Spring!

It looks like Spring has finally sprung!  And I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who as excited about this as I am!  Aloe is quite excited to be watching some good shows on Cat TV (looking out the window) as the many ducks, geese, squirrels, birds, and other little critters are finally out of hibernation!  The ponds have completely de-iced, and the fish are hungry from a long, cold winter...which leads me to my next story!!

Just a few days ago, Andee brought all of his fishing gear out of hibernation and packed it permanently in the trunk of our car for the next 7 months; for easy access whenever the need for a quick fish arises.  The first casts of the season took place right at the beginning of April, and although with the intense Chicagoland wind chill it is still cooler than we would like, hungry fish are great motivation for starting to spend some time outdoors!  Just yesterday, with quite the freezing windchill, Andee decided to stop by on the way home to fish at Bass City.  Many of you may have forgotten about Lisle's premium fishing spot known to us as Bass City over the winter, but not Andee.  And certainly not the fish!  After only a few casts (and a good thing too, because it was freezing) Andee pulls up a HUGE BASS!!  The first Fish of the season!!  He was soo big that he actually pulled Andee's foot into the water, shoe and all.  At least, that is how Andee tells it, but either way, he ended up with a wet foot!  A few minutes later, low and behold, another huge Bass!  Bass city fish, bass bass city fish!  Two hugies in a matter of 5 minutes!!  After capturing photo evidence of these monsters, we headed back in to de-thaw - and to re-live the experience by viewing the pictures one too many times!  A very successful first fish!

 

A great kick-start to this wonderful spring was of course, Easter!!  Easter was surprisingly early this year, and Harvest was hard at work preparing for all the festivities and celebrations!  He is Risen!!  What an amazing time of year to take the time to really celebrate and acknowledge the work that Jesus Christ has done for us in sacrificing himself for his children, us!!  What an amazing and merciful God we serve!!  "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" - Romans 5:8.  And Hallelujah, He is Risen Indeed!!  Death could not hold him, and so it cannot hold us either!  For as children of God, believing in the work of His Son and accepting the free gift of salvation, we are purchased and declared redeemed, accepted, and blameless!  AMEN!!  My Jesus, My God, Thank you!!  Easter is just that extra special celebration of what we should be celebrating every day!!  God is Love!!  Amazing Love!!  Easter!! 

Spring also marks the beginning of BASEBALL SEASON!!!!  Let's Go Blue Jays!!!  This season comes with palatable anticipation, as the Jays odds for winning the World Series this year are ranked #1 in Vegas!!  Toronto traded and signed for an All-Star team this year, and we are extremely excited to watch this year play out!  The Jays have not been contenders for 20 years, and at the ripe old age of 5, it is needless to say that at this time I was not a Jays fan.  Andee however was quite the little Jays fan, but 20 years of faded memories leaves both of us eager to see the Jays make it far this season!  Andee doesn't get excited about much, but with the combination of Blue Jays and fishing all in one week, he is definitely a happy camper!  Unfortunately the Jays lost their opening game, but the anticipation is high, and the opportunity for an exciting and eventful season awaits!  And of course, a Jays themed photo shoot!

In other exciting news, our good friends from St. Kitts/actually from Canada, Naomi and Joey and their little ones, have just recently made the move to Illinois for Joey's clinical rotations!  It looks like they are following a similar path to us, as Joey is scheduled for several rotations at the Adventist Hospitals!  They are currently living only about 20 minutes from us, and so there shall be many hangouts to commence when the weather gets warmer!  We were able to see each other a couple times since their big move to catch up and play with the kiddos, and they have come to a few Harvest Bible Chapel services as well!  We are so happy that they are on track to completing the long process of medical training, and especially that they are completing this training only 20 minutes away!  Sure beats living in separate countries!   

Oh, Spring!  I think God planned Spring in perfect timing to contrast the bleak and cold winter and immediately replace this season with one of new beginnings in Easter and the new growth of nature, fun outdoor activities such as baseball and fishing, and anticipation of warmer weather to come!    

Unfortunately, Andee and I are both sick today, and with a cloudy and rainy forecast along with "strong wind warnings" (what the heck?) in the Chicagoland area, making the supposed high of 18 degrees Celsius temperatures feel much cooler, we seem to be stuck inside for the most part.  At least we have our Blue Jays to keep us company!  And our adorable Aloe Cat!  Here are some cute pics our sweetie just for fun!

Happy Spring Everyone!!