I really appreciate all of the prayers and support from you all! The trip went pretty well. Our drive up only took about 4 1/2 hours, which was nice, and included a surprise visit with MEGAN! I text her when we were about half an hour from where she lives, and she text back saying we should meet up during her lunch break. Turns out, her office was on the way. :) It worked out perfectly. Such a fun surprise! I'm probably crazy, but to me, you can talk to someone nearly every day for years, and still be amazed to meet them and realize they're really real. :) Highlight of my day!
We had the viewing at 5, followed by a super late dinner at a relatives house. Over the weekend, I met a lot of relatives for the first time. :) We didn't get to our hotel until 10PM, so it was a pretty long day. To save money, we split up in just two rooms, which meant that Ryan and I shared a room with Jamin. So, I woke up on Valentine's Day with my brother-in-law in the room. Interesting! There were three actual services. Grandpa was a Free Mason, so he requested a Mason service, which was after the viewing, and then he had a military service (he served during WWII) right before the regular service on Saturday. The military service gave me chills. Ryan and Jamin both got up and gave eulogies, and both, while different, showed how Grandpa was such an amazing man, and just how much he will be missed.
We celebrated Valentine's day on Sunday. Growing up, we would always come downstairs to find little goodies waiting for us, and so that's what I did for Ryan. Some traditions should never change! He also got me a couple goodies of his own. :) We don't usually spend much on Valentine's day, but we make it fun. The gigantic Scooby Doo balloon was obviously for Brooke, who saw it in the grocery store, and was crazy about it! It's not in the picture, but Ryan also got me a pot of beautiful purple hyacinths. I love flowers that don't die! :)
I made a pretty extravagant dinner later that day--Deviled Crab Boules with Buerre Blanc--(You can find the recipe HERE) which required me to buy more fresh herbs and ingredients than I ever have for one meal, ever. I fixed roasted asparagus with it, the veggie of choice shown in the picture. I was pretty satisfied that the asparagus was on sale, ($1.79! vs. typical $3.79) and is one of our fave veggies. :) The meal took over an hour of constant preparation and cooking, but was so, so good. Ryan was thrilled that it was a recipe I'd never made before, and I was just thrilled it turned out well.
But, really, who actually care about the meal, right? Of course, I've got some new pictures of our girl. She quickly claimed the little balloon that came in the gift bag that Ryan gave me as her own. Red eye is a terrible problem, you can see, having a blue-eyed girl.
Sweet girl~
*sigh* I think she looks more grown up with each passing day! She will always be my "baby," but there's no mistaking the fact that she is definitely no longer a baby.
