• getting some much needed sleep
• moving into a larger house for the next couple weeks
• well-behaved labrador retrievers
• help with chores
• homemade chocolate chip cookies
• parents coming home

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2011

• the world not coming to an end
• sunshine after a week of rain
• spending the day at the lake with great friends
• finally winning in Settlers of Catan
• breaking out the corn hole boards
• out for a nice dinner
• generous and helpful grandparents
• offering congratulations to my brother and his fiancee as they graduated from college today

• final Bible meeting of the year - feels good to know our project is complete!
• break from the normal Friday routine
• coming home to hang out with awesome friends
• "Friday" food - pizza, nachos, ice cream
• king size bed for the next couple weeks

THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2011

• mail from past, present, and even future students!
• generous donations for our mail program
• a night out in the city with no rain
• double date with a couple we look up to
• phileo yogurt with delicious toppings
• beautiful views of New York City

• clean house and car, thanks to my amazing husband who knows how to speak my love language!
• a buzzer that has saved us a lot of money on hair cuts
• making plans with great friends (can't wait to see them tomorrow!)
• centers running smoothly
• finishing my schoolwork for the week

What a rare privilege it was to know and love my great-grandparents, Nana & Pop, for so many years of my life. They lived truly blessed lives and leave lasting examples for the large family they left behind. Though it is always hard to say good-bye, we take comfort in knowing that Nana & Pop are together again and spending eternity with our Savior. We will see each other again! For now, we look back on fond memories:

spending holidays together

feeding & catching the sunnies that lived under the dock,
watching Nana & Pop play Skip-Bo each night 

swimming & sun-bathing in Nana's floating chair

intense Scrabble games,
never leaving the lake without candy from Nana's jar

listening to stories from the war,
laughing so hard at Pop's famous songs and comments

showing off the rock at Green Pond where Pop
painted the names of his current great-grandchildren
(can't wait to see it again this summer)

MONDAY, MAY 16, 2011

• a helpful friend to dismiss my class so I could leave school early
• listening to my students thank God that my Pop is in heaven and ask for comfort for my family
• seeing family from near and far
• sharing hysterical Pop stories over dinner
• out for a drink with my cousins (Pop would have been there if he could)

• Wilhelmina peppermints in church
• stopping in to give my sympathy to Grandma & Grandpa
• my husband and brother are home!
• Dad's homemade sauce
• whole family together for dinner

• spring cleaning (also known as procrastinating)
• delicious dinner at Jersey Boys with 3 good friends
• new & creative idea for teaching 3 digit subtraction across zeros (special thanks to an amazing high school math teacher)
• watching a Hallmark movie with mom
• frozen yogurt

a good friend's crafty idea: handmade flowers
(too bad I can't take credit for these, though my Cricut was a big help!)

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

• seeing a friend (and all her new items!) that I had not seen for a while
• skinny girl margaritas
• God's perfect timing - providing a trusted friend when I needed her most
• therapeutic trip to Michaels
• imagining a wedding in heaven
• the blessing of knowing (and loving) my great-grandparents, better known as Nana & Pop - our Green Pond memories will stay with me until we meet again

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

• hospitable colleagues that are willing to give me rides to and from work
• making a big dent in my massive pile of laundry after taking a week off
• sunny day and safe travels for the hubby on his long drive to MI
• long overdue Skype date
• Chopped on the Food Network
• comfort of my childhood bed

• excitement over friendly letters
• freshly cut grass
• Market Basket's "Turker" sandwich & mom's pasta salad - enough for lunch and dinner
• to-do lists, and crossing items off!
• positive changes as we look ahead to another school year
• family gathering at the baseball field