So October was a very full month for us. Well, mostly.
We FINALLY got new furniture, after 6 years of marriage and using hand-me-down pieces that never quite worked for our new house. But I will post on that later…

The biggest news for October – I turned 30 on the 26th. Such a milestone. Nothing or no one can ever really prepare you for 30. Young 20-somethings think of 30 as “old.” and it’s treated like a disease – “Ew, you’re 30.” But on the day before my completing my 30th year on this earth, I thought to myself, “hmmm…I’ve reached a good place in life. 30 won’t be so bad.” (and it doesn’t hurt that I don’t exactly look my age!)

Anyway, Jon pretended to plan an intimate dinner for the two of us, but throughout the day, little things triggered weird thoughts in my head that made me think otherwise. I tried to be good and not ruin any surprises. and I tried to be agreeable to whatever, since suprising me is a fairly difficult feat. I am just too perceptive. I sense when things are not quite “right.” And so it was on my birthday – my wonderful mother, who had just gotten back from her 10-day vacation in Hawaii with my dad jumped on another plane from Florida and “surprised” me with her presence.

(this is where I confess I was suspicious about her whereabouts when she called me from her cell phone, which she NEVER does, and then wasn’t home to receive my call later on, and even later my dad said she was home that evening when she always goes with him to run errands on Wednesday nights.)
So Jon’s dinner “plans” for that night revolved around family – where my mom so sheepishly came out of the kitchen to hug me and where Grandma Morningstar, Grandpa Gingerich, my in-laws, and my cousin & her husband blessed me with a family dinner and their love.

But the story continues…for Friday we had previously planned a family dinner at our favorite Japanese/Korean restaurant. But we weren’t leaving the house until 7:00, which meant we wouldn’t get to Mishawaka until 7:50ish, and we wouldn’t get our food until 8:30 if we were lucky. So of course I was very grumpy. The planning seemed off to me, but I promised to be good and just enjoy my birthday (again). We arrived at Tim & Joan’s and there in the garage were at least 30 of my friends waiting to celebrate my birthday with me. It was such a joy to see all of them that I had to hug each and every one. One of the greatest surprises was my dear friend Jodi and her boyfriend Emmanuel came up from Florida to attend my party too!

All in all my birthday parties were such a blessing to me. I truly felt loved by my family and friends.

On July 3rd, Jon & I celebrated the conclusion of six years of marriage and the beginning of our seventh year as husband and wife. Since moving to our current house, we’ve hosted a “Freedom Fest” party to watch the fly-byes of the air show from Goshen Municipal Airport and to view the nighttime fireworks show. Having the airport almost directly in our backyard allows us the entertainment from the air show without the traffic or the crowds. We always have a wonderful time with friends and family who join us for the celebration, especially since we started serving Uncle Joe’s Guamanian Ribs!

Lark Weaver & Jamesie preparing the ribs.

Our annual party gives us a chance to reconnect with old friends, while better relating to new ones…

and our friends and family, new and old, really seem to enjoy themselves.