[ 52/365 ] ..... Tim K.

I was a little nervous when they moved in across the street. We hadn’t had the best of luck with new neighbors. But oh, what a gem! Friendly. Funny. Kind. Love hanging with him at the Retts on summer nights.

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This is what matters most...

You know when you get married and you realize that it's not just you any longer? That now you have an entirely new family to love and share and celebrate. Um, and figure out how you're going to juggle all this loving, sharing and celebrating. And then you throw kids into the mix and it's even harder because now you have to coordinate naps and bedtime and food. Whew! You know what I'm talking about, right? And you get to a point where you throw up your hands and say, "This is us. Take us or leave us."

We celebrated Easter three times this year. Yowza! First was on Palm Sunday with my in-laws. And the twins were totally adorable in that First Easter, crawling, giggling, put everything in their mouth kind of way. Lots of yummy food, easter baskets galore, and Sean's first easter egg hunt. Gotta love it.

Then on Easter Eve we celebrated with my family. In traditional Greninger style we colored Easter eggs together and ordered pizza. Can't get any more fun, comfortable, loving than that! It was so much fun to watch Hannah have an absolute blast coloring her eggs. She broke one (big surprise), promptly ran to get the Scotch tape and asked mommy to fix it for her. All better! And my niece Marisa surprised me by decorating an egg just for me.

And finally Easter Day sprung forth with all sorts of sunshine and happiness. Sean was genuinely surprised and happy to find the Easter Bunny had paid a visit during the night. New spring PJs, Duplo blocks, books, mini-slinky, flashlight, dinosaur stickers and loads of chocolate. Not a bad loot if the Easter Bunny says so herself. Next up homemade waffles, and then off to church. Heavens be praised Sean behaved himself for the most part. Oh, except for saying "I poopy. Poopies. Poopies." during the Consecration. I'm trying to forget that part (and probably everyone seated near us too). And finally to Aunt Susie and Uncle Frank's for the best brunch EVER. I took full advantage and loaded up my plate twice. It was an absolute delight to spend the day with them and my in-laws. Blowing bubbles. Talking politics. Playing with Playdoh. Chasing dogs. This is what matters most. Family. Love. Bubbles. We are blessed.

[ 51/365 ] ..... Jane W.

She started her own business out of her garage, and now employs just shy of 200 people. A classy lady. Professional, yet down to earth. I was always ready to get an earful when a catalog proof crossed her desk.

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Happy Easter!

The first sign of spring in our flowerbeds!

The sleepy colors of winter
Fade fast in the dawn of spring.
The joy of Easter's promise,
Delivers sweet reason to sing.

Refreshed from her snowy slumber,
Mother Earth exalts her worth.
In a colorful burst of glory,
She blazons her wondrous rebirth

Renew your spirit, refresh your soul,
Rejoice with all humankind.
Celebrate life everlasting.
Peace and wonder are yours to find.

May the blessing of the Lord be upon you...

[ 50/365 ] ..... Fr. Dupuis

My high school college counselor. I told him I wanted to go to University of Illinois. He told me I wouldn’t get in, and I would be better off at Indiana University. He was right. I was wrong. Fate intervened.

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[ 49/365 ] ..... Tina R.

She told me when I first moved to IL that all stop signs with white trim were optional. I believed her. Playing basketball and softball together. Thank goodness she had a car to drive me home. Parties. Movies. TEC retreats.

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[ 48/365 ] ..... Claire W.

Our next door neighbor when we first moved to Crystal Lake. She was a little flighty, and I was flabbergasted seeing her shoveling dirt when she was supposed to be on bedrest. To this day I curse her landscaping decisions.

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