April 1st

Today was a beautiful day here in the desert. The sun was bright and it was nearly 80 degrees. We spent the day relaxing and letting Jim and Jackie catch their breath after their long trip out here. We went over and walked through their new house and then we went to lunch. I took the kids after school and ran some errands so that they could rest a little bit and by this evening everyone was feeling much better. We look forward to a do nothing kind of weekend, just enjoying ourselves and relaxing a bit.

My daughter has a beautiful laugh and she is so generous with it. She laughs so easily and I find that to be such a refreshing and beautiful trait that she possesses. When she laughs, she throws her head back and her laughter just lights up a room. You cannot help but smile when she is laughing because she is so intoxicating. She is just beautiful when she is laughing. And I think that I try to keep her laughing because I love watching her so much. Of course, I am just a little bit biased...but I do so love to see her laugh.

Life is good in the desert. Very, very good. I am thankful to be here and grateful for the blessings. I am thankful for the laughter and smiles that seem so abundant here. I am thankful for family and friends and the special people that have been placed in our lives here. I am thankful for sheepish little boy grins and all the things that come with little boys...like arm farts and burps and messy hair and sleepy smiles and voracious appetites. I am thankful for the pile of laundry that comes with 3 little ones and for the prayers we say over each of them. I am just so thankful here in this beautiful desert.