Spring Break

Spring. It’s just so wonderful. So full of hope, promise, flowers, the first smell of cut grass, thunder storms, and this spring happens to include some wedding planning and homework. I’m so unmotivated to do homework and often glad to have the excuse of wedding planning as a distraction. Last week the invitations went out and it feels good to have that checked off the list. Napkins have come in, flowers are ordered, dresses are being altered, and we’ve been showered so generously with love and gifts twice this month.

Seth and I have managed to see each other at least every weekend and it looks like it will stay that way until the wedding. Which is in seven more weekends. Which makes my heart race just a little. In many ways I’m ready to move on to this thing called marriage that we’ve been anticipating the past several months but there are still pieces of my brain trying to comprehend the transition and change that will take place. It’s for that reason that seven weeks is bearable.

We don’t have official engagement pictures yet, but here’s an updated photo:

Since some people have asked, I’ll just mention on here that the plan is for both of us to have our braces off by the wedding. I had a little setback but it should still be doable and Seth’s ortho thought his teeth should be good by May.

I’ve done a terrible job of documenting life on here, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop trying. Last week was Spring Break for Danny and Edie so Mom planned a little getaway to Michigan that doubled as our girls’ weekend that we try to get in once a year. Thursday we headed to the Holiday Inn in Grand Rapids which had an indoor “waterpark” of sorts. Some hotels with indoor waterparks are great the first few years but seem to go downhill because there’s too much to keep up with not enough business. This hotel was really nice because the play area was good sized but not huge so it seemed maintained really well. There was a large hot tub, a regular pool, a whirlpool, a play area for toddlers, and a play area for children. The water was salt instead of chlorine and always warm. If you’re ever in the Michigan area with kids I’d definitely recommend it!

Another great thing about the hotel was that our first night we had Calvin and Danny along so we stayed in a room with a loft. The bottom level had a kitchenette, living area, bedroom and bathroom. There was a cute spiral staircase leading to a second story with a bathroom, two twin beds, bean bags, and view to the lower level. It was just the right set-up for our situation.

Not a great photo, but you can see how open the loft was to the rest of the room.

We enjoyed swimming, playing games, and listening to all the silly things Calvin says.

On Friday, Maria and Kim dropped off Danny and Calvin at the McCormick’s where they hung out with Jim, ate B-Dubs, went to a trampoline park, and played with the new puppy. Us girls, on the other hand, went shopping and painted pottery. We laughed together and cried together. And I consumed an embarrassing amount of ice cream.

The time went fast, as is the case with life most days. There are some big changes happening with Maria’s little girl arriving in the next few weeks and my upcoming wedding and I’m increasingly aware of how special these times of togetherness are.

To finish off Spring Break, we took a quick trip to Winimac State Park after church for some trail riding. Seth was here for the weekend and so he joined in on the fun. The horses trailered well, especially for the first outing of the year. Besides being a little chilly, it was great to spend some time outside as a family.

Yesterday Seth and I visited the courthouse to get our marriage license! We were in and out in 20 minutes, thanks to Seth starting the process online. I tell you, he’s a keeper.

The challenge to myself in the next seven weeks is to use my time wisely but not let the demands of everything consume me. I don’t want to completely drop my ambition for school but I don’t want to spend my last days at home with my nose in textbooks. I want our wedding to be a special event, but I don’t need to be thinking about centerpieces every day. To live in the present is definitely an art and I’m learning that to make the most of my days I need to constantly make choices of what is important for both the moment and also for the big picture of life. When to rest, when to do, when to slow down or pick up the pace. Definitely not a struggle new to man.

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our heart unto wisdom.” Psalm 90:12.