A Very Special Visit!!

For the past three months, we've been counting the days.... "Only 55 more days till Grandpa and Grandma come! Only two more weeks... Only one more day!!" Until finally they were here! And of course time has a cruel way of flying swiftly by when we'd like it to slow to a crawl, but each and every moment of time spent with them is always cherished, especially since we live so far away.

I love that my children look forward to them coming and love being with them just like I did with my grandparents when I was little. We made so many great memories! My heart is full when I remember them listening so attentively when my dad read Bible stories to them. "Read one more, Grandpa!" Or when my mom was teaching Ma-lak how to draw dinosaurs from his new book. (I giggled every time she tried to pronounce "diplodocus" and he corrected her!)

My dad, the handy man that he is, was so kind to check off several items on my "fix it" list! He had already fixed a closet door in the girls' room, their dresser as well, a broken drawer in the kitchen, and was working on the ottoman when Ni'ke asked him, "Grandpa, are you a professional fixer?!" His answer? "Well, as a matter of fact, I am!" (I love you, Dad!)

And Mom... She slaved over her sewing machine for a few days before they came out, determined to bring her little grand daughters some new spring dresses! They danced around all happy and delighted when they saw them! Mom, you're amazing, and I can't thank you enough! (And really, you didn't have to clean my stove....) :)

My dad especially has always loved nature and frequently comments on its beauty. When he comes to visit, it's always so much fun to see how he enjoys the ocean, the mountains, the vineyards, and everything in between. It's a good reminder for me to not take for granted the beauty that surrounds me, and to maybe try to see it fresh through his eyes every now and then! It's so easy to wake up and rush out the door, so set in my routines with mind on the next thing I have to do, that I forget to just look up and around every once in awhile and just smile and say, "God, you are so great!"

For some reason, Sausalito has become one of those special little places for me that I love to visit, so full of natural beauty as well as lots of rustic charm. It just makes me happy to be there - I could wander around for hours, watching the boats, listening to the local musicians, visiting the art galleries, and eating yummy food! So we had to take Mom and Dad there for lunch after church on Sunday, and they loved it as much as I did! It was a gorgeous 66 degrees, and we milked that day for all it was worth!

The rest of the week we just had fun relaxing, cooking, watching the Olympics, chatting about great childhood memories, going shopping, checking out some new guitar shops for my dad, driving around, and just simply enjoying one another in general! Aaaahhh.... So many good memories, and I can't wait till the next time!!

The next several days will be a quieter, but wonderful as well, just being home with my little ones till I go back to work next week. I have a few projects to work on that I need to NOT put off any more, so we'll see how that goes! Can you believe it's March already!?!?!?

May God richly bless you today! And if you're fortunate enough to live close to your families and dearest friends, hug them a little closer today, and don't take for granted all those little opportunities to hang out with them and just "be".... :)