Such a beautiful weekend, I don't want spring to end!

It's been too long since pictures of our gorgeous nephews have graced the blog, thank goodness for dinner Thursday night with the Scott's to make up for that:
Not even today's gross rainy weather could get me down. This weekend was just beautiful. Ryan and I made it up to our friends wedding in MD on Friday without any traffic. That was quite the unexpected surprise on a Friday evening. Alex and Chris had a beautiful day for their wedding and everything was just perfect. I can't believe what a nice party their families helped them put together to celebrate their special day. We especially enjoyed sitting by the fire pit and getting to know some of their family and friends better. I was soooo tired after what felt like the most intense week at my internship yet but it was definitely a blessing to be there for them. It was also interesting to get to know someone who used to be in their unit who gave us more of an idea of what Ryan is in for when he gets over there. I know God put him in this position for a reason but it does not sound like an easy one.

Saturday we had a gorgeous day for taking the smaller of the Deem's boats out on Pohick Bay. It was so nice just to relax in the sun and the breeze out on the water. At first Sammy wasn't feeling it and was especially clingy but he got into it and was almost too brave after a while, standing on the front taking it all in. He's a little too big for his life jacket now and I'm not sure if its all his hair or if he's just grown in the year since we've used it. We invited my parents to join us for the last two hours and I think they enjoyed the back water tour of Ft. Belvoir and looking at the gorgeous houses on the water.

Sunday my parents helped me with my resume some after church and lunch and then Diana and Jason came over for a walk in the woods. We took a different route that involved crossing streams on stepping stones because it was finally warm enough for Sammy to walk in the water and not freeze. It was so cool and hopefully taking that route will help Samson get used to the water since he is normally a wimp about bodies of water or pools. Diana saw a fish in the one stream and we saw tons of deer.

Blessings from the last week:
1. Extra time with my nephews Tuesday in between appointments and dinner with them and their parents at our place Thursday night. Tate did not want to leave and I am definitely going to have to make it a priority to bring him over more. Sammy loved it and it was unfortunate Ryan had to go on a conference call for a leaders meeting and miss out on some of the time, but I am glad he got some time with them too. The boys were so cute running around our deck and Carter was loving going up and down the stairs.
2. I finished my last card order for a while. Now its time to finish Ry and my party invitations and then to just focus on school work and the job search for a while.
3. Sammy's ears are doing much better and it looks like his elimination diet and new food is working.
4. My internship was intense but really powerful this week. I hope to write a post about it later because I don't want to forget the significant things that transpired at both schools or the clients I have been working with.
5. We both were able to put aside feeling tired this week and weekend and we really made the most of it. I can't believe we only have 5 weekends left together before he goes but I can say that I am so thankful we are in such a good place and that we are sharing responsibilities nicely so that we can stay sane through this intense school/side jobs/job search time for me and pre-deployment prep for him.
6. I am going to be serving as a communion mentor for one of the youth and church and have now signed up to help count the offering one Sunday a quarter. I love how being at a big church means I can serve in a variety of ways without a huge time commitment.
7. We finally adopted our first Compassion kid. She's a little girl from Rwanda and I can't wait to share more when our introduction packet comes in the mail.
8. We got our ASPCA Guardian packet in the mail this week and it felt so nice to look feel like we are doing something to help animals find homes.
9. I finished my For Children's Sake Orientation and am hopeful I will get my first client in the next few weeks. My supervisor was so encouraging of me that I will find a job soon after graduation and I am doing my best to keep that in God's hands and not waste time worrying about it.

Here is a picture of our Compassion child: