gifts

my dad is getting a canoe! my uncle told him he could have his canoe, he just has to come get it. THIS is so exciting. i see many many many sweet adventures for the Snyders and Russells this summer! what a blessing!

rich and i were able to sneak away with our kids (yes, i call it sneak away WITH them because we love them so much!) to our favorite hotel this past weekend. they swam their hearts out. wd got his first taste of swimming in a big pool. he was a bit intimidated i could see, and he kept getting a bit chilled, so he and i didn't stay long for that first and only swim the WE had. lol. the kids and rich went a couple more times. this hotel, which is in charming Sugarcreek, Ohio, has a sweet temptation for me...a baby grand piano. i got to play it a couple times. wish i had more time to do so, but with having the children, that's impossible. before i share photos of the piano playing, which i coerced rich to take for me, yay!, i wanted to share a special blessing....a man that had completed the near 2200 mile Appalachian Trail hike and had written the book, Hiking Through, was there at the hotel Saturday night to speak of his journey, which encompassed an emotional journey, physical journey, and spiritual one. we purchased the book and before we give it to my dad, rich and i are taking turns reading it. it is SO very well written. we are super impressed. the author, who calls himself on the trail, "the Apostle," had lost his wife to cancer and then went on this hike...i love the imagery he uses, the interesting people he meets, what he learns, what he teaches his readers....a MUST read. espcially if you are an outdoor kind of person. a MUST read!

so here are some photos that my sweetie took at the end of our stay. silly me had left my camera charger and battery in the hotel room and these pics were taken after we had officially checked out so he had to go back and have someone get us into the room. lol. i told him it's a given now that everyone is responsible for my camera battery and charger because i am so prone to misplacing those two things!

if you can't tell, being able to play this piano at a hotel was most certainly a gift. piano playing is what i love. i thank God that he has given me the ability to play....it's truly a gift from Him that i always want to make sure i use in the best way!

blessings...