Title 7

1. Stephen and I celebrate Valentine's Day with brunch at a French Cafe and ponder the future. It's fun to imagine and hope with your best friend.

2. Nora captures her father on marker board.


3. We adopt a couple great-grannies. While in the apartment complex last year, we became acquainted with a couple neighbors who I would come upon as they walked their dogs, and I, my children. We shared dinner with two of them this past weekend (an invitation just a year overdue!) and enjoyed their company. Martha with her dry wit and sarcasm and Ganell with her grandmotherly charm equally doted on Nora and Joseph.

4. I upload some pictures to Picasa and decide to share a couple and update my blog.



5. Megan and I read and discuss "Night," a powerful, must-read. Up next month: "Three Cups of Tea."

6. Stephen continues to amaze me. Seriously. How can one man juggle a full PhD schedule (two papers due this week), part-time work teaching AP government (tests to grade this week on top of teaching every morning, except yesterday), two active children who adore him, one frazzled wife (who also adores him), a new work-out routine, teaching Sunday school and dozens of other tedious tasks (like taking out the trash this morning -THANK YOU, BABE!- and helping me with two extra kiddos on Tu/Th nights) with such strength, grace and understanding?

7. Red tulips begin to droop on my kitchen table, but they are still glorious. I LOVE red tulips, actually, red anything. Red remains my favorite color. Valentine's is better for it and so is my kitchen for its bold, crimson accents. Red cheers me. If only I could pull off red lipstick...