Happy Birthday to you?

At breakfast this morning, M felt it important to sing "Happy Birthday" to all the members of our family... one by one. He included uncles, dogs, etc. Papa, you'll be thrilled to know you were the choice for the first song. Mimi, you were second. :)

Sweet little (growing) big boy.

To-Don't List

GG and I reveled today in all the things we DON'T have to accomplish because of the appeal success. Praise God for our list of DON'Ts!!! :)

To-Don't:
*Cancel football tickets
*Cancel tuition and plan for reimbursement of government loans (yikes!!)
*Reserve a large U-Haul truck and temporary storage facility in OH for the family to move goods.
*Cancel current housing.
*Reserve hotel rooms at various Army locations during GG's training.
*Break out the old Army equipment/clothing and begin shining.
*Cancel trip to Mexico (there would have been crocodile-sized tears on that one!)
*Cancel trip to the NJ shore with friends (also tears there!)
*Plan for every worst-case scenario--update Power of Attorney, Wills, etc. (Double Yuck!)
*Cry a lot--in sadness, fear, worry, etc.
*Cling a lot (though we are doing so in happiness these days!)

I'm so glad this is a list we won't have to accomplish! Instead we get to love, organize, plan (with God's help), hope, dream, arrange, vacation, revel, and enjoy good friends and family. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

May God bless you today! Rejoice in your To-Don't lists!!

Sorting and such

We have been feverishly unpacking since arriving yesterday back to IN Gasperini-Ville headquarters.

How in the world does one family have so much stuff?

But you'd be so proud of me. Today I rid my life of 4 (yes, four) bags of relatively unused, cluttering life items (mostly clothes). Pretty darn good for this, here, packrat. I am continuously impressed by families who maintain a very simple existence... Though I pale in comparison, today marked a step in the right direction.

I've often made the analogy of life being like an vacation. The less you bring along, the less you have to worry about and lug around. I find there's nothing like having a light, rolling suitcase that lifts easily onto the scanner and fits snugly into the overhead bin. It is the BEST to wear everything I've packed and be completely prepared. Wouldn't it be great to have a similar approach to life? Less stuff and more peace.

Oh, to dream... :)

In the meantime, here are few snapshots from our final VA days and venture west. God bless.

Date night for the "kids"

Trainy Times at the mallOne last Camp Papa
Sweet T with his Great Grandma
Melts a mother's heart
Did I say melting?

Free, baby!

In my anguish I cried to the LORD,

and he answered by setting me free.

Psalm 118: 5

God bless you on this Lord's Day.

Special thanks to Jess, a dear friend, who passed along this verse.

So apropos. Love it!!

What I love about my families.

As we trek westward to bring an end to our long and joyous summer, I am especially grateful for our families, who continuously stand by us through the thick and thin. They are the BEST! Here are a few reasons why I love them so...

For the G's in Virginia
*I love their energy and zest for adventure every day.
*I love the amazing smells that are always coming from the kitchen.
*I love their unabashed generosity and selflessness, always looking out for the good of the family.
*I love how much they delight in my boys!
*I love that the fridge is stocked with Diet-Coke. My kind of people. :)
*I love their ability to laugh and find humor in the day-to-day.
*I love their encouragement and absolute LOVE. They are wonderful! Miss you, Mimi and Papa!

For my peeps in Ohio
*I love that there's always someone with whom to talk. And gosh, I love to chat! (My dad used to take a separate car to church in order to allow us, women, the chance to socialize all we liked.)
*I love that a precious gathering involves someone showing another a new type of sit-up. Who are we? :)
*I love that my parents are my biggest fans. They help remind me that I am (still) a precious child of God.
*I love reveling in my sister's children; and seeing my children enjoy cousins.
*I love knowing family is valued above all else and that being together is always a reason to celebrate.
*I love that hugs and kisses are a given.

Full of love for my family today. Can you tell I'm still gushing over GG's news? It really is going to take awhile for this euphoria to fade... Not such a bad problem to have, I suppose. [In the meantime, I'm sorry you'll have to put up with a super sunny version of my normally happy self. My swim teammates used to cringe seeing my smiling face for 5am practices. Sorry! :)]

God bless you for a great weekend!

Dancin' with the Lord

Glory to God in the Highest

Sing, Glory to God

Glory to God in the Highest

And peace to His people on earth.

We are continuing to sing praises here in Gasperini-Ville. Just like our smiles, they will surely be around for awhile. And peace will be too. For where you find praise, you can also find peace.

What a foreign thing peace is to us, busy, worrying creatures. Just today I found myself fretting over a silly detail. STOP. Praises. Peace.

And while we continue to praise in a time of great blessing, I want to believe with all my heart that we would still have been praising had there been bad news. God is good in the good and the bad. He has been present from day one last November. He will continue to be present throughout today and tomorrow.

I am slowly grasping all of this in my mind and then heart. It may take awhile...

But in the meantime, Gasperini-Ville is in full dance and song, rejoicing with our Lord in His provision. And as a friend reminded me, God is dancing and singing right along with us (don't parents just delight in giving their children gifts? Boy has he gifted us!)

In fact, our dancing has carried over to joyous packing as we leave VA tomorrow to head back to the midwest and the third year of law school (Is this really happening? Pinch me again!) I will report in from the road. Thank you for walking, sprinting, praying, aching, crying, rejoicing through this life with us.

God bless you.

Pinch me

I awoke today feeling as if yesterday was a very joyous dream... only to realize it was a dream, come true! It is going to take awhile for this smile to rub off. Thank you for rejoicing with us.