10 reasons I love being home

1. eating dinner at Dad and Mom's
2. driving on flat roads
3. sleeping in my own house
4. waking up in the same room as Amy
5. shopping at Kroger and Jack's
6. soaking in Amy's decorating style
7. drinking tea with Amy
8. sitting in my purple chair
9. making kitchen creations with Libby and Naomi
10. feeling loved.

ps- I can't wait to be home for some family time over Easter holiday for the first time four years!

Finally

the top of the stone building on Little Round Top

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
1 Peter 3:8-9

together

photo by Naomi

The boys changed the oil in Joel's vehicles on Saturday...

er... at least they all went to the auto parts store together to purchase the oil!

Visit to Gettysburg

General Lee and his horse Traveller

Since Gettysburg is less than an hour drive from where I live in Pennsylvania, it has been on my "list of places to visit" out here in the East.

It was such a treat to spend last Wednesday visiting Gettsyburg with my four youngest siblings. We had PERFECT weather (over 70F!) for our car-picnic and the driving portion of our visit. We all also enjoyed the museum, film, and cyclorama.

Last time I visited the battlefields at Gettsyburg was over 20 years ago, so it was good (albeit very sad!) to have a history refresher on the events at Gettysburg :)

Joel and Judith lent us their van for the day

looking out from Little Round Top

it wasn't too difficult to imagine soldiers hiding in rocky areas

view of Devil's Den (left) from Little Round Top
I didn't realize how far guns and cannons could shoot during the time of the Civil War until reading information at Gettysburg.

what a bunch of active tourists... ha.
(looking down at Brian, Libby, and Logan when Naomi and I climbed up the memorial on Little Round Top)

looking toward tree-covered Big Round Top

we climbed up a TALL lookout tower

...and I decided we should try a selfie.
Well, it's a nice shot of almost all of us ;)

Naomi's self-timer shot is much better.

The sun was setting as we left the battlefields.

tea

I drank a little pot of tea yesterday while Amy and I chatted on the phone.

tickled pink-er

Imagine my delight to learn that my three college sibs would be stopping by for a visit Monday while enjoying their spring breaks (all three schools share the same spring break week!). Sunday night, Naomi decided to catch a ride with them too.

Weeeeeee! 

[year-to-date highlight. I'm not kidding.]

As a bonus, we got to celebrate Naomi's 18th birthday together. I haven't been home for any birthdays for a long time.

This morning I pulled a cake out of the oven before I rushed out the door for the office, and tonight after work we stopped at Giant to pick up some Turkey Hill ice cream (Turkey Hill is a Pennsylvania "thing").

we have a very limited supply of candles... so this is 17+1   :)

EIGHTEEN!!!

The only thing that would have made the evening better would have been to all be together.

Faraway Places

pictures in my bedroom