The Weekend At Last!

Do you ever have those weeks where it just seems to never end?! Of course you do! We all do! I have felt like the last 2 weeks have been that way without a weekend inbetween. Luckily, I have a wonderfully patient husband and an adorable (though not as patient) puppy that I get go home to every night. I am especially excited for this weekend because we are actually doing something really fun! WOOT! WOOT! There is this older movie theater in downtown Hillsboro who is playing the classic Casablanca this evening and my loving husband has purchased us tickets to have a romantic movie date! I can't wait!

Movie night is only the beginning! Tomorrow, we are taking Rogue to the beach for the first time ever! He has been experiencing a lot of "firsts" lately. Last weekend it was his first hike, he also went to doggy daycare for the first time and this weekend he gets to play at the beach! He will be one tired boy when we get home, we hope. After our little trip on Saturday, we will get to sleep in a little and go to church Sunday morning. Two weeks ago, we helped out in the 5th and 6th grade class for the first time and fell in love! I felt like I was finally in my element after a long time away. We have decided that this is something we are going to do from here on out every Sunday.

I can't wait for 5PM. I get to ride home with my husband, pick up our little guy and then it's off to a wonderful date! This will be such a great weekend...

Lessons from Uncle Al

Every year I get so excited for Halloween to come around. I love seeing all the little kids dressed up as their favorite character. It's the one day out of the entire year that you get to be anyone you want to be. This Halloween will be a bittersweet today. You see, October 31 is not just Halloween in our family, it is my Uncle Al's birthday. 

Now, this is my very first blog and very first blog post ever. I guess I just never felt like I had anything worth saying or had any experiences that others would really care to read about. As I was thinking about how I have started setting this site up....since August...I thought to myself: The first thing I post needs to mean something to me. Thank you, Uncle Al, for giving me something to tell everyone that is worth saying and reading.

For those who don't know, Uncle Al passed away just before Adam and I were married. I LOVED going to visit my Uncle Al and Aunt Amy in Colorado when I was growing up. I regret to say that I have not been to visit in several years and wish I had gone back just once to see him one more time and get one more life lesson lecture from him. I wanted to take the time to pay tribute to one of the greatest men I knew and pass along some of the things he taught me. So consider this a lesson from Uncle Al.

Every time I went to visit Uncle Al would say; "Danielle, let me share something with you about life..." He would do this at least twice a day my entire visit. He taught me a lot of things, but there are a couple that kept coming up, over and over again. Uncle Al would say that NO MATTER WHAT, you can count on family. Family is the one thing that when everything and everyone else in life fails you or abandons you, family will be there to help you up and dust you off. He taught me that of all the things that Scripture says you should do, Love was the center and most important. He sacrificed for his family, immediate and extended and taught us how to love unconditionally. He never complained (in front of me, at least) about work. He was one of the hardest working men I have known. 

Uncle Al, I want to thank you for being the man that you were. Thank you for your military service, your service to your family and to those around you. You aided in holding our family together when we experienced loss of loved ones and your strength in those times taught me how to keep my head up and know you are watching over all of us now that you are gone. Thank you for loving me so much that you gave me lectures on how to live a good and loving life and how to work hard for the things you have. Thank you for teaching us to stand up for ourselves and to know we are valued, no matter what anyone else says. You were and continue to be a blessing to me. I think of you often and rely on the wisdom you have taught me over the years.  Most of all, thank you for showing all of us that it is ALWAYS better to be ourselves than to be anyone else. I hope you know you are loved and missed. Happy birthday to a great man.