There's a very special man in my life who is celebrating his birthday today. He is the quiet type, always thinking of others, and quite the family man. I met him 18 years ago, when he was 32, and I thought him rather old! Now, he enjoys staying young by goofing around, playing video games, shooting basketball, and chasing his cat down the hall. A kind, sweet man, who I am blessed to have as a husband. (Here he is at 2 and 12)

Maggie (John's sister) came to visit for Memorial Day weekend. She was able to see Justin and Julie, go on long walks, attend church with us, play computer games with John, breakfast out with me, deal with a 'cat problem' back at home, trek around our land, and mainly visit and relax and laugh. She's a great friend.

Justin turns 28 today! We're so pleased to watch him strolling through life. He is selfless, steady, kind, and funny. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Justin!

My niece Lydia is 4 years old today! I took these pictures at the end of March. Lydia is such a little character. Once she overcomes shyness, it is delightful to hear her talk up a storm. She is my sister Hannah's youngest child. The family just moved to Texas to serve at a ministry. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Lydia!

Julie has been baking and decorating lots of cakes, and here's one she brought over for my birthday on Thursday. John invited Justin & Julie and my mom and dad to stop by and enjoy this lemon poppyseed cake. Delicious!

My grandma has been living in our town for 10 months. She moved here from Arkansas after Grandpa died last March. I was able to drive her to Walmart today so she could pick up some groceries. Here she is waiting for me to park the car, and talking to a neighbor. My Gram is 87 years old, has a great memory, and loves to play games. I know she's enjoyed being closer to family, but her life includes sad days when she's missing her 'love'. I have witnessed first-hand how God is her refuge and strength.

I was mowing the backyard today and noticed this beautiful display of green foliage and delicate white flowers.

Tonight we invited our adult Sunday School class over for fellowship and dessert. John said he was in the mood for apple crisp. The evening was very nice, though only 6 people came. Jeff shared his life story which included addiction to drugs and alcohol and how he sought God and understood he has a substitute debt-payer in Jesus. It was great to encourage each other and share one another's burdens.

On the last day of Justin's conference, we watched the awards presentation. Lots of international programmers/ designers had competed throughout the week, and the top winners won big checks in excess of $10,000. Justin is so talented that he was a judge/reviewer for one of the competitions!

One of the sponsors had a 2 page puzzle that was available the first day, with












the prize being a MacBook Air laptop. It seemed to have 4 components that needed math/engineer/computer skills. So, during the three days, John and Julie worked on it together, and Justin joined in, and I just sat and watched. Out of 55 submissions, they were one of four that solved it! I was so shocked... and proud. Because of a tiebreaker, they didn't win the MacBook Air, but they were pleased anyway.

Last night we attended a show called LOVE. It was a Cirque du Soleil acrobatic and dance production, using all the Beatles music. Here is the entrance to the show. It was a visual and auditory delight! Super entertaining. There are so many shows in this city.

We are in LAS VEGAS! Wow! Busy, crowded, huge, people, traffic, embellished, loud. Such beauty here, except it is slighty marred by the gambling, overwhelming mass of people, and too much big city. We have done some walking on the strip and in-and-out of the hotel/casinos. Amazing wealth. The food is




tremendous...restaurants everywhere you turn. The people come from everywhere--old and young, fat and thin, plain middle America folk and sexy trendy beautiful beings. It's fun to people watch.

Justin has done the majority of his work for the conference, so now he is free to do whatever. Julie has been a great tour guide, as she was here last year and learned where to go, and how to get there.

Saturday included a quick little visit at a coffee shop downtown with my childhood friend, Ann. She lives 3.5 hours away from me, but came to her hometown for Mothers Day weekend, and so we grasped an hour in our busy day to catch up, sip hot drinks, and laugh about old times. I met Ann in first grade, and my 'growing up' years could never be explained without this precious friend. We saw each other every time we were at church, our families went camping together, we went to each others homes for Sunday afternoons or overnights, we passed notes in our Jr. High lockers, we joined swimming, choir, yearbook, and basketball. We sang in church, flirted with boys, criticized weirdo's at the mall (regretting my critical phase), attended youth group activities, took the same classes in High School, graduated...
Then we were on different paths. Life cruises on. We would meet and wave and chat at the crossroads, but then rush off to our busy lives. In any case, it's always fun to visit again. I will always treasure Ann and the memories we made.

My friend Jo Ann left today. She is headed out east for a few weeks before she returns to Romania. She and Karl are faithful servants for Christ...sharing and teaching God's Word. I treasure the times we had together these past months, visiting and playing racquetball. I admire Jo Ann for all her great qualities, and I enjoy her

whole family, so I will miss them! I spent some time yesterday with her three daughters at a park. They found a small turtle, with its shell about the size of a quarter.

There are two nests that emerged under the eaves of our house, and another nest out in the playhouse. I watched this one get built in a matter of days--(those birds are so industrious...it puts me to shame!). Whenever I walk past this nest, I hear someone squawking at me from the nearby trees. Can't wait to see the eggs and then hear the babies.

A few weeks ago we invested in a bread machine (my first!) and it has been easy and fun to make fresh yummy bread. I'm buying lots of flour now, and loving the smell that permeates the house. Today I made a small loaf with a little rye flour in it.

I was able to attend a bridal shower for Katie on Saturday. It has been enjoyable to watch the three sisters grow up into young ladies. I had all of them in Sunday School and AWANA. The shower was so fun...a beautiful tea party, visiting with other ladies, the two sisters singing a duet, and an encouraging devotional.

John came home at around 12:30 yesterday and said, "Let's pack a lunch and go out to the land." I agreed, even though it was a little cloudy and windy. We had a very nice time. Enjoying the peaceful quiet mixed with the nature sounds, we hiked around and talked of future plans.