so much spring

It is HIGH time for a blog post..."good grief" is just about all I have to say on that score.

It's spring in Nebraska.  Here are four reasons why and some odds and ends.

Cows. 

 Every spring, we bring our herd home for calving season.  Seeing calves frolicking out in the pasture with a gigantic blue sky stretching all around leaves me in awe of life and God's beauty.    

Dandelions? Dumb reason, but true.  And I like how I edited this picture. =P  

My graduation in a mere two weeks.

Uh-huh.  I have begun the mad scramble to get things ready.  School finished up (big job!), invitations mailed, food planned, room cleaned, house cleaned, dress altered, jewelry bought...

I am pretty excited to graduate. Ok, more than excited.  Thrilled.  Ecstatic.  

Mother's Day. 

I love my mother very much.

(Was somebody planning when they put Mother's Day right around graduation time?)
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In light of the ensuing graduation party which is accompanied by plenty of delightful house guests, I have begun the tedious, vicious, but very rewarding process of cleaning out my room.  This is a more major cleaning than throw-the-clothes-in-the-hamper-and-make-the-bed.  I started with sorting through my books. I had three lofty stacks of books sitting atop my bookshelf, but through cleaning off old school books and such from my other bookshelf, those stacks are now down from lofty to just tall.  Sorting through, smelling, skimming, and organizing one's 220 books is an automatic mood-adjuster.  I adore every one of my books and get so happy spending time with them!

This is rather sad, but because I am moving to Michigan this fall, I have an extra desire to construct a memorable summer.  I'm planning to work, ride my horse, swim, scrapbook, and meander my way down an extensive reading list (which became more extensive yesterday after I realized I had yet to read many of the books on my shelves) for sure.  But I also want to fill the beautiful summer days with lovely little spur-of-the-moment things that bring joy.

-horses-

-Audrey and I at a baseball game-

"We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit."

Romans 5: 2-5