Celebration Saturday

 

I love linking up to a wonderful celebratory community, inspired by Ruth Ayres, every Saturday!

 

Lots to celebrate this week!

 

1.  I'm celebrating my three-year blogiversary!  I started this blog in June of 2012 and have published 621 posts!  I am grateful for a place to join communities like this Celebration link up, It's Monday! What Are You Reading, Slice of Life, Nonfiction Wednesday, Poetry Friday, DigiLit Sunday, and my own Spiritual Journey Thursday.  I've made wonderful friends through this forum and have taken risks with writing that I never would have taken without this blog.  I've learned so much from other bloggers about writing, reading, teaching, and life, and have used what I learned to help my students start their own blogs with incredibly rewarding results.  Thank you to all those who visit, read, and comment on Reading, Teaching, Learning!!

 

2.  The purging/organizing/cleaning/donating/downsizing has begun in earnest now that the wedding is over.  Ed and I are preparing to put our house on the market and can't wait to move into our condo.  Even though the preparation is exhausting, it feels great to clean this place out and simplify our lives!

 

3.  We loved spending the afternoon with Libby while she opened wedding presents and enjoyed some leftover wedding cake.  We missed Jamie, though - he was at a bachelor party for a friend.  They have lots of weddings among their friends this summer!  Congrats to Jess and Chris (both friends who were in Libby and Jamie's wedding who got married last Sunday!

 

4.  My church friend and co-teacher, Nina, and I made the best out of the extra time we had on our hands last week as a result of no one coming to our adult VBS class and prepared material for our upcoming online class over the book Epic: The Story God is Telling.  We were a little bummed about the no-shows, but we used the time wisely and had great conversations about the book and the class.  We're excited!!  It starts next Sunday.

 

5.  I celebrate the DADS in my life!  I am so blessed to be surrounded by exemplary dads who personify strength, faith, work ethic, commitment, and love and show the world what it means to put family first. 

 

With Ed and my mom and dad at the rehearsal dinner

Pete, my father-in-law, with his granddaughters at his 80th birthday party - the only one missing was Libby, who was on her honeymoon. :-)

Jamie with his dad and grandfather at the rehearsal dinner

Father/daughter dance to Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road," the song Ed would sing to Libby when she was a little girl because it was the only song he knew all the words to!