not to us

Today, I had a broken heart.  According to previous plans in my life,  I should have been at the airport today.  I was either supposed to leave on a plane for Haiti or welcome my best friend and her new son home.  For reasons far beyond my control, neither of these events happened.  And my heart?  It was broken in a million pieces.  I have cried on and off for the past couple of day, trying to reconcile the new reality that I'd be living today.  And that might sound dramatic, but, hey!  I'm a dramatic person.

God had a greater plan, though.  :)  And I love the fact that He's like that.  Just minutes after I learned that I wouldn't be going to the airport to greet Addai and family, I received an e-mail from an old friend from Purdue.  She and her family were going to be visiting Lafayette/Purdue for her birthday, and she wondered if I could suggest any fun things to do.

I suggested that they spend the night with us, and hang out with us while we toured Purdue, visited the zoo, and splashed around at the pool.  As it turns out, a fun day with old friends can help mend a broken heart.

Old Friends

Did you know I started my college career as a nursing student?  (By the way, I'm not going back to school at this time.  More on that later.)  Well, anyway, I started my time at Purdue as a student in the nursing department.  While I was attending classes, I met a very sweet girl named Andee.  She had a boyfriend named Dave, and I invited them to the BCM.  Over the next couple of months, the four of us became friends, and, for our sophomore year, Mike and Dave decided to become roommates.  :)

That was eight years ago.  This was today:

What you can't see is that both of the boys are pushing double strollers.  And Dave's youngest child, Collin, was asleep in my arms.  (Heaven!)

Here is a picture of all five kids together...looking at the camera!  (Nice photo skills, Andee!)

From the left: Ruby (3), Benjamin (4), Collin (7 months), Anna (2), and Burke (1)

We have been a very busy foursome.  ;)

Touring Purdue

As fellow Purdue grads, Dave and Andee were excited to introduce Benjamin to Purdue.  He even had the Purdue Pete flap book, where Pete searches all over Purdue for his hammer.  We visited all sorts of iconic scenes on Purdue's campus.  Benjamin and Ruby were happy to model the scenes for us!

Pappy's Diner (The Sweet Shop)

The Engineering Mall Water Fountain

The Bell Tower 

The best part about visiting Purdue with Dave and Andee?  Dave was a highly acclaimed tour guide during his time at Purdue.  :)  We got to learn more about the sights and sounds of Purdue than we did during the seven years we spent there as students!!  :)

Truly, though, Dave and Andee have a beautiful family.

Visiting the Zoo

Ruby made quick friends with Benjamin and Anna.  The enjoyed posing for pictures:

Looking at the Wallabies:

Walking in a great big group:

Crowding into an underwater tunnel to see the otters:

And playing in the fountains (again):

Splashin' at the Pool

The water fun didn't end with the fountains.  We spent a good deal of time getting SOAKED and cooled off at Tropicanoe Cove.  :)

Dave and Andee, we had SUCH a blast.  Please, please, please come back soon to play!

Healing the Heart

So a fun day with old friends certainly helps to heal the heart, if for no other reason than to distract, for a short time, from the sadness and to remind, for ever more, that friendship is precious.

But there is something that helps heal the heart permanently, and that's love.  Pure love.

And these faces?

Those faces inspire pure love every single day of my life.  :)

Thank you, God, for family and friends.  Amen.