Sunday afternoon in Michigan

I returned to my brother and his family on Sunday afternoon after my training was complete. It was wonderful to be with those sisters in Christ again at training and to share joys and struggles and learn and laugh and cry together. It was also exhausting!! When I got back, Bethany, nephew E, my brother & I headed out to see Calvin’s Nature Preserve and Meijer Garden. After a rainy & snowy weekend, the sun poked through on Sunday afternoon and it turned out beautiful! Bethany had lots of pictures from these outings, so I’m trying not to duplicate those. Here are a few originals:

These two talked constantly. Two peas in a pod they are.

This cactus was at Meijer Garden. It reminded me of something out of a Dr. Seuss book. But no, it’s from our Creator. Love that!

It’s all about perspective…same horse above as below.

It was a good afternoon. We came home to have dinner with my grandma (so nice to see her again…she’s 90!) and then I was able to go out for dessert with my college friends! It was great.

One of the funniest things that happened that day had to do with my niece C. She was quite attached to me and liked to cuddle. In fact, she wanted nothing to do with anyone else when I was around. When it came time for dinner, I tried to put her in her high chair. That was something she DID NOT want to do. She started crying and crying and fighting me – my brother & I had to hold her down to get her buckled in. She was SO mad. Eventually Bethany distracted her and she stopped crying, but after a few minutes, she & I made eye contact. She looked straight at me, then jolted her head sideways and started crying again. Yep. Definitely mad. And definitely mad AT her Aunt Julie. Thank goodness she forgave me as soon as I got her out of her high chair after dinner. What would I have done without those cuddles for the rest of my visit? She reminds me so much of Becca at that age. Stubborn, funny, observing everything. Plus, she looks a lot like Becca did. She’s got her own unique traits too…her smile is just like her momma’s and she plays happily with trucks and dinosaurs with her big brother, of course! Missing them all already.