Cinderella's Closet

 

A photo Nadia took years ago that we recently downloaded from the camera

Last year was the first time Nadia attended a prom. We (five girls and some of their moms) shopped for prom dresses at the Cinderella's Closet at the YWCA last year. Last year four of the girls got their dresses there (for free!). This year I suggested that we have lunch at Panera prior to shopping to make the outing more special since it's Nadia's senior year. Three of the girls plus their moms had lunch at Panera, and four girls plus four moms shopped at Cinderella's Closet. The cost was $18 for each girl, which is very reasonable for a prom dress plus a pair of shoes. Nadia was hoping for a blue dress this year, and we found one that fits her perfectly. I think she looks beautiful in it! I'm planning to do a photoshoot for the 7 kids again this year (5 girls and two boys). Isaiah won't be in the group pictures this year as he's currently a freshman at Cedarville, but his younger brother (Joey) will be going for the first time this year. The other six kids went to the prom together last year. 

Here are some things I'm grateful for today:

1. Cooper spent 27 days with us. He went home on Tuesday. We are happy to help out our friends by caring for him while they're away, but we're also grateful to be back to having just one dog. Cooper went to the vet today, and she thinks he has an aggressive cancer. The vet doesn't recommend operating on him. Thankfully so far Cooper doesn't seem to be in any pain. Hoping he won't have to suffer much and that his family will know when the time has come to end his suffering. 

2. Nadia attended a Josiah Queen concert in Pittsburgh on Tuesday with her friend Maddie. Maddie's parents bought two tickets for the girls and drove them to and from Pittsburgh. Nadia didn't get home until 2:15 am as Pittsburgh is more than 3 hours from our house. I'm thankful for the many Christian friends that Nadia has. She and Maddie are both going to be attending Liberty in the fall. They've been meeting at least once a week to do a Bible study at a coffee shop, and other times they go shopping, bake cookies, or do watercolor together. It was Nadia's first-time seeing Josiah Queen in concert. She also would have loved to see Forrest Frank, but she'll be working at Camp Susque when he's going to be in concert in Hershey in June. I contemplated just getting tickets for the boys but changed my mind when I saw the price of the tickets. Paul and I aren't keen on his music, but I'll try to see if the boys or all three kids can see him at some point. 

3. The Eiffel Tower releases tickets 60 days in advance. I wasn't aware of what time they are released each day. Evidently, I should have gotten online earlier yesterday to get our tickets. When I tried to purchase them, I discovered I couldn't get any for the summit. Almost all of the 2nd floor tickets (via the elevator) were also sold out. I was stunned to see that the only time slot that still had tickets available was at 5:30pm, which was the exact time slot I was hoping to get. Thank you, Lord! Paul and I have already been to the top, and the boys didn't seem to care. Nadia was a little disappointed, but at least we are going to the Eiffel Tower. I have made some reservations for some of our dinners on this trip, and that is something I've never done on a vacation before. Although a lot of the planning has already been completed, I still have things to do over the next less than 2 months including making parking reservations and buying a few more tickets to things (ex. still waiting for the Parliament to open tour reservations for May). 

4. Ian had to visit an art museum for his humanities class this semester. The options for art museums within 30 minutes of our house are those connected to a university. I told Ian what the options were, and he chose to go to an exhibit by Lycoming College yesterday. As an added perk, the artist was there for a reception (which included some free food). It was challenging to spend a full hour there, but we did as that's one of the requirements. This artist isn't exactly going to be one of our favorites, but we made a memory. Since yesterday was the first day of spring, we got free small ices at Rita's before we went to the gallery. Usually that involves standing in a long line, but I think the rain kept people away and we didn't have to wait at all! I also use a coupon for a free Blizzard at DQ as a treat for Ian after the art gallery. We had dessert before dinner instead of afterwards. His first arts experience was attending a concert by a symphony orchestra. He enjoyed that more than the art exhibit, and I'm confident we'll all enjoy seeing Joshua at Sight and Sound next month which will count as his "drama" experience for the class. 

Nadia took this with her phone recently while walking near our home