a proper tea

Peter and I started dating 3 years ago today. (Three years, that's it? It seems like it must be much longer than that!) How did we even remember this day? That's a good question. I cannot take credit for that, it all goes to my husband. He has an amazing memory for dates. So to celebrate we had lunch at a British tea house. Chicken salad sandwiches, soup, scones with clotted cream and jam, and pots of tea. We lingered and talked for well over and hour and just had so much fun! It was quite a bit more casual than an afternoon tea would be and there were other men in the place too, so Peter didn't feel quite out of place. And he enjoyed it, but would never pick a place like that to eat/have tea without me.

an unexpected time with family

On the last day of our girls/guys weekend with friends I got a call that my grandmother had passed away. So our plans for reuniting in Colorado changed quickly to meeting up in Michigan instead. A lot of family from out-of-state came in, some that I hadn't seen in years. It was good to get to know the more grown-up versions of my cousins and for Peter to meet them. We both really enjoyed our time with them and my brothers. And Peter was quick to offer to hold our 7 month old niece and is quite the "natural". It was a fast and packed few days, but a blessing to all be together. We are now back in Denver and settling back into normal life for the next two weeks until we drive to Wisconsin for the annual pond hockey tournament (ie: hang out with college/HoneyRock friends).

Girls/Guys weekend away!

This weekend Peter and I are in different states from each other. He is in Montana skiing, playing hockey, and just hanging out with John Elsen. And I am in Indy, visiting an old friend from high school, Rebecca Peterson who will be having her 2nd baby in a couple of  weeks. And yes,I have hoped that she would go into labor while I'm here and that I could be apart of the excitement of it all. We have spent a lot of time talking about babies, pregnancy, and labor already. (It's nice to ask her all the questions that pop into my head since she is such an expert.) Today we are going to Babies R us to do some more shopping for her little girl that will soon be here. This couldn't be a more fun! I doubt that Peter and John's weekend will revolve around babies, but they will have a blast doing their own thing and being together. I did have a sweet phone call from Peter last night saying that he was thinking about me and the baby as he was driving yesterday and just so thankful for us. The Lord has given me two wonderful gifts, my husband and a little one. It will be great to see him again on Wednesday!

morning thoughts in a cafe

This morning I am sitting in a European cafe watching the barista make lattes with pretty rosettas on top. They have all sorts of rolls and sweet breads to eat as well as quiches and empanadas. I'm looking at their day-old scones and thinking how well that will go with a cup of tea and reading the newspaper (and dreaming about this little life inside of me)!
I will be here all day today since our car is getting some new brake pads put on. So I have brought books along to keep me company and my computer so I can accomplish some things off my to-do list. Not to mention the many people that will come in and out and how interesting that is. This cafe is also attached to the cooking school where I have taken classes and there is a class this afternoon that I'll join on cooking foods from Argentina.
So for all my Wheaton friends that read this, Peter and I met up with Nancy Swider-Peltz last night in Colorado Springs. We had dinner and toured the Olympic Training Center. We watched some people training: women's wrestling, men's gymnastics, and those lifting or running in the gym. It was so fun to see another Wheatie here in Colorado. And it also made me wonder what all those people that I went to school with are doing now. The Lord has a wonderful way of giving gifts and leading people to his work, as various as it can be. I can only imagine seeing the big picture in Heaven, a beautiful tapestry of intertwined lives and work and gifts.

NEWS of our New Year

We're back in Denver now, today is our first day back after almost 2 weeks of being with family for the holidays. It was a nice, relaxing time to be together and also one to cherish with our grandparents getting older.

And now that we've seen everyone and we able to make some phone calls to out-of -state relatives, Peter and I have news to share - we're going to be parents this summer. The baby is due on July 7th and we'll be in Texas then. We couldn't be more excited. I am 3.5 months right now and have just started showing in the last couple weeks. It is a beautiful and mysterious thing to have a life inside of you. And to know that the Lord already knows who this little one is and His plans for him! It really brings a new meaning to the scripture "he knit me together in my mothers womb" Ps 139.

So we are excitedly getting back into our Denver routine: working out, Peter studying and me taking cooking class and harp lessons. Although, all I really want to do is buy things for the baby and set up a nursery, etc, etc.