this time next week...

I'll be here---the Marriott RiverCenter, San Antonio!

Can't wait to visit the great state of Texas.

I've never been before.

Looking forward to seeing the Alamo, shoppping at the Spanish market (El Mercado), eating some delicious Tex-Mex food, and most of all spending time with mom.

Add in all of our conference events (since that is the whole reason we're going), and it'll be a packed schedule.

Bring on the fun!

look what I made...

my version of a "taggie" baby blanket...

I was feeling crafty last night & whipped it up in about an hour by hand.

Imagine how much faster I could sew it with a machine.

Can't wait until my birthday when I can get a sewing machine.

This one's not perfect, but for my 1st attempt it's pretty good.

I plan to make lots more!

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!

I want to know that my children & grandchildren can enjoy the earth and all of it's bounty just like we do today.

I've become very passionate about recycling, my reusable shopping bags, and growing our own vegetables.
It may not seem like much, but every little big helps.

Do what your part to keep our earth beautiful!

The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains,The world, and those who dwell in it.

-Psalms 24:1

grief

The last week has been an odd week.

My classes are winding down-a great thing;
I have more time on my hands-usually a good thing;
and it seems that the events of the last 6 weeks are catching up with me & reality is setting in-not as good, but it needs to happen.

I'm really learning first-hand that grief is a process not something that just happens & then is gone.
I've always studied the stages of grief & such but have never experienced for myself just what a process it is.

A dear friend of Peppes' sent me a card a few weeks ago with this quote in it...

"Grief is the wake behind a boat.
It starts out as a huge wave that follows close behind you and is big enough to swamp and drown you if you suddenly stop moving forward.

But, if you do keep moving, the big wake will eventually dissipate.

After a long enough time, the waters of your life get calm again,

and that is when the memories of those who have left begin to shine as bright and enduring as the stars above."

-Jimmy Buffet from "A Salty Piece of Land"

I love the imagery of this quote & how it sums things up for me.

Although this week has been hard just in that I've had more time to reflect on how much I miss Peppes,

it's also been so beautiful in that I've had a chance to reflect on the wonderful memories I have of her.

There are simply too many to recount, but I feel so blessed to have them to hold onto.

(I promise all of my future posts will not be depressing.)

To end on a happy note...here's a picture of Chris & I at the Easter picnic we had with friends at the Duke Gardens last Sunday...
I love my babe!

Easter

The legend of the dogwood tree...

Peppes taught me the story behind dogwood trees when I was just a child.

Dogwood trees used to be among the tallest, strongest, and straightest trees in ancient times.

According to legend, Jesus was crucified on a cross made from dogwood trees.

After this, God changed the dogwood trees into smaller, fragile, bent & twisted trees that would not be suitable for building crosses.

The 4 petals of the dogwood bloom form the shape of a cross.

At the outer edge of each petal is a stripe of dark red that represents the nails drove into Jesus' hands and feed as he was crucified.

The red berries that grow in the center of the bloom symbolize the crown of thorns our Lord wore while hanging on the cross.

What a story,

what a Savior,

Happy Easter!

a fun weekend

Chris' parents, Erin, & Big Nana (his grandmother) visited us this weekend.

They came Saturday morning & left Monday morning.

We really enjoyed their visit!

We spent some time Saturday afternoon at the Duke Gardens.

It's the perfect time to visit there with all of the spring flowers in bloom.

I got some great pictures I'll post below.

I cooked dinner on Saturday night & we just spent time catching-up & talking.

Sunday afternoon we celebrated Chris' 26th birthday by enjoying a picnic and some hiking at the Eno River.

We had dinner at Pepper's (Chris' & his dad's favorite Chapel Hill eatery) and walked around campus for a bit.

We came home & enjoyed cake & ice cream.

The weather couldn't have been more perfect and it was refreshing to spend some time outdoors.

Here are some of my favorite shots from our fun weekend...

Carolina's the place to be...

Congrats to the 2009 NCAA National Champion UNC Tar Heels!!!

Much to my dismay, since moving here I've become a college basketball fan.

I'll admit that I pull for Duke, but have nothing against Carolina.
Chris is of course a Tar Heel fan.

We watched the game on the big screen last night on campus with other students...so fun!

There was certainly lots to celebrate.

Carolina is an exciting place to be!