Weekend Fun…

Last week while Trent was in Philly I decided to make a quick trip home to Nebraska for the weekend.  I hadn’t been home since Christmas so it was a trip long overdue.   I will try to keep the words to a minimum, but please prepare yourself for a picture overload!  The memory on my phone is like 99.99%  full after this trip.  Not that I took that many pictures just on this trip…my phone is two and a half years old and on its last leg.  It was most likely 98.99% full when I left Illinois…

The trip started out with a 9 mile “fun” run Friday morning followed by Caribou coffee.  We decided to get the work out of the way early so the rest of the trip could be spend playing.  And did we ever play!

Some bunny is excited for Easter!  Or she is just trying to get those darn bunny ears that Auntie Megan put on off her head…

Seriously, the girl was all tongue, all weekend long!

Splish, splash!  Swimming lessons are fun!

How big is Audrey?  So big!

What does an owl say?  Hoo…hoo!

Sunday afternoon I got to see this middle school BFF at her grandpa’s 80th birthday party.  She lives in Alabama now and I really have no idea how many years it has been since I’ve seen her.  It was fun to catch up, even if it was only for a little bit!

Chicken noodles!  Thanks mom for making the yummiest meal ever.  We had to celebrate with a selfie.  In a valiant effort to get everyone in the picture, it just wasn’t possible.  And about 3.5 seconds after this picture was take Audrey head butted the table and that was the end of that. 

Rip wanted to be part of the fun too!  He just couldn’t help himself.   He took advantage of the extra room on the picnic table to join the picture.  Such a good looking group, right!?

That face!  He is just so handsome :)

We took advantage of the beautiful March day with lots of time outside and a nice little walk.

Only a few more days until I see these faces again!  A long Easter weekend is right around the corner. 

Until then…

{The Launes}

 

Through my Eyes…

Sometimes it’s hard being so far away.  Actually, if I’m really being honest with myself, it’s a lot more than sometimes hard. Thank goodness for modern technology. Specifically FaceTime and Skype. I love getting to talk to my niece on FaceTime. I also look forward to my monthly Skype call across the Atlantic to talk with the kids we sponsor at the orphanage in Sierra Leone.  I love these opportunities.  It lets me see Audrey as she grows and changes when I can’t be there in person.  It also lets me dial a call that will travel five thousand plus miles and  take me 5 hours ahead in time. The connection and picture can be a little sketchy at times, but it is so fun to see those faces.

And now a little glimpse of what I see when I get to FaceTime or Skype…screen shots are kind of my favorite!

Me keeping it real classy…

The life of a 10 month old can be a little rough sometimes, but have no fear….Auntie Megan is here!

Love these moments…

{The Launes}

Back to my Roots….

So I started a new little job recently.  I’ve been subbing some since September, but it really hasn’t been very consistent.  One week I will get called multiple times and then the next week I won’t hear anything at all.   I decided that I needed a little consistency so I decided to go back to my roots…in the coffee business.  The coffee shop on campus was hiring part time so I decided to give it a whirl.  I am now the newest barista at Jo’s Java!  On top of that, I still have two days that I am still available to sub and the phone calls have been coming in!  I’ve been keeping plenty busy for my liking! :)

So far I’ve learned that old habits die hard!  There are a few things that are different from what we use to do at Cheri O’s and I keep finding myself doing it the Cheri O’s way.  I’m getting the hang of it all…slowly, but surely.   It’s been a fun change of scenery!

On a side note, I celebrated DQ’s 75th birthday on Monday by treating myself to a small vanilla ice cream cone on them!

And ice cream plus 75 degrees in the March definitely warranted a little selfie!

Meanwhile, in Philly…

Trent and some of the team have been busy making an impact through service projects and a kids’ football camp.

Isn’t this little girl just precious?  The camp ultimately gives these kids a safe place to be for a couple of hours.  I can only imagine the chaos with so many kids!

It’s been fun hearing about the trip and all the things they have done.  Can’t wait until they get back to hear more about it.

And on a final note.  I leave for a quick little trip to Nebraska tomorrow!  I am so excited I can hardly contain myself.  The sad news is that my plane doesn’t land until after 11 o’clock at night, but on the bright side, I will have almost 3 entire days to spend with some of my favorite people!  As you can imagine, I’m sure I will have plenty of photos to share when I get back. :)

Until then…

 

{The Launes}

Trent’s Big 3-0 Celebration…

Last Friday Trent celebrated his 30th birthday.  The big 3-0.  In his book, birthdays aren’t a very big deal, but in my book, they are.  And lucky for him, I had a few fun surprises up my sleeve.  Nothing major, but I was hoping that with a little planning I would be able to come up with a few things to make his day extra special.

The morning started with doughnuts for him to bring to staff meeting at work.  It turns out great minds think alike because I wasn’t the only one that got doughnuts for staff meeting.  :)  Of course I was able to talk him into saving one for me to have too!

I also got him a fly fishing rod.  He has really been wanting to learn how to fly fish and every fisherman needs his own fly fishing rod, right?  I heard him  in the other room the other day practicing reeling in his big catch.  Thankfully the weather is finally getting warm enough that we can hopefully take it out and try it for real (no pun intended) one of these days.  We are also crossing our fingers that we might be able to take it to Colorado this summer and put it to test where the real fly fishermen go.

The biggest surprise of the day went off without a hitch!  I arranged for Trent’s friend Will and his wife Taylor to come up from Arkansas and surprise Trent.  We met up with them at Olive Garden in Fairview Heights and much to Trent’s surprise, his friend just happened to be there.  It was great seeing them and catching up. 

Finally, the party came back to our place where we enjoyed cake and ice cream.

Even after 30 years, he’s still got it!

Now Trent is in Philly for a little spring break mission trip with some of the football team.  Meanwhile, back in Greenville I am working to hold down the fort without any major mishaps…fingers crossed.

 

{The Launes}