Botanic Garden

Yesterday afternoon, James and I took advantage of his afternoon off and visited the Missouri Botanic Garden. We visit it quite a bit (in fact, we've been members for 5 years, so we get in for free), and it is especially beautiful right now with all of the spring blooms. We took lots of pictures...

Isn't this pink beautiful?



















I love the white flowers on this tree.



















Here we are, so happy to have a day off!















The entrance to the vegetable garden.















The cherry trees in the Japanese garden were in full bloom - incredible!















These hyacinths smelled amazing.



















James was especially impressed by this new tulip color.



















Another beautiful cherry tree















The manicured English garden















The blossoms on this tree were so delicate.















One of the tulip beds















James with the daffodils



















I liked how they arranged this lettuce patch.
















One last view of the tulips!

Earthquake!!!

Now that the flooding seems to have ceased, it was time for the Midwest to have a new natural disaster....and we did!! St. Louis experienced an earthquake early last Friday morning of a 5.2 magnitude. It wasn't the first earthquake I've ever been in, but it was the first time that I was ever awake during one. The shockwave hit our house at 4:41 a.m., and it shook our house so much that I sat bolt upright in bed and watched my room shake around me. It took me a few seconds to figure out what was going on, but when I felt my bed shaking about a foot from side to side, our fireplace grate (which weighs a ton) rattling, and our television jumping around, I figured it out really fast. James, of course, was so tired from a week of 17-hour long workdays that he didn't even flinch...he just slept right through it.

The Lord really protected us, and even though our dishes rattled, we didn't have anything break. Some other people had more trouble, though, with windows cracking and buildings falling apart. The Kingshighway overpass that crosses over Interstate 64 (right beside Barnes Hospital where James works, about 4 blocks from our house) had to be shut down for several hours, since part of the overpass crumbled and they had to clear the debris off the highway.

Here are a couple pictures of what happened to some people near us:

Meghan's Bridal Luncheon

My aunts gave my sister a beautiful Bridal Luncheon before her wedding this weekend. It was at the famous Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle, Georgia. The food was great, and it was fun to see everyone!

Meghan and I...














Sarah and Lisa, our lovely sisters-in-law...















Meghan, my grandmother, and the hostesses, Aunt Beth, Aunt Mimi, Aunt Eleanor, and Aunt Anita...(all on my dad's side!)














A picture of the Patton women...
















Claire, one of the bridesmaids, with the gorgeous azaleas...














Meghan and Aunt Crystal, my mom's sister, who came all the way from California!



















One last picture before we left...