March Faves

It's March!!  And I'm super happy about that because that means the Spring season begins in just a couple of weeks!  And around here, in eastern New York, we are seeing many signs of spring already.  All of our snow is gone from our yard and that makes me especially happy because I know it is almost gone from the mountainous areas too and then I can begin hiking again!

For now, I'm linking up with other bloggers to share our FIVE FAVES from the past week, which Susanne so graciously hosts. You can join in here.

my niece Mady age 8

me and Mady on the trail of Bog Meadow Nature Preserve

• LATE WINTER HIKE!  So all last week was mild but Sunday arrived and temps fell back into the low 30s.  But that didn't stop my plans with my youngest niece.  We started out hiking in this park but couldn't find the trail we wanted to do, so turned around (after a mile!) and got some goodies at the local Starbucks, then drove to a nature preserve I've done before.  We did about 2 miles there before the wind just got too cold to continue.  I drove her back to her home about a half hour north of where we were, and  we made plans to do a mountain hike for the beginning of April.  It's a lot of fun to hike with a young child and I'm thankful I live close enough to my youngest sister and her family so we can make these memories.

• SUNSHINE!  I'm so happy that many of our days last week and this past week have had warm, sunny days.  Courtney and I took our books outdoors late one afternoon and sat in the sun when the temp reached 72 degrees (f).  What a true blessing for late February...warm temps and sun!

Prom Gown  try on #1

Prom gown try on #2

prom gown try on #3

• SENIOR PROM SHOPPING!  Claire wanted to begin the whole senior prom gown shopping ordeal so we did that last week and wow...she is NO where near as choosy as her big sister.  We went to one place right here in town which is a bit pricey but we figured we'd start there. We were told the trendy colors for this year's prom season are navy (she didn't see one she cared for), black or black with big flowers, and deep red (she isn't a fan of red).  She chose 6 to begin with (4 black, a deep purple and a light teal) and decided to not do purple or two of the blacks. So she tried on 4 gowns, narrowed it down to these 3, and then decided on one. The entire process took 2 hours which included setting up an appointment for an alteration fitting which we did 2 days later.  You will need to wait until May to see which one she chose! What a blessing to have had this bittersweet time with my youngest child.

• Half Day!  Wednesday was just a 3 hour work day for me.  The students left at 11:15 because some of the staff had to attend a training, which means I could leave at 11:30 instead of 1:30.  It was a nice little bonus for the middle of the week!  I'm thankful for this special ed job I took in December.....I do have some decisions to make regarding next school year but I am waiting and trusting the Lord to direct my steps before making any major changes.

• COFFEE DATE:  I met a friend after work yesterday for a much needed coffee break.  Cindy and I have been friends for about 4 years I think...I met her at the school where I used to work, and discovered she also attended our church!  Well, she recently switched churches and jobs!  She is also doing preschool now like me so we had lots to talk about.  It was so good to get together with her.  I'm thankful for friends who are also sisters-in-Christ.

That wraps up my five faves for the past week.  I hope you have an enjoyable and restful weekend doing the things you love.

God bless!