Easter Candy Rocks

Of all the holidays, Easter definitely has the best associated candy. You just can't beat the Sweet Tarts shaped like ducks, bunnies, and chicks. And the selection of jelly beans is fantastic. I'm partial to certain flavors of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans (which you can get all the time and is not specific to Easter). But in terms of Easter jelly beans, the Sour Patch ones are pretty great as are the Star Burst ones. Here's a video of Harper eating some Sour Patch jelly beans last night. She must have a high tolerance for sourness, because she barely even flinched.

On a side note, Harper and I saw a rainbow on our way home last night. The conditions were right for a rainbow, so I was keeping an eye out. And sure enough, we saw one. Although I understand the physics of rainbows, I want to believe that God made that rainbow for me to see to remind me that He keeps His promises and that everything would indeed be ok. After the morning I had yesterday, that was a nice visual reminder.

Sometimes I Need A Reminder

Sometimes anxiety hits me out of nowhere. This morning I was thrown into an internal panic over Rob having to take one of our cars into the shop to have a relatively minor repair. But, we just had to get our other car fixed last month, and we owe on our taxes this year, and we still haven't sold our house in Cincinnati, and we need to sell the third car that's sitting in our driveway, and, and, and... Things just snowball in my mind sometimes and it gets me all worked up. I worry about money. Specifically, I worry about not having enough money. But the truth is that we do have enough money and all of the above things will be taken care of. But man, I can say those words to myself and still feel very anxious on the inside. Why is it that I know that God will provide for us (because I've seen Him do it before) and I still fear not having enough? And not only has He provided for us, but He has blessed us with unbelievable gifts. So today I am reminding myself that I am not in charge and that everything is going to be ok.

Are We Listening To The Same Song?

I watch American Idol and I'm not afraid to admit it. Overall, this season is pretty good. My favorite is a girl named Didi Benami. I think she's great. The judges, on the other hand, beat her up every week. I couldn't have disagreed more with them last night. They said her pitch was off, she picked a bad song, and her performance felt artificial. I couldn't believe it! I thought it was a great performance. What do you think? I know I'm not an expert, but I do think that I have a little bit of discernment when it comes to music. Am I totally off base?

My Dad Got It Right

Last night, my small group talked about fathers (which was good timing because yesterday was my dad's birthday). We talked about how a father's relationship with his daughter influences every aspect of her life including things like everyday decisions, career choices, relationships with other men, how she views herself, and how she ultimately views God.

I lucked out in this department. I have a dad who got it right. He spoke blessings and affirmations into me. He protected me. He understood the power he had to point me in the right direction. He gave me a good example of how a husband should treat a wife which ultimately helped me pick out a good husband for myself.

We built snow forts together. And we went on canoe trips. And he taught me how to drive. And we went fishing on the Flagler pier. And we picked on my mom together. But most importantly, he told me that he loved me and that he was proud of me. 

If you have a dad who got it right, tell him. If you have a husband who is getting it right with your kids, tell him. It's a big deal.

Like I said, I lucked out in this department. I have a good dad and I have a husband who's really getting it right with Harper.

Family Outing

On Saturday, we took advantage of the fleeting beautiful spring weather and went to the zoo. It was great!

We saw goats - because everyone knows when you go to a zoo, you want to see the rare and exotic goats...

who were possibly tranquilized (no, not really).

Harper liked them, even if she was a little timid at first.

These little meerkats are probably my favorite animals at the zoo. They're cute and inquisitive and I like that Harper thinks they look like our cat, Sage.

And, they're much nicer than these rude little lemurs who wouldn't even turn around to say hi to us. Whatever.

We also saw some lazy zebras

and a couple rather imposing looking ostriches.

And then there was this guy, who thought he was pretty tough because he could carry a tree trunk around like it was no big deal.

All in all, it was a great day. I'm sure we'll be going back quite a few times this summer.

Congrats, Rob!

Last night, my husband received an award from the police department. He was given a Metropolitan Police Department Chief's Coin in recognition for going above and beyond the call of duty. Something about catching 5 armed robbers at one time. You'll have to ask him about it. Doesn't sound like a big deal to me, but what do I know:)

Basketball, Harper, Science, and Classical Music -- One Stop Shopping

Just a bunch of random thoughts for today.

1. I'm looking forward to the NCAA basketball tournament this year. Ohio State looks good (although I don't have them going all the way). Should be fun to watch.

2. Harper is becoming quite the backseat driver. While we're driving, she will point in a particular direction and say "Mommy, that way." She gets ticked if we don't go the direction she suggested.

3. I took this picture at work the other day. It's of a blood vessel (red) surrounded by some omentum tissue (yellow). The way that the vessel is folded in on itself is a little unusual. I think it looks cool.

4. I like classical music. This particular piece has been in my head lately. It's a tuba concerto (I know, hard to believe). It's by one of my all time favorite composers, Ralph Vaughan Williams. You can listen to the 2nd movement of the concerto here. I'll bet that you've never heard a tuba played like this before (and this recording isn't even that great - it's just the best one I could find on youtube).