Spring Pictures

Lauryn
Kailey
David, Danielle & Chloe
Lily

All of my beautiful nieces!

No Eject Button Necessary....

I need a vacation. I deserve a vacation. If I don't take a vacation soon, I may lose my mind. Yep, been there, said that. What I didn't realize at the time is that we need to chill out! If you let everything get to you to the point where you feel that you have to flee your life to stay sane, then you're not taking enough time to appreciate the beautiful things you have as a part of your day to day life. Yeah, vacations are nice but I am promising myself that as of today they are not necessary. I will take the time every day to feel serene where ever I happen to be, because I have so much beauty in my life as it is, and so much to be thankful for on a daily basis! Every minute spent with someone I love is a vacation. A quiet moment petting my crazy cats is a vacation. A hot shower is a vacation. I will seize these moments and claim them instead of letting stress steal them away. Worry doesn't change circumstances anyway so what is the point of getting so worked up? I don't want to run away from my life...I want to appreciate every second of it, just the way it is. Vacation, Schmacation. =P

Amazing

I just have to say that any man who can laugh 90% of the time while being poked with needles, woken up, dragged from test to test, and given no time to rest is pretty amazing. I think that the majority of the time the nurses leave the room laughing about something or other. How great is that?! Talk about defining your character. :)

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
-Winston Churchill

ARRRRRGH! Pirates...Really?

I'm still amazed when I hear about these Somalian Pirates taking over US cargo ships, and doing raids.....PIRATES! I don't know why I find it so funny that in modern times pirates can still take over ships! Well, really it's not "funny" because people are in danger, but you know what I mean. I was talking to my boss yesterday about the 3 pirates that the Navy sniped off of the last ship...just took 'em out. I agree that it was the best course of action, as they were holding people hostage, and I made a joke about "hey, at least Obama isn't having them captured nicely, and bringing them back here to sit in front of a judge...". Well, low and behold, what do I hear on the radio this morning? We've captured one and he is on his way to NY for a TRIAL! Insane....seriously, are my tax dollars going towards paying for a pirate trial?!!! ARGH! (haha) What a waste of my "booty"...

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.."

- ANONYMOUS

Easter Basketball Game

Brian & his niece, Anna. :)
Brian's cousins...Andrew, Rose, Elizabeth & Robert

Robert and his "downsy" face (??) haha!

Brian & Rose

Elizabeth's action shot

Brian's action shot...RAINMAN!

We had a great Easter in St. Charles. It turned out to be a beautiful day. Great food, family, and lots of kids on a sugar high...really, that's what Easter is all about, right? :) Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday as well!

Cedar Rapids Pictures

Chloe sleeping in grandpa's arms (his stories are REALLY boring!)

Grandpa & Chloe

David, Danielle & Chloe

David & Chloe

Grandma Lisa & Chloe

Auntie & Chloe

Chloe & Grandpa

Cedar Rapids Trip / Easter

Good Morning! This weekend is shaping up to be a good one. I finally get to meet Chloe! :) :) :) We are leaving (the parents and I) early Saturday morning, and coming back the same evening. It will be a short but sweet visit. Sunday Brian and I are going to St. Charles for Easter at his Aunt & Uncle's, and will also be celebrating a birthday while we are there. Looking forward to relaxing that day. Monday I have my interview with Big Brothers/Big Sisters. After that Brian has a game that he should be pitching in so I'll head over to Road Ranger Stadium. They just played in Milwaukee yesterday and won both games. Go Regents! I think they are 4th in the division right now.
The weather is starting to feel a little bit more like Spring, which has been nice.
Work is going well....same old stuff. Went to court this morning and won my case, but why is it that I feel like I'm going to get stabbed outside the courthouse?! Seems like there are always a few shady characters hanging around outside....typical Rockford I guess.
On a brighter note, I hope everyone has an excellent holiday. :) Enjoy the time with your families and....eat lots of Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs.

Angelface :)

I don't think I'll stop thinking about her until I get to hold her myself! Planning a trip to CR this Saturday w/my parents to meet her. I'm sooooo excited!

SHE'S HERE!

Chloe Ellen Phillips

4/5/09

Hey Sis... :)

I love you so much!
Eat a piece of cake for me!

Hey YOU...thanks. :)

Sometimes things happen that make us realize how very lucky we are to have the people in our lives that we do. For me, it isn't that I don't appreciate them on a daily basis, because I do, but sometimes life just happens so quickly that it can be hard to find time to reflect and appreciate all of the little things that the ones we love do for us. A kind word, a helping hand, a hug at the end of the day, soup when you're sick....people have this amazing ability to connect on so many levels, and I just want to acknowledge that I would not be where I am, or who I am without the people that have helped me along the way,sometimes in ways that they may have thought to be insignificant.
Recently, Brian has been having some medical issues that are probably concerning me more than necessary, but it's times like this that you realize how much family pulls together, how much people love you, and that no matter what could ever possibly happen to you there will be the same smiling faces there loving you the entire time. Brian and I are both lucky enough to have amazing families that convey that to us when we need it the most. We are lucky enough to have each other and to know every day that there isn't going to come a time when we have to deal with the hard things alone.

Sorry I'm such a sappy mess today! :/

On a different note, I recently went through the application process for Big Brothers/Big Sisters here in Rockford. I have an interview set up on the 13th, and I'm really excited to meet with the director, and learn more about the program. If all goes well, after that I can start the training that they require, and be assigned to a "little". Very exciting!

Aside from that, nothing new to report. Still waiting on my niece...