Feeling blessed

What a great time we've been having here in Indiana.  We enjoyed our first day and night in Columbus with Mike's brother Matt's family.  On Sunday, the boys all drove together to Warsaw while Chrissy (Matt's wife) and I drove behind them, with their little boy, Dane, napping in the back seat.  I loved having the chance to hang out with her for the four hour drive. 

We had a great big family reunion on Sunday afternoon at Mike's parents' house along with Matt's family and Mark's family.  I have totally fallen in love with my new little niece and nephew.  Reese (Mark's little girl) and Dane.  We had a big dinner all together and had our family photos taken by our very own professional photographer, Chrissy!  I'm anxious to see how they all turned out.  The last time we were here in Indiana, David was still the lone grandchild.  Now he is one of four!  What a different dynamic around here now.  I love seeing David actually have a companion (his brother) and some cousins to play with. 

Monday we hung out all day with Mike's mom, as well as Mark, Brittany (his wife), and little Reese. Plus we drove around town a little bit, taking the boys to Grace College, showing them a few places that we used to frequent when living here, and also to play on a few really big snow piles.  The lake is frozen over, so they also got a kick of being able to walk "on" the lake.

Tuesday we drove around a bit more, showing them where we went to high school, where we went on our first date, and where I used to live and work.  We ate lunch at Penguin Point, one of the places I worked at part-time during my younger years.  We also visited some more family before heading to the coffee shop for our book signing. 

I absolutely enjoyed every moment of our book signing.  I sold several books and signed a few books that people already had, but the joy came from just seeing and catching up with friends I haven't seen in over ten years.  Friends from high school, cross-country, youth group, two different churches we attended, college, two different jobs I had, and even college!  Plus one of my "kids" that I used to work with when I taught ESL came out to see us so we could meet his daughter.  He's 26 now!  (Yes, I feel old).  When I thanked him for coming out, he said he "wouldn't have missed it for the world".  One of my coworkers from my high school job came out, bought a book, stayed for quite a while, and then read the entire book last night after she got home!  That really touched my heart.  I feel so blessed.