Easter Sunday & growing things

Today was a beautiful day. We went to church and reflected on the fact that Jesus loves us all THAT much. It's mind boggling. During singing I saw the cutest couple holding hands. They were probably in their 80's. They made me smile. I went and told them that they were the cutest couple at church. I think the husband may have blushed. They were darling and I wish that I could have sat and chatted with them. I bet they have a ton of wisdom to share. I'm going to look for them again next Sunday.

After church we went over to our friends the DeBoer's for their annual Easter party. I met Anneke at the gym in one of my classes. We quickly became friends and she is such a sweet blessing to be around. Anneke is a bright and optomistic soul. She is always encouraging and uplifting. I am thankful for her friendship. Her husband is Willem, a perfect match to Anneke, and just as sweet and fun to be around. Their kids Little Willem and Anneleise have become quick friends to our kids. They play and play and play just like I remember doing as a kid. Anneke and Willem have such a beautiful and inviting home. They are the ultimate hosts....so giving and relaxing to be around. Their home is such a blessing and a fantastic set up for gathering family and friends. I met all of Anneke and Willem's family members. Everyone was just the sweetest. It was such a blessing to chat with such wonderfully kind and accepting people. The kids had a blast swimming and hunting Easter eggs. As usual, they didn't want to leave. I have a feeling that we will be relaxing around the pool again this summer quite a bit.

We came home and Shawn finished planting our new Redwood trees in the backyard. There are six of them. Beautiful. We also planted an orange tree. Shawn laid a stone walkway to the dog kennel on the side of the house and it looks fantastic. I planted some "sacrificial" flowers next to the walkway to see if Jax will destroy them. We have a long long way to go, but our backyard is finally looking more inviting. I'm so thankful that we have been able to at least do a little bit at a time on home improvements. My next task is painting inside...

I am enjoying gardening in my front yard. I have a flower bed that is finally filling in after two years of working on it. It is VERY beginner-ish, however, I am proud of it. I also recently planted a potted herb garden: two kinds of mint and basil, thyme, cilantro, and lavender. I'm super excited about using those herbs. I love to see things grow. It is a very beautiful and encouraging thing to me. Especially when plants flourish and then seem to die, and then come back again the next year. It makes me hopeful in times when I feel like I am not flourishing.....like I still have time left to come back and bloom again. Lately that's how I have been feeling; as if I am preparing to hopefully bloom again but I just need the water and nutrients to make it possible. I've just been having trouble with consistently soaking up those nutrients and believing that God will make something out of them. Thank goodness it's not all up to me. Thank you Lord for being in charge. Use me and make me bloom how you see fit. I know your plan is perfect, even though most often your plan is not my plan.

That's all for now.
Goodnight Moon.