To Dad...

For as long as I can remember my dad has "surprised"  my mom around Valentine's day with huge bouquets of beautiful roses. Cassie and I have also always received flowers from my dad for Valentine's day and usually our birthdays. He's a flower kinda guy...a girl can't complain. I think it was my freshman year at Western, my dad actually drove down to Kalamazoo to bring me flowers and take me out for dinner. Seriously. I am so spoiled by that man.
Working with kids in KPS I have seen so many broken kids caused by broken families. I am so happy with where I grew up and who I grew up with. It's not something to take for granted.
My dad is someone who I could and can always trust, depend on, and laugh with.

I know you see a lot of these pictures around this time of year....but aren't they beautiful!! 

My dad jokes about when I get married we will start our own traditions and "butt" out of theirs...he CLAIMS no more Christmas presents, birthday presents, Easter egg hunts and I'm sure he'll eventually joke about no more flowers on Valentine's day... and just gotta say...I'll believe it when I see it. BUT those things means so much more to me (& the rest of my family) than the actual stuff; it's the continued family traditions that are really valued [and just so you know dad, you can't get rid of us that easy]! I don't know where I would be without the love and support of that man. Thanks dad! Love you!

Brilliant.

I cannot even explain my excitement of coming back to Tim Horton's coupons and an announcement of the Grand Opening on February 4. We went to Canada too much when I was younger and each trip consisted of a stop to Tim Horton's for "timbits" and their crack coffee.
SO Emma and I decided last night, before the Superbowl, we were going to this Grand Opening tomorrow AND as an added advantage if you were one of the first 100 people after 8am-which we would be-you get a free travel mug (not that we don't have enough of those). So we decided: we were leaving at 7:40am and getting a FREE travel mug and use those coupons that were burning holes in our pockets-it sounded like our best option at the time... Another fabulous idea by Annie & Emma.
My alarm going off at 7:20 this morning begged to differ...so did the snooze...and the weather...and scraping off my car...and slipping all the way to Tim Horton's. This was such a brilliant idea. Brilliant. As I was scraping the inches of snow that accumulated on my car overnight I was thinking free mug, crack coffee, free mug, donuts, coffee, free mug....warm bed, sleeping in, ohhh right... free mug. 
Once we got there my mindset switched. I had an awesome free travel mug, coffee bought with a coupon, and nice conversation with a retired teacher-this was a brilliant idea.
Time to leave. Scrape the car off, crank the heat and we are on our way....just kidding...we are stuck...blocking the drive through of a grand opening...crap. Emma gets out and informs me "the front tire is spinning" oh and I'm stuck because I'm straddling a curb in the parking lot. Sweet. Brilliant idea. Emma and I monkey around and a guy pulls up to place his order, but we are in the way. In my head he's coming over to my car and yelling about the predicament we are in and Tim Horton's is suing me for slowing down their grand opening-this is just the way an over-exaggerator thinks. Crap. He's getting out, and yelling...."Ya'll need some help?" Thank the good Lord Almighty, I will not be sued today. He's helping-but by his size I'm thinking Emma was a better pusher... I hate saying this but sometimes it takes a man to get a car unstuck, it's just the way they think. He pushes from the front (not something we have tried yet) and I am out within seconds. Thanks stranger man, sorry for doubting you! Gotta love those good Samaritans when you're the one who needs help! We are warm, home, and I still have some coffee left.

This story was brought to you by Annie & Emma's brilliant ideas.