Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Hello to all of my Valentines! I hope you all had a great weekend! As you may have noticed, the Olympic countdown is over and the Winter Games have begun! I have been so happy just sitting on my couch, basking in the warmth of our space heater, and watching our Olympians compete for medals! Last time we talked, Chris and I were busy digging out from our blizzard! Well, the snow is still here, but it has shrunk about a foot. Just in time for more snow to fall yesterday. Luckily we only got a dusting! I finally got to work last week on Friday, but I had to drive in because the metro was running on a very slow schedule. You can see the pictures I have posted of D.C. streets! Yuck! They are pretty bad! On Friday night, we had friends over for an opening ceremonies party! I don't think many of my friends really care about the Olympics, but since they have also been home bound for a week, they were willing to accept any party invitation out there! We ordered in some Papa John's pizza, served some bruskies, salad, and veggies and finished off with some of my blizzard brownies! I enjoyed the ceremonies, but let's be honest, after China's spectacular opening, it's hard to compare! My absolute favorite part was when the whales swam across the stadium on the LED screen! I could have watched that all day! On Saturday, Chris and I went to visit some friends of ours near York, PA! When they moved to York, PA, we told them that we would probably never see them again because they moved over an hour away. Well, over a year later, we finally made it up to their house for a visit! The Silvestri family was celebrating their dog Nellie's first birthday and we went up to have dinner. Nellie also got some birthday ice cream! Chris helped feed it to her in hopes that she would remember him fondly! On Sunday, Valentine's Day, Chris and I went to Mass where we got to renew our vows with all the other married couples in celebration of world marriage day. It was great timing since Chris proposed to me on Valentine's weekend! Chris was a little embarrassed by it, but I loved it! We had a nice candle lit dinner at home and exchanged cards. Chris also got me the Mario and Sonic Winter Olympics game for our Wii! I love it! Thanks Honey! For Valentine's Day, my dad also sent me some beautiful tulips and I love them! Thanks Dad! I love you too! On Monday, I almost freaked out when I saw the calendar and realized I have less than two months to get "swim suit ready" for Jamacia! The holidays were good to me and the blizzard brownies saw me through the snow, but now I have to loose some of my winter insulation and get down to business! Chris and I are going to Jamaica in April, and I'm so excited. Using the olympians as my inspiration, I went to the gym! Maybe lent will help me stay on top of my goals! Speaking of Lent, I can't believe that today is Ash Wednesday! Side story: I think this story is very funny, but I hope it doesn't offend anyone. So last year Chris and I went to the evening Mass for Ash Wednesday. This Mass was being delivered by our newest Priest Father JoJo. Father JoJo is a visiting priest from the Philipines and like many people from the Philipines, he has trouble saying his sh's (as in fish) and his th's (as in Beth). So he is going through the Mass and then he announces that he is going to put "Asses" on our foreheads! I was like, "What did he just say?!" Then I realized he was trying to say "Ashes!" This caused me to start chuckling and what made things worse is he had to keep saying "Ashes" for the rest of the Mass. I had tears going down my cheeks trying to hold in my immature sense of humor while Chris kept elbowing me and nodding in disapproval! Oh....it still makes me laugh!] This year, Sister Katherine asked me to lead a lenten faith sharing group. I was so honored to be asked to lead a bible study group! (Luckily Sister Katherine wasn't at last year's Ash Wednesday Mass). These meetings will start next Monday and will continue each Monday through Lent (pray for me!). I'm always looking for ways to celebrate Lent. If you have any ideas please share them with me! This faith sharing group is a great way to pray more during Lent and become closer with God. I'm really looking forward to it! I hope everyone is having a GREAT week! Love you, Bethie