spring is bustin' out all over

If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom.  ~Terri Guillemets

So spring has sprung, well, almost :/  When it was so warm and lovely a week ago I was hopeful that it would not get below 45 again or threaten to snow.  I was very wrong.  Fortunately the snow we had melted promptly (over about 24 hours) and the chill has not set in too deep.  The trees behind the house are getting buds and that means soon we won't be able to see the neighbors behind us way back in the woods because there will be a wall of green instead.  And let me tell you, that wall of green is gorgeous.  Aaron complains all winter long because he is confined inside and I am so ready, not only for myself, but for him to get outside and kick those winter blues in the bottom.

Grandmama and Opa had some rather springy flowers on their kitchen table when Aaron and I ate there last.  Aren't they purty?  They remind me of the flowers we used for our wedding and reception.

It may be the pink flowers, though.  The centerpiece is beautiful no matter how you look at it.  

As usual, I got into the holiday "theming" spirit and decided to put up the Easter decorations EARLY.  No big surprise here.  This, of course, led to a trip to Walgreens to be the first Mr. & Mrs. in St. Charles to purchase Easter candy.  I just couldn't stand looking at the green and red peanut M&Ms on the coffee table anymore.  

My husband now has quite the array of snack choices in his office, most of which will not be eaten until this summer because there are so many.  I am sure when it is time for the traditional Easter baskets on Easter morning there will be even more candy to add to the pile.

I got the Easter decorations just in time for the arrival of two very special people, my wonderful brother Tad and his lovely girlfriend Veronica.  Tad is on spring break this week and Veronica came home to St. Charles with him to spend some time meeting our family.  I took some photos, all of which Tad decided to make difficult by refusing to smile, and I think I got some special shots of the two lovebirds.

Seeing Tad so happy is all I could ever want for him in life and I think the way his face looks in the photo below tells it all.

Cute, cute, and more cute!

After our impromptu photo session and church, we went for a family dinner/surprise birthday dinner Lewis & Clark's on Main Street St. Charles.  I know I have said it before, but I will say it again, I love Main Street.  Aaron took me on our first date near Main Street, I celebrated with my bridesmaids on Main Street, my family has had many special meals at Lewis & Clark's, and Aaron and I have made a point to make date night a Main Street event as well.  It is literally the cutest thing you have ever seen.  Unique, antique, and beautiful shops, restaurant, coffee shops, and homes line the cobblestone street.  Not to mention the vibrant history of Lewis & Clark is celebrated here every summer.  Picture a small town historic Main Street and you are picturing Main Street St. Charles.

Getting back to dinner, here is the birthday boy (turning 50 no less!) and his beautiful family.

My mom is Godmother to one of the twins and our family has been close friends with them for years so it was special to celebrate with them.

Grandmama & Opa joined us for the family part of the dinner and sat next to Aaron and myself so  they could get to know Veronica.

Aren't they sweet?  They loved talking to Veronica, whom they had never met, and jokingly told her that perhaps Buffy should be the judge of character.

There is a joke Opa like to play on boyfriends/ girlfriends of anyone in our family which involves taking them into his study at his home, setting his shotgun across his lap (loaded of course if it is a boyfriend), and questioning them on politics, morals, and general knowledge of the world.  This, of course, has never happened to my knowledge, but he sure likes to bring it up when he meets someone's significant other for the first time.  Sure scared Aaron for the few seconds he believed it might actually happened.

My mister and I posed for a picture too,

maybe not quite as cute as Opa & Grandmama, but we'll get there in 50 years or so ;)

Veronica and Cassie had a ball sitting next to each other, just goes to show how well Veronica fits in with our family as she and Cassie had never met until the evening before.  

The night was a grand success and we all enjoyed the family, friends, and fun!  I will add that Aaron has recently been complaining about my early bedtime routine, but I am trying to train myself for teaching life in the future.  He just doesn't like sitting in bed wide awake for hours while I am snoring next to him.  It's understandable.  

Over the past month I have had the honor of singing at several funerals and I received a lovely thank you card in the mail from one of the families.  They said that their mother was joyful and thankful in heaven for my beautiful voice.

No, I did not add this in to brag on myself (those of you who know me know that is not my personality.)  I only added it in to say that I believe thank you notes are the nicest and most important way you can show someone, not just that you are grateful for what they have done for you, but to show them how loved and special they are.  I have sent countless thank you notes over the years and will never stop sending them in the future.  Even if that person doesn't acknowledge the note or say they received it, in private I am sure they are grateful and touched the have been thanked in such a personal way.

Speaking of being thankful, I was thankful to FINALLY attend one of Cassie's club volleyball tournaments this weekend.  The girls form a fantastic team,

and even between games they huddled up and supported each other.  They ended up winning SILVER in the entire tournament.  I was so proud of Cassie and excited for her future volleyball endeavors.

There was one distraction during the games that no one, not even Grandmama, could ignore... a puppy!  Courtney, Cassie's volleyball coach, brought her little Shitzu puppy Millie to the game because she is too little to be home alone for so long.  She had some great babysitters, including Grandmama,

and Tad, who I am sorry to say trained her to get a little wild.

Anyone who knows Marley should not be surprised that Tad's influence on Millie will not be good influence.  But seriously, look at that puppy face, SOOOO CUTE!  Holding this little fluff pup got me really excited to get a puppy with my Mister very soon.  We are planning on getting our little boxer pup in June!

I will defend Tad's influence in non-dog related areas and say that I have been visiting the gym more frequently while he has been home.  Ever since the wedding I have been furiously trying to get back into honeymoon shape before the weather gets warm enough for shorts and the like.

Having Tad home is wonderful, I try to cherish every moment he is home now because in the future deployment or stationing in other states or countries could lead to some long periods of time during which I will see little or none of him.  I love my brother and am so proud of the choices he has made about his career.

Before Tad leaves to go back to school, we are having an even larger family dinner celebrating his recent birthday.  Leave to Tad to request, instead of the traditional cake, chocolate mousse for dessert.

Good thing we have Grandmama:)

Let's pray that the weather gets warmer so that the flowers and trees can show their stuff and we can start enjoying being outside again.  Spring, spring already!

2 weeks later...

It's a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up. 

 ~J.K. Rowling -- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Let me begin by apologizing for my lack of posts this month thus far.  February has been a busy month and school is taking up most of my time, not to mention a very romantic first Valentine's day with my husband as Mrs. Weir.  Going to school, actively observing in the classroom, and working on the side has made a busy gal out of me.  However, I love being busy.  (Don't you love my quote this week?  Although I am not dreading any upcoming event I am a HP fan and was excited to use one of Mrs. Rowling's quotes on my blog.)

Although I realize this is not the most glamorous of superbowl spreads, it was quite delicious, not to mention fattening.  We were happy about the outcome, but overall the lack of entertainment and horrific performance of the national anthem left us with a lackluster superbowl.

Then it was back to school for me.  One of my classes, Music Theory to be exact, is turning out to be quite difficult.  I think it has something to do with the fact that because theory is the "math" of music my failings at that particular subject are carrying over.  Thankfully, due to LOTS of extra work and an understanding professor, I am doing pretty well.  My first quiz is tomorrow so we will have some definite results then.

Wednesday turned out to be a VERY exciting day for me as it was my very first day observing in an actual classroom.  I am very privileged to be observing in my own first grade teacher's kindergarten classroom.  She has since moved to kindergarten and I could not be observing a better teacher.  She is so wonderful with her boys and girls and I have already learned some fantastic teaching techniques.  Thank you Mrs. Kaemmerlen for not only inspiring me to become a teacher, but helping shape me into the teacher I want to become through your example.

There is this joy, this rush I feel working in the classroom, seeing children achieving, and being one of the people shaping them into the people they will become.  It is a daunting task for some, but for me it is simply amazing.  There is this rush I feel when I am onstage performing, a feeling I thought could never be matched when I was "working," but it has been; by teaching.  Because of children learning and growing in a classroom.  Teachers are truly the heroes of our society and it is sometimes easy not to see that until you step into their shoes.  Thank you to all my heroes who taught me, inspired me, and helped me to remember, every day, that I am a special person who can change the world.

Speaking of the stage, I have not left it behind.  I want to be a teacher, but in the summer months, which teachers have off (hooray!) I can still participate in something I will always have a passion for.  I had a successful audition with the top theater/commercial/on-camera agency in St. Louis and will be auditioning for the Muny in March.  The Muny audition is one of my favorites.  Although it is very intimidating, because this will be my 12th audition or so (including my teenage years) it has become an annual event.  Last year I made it all the way until the end of callbacks and it was the best audition yet.  Cross your fingers for me this year.  It is a dream of mine to perform as an adult on that stage.

Cassie and I have been bonding quite a bit recently, and because I am her Confirmation sponsor, we attended Mass and class together this past Sunday.  It is interesting to see the interactions between the other candidates and their sponsors.  I feel very honored that Cassie chose me to be her lifelong confidant, friend, and role-model in the Catholic church.  Not to mention she is my little sissy and I already love the special relationship we have.  I love my little sweets.

And then it was Valentine's Day!  My husband, because he is especially romantic and creative when he gives me gifts, had beautiful roses delivered the Friday BEFORE Valentine's Day.  Here they are sitting on my work desk.  He never fails to impress and surprise me.

Cassie made these delicious chocolate covered strawberries for us herself.  Quite a creative sister if I do say so myself!


On the actual day of Valentine's my husband spoiled me all day.  He didn't spend too much time working and even had lunch with me.  He also planned a surprise dinner at a restaurant I had never been to before that was a surprising five minutes away!  

Vivian's Vineyards is an adorable restaurant that is in an old house built right near the Riverfront in St. Charles.  I loved the old fashioned feel and the fact that we were in an actual home.  The dinner was delicious and we even got some champagne sherbet at the end of our meal.  And it wasn't a snooty restaurant.  It felt so "homey" and the chef/owner came to our table at the end of the meal and shared some of his recipe secrets with us.  The tiramisu he makes apparently takes as good as the original in Italy.  We were far too stuffed to order that much dessert.

It was a perfect evening, one I will never forget as it is our first Valentine's as a married couple. My husband even gave me a hand-written card that thanked me for the past week and how he still felt the butterflies and excitement to take me out on a date as he did the very first time.  That's why we make the perfect couple.  By the way, those are his word not mine.  

The pups even celebrated Valentine's with some special treats.  Penny barely had time to taste hers as she swallowed it whole, but Marley took a little more time enjoying his.  They were very cute Valentine pups all day.

Valentine's Day was the beginning of the amazing weather we have been having in St. Charles.  God was certainly reminding everyone here how much he loves them by making the weather warm so that all the ice and snow could melt and we could enjoy being outside again.

My husband has certainly been taking this to heart.

Marley was quite annoyed that such a large squirrel infiltrated one of the trees in our yard.

Penny just wanted the dead branches he was cutting off the tree.  Aaron says she looks a little like a bear in this picture.

I am enjoying the beginning of spring too.  I was outside during the climbing of the tree, mostly because if my husband were to fall and break a limb I could get the proper assistance, and have loved being able to play outside and enjoy breathing in the fresh spring air.  There is a smell that everyone recognizes about spring and it has been a joy to breathe it in.

Soon my mom will be recruiting us to wash the screens and the windows, a Delicath-family spring cleaning tradition and in no time, if the weather continues warming up, the family pools will open.

As God reminds me how thankful I am to him for the new life and beauty that springtime will bring, I also am reminded of the beauty in my marriage.  I know that I need to do a little "spring cleaning" in that area of my life: learn a little more patience, be kind and slow to anger, and to live in each wonderful, beautiful moment having Aaron as my husband brings.

So here's to spring, love, and living our lives enjoying them.

Also, HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY TO MY AMAZINGLY KIND, BRAVE BROTHER TAD!  Have an amazing day and get ready for next year, you will be turning 21 and I will be celebrating with you!  Love you buddy:)