Meeting New Friends!

Well this was the beginning of a busy weekend. Today we met Wrigley (the cutest pup!) belonging to The Jennings See their post for details. Coming up this weekend we get to meet Griffin and Paige- real children! I can't believe many of my close friends are having babies!!! New additions rather pets, significant others, or CHILDREN......are the best reason to visit people :)

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.- Mark Twain

I used to read a lot. I have always loved to read. Then I started Grad school. I felt guilty reading things other than what was on the syllabus for the week. Somehow I have never made it through the upwards of 200 pages of "Recommended" Readings for the week. I don't think I ever will.

While at a book store this past week, I realized how LONG it has been since I picked up a book just for fun. So I did. I didn't have a lot of time, which for me in this case was a blessing. I can spend hours in bookstores and wind up with a mile high stack of things I would love to read. Then the choice becomes overwhelming and I end up leaving with nothing. This time I picked up a few that were on sale, asked the clerk for a mini review. It turns out the people behind the counters actually know about books, not just sell them! So anyway- I made a quick pick so I could get to class. Only 45 pages in so far, but I am enjoying my somewhat random selection: Water for Elephants .

If you have time to watch TV, you have time to read. That is what I decided- I would much rather be known as a reader than a TV junkie. So (Jon) holding off on cable is ok with me!

These boys have been through a lot together!

We found this picture in Jon's pile of photos from back in the day. In case you can't tell he is the "third" in the pile on the right side-Look at all that hair! Maybe the bleach is why it all fell out......

Ravinia Fun!

Last night we make an impromptu trip to Ravinia to see the Doobie Brothers. It was PACKED! Who knew the Doobie Brother's still had such following. At times we felt we were at Woodstock. I am sure many of the people in our company were actually at Woodstock. (By the way- random fact about me- I would have loved to have been at Woodstock! Don't worry though, I would have kept my clothes on. ) Anyway, it was a great time! The cicadas were not an interference for those of you who may be staying away from Ravinia this year do to the little buggers.

Side note: The following photos demonstrate that my husband is suffering from camping withdrawal.... hiking around the burbs with a "picnic pack" is about as close as we have come for awhile. Don't worry Jon, we will go someday soon!!

Happy Trails to you this Weekend!

Peter the Star?

Peter is auditioning for Letterman in a week- "Stupid Pet Tricks". He will be singing Happy Birthday to his musical box- we have high hopes that will win us a trip to New York! Any other ideas of new tricks we could actually teach him?

Full Day!

Wow today was a full day! We began by waking up at 6:00am (on a weekend mind you!) to head out for the Run For the Zoo. What a great time! Not only did we get the best race shirts ever, Nike Dri-fit Jersey's, but we also got to enjoy the Zoo on a beautiful Chicago morning. We were pleasantly surprised to see Monkeys, Rhinos, Lions, and other wildlife at 8:00 am this morning. We both finished with respectable times, but were also inspired to set goal times for our next race ( a.k.a. we were a bit lazy running through the zoo!).
After that we headed to church. Yes, we did show up sweaty and smelly. And yes...we were ushers in our running gear!! So grateful we are at a church where this is OK. Either A) People didn't even think to ask or B) Did ask and were super supportive of what we had been up too.
Next on the agenda... (whew this is more than we can normally handle before 2:00pm)..... we headed out to Westmont for a Habitat for Humanity Ground Breaking. I (Stacy) must say, it was incredible to see this organization in action. I was so proud to see my husband at work and realize what an honorable organization he spends his days and nights supporting!
We were able to see the property they had purchased and were going to rehab. It is just incredible to see what faith in action can do. GIVE a family in NEED a home! For three years now DuPage Habitat has been searching for the right property to build a home on. It isn't the cheapest county, so scouting out the right place took a bit of work! But today, we got to celebrate the miracle that God provided. Thanks to an amazing coalition of area churches and other volunteers ; an at-risk family will be able to move into a highly desirable lot in Westmont! We learned today how many families in DuPage are struggling to provide a place for their families to live. Trust me, these families aren't sitting there begging for help! Most of them hold steady jobs and provide for their families, but in today's world, injustice proves that is not enough. Habitat families commit to working for their homes, in "sweat equity", they actually help build homes and support the organization.


On TOP of this all....we greatly (ick!) are enjoying the Cicadas!! What a Sunday!

And then... we napped......

-S&J-