Grad Party Greatness :)

After weeks of work, today we partied!!  What an amazing day.  Let me explain.

It started at 6:10 a.m. for me.  Couldn't sleep.  I was thinking (worrying) about everything that needed to be done still.  I decided this was just the kind of day to get out of bed and get on my knees.  So, I grabbed my phone (aka bible), prayer journal and hit the back deck before anyone got out of bed.

It was chilly and looked like rain.  God and I had a little talk about the weather and the forecast.  Then we talked about what a blessing my daughter is to us.  We talked about safety for those coming and most importantly, that we would be the best representation of Christ we could be.  I prayed for some people specifically - some that they would come to know Jesus personally, some for strength, some for safety, etc.  God and I - we had a good time.

After getting my focus where it belonged, it was the fastest 6 hours of my life.  The party came before I knew it and I didn't even have time to do my hair and makeup - so up in a pony tail it went.  I didn't look that great - but the house and back yard were kickin' :)  Elyse looked beautiful in her yellow dress.  The kitchen was super busy and friends and family began arriving quickly.

My biggest surprise of the day was Negasi, Emily, Natu and Calieb coming all the way from Grand Rapids.  Sometime I will tell you about our special friends.  We only get to see them once or twice a year and boy do we miss them.  They are like kids to us and their kids like grandkids.  We really love these guys and when I saw them, I ran out of the house, flew down the deck steps and gave them a great big hug!  It was so incredible seeing them.  I had to stop from crying when they left :(

So many friends and family were here to celebrate with us today!  Not a relative was missing - Aunts/Uncles/Cousins/Grandparents/Great Aunt & Uncle - it was awesome!  Lots of friends - new friends, old friends - good friends.  Thank you to all of you who came and joined us in celebration.  Thank you for being part of Elyse's day.  Thank you for reminding me once again of how blessed we are with good family and good friends.  Thank you for those who cooked food, those who brought food, those who prepared food - no way I could have pulled it off without all of you!  You freed me up to spend time with out honored guests and that was a great gift to me.  Thank you to those who helped clean up, Aly for taking what will be fun and classic pictures (can't wait to see some of those - love me some families with a sense of humor), Lane & Jay for the tent/table/chairs.  So many people worked hard to make today as special as it was.

It was really a good day.  70% chance of thunderstorms.  It didn't even rain.  What a mighty God we serve!

But the greatest blessing of all?

Our daughter.  She is so beautiful.  She is an amazing blessing in our lives.  Today I thought "you are beyond blessed".  Thanking Jesus today for all the blessings He poured out - but most importantly - for a daughter who loves Him, who serves Him, and who is headed to college to grow in Him in a very short amount of time.  Congratulations baby girl - you have made us proud.  More importantly - you have made your Savior proud.  Although He wasn't there in a "physical" sense today - I KNOW He walked amongst us today.  I know He smiled and laughed and thought "that's my girl" so many times.  I saw Him in the beautiful sunshine, I saw Him in friends and family and I saw Him in you.  Thank you for being who you are.  We love you.

Today was a great day!  Thanks again to all of you for joining us.  Can't wait to show you some pictures!