A Huge Thank You

I'm back from a fabulous mini-getaway at my brother's house & I can't tell you how much fun I had with my two nieces, Juliana & Arianna. They're 3 & 1 years old and they have so much energy and imagination! We played, told stories, "painted" our nails, pretended to ski & fish, had a bonfire, & baked a cake. Juliana went on her first carnival ride, the Tilt-A-World, at the Ottawa River Fest and loved it! I'm going to miss seeing their cute little faces & hearing their goofy little laughs every day. They're both absolutely delightful!

I can't forget to thank my brother, Dan, for tolerating my presence, although I hope I wasn't too much of a burden! Even though he's the complete opposite of me in many ways, we get along so well. Hopefully next time we'll have more time to hike or fish!

I have to give a HUGE thank you to my sister-in-law, Marti for taking me in for the week. She is an absolute saint! Aside from raising her two little ones, Marti cares full time for her mom, who is suffering from MS. She does everything she can to ease her mother's pain, spending hours working her muscles, feeding her, bringing her to physical therapy, bathing her, and so on. She sleeps on the floor of her mother's room every night so that she is available every two hours to adjust her mom's position in bed. With all of this, she never neglects her daughters, always finding time to cut their food into shapes, have camp-outs in the backyard, & make crafts of all types. She continuously thinks about what more she can do, for her mom, her children, my brother, and anyone else she knows. I feel so blessed to have a sister-in-law like Marti. She is someone I aspire to be. Thank you, Marti, most of all!