Pictureless Valentines

Don't you hate it when you forget (or are not allowed) to take pictures? Well, we had a little bit of both this past weekend. But pictures or no pictures, I'm still posting...

Valentine's night Tim and I decided to forget the crazy busy restaurants, and instead do a little something different. So we went to our church's Valentine Dinner held in our youth center. It was a great meal - and Tim even participated in a little Valentine's "Family Feud" action. Afterwards, we went with some friends to the Cracker Barrel for coffee and laughs. Isn't it nice when you do a little something out of the ordinary? Makes for good memories.

Then... this past Christmas, my wonderful husband surprised me with 2 tickets to see Celtic Woman on February 15 (Sunday) in Grand Rapids. We first had dinner at a unique restaurant called Bistro Bella Vita, and then walked across the street to the performance. I absolutely love Celtic Woman (whose concerts you can see on PBS), and seeing them live exceded my expections (even Tim had fun!) No, they didn't allow cameras (probably because they know people like me will then spend $20 for a souvenir program). But it was the perfect way to celebrate a special Valentine's weekend.

Ok, so I do have one picture...

Before we left for the concert

A February Weekend

Tim and I had a fun family weekend... Friday we met my entire family in Angola for supper (our traditional halfway point between here and Ohio). The special occassion this time though was seeing my brother for the first time since returning home. You should have seen me running across the parking lot for one of his huge hugs!

Then on Saturday, the whole Bontrager gang got together to celebrate the February birthdays of Dad Bontrager, our brother-in-law Mike, and nephew Ethan. Mom Bontrager opened up the gym at the school where she teaches and we had a fun afternoon of basketball, scooters, and of course, a giant parachute!

The Birthday Boys

From 1460 to 0

If you know me, or if you've been following our blog for any amount of time, you'll know that my brother is in the U.S. Marine Corps. Four years ago after his college graduation, he left on a bus bound for boot camp in Paris Island, S.C. That was also the day my family's countdown began... 1,460 days until he came home to stay. Unless you have a loved one in the service, there's no way of explaining to you the fright, the worry, the wonder, the waiting of a single phone call, and the hope of their return... year, after year, after year.

But the 4 years did pass, and a tour in Iraq came and went - and this past Saturday, the countdown hit 0. And although he has some years of reserves yet, he's HOME, he's with US, and we couldn't be happier!