NEWS UPDATE - GOOD NEWS FROM THE FARM

It seems there's been a whirlwind of strong energy here at The Farm this spring, some of which has been so life-changing that it's been a challenge to keep the heart light and happy.. We've managed, however, to still keep our eyes on what's good and beautiful and our hearts open....

RIght now, however, there are some REALLY, REALLY good events to report...Yippee! Here goes!...

Long time farm kid, house sitter, babysitter, and very special sister / daughter, Dana, is ....drum roll please...PREGNANT! She and James will become parents in December, and as the Universe would have it, her due date is December 25th, the same day Samuel was due to incarnate on the planet. I have a hunch this little one will arrive on or around his birthday, December 13th. Nonetheless, we'll have another special little Saggitarian in the farm family....My smile, since learning the good news, just gets bigger and bigger....

And just a couple of weeks from now, Samuel graduates (May 10th) from Appalachian State University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Philosophy and Religion...My little boy is finishing college....It's so great to celebrate this moment in his life...His Papa would be so delighted to know Samuel will be wearing Papa's gown for the ceremony! I couldn't be a prouder mom!!!!!

And then, on June 5th in Duluth, MN, Brett and Betsy will tie the knot before heading to Oxford for the summer for six weeks where Betsy will begin her MA degree. From England, the two will head to Bulgaria for two years to teach in what sounds like an incredible school there. The Farm will become the extended temporary home for their cats, Felix and Oscar. (Eliza and I are already preparing for a feline adjustment period....cats take a while to get used to cats, you know.)

Lori, nanny extraordinaire for the Kruegers of Nickelback, returns to The Farm around the July 4th weekend for her class reunion and a week's visit. Get this...She'll more than likely be flying in from Switzerland, where the Kruegers will be summering with Shania Twain and family. Lori'll take a break from life in the fast lane with the rich and famous to come back to The Farm, see her friends, and perhaps turn a little compost down by the barn. Then, it's back to Europe for her. Can't wait to see her! (Notice the likeness of Lori and Eliza...sisters of different mothers..)



And, earlier this evening, I got a call from Mary Ann, my office mate, with the good news that her father, a career military man, is NOT going to be shipped out to Iraq immediately. The news she received the other day made it sound like he would be on the way to the war zone after a brief visit to some base in Virginia. But as luck would have it, some of his men didn't pass whatever entry exam they had to in order to be deployed, and he has to stay back with them. Thank you, flunkees!

Finally, our vacation plans have come together...Joe'll fly in from Utah in early July, and then he, Eliza, Samuel, and I will head north to Vermont, meet up with Bobbi and Isabella, and spend a week in Danville, VT, in a beautiful summer cottage owned by one of Bobbi's clients. There's a lake for canoeing, an organic farmer's market every day, and easy passage into Montreal. We're getting the passports ready!

Happiness abounds on many levels....Share the joy....It feels so, so good!

Namasté...