Bye Dansies

We REALLY wanted to see our friends, the Dansies, before they headed west forever. Everything has been so chaotic lately that we couldn't actually make the trip down to Columbus, so they met us halfway in the little town of Findlay, Ohio one Saturday evening when Andrew was post-call (code for exhausted).



Andrew and Brian were mission companions in Italy. I remember meeting him when he first came home back in 2004. He still had all his hair back then (Andrew made me write that). I even got a glimpse of Rachel at a party (when she was dating Brian) before I left on my mission. Then, in 2007, it just so happened that both Brian and Andrew were going to start professional programs at Ohio State. We apartment hunted together and ended up living in the same complex that first year in Ohio. Almost every Sunday, Andrew and I would run to their house after church (I say run because I swear that first winter was the coldest EVER) and the Dansies would make us spaghetti with a "special sauce" that we all deemed perfection. It never got old. We didn't have kids yet and they only had one little boy. We scouted out all the coolest hangouts in C-bus, relished in our student-poverty, and Rachel and I became bosom buddies for life :).

Over the years, they have always been those friends that you know you'll have forever. Andrew and I felt so weird about saying goodbye even though we've only seen them a few times since moving to Ann Arbor. It just seems like we should be next door neighbors (or at least only one state over) for the rest of our lives. But I feel confident that we'll still see each other periodically and it will be just like old times. They are just those kind of friends.

Our kids love each other too, which is the true recipe for a long-lasting friendship. When we got in the car to drive to Findlay, I told Luke we were going to see one of his favorite people in the whole world and asked if he wanted to guess who. He said, "Davis!" which surprised me since I hadn't said a word about it. When I asked him how he knew, he said, "Davis is one of my favorite friends!". 

Happy 50th Anniversary!

Today is my parent's 50th wedding anniversary celebration (actual anniversary was a few days ago). For a number of reasons I'm not able to be there, but today none of my practical reasons matter...I feel terrible for my absence. I hate missing out on the fun. I was ready to hop on an airplane last night because my guilt was eating away at me, but I ended up feeling sick all night so it was probably better that I didn't. However, despite my failings, I am so happy and excited for this milestone in their lives. I'm very grateful for the sacrifices they made to have a family. They did their best to make our home happy and teach us important things. Now that I'm starting to understand some of those sacrifices first hand, I am all the more grateful for my parents. I have never felt like an afterthought to them or like they wasted valuable resources and time on my upbringing. Their family is their greatest treasure. So much good in life comes from little day-to-day choices and they are certainly a testament of that.

Arboretum

A few weeks ago (maybe a month ago) we went to see the peonies in bloom at the Arboretum. I had been trying to get to it before they disappeared but our plans never seemed to work out. Finally, one day, after a trip to the gym, I decided to go on a whim. I'm so glad there are no pictures of my sweaty self :)

I think I need a refresher coarse on basic photography. I've had the hardest time capturing my kids lately. But every once in a while I get lucky with a funny expression that fits them perfectly.

The Arboretum is surprisingly in the middle of town. In fact, over the treetops, we get little glimpses of the hospital. My boys love to throw rocks in this stream. I can hardly tear them away...and usually they are wet by the time I do.

Below is an example of the difficulty in photographing my children:

I hope the days when they used to smile for pictures aren't gone forever!

In the "Fairywoods" the kids can build little houses for the trolls and fairies. 

Finally, we made it to the peonies...

Luke finally gave me a smile when I let him climb a little on this tree

This is sort of  unrelated, but last night we went to a new park we had never been to before. It was gorgeous with lots of bridges going over a meandering river. However, there was this group of people (pictured below in the distance) that were holding hands, dancing in a circle and singing (right at the entrance so we couldn't avoid the awkwardness). I sort of felt like I had walked into a little mini Woodstock. At one point, they went to the river, released floating candles, and a pregnant woman swam around naked. Welcome to Ann Arbor.