Happy Birthday America

Had an ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL time at the lake over the weekend. Ryan and I celebrated 6 years of marriage as well as the birthday of America! The weather could not have been better. It was blazing hot like the surface of the sun, so we spent most of our time in the water and on the boat. My favorite two places to be.

We wore Ruby out with all the fun and festivities.

Ryan and the boys did a lot of grilling, the rest of us cheered them on then ate the food. Ryan is on a hickory kick lately - so the smoke you see surrounding Chris in that picture is from the hickory chips on the coals, SMELLED SO GOOD!!

We ended the evening on Saturday with a bonfire made from Ash wood - since the terrible Ash disease took out three huge ash trees on the property this winter. It does burn well, but that's the only good thing about the situation.

Chris brought his girlfriend Amanda along and we had such fun hanging out with her and getting to know her better. She's really great. I like her.

And of course, took lots of pictures with Ruby and various family members.

Ava

Last summer before Ruby was born, we went down to Florida for my brother Aaron's wedding. I spent some time playing putt-putt with Ava and the family, she was very excited about my pregnant belly. As this picture was being taken she said "I can hear your baby growling in there!"

My cousin Isaac wrote a blog today that helped me put things in perspective. You can read his update on Ava HERE. Also, Josh posted a video of Ava thanking all of you for your prayers, you can watch that HERE. My dad's blog has a few thoughts as well.

We continue to pray, continue turning our eyes toward Jesus, and are so grateful that you're praying as well. Thank you from all of us!

Heavy Hearts - Ava update

I can't remember a time when my heart has been this heavy. Precious Ava's diagnosis is not good - but we are believing for miracles. My cousin Josh said it best in his blog today, "Stats are stats, stats aren't Ava."

Below is the update from Josh this morning: Please, please keep praying for Ava. I can't express how much we covet your prayers.

We got the diagnosis today. It was worse than we imagined. It was not what they originally thought. It was diagnosed as a GBM. This aggressive brain cancer is very resistant to traditional forms of cancer treatment. While we have sent the pathology to other places now for a second opinion and are praying the original was wrong, we are taking seriously the plan to move forward knowing we are facing an uphill battle with our little warrior.

We can't do anything for a little while anyway since she has to heal from her surgery, so we have a bit of time to devise a game plan. What we do know is that Ava's healing will need to be a miracle from God (although we have known that from the beginning). The cancer she has is very, very rare in children and the prognosis is statistically not good. But, stats are stats. Stats aren't Ava.

We will continue to pray like crazy and ask for wisdom from God to treat this monster. Lisa and I are committing to living everyday not thinking about tomorrow since we can't do anything about it anyway. We ask that you would pray for us to stay that course and do what is best for Ava everyday as we live through it with her.

She is progressing well with the surgery recovery and even moved her left leg a bit today. I go to bed tonight knowing that God has our little girl right where He needs her and that He is the one we are responsible to trust.

It's been a hard day. We covet your prayers. Thank you so much for being faithful in praying for Ava. It's easy to lean on God when it's all you can do. That is what we are doing.

Liquid Mountaineering

Our Old Stompin' Grounds

Our great friends Bryan and Michelle are about to have a baby really soon - so we decided to spend the weekend with them in Chicago. They recently moved into our old apartment... which was so weird to be in again - but it looks beautiful, much more beautiful than when I was the decorator.

On the way there, Ryan spotted some Hells Angels (Indiana Chapter) and tailed them for 20 miles. He recently watched a show on the History Channel called "Gangland" about them and was really excited to see them on the highway. He kept asking me if I thought they were "going on a run" and I kept saying "definitely!"

We made it 1/2 way there before the air conditioning in the car fizzled out. And by "fizzled out" I mean white misty dew billowing out of the vents, followed by a loud rattling sound followed by silence. No fan, no cool air coming out... just sweltering sweaty hotness. We rolled down the windows and let Ruby experience all the smells and sounds of Gary.

Saturday night we went to a new restaurant in LaGrange that was actually quite delicious! If you're in the area, check out Nicksons. It's Regional American Cuisine. Ryan asked, "Which region?" and they said, "all of them." I don't really know what that means, but I know the food was delicious!

Ruby enjoyed her first tastes of gelato, loved splashing in the fountain and pretty much had a great time hanging out in the stroller.

Sunday we visited our old church in Oak Park and got to see some of our friends from our 2-by-2 couples bible study. Loved the time with our friends. Always thankful for a weekend away!

Ava

Here is the most recent Ava update from my cousin Josh's blog.

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This is a picture of my cousin Josh and his family. His sweet daughter Ava is 6.

In the last 72 hours Ava had a bad headache that led to an MRI showing a tangerine-size mass in her brain. The mass was removed yesterday, and following the surgery the doctors determined it was malignant. It's been a terrible couple of days, and there is a long road ahead but we have faith that God knows exactly what He's doing. He is with us during the good times and He will lead us through the rough patches too.

Here is an excerpt from my Jesus Calling devotional from yesterday:

Rest with Me a while. You have journeyed up a steep, rugged path in recent days. The way ahead is shrouded in uncertainty. Look neither behind you nor before you. Instead, focus your attention on Me, your constant companion. Trust that I will equip you fully for whatever awaits you on your journey.

I designed time to be a protection for you. You couldn't bear to see all your life at once. Though I am unlimited by time, it is in the present moment that I meet you. Refresh yourself in My company, breathing deep draughts of My Presence. The highest level of trust is to enjoy Me moment by moment. I am with you, watching over wherever you go.

Psalm 143:8; Genesis 28:15

You can read more on Ava's dad Josh's blog, on my dad's blog, or on Ava's Uncle Joel's blog or her Uncle Isaac's blog.

Please keep precious Ava in your prayers. While you're at it, pray for her parents Josh and Lisa, for her brother Noah, and for all of her aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents too!

Vacation at the Lake

Blogging is kinda like exercising; if you don't do it for a few days, it's a lot harder to start back up. We spent last week without TV. Without an internet connection. Without distraction from technology and I even took a bit of a break from taking pictures! I know, right? This is me, I'm back from vacation and I'm exercising my blogging muscles.

First of all, I only got my camera out 2 times the whole week... and only took 6 pictures total - but this one of Ruby sums up her current stage/demeanor/attitude/general feistiness. She crawls around like a speedy, crazy gibbon, messing with anything she can get her hands on. Can you see the determination in her eyes? Also, she kinda looks like a boy in that tee-shirt.

Here are a few more highlights:

1. I packed the morning we left... and forgot all of my hair stuff. No brush, no conditioner, no hairdryer, no styling tools, nothing for my crazy lion hair. Let's just say, it was a sight to behold. When we got there and I told Ryan what I had forgotten he said, "so is your hair going to look like this all week?" and I said, "yep. only worse." It was awesome.
2. Throughout our marriage we have loved riding our bikes around the lake. We put Ruby in the bike trailer and took her on a little 13 mile ride. She only cried her head off for the last 6 miles - it was awesome.
3. Ryan "grill-master" may have pushed us to the limit with the menu. In 5 days we grilled lamb shank, mahi tacos, baby-back ribs slathered in a tasty dry rub and topped off the week with a nice dry-aged then grilled to perfection steak. We are probably taking a little break from the grilling for a few days...

I loved our time as a little family. We were thankful for this week to rest before Ryan starts his year as Chief.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers in my life!

Here's a picture of Ruby making her first Father's Day present for Ryan.

Taking the Cake

• Ruby is 1.
• It's crazy!
• We had a great celebration today.
• It appears she enjoys squishing birthday cake between her fingers.

The First Year