Construction Mode

Joe left for ATL this morning; we won't see him again for another week and a half, so we'll be at our own devices for that time. *Sigh.

that's my desk, right behind marc...

I've mentioned it a couple times recently, but I wanted to give a brief update on how the construction project at my office is going. They managed to get the framework up for what will be Marc's office. You would think this to be a seamless little task, which I'm sure it was for the guys building it, but try making or taking a phone call with a guy standing on a ladder half supported by your desk... with a nail gun and a drill. Yay, small office. Their goal at this point is to build Nancy and I into the space that will eventually be Marc's new office, then move us out into the expanded portion upon the final move.

See? It's getting started. No insulation or drywall just yet, but my word has it been noisy! We came to the conclusion that Marc is getting expanded, and we're getting minimized. Haha. Who knows. That was Courtney's idea.

With our heads pounding from the session of frame construction, we all headed home for the night. Sydni and I decided to lay low for the evening. She insisted on getting her nails redone, since Mama had just changed the color on hers. I obliged, naturally.

nail time ;) 

Midweek, chyeah :)

Joe made it safely to Atlanta, so that's good news. We're pretty spent here.
See ya tomorrow.

xo | cmd

Rock 'N Roll Up Your Sleeve Blood Drive | Venus' Passing

There are very few things in this world that I can honestly say I HATE.
Of those few things [probably a list of like, 6 things total, if that?], I'm pretty sure needles are like 2-4 of those. I had an experience as a 5th grader with a nurse tech who should never have been left unsupervised, as she tried for nearly 40 unfruitful minutes to poke her way into a vein in one of my arms before spending another half hour on my other arm - to no avail. I was a whopping 10ish years old at the time, but it still makes me wince at the thought of a needle in my arm.

Seriously.

i survived! :)

I said that to let you all know that these blood drive things are always a mental challenge for me. I attribute my final ceding to this process, as always, to my college RA Becky, who planted the 'blood drive seed' in my brain; she all but mandated these things for her floor whenever we were eligible to participate. Before UC, I'd only been able to partake in one blood drive, mostly because I was bordering on the weight requirement but more importantly sat far below the regulated iron level. I've got stability certainly on that first factor now, but the latter is also under control, so I am more than willing to donate when I can.

That time came around again tonight at the Towerview blood drive [many thanks to Cathy, as always for her hand in facilitating this event with us and the American Red Cross. I feel it especially imperative that I get myself to these things now that I've been reminded I have a rare blood type, too. O pos., friends.

Oh, and tonight was also the much-hyped passing of Venus between our earth and the sun. This is one of the phenomenons that goes under-appreciated, I feel, since it's not going to happen again for a really long time [i.e., not again this century].

venus, yenno, just passing through

^ Yeah, I know it just looks like a little spec, but that's a planet crossing over. Look it up if you don't believe me. The last picture that I found was from 2004. Pretty cool, I think :) 

Joe heads back to Atlanta tomorrow for work, and I'm due to be back up early, too. I'm crossing my fingers for no residual bruises from the needle sticks. Ciao! 

xo | cmd

Softball!

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN! :)


little spectator in her little chair ;)



-- Towerview softball season opened today with a double header over at Althoff. It wasn't the most dashing opener [double losses], but it was definitely softball, and it was the start of a summer filled with a social gathering each Monday while we watch the guys battle it out. It had rained earlier today, so I wasn't sure how the fields would be, but it ended up being just fine - even Sydni found herself relaxing, which for her by definition means sitting still. :) Yay, softball!



cheering for daddy!



Once the games were over, we headed home and were joined by Mo & Jimmy a bit later for a quick dinner and a wind down on the evening. I've become so appreciative of the both of them as friends; I was reminded tonight that it's the people in life that make it what it is while we're here to live it. In large part, we owe that to Towerview, even though I wouldn't dare do so without acknowledging that it's an absolute God thing that we are where we are when we are; the people are just the stellar bonus He threw in there. We are blessed!



mo & marlene | ummm... LOVE! haha ;)

I can already tell it's going to be a great summer! ♥
xo | cmd

It's a Good Day to Praise!

Amen? Aaaamen!

So today was one of those days that was a blessing from top to bottom.

adam baptizing carlee! :)

First, we started with church [as always!]. We are home this weekend, a welcome return from visiting my parents' church back in Ohio. Adam had asked Joe to lead Sunday school, since he was tied up with another obligation for the 9:00 hour.

At the start of the service, the projection screen lifted to reveal Adam, dressed in baptistry garb, in the water ready to do his first baptism. We excitedly watched as he baptized their youngest, Carlee, into the church and into Christ's family. It totally melted my heart to be a witness to that moment; how awesome to baptize your own child! :) Welcome, Carlee!!

dan & robin
dan, we'll miss you | robin, we love you!!

On a slightly more somber note, today was Dan Werner's last Sunday with us for at least 1 year. He leaves for a 1-year deployment on Tuesday this week. We surrounded Robin & Dan before the service and prayed over them. I know how tough it was some days when Joe was gone for a year, but we were free to coordinate Sydni and I visiting on average once a month. Not only will Robin be void of that luxury, she'll be with two children here. My heart goes to them, along with all of the military families who face the challenges of deployment. Either way, it was wonderful to see them together at church today and to be a part of Dan's church family send-off. I pray this time will pass quickly!

rebecca & nick | new towerview members!

It's that time of year again for graduations, and today we honored our high school graduates. Congratulations to all of them!! :)

Lastly [but certainly not of any lesser value!], Nick and Rebecca took to the aisle during the invitation and joined the church. They are now official members of Towerview Baptist!! It's been nothing but fun getting to know them through the Sandvens, and seeing them get more and more involved with us - like our small group Friday - made me thrilled to see them join up with the ranks of the rest of us Towerviewers. Welcome!! :) :)

After the service, we gathered downstairs for lunch and a VBS kickoff of sorts. Joe gained a whole new level of appreciation for childcare workers after it was said and done and we'd left him with the kids for nearly an hour. Hah. Back at the house, Joe and Syd settled in for a nap and I took to grocery shopping and some other miscellaneous Sunday things.

Now we're all back here, settling in for the evening, and I can't complain one bit about that. :)

This is the way to start a week!

xo | cmd

Jason de Graaf

Oh, Saturdays. :)

So after last night's small group, we were all pretty wiped, so we took our leisurely time getting up and at it this morning. We decided on a late family breakfast at Crackerbarrel before Joe went his own way to the lawn & garden world of Lowe's and Sydni and I ventured into downtown Belleville for a bit.

Since today really just revolved around trying to kick back and enjoy life some, I thought I'd share some work from an artist I re-discovered recently: He's Canadian, he's talented, and he's got some new work out. For all you artsy kids, these are all acrylics, not photographs. Hard to believe, I know, but I find it even harder to process that he really is this talented.

Enjoy the work of Jason de Graaf :) I know I did! Jason is quickly becoming one of my new favorite artists. This guy is amazing.

Remember, none of these are photographs; they are ALL acrylics. Yay, hyperrealism!

Truly incredible stuff, yeah? Google this guy and see what else he's got; this is just SOME of his work.

Happy Saturday!!

xo | cmd

TGIF | Koinonia!

Ahhhh, small group nights! [My favorite kind of Friday!!!]

First thing, this is a tribute to my husband.... [if you don't know, take a look through some of his pictures; this is his signature self-portrait pose :p]

who am i?? ;) 

We took a new approach to this week's get together, and grilled out for the first time as a small group. We made some notes on getting in gear a bit sooner in the event we want to grill out again. It was a bit of a later start than anticipated, even with the Babots and Prescotts both being absent. The good news - Nick & Rebecca were able to make it!!

What a great night [again!]... I can promise you I'm sleeping in tomorrow! ;)

xo | cmd

The Best of Two Pitchers

Holy cow.

How did I NOT  know about this [or imagine creating it] before today?!

-- Thanks to Nancy, this has totally revolutionized my decision-making process as it pertains to the not-really-that-relevent-but-totally-practical question of, tea or lemonade?

oh. my. goodness.
loooooove.

Howsabout  BOTH? Yeah? Yeah. :)

Oh, and the rest of today was pretty decent too. It wasn't yesterday, but it sure wasn't bad. :)

xo | cmd