A Very Busy Day.

May was one of the busiest months for me - so the 31st was no exception. In the morning I ran/walked in my first 10k - the Oak Apple Run. My friends Sarah and Dave ran too! Dave is my coach and he generously offered to run beside me the entire race. He kept my mind from drifting and helped me reach toward the finish line. I was very thankful. The race started at 7:30 amidst a sea of "crazy runners" - it was a bit like letting the flood gates open. We ran for the first few minutes - followed by a fast paced walk - then at every mile marker we ran for 5 more minutes. I was slow as molasses - but I finished in 1 hour 26 minutes and 24 seconds according to my watch. The official results are 1:27:14. I wasn't last! (There were 5 more people behind me)

Even though I was at the back of the pack I still made some personal achievements: (1) I finished (2) I finished under 2 hours (3) I made 14 minute miles which was faster than my 16 minute mile training pace.

After the race I drank about a gallon of water and we all grabbed an omelet at Leo's Coney Island. That was followed by a quick stop at the Royal Oak Farmers Market and then I rushed home to get ready for my friends' wedding that I was the soloist for.

I made it to Rochester Hills in the just the nick of time and I even managed to squeeze my feet into a pair of black heels. (ouch) The wedding was beautiful - the flowers were orchids - which I just love. The wedding was at Crown of Life Lutheran and the reception was at The Heathers Club in Bloomfield Hills. By the time the evening was over - my feet were swollen to the max!

I made my way home and watched (slept through) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade so that I can make plans to see the 4th one called Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Have any of you seen it yet!

So I am welcoming June - the completion of school and the beginning of rest and rejuvenation. Bring it on!

Tracy

God is Light

Just a little picture from my recent yurting trip. I just love the simplicity of the barn and the simplicity of the statement. God really is light!

1st John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and decalre to you: God
is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

Newsweek Top High School

Hi Everyone - I was excited to see that Berkley High Made it in the list of the top 1300 schools in the nation according to Newsweek. Here's the article!

I told you it fits!

A quick trip to Lowe's today got a little out of control. I started buying the soil amendments that will be mixed in with the compost I have been making all winter. Poor Carrie had to squeeze into the front seat with the new pots. It was a tight squeeze in my little car. But like I said - I knew it would fit!!

Motherly Love

Brand new baby robins being fed by mom. She watched carefully over her 3 wee ones.

They've Made It!

Hi Everyone,
Just thought you might want to know that mom and dad made it to Japan safely. I heard from them early this morning.

Mom will be updating her blog regularly to tell about their adventures. Click here to see her first entry.

Eastern Market

I had a wonderful trip to the Eastern Market with my friends Susie and Carrie.











We saw so many beautiful flowers.









We visited my favorite spice & tea shop: Rafal Spices. It has been around for almost 50 years in Detroit.







A few steps away we indulged in some delicious candy from Rocky Mountain Peanut Company. They have a candy, nuts, dried fruits, and specialty foods. I saw a nice variety of South African Teas which I really enjoy (Rooibos and Honeybush are my favorites). I tried Goji berries which are full of antioxidants. They taste just like tea. The fresh dates looked amazing. The next time I make dates and goat cheese I would like to get the giant dates from Rocky's.








Then a quick trip into R, Hirt Jr. Company just to smell the cheese. Mmmm. They also have a beautiful assortment of garden pots and planters.








Then what a blast to see my "vegetarian" friend order a 1/2 slab of ribs!










All in all - A wonderful Day!

Graduation

Hi All,

We had a great day today with Lindsey graduating from Northern! Yeah!!!!!!!!!! We had a nice lunch at our house afterward to celebrate. I wish all of you could have been there too. Now she has to start looking for a job. She has had an interview with a charter school in the Phoenix area. Lindsey has some friends that are teaching there. She isn't sure if she wants to go that far away but it might be a good experience for her. For right now she will be subbing and working at Menards.

We are looking forward to seeing those of you who will be visiting Memorial Day weekend.

Pete and I got Tiger tickets for July 10th game. It is a little trip to celebrate our 30the anniversary. We are looking forward seeing the stadium.

I've tried to figure out the picture thing but I get stumped. Unless you do it often you just forget. I will keep trying though.

Love to all from the Cains

Believe it or not!

I signed up for the Oak Apple Run in Royal Oak Michigan. It is a 10K (6 mile race) that I plan to 1/2 walk and 1/2 run. I am really excited since it is the first race that I have ever entered. It's just to motivate me to keep walking throughout the week and to kick off my summer running plan.

Purple Rain??

I am in a dilemma - My beautiful yard has just never been the same since I had to dig up the sewer system. Ever since, it has been a battle with the weeds, bare spots, and browning in various areas of the yard. I fertilize in the summer, water when I can, and hope for the best. This year I have even managed to complete "Step 1" of the 4 step fertilizing system. Hooray. I am hoping that it will thwart the crab grass and even take a bit out of the dastardly creeping charlie. But what I am not sure about is the violets. It's a love hate relationship with those violets. Look at 'em - perfectly perky purple flowers. They are so happy and brilliant and yet they are in my yard. They do not belong in the yard - they are weeds. Did I mention how they smile at you in the morning? Well - 'tis another season to try to "fix" my yard. Maybe next year I should leave it up to the professionals. - Tracy

Earthquakes and Baby Showers...

Pete and I just returned home from Indiana.  It was wonderful getting to spend the weekend with Emily Marie and my parents.  The shower was amazing, and I felt so blessed to be surrounded by family during this special time.

To answer Tracy's question about the earthquake, Pete and I felt the bed shake and heard the windows creak and pop.  It was an interesting experience, but I'm hoping we don't feel that again for quite a while.

I return to Indiana next weekend for another shower, but Pete will stay in Chicago.  We are going to be setting up the nursery in the next couple of weekends, so I'll be sure to post pictures as things get completed.

Hope all is well with everyone!

Emily Ann

Emily's Baby Shower

Hi Everyone

This weekend I am in Carmel Indiana for Emily's family baby shower. I have been having a really nice time visiting with everyone and I have really enjoyed staying with Paul and Lynn. Peter and Emily have been staying with them too so I get to see them for a little while too. I thought I'd show a few pictures of Emily and the gifts. The shower was at her consin's home near by and her aunts, great aunts, grandmother, and younger consins were there. We had a very nice lunch and enjoy a few games.

Emily's grandmother asked about each of you and wanted me to send you her love.

I look forward to seeing Paul tomorrow as he flies out to Japan again on Monday.

The other pictures are at this site. http://picasaweb.google.com/enadeau5/EmilySBabyShower

Did the Earth Shake?

Hey Emily Ann & Pete - Tell us about the earthquake! We'd love to hear about it!

90 Days

I was just noticing that Alaina's due date is 90 days away. What a joy we will all have in our lives in 90 days. Be sure to keep Emily Ann & Pete in your prayers as they move in to the final phases of preparation!

March Madness

A few highlights from March Madness!

Swimming in the Ocean
Brotherly LoveRoyal Oak Farmer's Market
1st Blooms in the Garden
Pig-in-a-blanket winterhat

Ann Arbor Farmer's Market
Zingerman's Birthday

(Mom, Emily, & Carrie's Birthdays too!)

Painting at the Creative Arts Studio

Genesis Communications Team

Pastoral Search Committee

Parent Teacher Conferences

Ice Cream Treats at Jim's Dairy

Helping out the South Africa Missions Team

Exciting news from our house

I thought I'd take a minute and update everyone on the exciting things happening in our little family during the next couple of months.  

Pete got some great news this week about a job he applied for as a Software Engineer at Shure --a company that specializes in professional audio equipment.  He had a phone interview this week, and the next day they called to schedule a second interview for next Friday.  I am so proud of Pete! Please pray hard for him. A new job with this company would mean a lot, including a  much shorter commute and more time with family.  

I am in the last quarter of the school year. The last day of work for me is June 5.  Then I'll be at home getting things ready for our most exciting change this summer!!! Pete and I are so excited to welcome Alaina, and I'm having a great time planning the nursery. Thanks to both sets of grandparents, Alaina's room is already shaping up nicely with the additions of a beautiful crib and dresser/changing table combo that are both in white.  We are going to paint two of the walls in sage green, and the theme will be Classic Pooh.  

We have a some very happy celebrations to attend in the next few months.  Some of our friends are getting married (Marie and Rob 4/5, Brandi and Brad 6/7, and Lindsey and Travis 6/28) some have new jobs, and my sister, Anna, is graduating from Purdue at the beginning of May. 

Pete and I have been trying to find a church family here in Chicago since I moved to the city in December, and last week we finally found a church that we feel could be a great fit for us.  We attended CitiChurch of Chicago, and loved the feel of the small gathering of young professionals, couples, and families. We felt welcomed right away; a few of the worship leaders for last week introduced themselves to us and explained about how the worship service would run and how they got involved in CitiChurch.  The church meets in a middle school about 15 minutes from our house and has a children's program starting at age 2 which of course is a big plus thinking ahead.  

CitiChurch has a great worship setup that really lets you connect with God and prepare to hear the message.  The guest speaker --the regular pastor was gone due to the birth of his third child the Thursday before!-- was wonderful and spoke about the need for God's people to be generous to others through the gifts and talents He has given them, not just through monetary tithes.  Pete and I left feeling like people in this church wanted to make a strong connection with God and each other, and I can't wait to see the message for this week.  

This will be a very busy, but very exciting spring and summer for us. We'll try to keep everyone posted.

Take care,

Emily Ann

Had a Great Time in Florida

Hello Everyone

We had a great time in Florida this past week with everyone and I thought you enjoy some highlighted pictures. You can see my post at my blog for more details.

Paul is home from Japan. He is a little tired but overall doing well. Peter had a touch of the flu when he was down but he went to the doctor when he got home. (Emily Ann took good care of him and called before they left) He is doing better. Tim and Tracy's plane was delayed in Atlanta for two hours but they are home safe and sound. They got to see Paul when he came in from Japan to Atlanta and before he went on to Fort Lauderdale. That was a lot of fun for the three of them.

I helped again at the Blessing Pantry. This weekend the church here we go to "Christ Church" is worshiping by serving the community at large. There are all different work groups doing all different things. Then we all come together Sunday night to share and worhsip with music. It is a really great way to show the community God's love. They had a whole crew at the pantry sorting and cleaning. I donated a new label maker so I got to make new labels for everything. I love that kind of thing.

I hope you all enjoy the pictures and I sure wish you would put a post up so I can learn what is happen with all of you. Joy how are the boys? How is your mom doing? Did you get the box I sent? Do the boys have any new art work lately to see? The last pictures were wonderful and I printed them and put them up to enjoy! Addy I would love to see pictures of Faith in her Easter outfit. How is she doing? I bet she is so big! Carol what is up with you what have you been working on around the house? Have any kitty pictures to share????!!!! Linda the out look looks great! Any new projects to share? I love the link to it from the blog! Sara how you doing? I would love to see a picture of you in your Bolero. If I get to see pictures of the last one I will have another one in mind for you. It could come soon with pictures! Debbie did Winter get her other job she wanted? I have been praying she did. How is Linsey doing? Do we have an action picture of her in her school teacher class? Does anyone have a picture of Dad lately sure would like to see him and mom too! Carol and Linda I still need a picture of each of you in your sweaters for my blog. Debbie is already in there. Thanks Debbie. Joy and Ryan still need a picture of you home for my prayer wall. I miss not having you there! (I pray for you anyway :=).) I look forward to seeing and hearing from you all soon. I check everyday to see what is new in the family. I miss being part of the action!

take care love you all

Emily

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Everyone!

Hope you all have a wonderful day. It is hard to believe that it is Easter! It seems like we just finished putting away all the Christmas stuff. I am looking forward to going with everyone to Florida. This will be the first time that Emily Ann will be with us. I am sure Tracy and her will spend a great deal of time at the beach!

Paul will only be with us for three days as he has to go to Japan on business on Monday. BooHOO! But he will return to Florida on Friday and we will stay until the following Wednesday so that he has sometime to rest too. He will miss most of the fun with the kids and they will miss him too.

Next Easter we will be taking the little bunny Alaina to the beach! I can't wait. Everyone take care and we will see you on Memioral Day.

Emily

Move With You

It's finally here. The recording "Live in Detroit" has been transformed into its final form. The CD title is Move With You. It is an album that captures the heart of our worship at Genesis. I can't wait to share it with you!

Don't forget to Spring Forward!

Don't Forget that to night we Spring Forward. More Daylight at night!!!

Yeah Spring is just around the bend.

Emily

Snow Day!!

Tim felt his blood pump'n when he did the 5:45 am snow shoveling. It must have been a lot of snow because it was the first time he has ever come in to take a break!








I am SOOOOOOooooooo glad that Tim and Pete gave me a new snow scoop for Christmas this year. I had no idea how many times I would get to use it Tim would shovel the driveway for me.













The best part about the Snow Day - God answered my prayers for a little bit of rest today!!!