End of February

Well here we are at the end of February. Wait... what?! Already?! Wow. Life just goes seems to go by so much faster now. In no time at all it is the end of the week, the month, the year. Yikes!

David and I went to the Stars game on the 13th. It was a lot of fun!

Unfortunately, Gracie came home from school with the flu last week and we all got it from her. Mine turned into bronchitis, but I got on an antibiotic before it could turn into pneumonia, so we're thankful for that. We all still have scratchy throats and lingering coughs, but we're feeling much better.

My friend and coworker Elizabeth got another job as a medical assistant. She has a degree in medical assisting and has finally found a great opportunity to begin her career. I will miss her very very much, but I am so excited for her! She started her new full-time position last Monday so we had to hire a new cashier. Mitzi is so nice! She has a lot of administrative and customer service experience, and is very mature and friendly, so we get along great and she is doing so well! I trained her to close all last week, and tomorrow we begin our new schedule, with my opening 7am-1pm and her closing 1pm-7pm. We will rotate working Saturdays 8-5 so that we can have alternating Saturdays off. I am excited to start working mornings, as I feel this will allow me to spend more time with Gracie and get things done around the house. I'm still keeping my eye out for a new job, but I am very thankful for the one that I have in this economy. My boss Ken is fantastic, very understanding and flexible, which is great since I have a young child. Hopefully this all works out for the very best!

Well since today was the first day we have all been feeling a lot better since being sick, and the weather was really nice, we decided to spend some time at the park this afternoon. Instead of going to our usual Turpin Park in the neighborhood, we decided to go to Kids Kastle, part of Unity Park here in Highland Village behind Briarhill Middle School. We had a lot of fun! Gracie swung in the toddler swings, and flew down the slide, and scrambled all around in the fort. She particularly liked all the rocks on the ground, frequently stopping to grab a handful and letting them slide through her fingers. She ran all over the place, so she got pretty tired. We left when the wind started picking up. Enjoy some pictures from our fun afternoon!

1 Peter 3:15-16

I had a thought while listening to Bro. Ken's sermon yesterday. He was telling us his story, of how he came to know Christ and followed His lead into ministry. He mentioned the verse 1 Peter 3:15, and it really stood out to me. Here is the verse:

15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

I particularly love the part, "the reason for the hope that you have." God is my reason for my hope. God is my reason for my love. God is my reason for my life. I should acknowledge this reason with confidence and sincerity so that others may not doubt me.

I have drawn a lot of strength from this verse since yesterday, and will continue to do so. I hope you will as well!

Pictures

Some more pictures of Gracie in recent days:

Enjoying her new play tunnel

Posing in her Rangers pjs, LOL

"No, it's NOT bedtime yet!"

The lake is less than 100 yards from our backyard so we walked down there Sunday afternoon to enjoy the sunshine!