airport Saturday morning at 11:00 and said goodbye Monday evening at 4:00.  Highlights of their visit included:

• Church together
• Getting a little tune up for my car - Oil change, new brake pads, wash, and vacuum
• Grocery shopping
• Delicious restaurants - Brigs, Los Tres Magueyes, Dairy Depot
  
• Games - Anomia and Wits & Wagers
• Mom teaching Robert how to do some mending with the sewing machine
• Replacing the tire on Robert's bike so Dad and I could go for a ride
• Giving Mom and Dad a tour inside several of the buildings at SEBTS.  The last tour we gave them was before Robert started school, and we only showed them the outside of the buildings.
• Hanging with the Vaughts - Dinner, dessert, games, and football on TV
• Catching up with family friends (The Morgans) at Chick Fil A
• Visiting Robert at work, getting to see the flower shop, and meeting his boss and co-workers

Saying goodbye to them never gets any easier.  We'll see them again in about 10 weeks for Easter.  So far away!

Breakfast at Brigs

Chick Fil A with the Morgans

Robert with his co-worker Logan and boss, Alison

Robert started his new semester today.  He has kind of a packed school schedule Tuesday-Thursday in order to be off on Monday and Friday to work at the flower shop all day (plus Saturday).  He's taking Greek 2, Pastoral Ministries, Missions, and Evangelism this semester.  It'll be 12 hours just like last semester.  Wednesdays he'll have 3 classes, and on Thursdays he'll only have one class, so really only Tuesday and Wednesday are crazy.  Hopefully that will pay off in order to have slower days the rest of the week.

Robert finished his Greek class with flying colors!!!  He ended up with an A.  I guess it's all Greek to him?

Pennsylvania

Robert and I had such a great time in Pennsylvania.  That's where my dad's side of the family lives.  He had met some of them when they visited MO in the summer of 2010.  He got to meet the rest of the family during this trip.  Highlights included:

• Seeing Grandma and Grandpa's new house for the first time
• Going to church with my grandparents
• The food: Thanksgiving feast, best pizza in the country, Polish feast
• Day in Benton - This is where my grandparents lived for about 33 years before moving to Berwick.  I got to show Robert all the places we used to go: the old house, fire station, post office, schools, park, dam, Tasty Freeze Ice Cream, Uncle Doug's apartment.  We even fed the ducks at the golf course and went on a good hike.
• Picked up Ryan from school and got to see Aunt Cathy's classroom.
• Made a gingerbread house with Ryan
• Countless games of Phase 10 Masters, Scrabble, and Pinnochle
• Penn State - Even though the school has gone through a lot lately it's still my dad's alma mater, and it's still a great place.  We pretty much saw everything: football statdium, art gallery, libraries, dorm, union, bookstore, Old Main, a new building being built, and so much more.  We had lunch at The Corner Room and ice cream at Berkey Creamery.
• Uncle Doug took us around one day, and we got to see a beautiful waterfall.   He also took us up a mountain where he and Dad had one of their first jobs.  They cut grapvines off of trees for their next doo neighbor, Otto Little, who owned a lumberyard. 

We had such a great time!  Robert loves my family, and they love him, too!  I enjoyed getting to learn more about my grandparents' lives and growing up years.  They're such a good example of faithful servants.  They've been through so much - humble beginnings, sickness, and setbacks - but they're still able to genuinely praise the Lord for His goodness.  I'm thankful for such great examples in my life.