And cute Ava is engaged to Sawyer! I am so thrilled for them.
My dear friend, Diana and I signed up for Teacher Appreciation at the High School. I figured this would be much easier than Prom decorating when signing up at the beginning of the year. Diana had the vision and did all the Amazon ordering. I basically just showed up each morning and helped set up whatever that day's theme was.
The entire theme was Super Hero's.
The next day was the big luncheon. More themed decor!
Speaking of excess, I continue to be in awe of Paisley's room.
I love this shot of Eli playing bass in his band, Carving Initials, at their show. Isn't this so great?!
They are a cute group, and I love that Eli is using his talent so much!
I go into the office most weekend evenings and spruce up the place. One evening I did a real thorough deep clean, and it felt so satisfying! I love what I've done to this place...
I just love to see Adren integrating with Ella's family. It is so sweet to see him attending the Reneer family milestones and be a part of the celebrations, seeing his future father-in-law's arm around him. I love it!
One Sunday evening we met the Reneer's at the Wild Oak so we could walk through set-up, move tables around and really see what supplies were available.
It has been fun to play around with all the different choices to see what is the most "Ripley"!
It is such a blessing to have access to this beautiful venue. Shelley, Julie's best friend since elementary school owns it and is so sweet and generous. We are throwing a spectacular wedding for a very small fraction of the cost!
I went over to Ella's sister's house one evening to help assemble invitations. Her brother-in-law's dog was very impressive!
Ella, Adren and I went suit shopping, hoping store #2 is a charm. I love that Adren snapped this while grabbing a quick bite, as we were all coming from a work day.
We loved this style of suit, it fit him so much better. And the brown fabric we chose is very dapper- very Ripley. We added a belt, shoes and shirt. Just like that, he's all set! 
The suit will be this fit in a different fabric.
Ella snapped these for me when they went back to pick it up. How handsome can Adren beeeee???
My little boy, The Groom!
I must pause in the midst of all this wedding planning and celebrate St. Paddy's! The little leprechaun's made an appearance this year, much to everyone's delight. I liked when Ella commented that it reminded her of the Whitmores.
We gathered at Kelly's to celebrate her birthday. Her home is craft city right now. She's moved her ailing father in with them, who is basically home-bound. Because she needs to be home so much, she has taken up crafting every little thing she can get her hands on and it is all so charming and delightful!
We gathered at Kelly's to celebrate her birthday. Her home is craft city right now. She's moved her ailing father in with them, who is basically home-bound. Because she needs to be home so much, she has taken up crafting every little thing she can get her hands on and it is all so charming and delightful!
The time has come to trade out this great couch! About 19 years ago, I was so grateful to get this couch for free from the decor store next door to Rocky Mountain that was closing and owed them a lot of money. All pleather, it was so much easier to clean up after my fabric couches. Then, as the pleather disintegrated, I purchased the last 16 yards of this upholstery fabric online and tried my hand at reupholstering. I had just enough fabric! I have been so grateful for this couch over the years. It has fit our entire family, sleepovers, movies, kids jumping all over, naps, and has cleaned up so well. It has been the very best couch!
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I listed it for $100 on Facebook marketplace because I knew if I said "Free" it likely wouldn't get picked up. Within a few minutes I had dozens of interested messages. I was so happy and slightly concerned when a group of 8 pulled up in a short bed truck, all hopped out and piled that up like it was the Grinch's sleigh. They somehow got all the cushions and all the people back in and drove off. Hooray!
Back on Facebook marketplace, I have been hunting for a desk that would hopefully fit right into this nook. I wanted it to fill the space wall-to-wall, but not stick out any further than the wall. I found it! I am excited to get it spruced up.
One evening while taking off my jewelry from the day, it looked like quite the pile. I feel this is a sign of getting older, I wear jewelry like an old lady. 
I took Zeke to Salon Devereaux for a fresh cut and highlights. She did real good.
Dev is always a delight to chat with and always so good to my kiddos. Love her.
My HR assistant, Vlad, is moving to Japan for a year! He is enrolled in a Japanese language program and will be living in dorms. He started as a volunteer. I used him so heavily when we moved our office. He was always willing and happy to be my heavy-lifter with furniture and help paint. We offered him a paid position so he could help me more in my HR world. He will stay working with us, remotely. I feel like a proud mom and look after him like my own. I even got him an air tag for his travels so he will keep his stuff safe! At our last All Hands Meeting, I made him a poster and brought in a bunch of Japanese snacks. Then, all of us in the office took him to lunch. He's loving it so far in Japan, even though most of our meetings are 5am his time!
Easter!
Just look how my presentation has dwindled. However, Christ Lives!
It was really neat to attend the Reneer side Bridal Shower for Ella. I was able to meet Ella's grandmother Argie, who she is living with, as well as see her other grandmother, JoAnne again. Her birth mothers sister and and grandmother and kids were there. It was very sweet to hear how much they love Ella, and how neat it has been for them to connect with her in these recent years, and their tender feelings around the adoption. They are such good people and everyone is all love and support for this special bride! It is a big milestone they have anticipated since she was born!
These are such exciting times, full of planning, anticipation, and firsts. I am enjoying meeting so many wonderful new people and getting a peek into Adren's new life. I am happy to see there is so much love, acceptance and support there!