Best friend Missy and I went to Chicago for a day trip yesterday. We left our homes bright and early at 6:30am, arrived in Chicago at 10:30am, left Chicago at 5:30pm and returned home at 11:30pm. Travel was by train and between the hours of 10:30 and 5:30 were spent eating (this is the whole point of going to Chicago), shopping and walking on Navy Pier. We ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp, Cheesecake Factory and the Corner Bakery. I love Chicago. All the people walking around, all the tall buildings and, yes, the food. I often wonder when I am walking down the streets of Chicago wether or not the people around me are tourists or Chicago-ites. I always like to walk around the people who actually live there. I know that they must have the most interesting lives. Are they writers, artists, businessmen? Are they in fashion, real estate or the restaurant business? I am not sure, but it is fun trying to guess.

Also on this trip, I finished reading Blue Like Jazz. I loved it. Another part of the book that really jumped out to me was the part about living in a community. That concept has always mady my pulse race. I love it, and I loved reading about Don's experience also.

I am currently reading "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller. I haven't finished the book yet, although I don't think it will be too much longer, but there is a part in the book that I have already read that really put words into the reality that I have already lived. The author talks about a time in his life that he was a Fundamentalist Christian for a summer. He was away with some friends and they all decided to make this list of things that they were going to do and not do. They did pretty well with this list for the summer, but when they left, the author really struggled with what they agreed upon. This led to feeling guilty most of the time and eventually not speaking with those friends for fear that they would be disappointed in them. I remember living like this. The good feelings (of course including feeling better than everyone else) that came from doing the things that I was supposed to do and, more importantly, not doing the things I wasn't supposed to do. But there were a lot of feelings of guilt and shame because no one could live up to what I expected (of others and myself). I am so thankful that we don't have to live that way. There is so much more peace and freedom just loving Christ and loving other people. Everything else seems to fall into place.

On a side note, in the same book I learned that female penguins lay an egg and then the male penguin comes and sits on the egg while the female goes away. She always comes back just in time for the egg to hatch...very interesting!!!

This has been a rough week in our home. My grandpa passed away on Saturday. Not only have I been mourning the loss of one of the best people I knew, but I also miss my grandma even more (she passed away in February). Thoughts of my own family came into my head and I want, more than ever, for there to be closeness between my family and my brothers family. We were so blessed to have grown up in a family where we saw our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins weekly. Every Sunday we would go to my grandparent's house and have "coffee" after church. I am sad that my brother lives so far away from us and that we won't be able to do that (at least not now). But I do love the times when we do get together. Here is Destanie telling the boys "how it is". I know these children will love eachother very much and I am so thankful for that. I think that the best thing I can do in memory of my grandpa is to encourage in my family the kind of relationships he had in his family. I love him and will miss him very much.

Here are three of my best friends...Charity, Missy and Andrea. This picture was taken at my parents for our annual Miles 4th of July Celebration. There are so many good pics to choose from (thanks, Mom!), but I will have to post those later. The only thing that could make this picture better is if our friend Angela was in it...we really missed her that day. Anyways, I am so thankful for my friends...they truly are a gift from God!

Shame on me...it has been almost two weeks since I last posted. I have tried posting in the past two weeks, but the computer and I have had some disagreements about posting pictres. Rob was on vacation last week and I have some really cute Ryan pics that I want to post, but you will have to wait. During Rob's vacation, we spent a lot of time at my parents house. Ryan was able to swim and play outside. We also went to Holland to visit Rob's dad and went out to dinner with them. On Saturday, July 10th, we attended the Miles' 4th of July Celebration (this is Rob's name for it). Most of our friends, along with Tom and Debbie, made the drive to Fremont to spend the day in the sun, playing games and watching babies. At dusk, we watched the fireworks show put on by Rob, Jack and Mike. It was spectacular!!! If only Ang and Ryan could have been there!!! (Oh...and Eric, too). It was really nice to have Rob off from work for a week, but it is nice to be back in our routine also.

Ryan is saying new things all the time. He is really good at repeating everything we say and his new favorite word is "goon". Yes, I called him a goon and he keeps repeating it. Actually, he says "goom". Close enough. I am still so amazed at what he can say and understand. He is spending this week and next week with my friend Kerry (no, not the whole week...only while I am at work). She has two sons, Nick and Cole. He has a lot of fun there and I know she is always very loving and caring with Ryan.

Anyways, that is what is new with the Peoples. I will do my best to post those cute pics.

I really need a digital camera. I only have pictures that my mom has taken and given to me. So, this means that since I have no recent pictures, I have to pick a cute picture of Ryan and post it.

Hmmmm...what else do I need. Isn't that the burning question? It seems that there is always a running list of things I "need" and I just know that I would be happy if I could get just one of those things. For me right now that one thing is a patio set. I have wanted on for four years now, but have never quite had the money to get one. This year, though, we have Ryan. No, Ryan wouldn't benefit from the patio set, but I would be able to sit at it to watch Ryan play outside. They are on clearance now and I would get the cheapest one out there and...I don't know quite when the rationalizations will end in my mind. Who knows, I may just get that patio set this summer, or I may not. But I want to know how we learn to be content. God has blessed us with so many things and so many friends. I don't really know how our lives could be better (except, of course, with a patio set). A prayer of my has been for so long to be content. Some weeks I achieve that, some weeks I don't. Please God, let me be content.