Rocking and Rolling Easter

....and here I thought we were going to have a pretty un eventful Easter this year! Not only did we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior this Easter, but we also got to experience (not celebrate thank you) our first earthquake since living here! This afternoon about 3:40 Kevin was on the phone with his Mom who had called to wish us a Happy Easter, and I was in the kitchen preparing deviled eggs for our dinner. All of a sudden, the house began to move back and forth in a rocking and rolling pattern that was literally bizarre. It took me a few minutes to register what was going on, but it didn't take long for me to realize we were having an earthquake! I yell out "Earthquake" at the top of my lungs and quickly step back from the kitchen counter and position myself in the door frame between the kitchen and the laundry room. Next thing I know Kevin is in the kitchen calling up to Kyle to tell him to hold on and ride it out. I was afraid that Kyle was upstairs scared to death. The quake went from a significant moving and rolling pattern, to moderate moving and then tapered off. The total duration was about 45 seconds according to officials. The epicenter of the quake was approx. an hour and 1/2 from our home and measured at 7.2 on the richter scale. Luckily, nothing fell or was broken. All of us felt dizzy for about a 1/2 hour afterwards.  It's so weird too, because JUST LAST NIGHT as Kevin and I were going to bed I said to him "I keep wandering when we are going to experience our first earthquake here...I hope it doesn't happen in the middle of the night" and I prayed about that very thing before going to sleep. Since we live in an area known for earthquakes, I know that I need to not only expect them, but to probably get used to them too. I won't deny that today's quake "shook me up" a bit emotionally and I felt a bit "shaky" for a good hour after. How did Kyle and Kevin fair? They kept high fiving each other saying, "that was SO COOL!" Kyle is now saying he can't wait for another. So much for the kid who used to deal with anxiety! The earthquake didn't phase him a bit, which I am thankful. I don't want him to have fears and anxieties about future earthquakes.

Other than our "Easter shake up", things WERE pretty uneventful and low key this year. It was our first Easter without Kate at home and that was really hard for Kevin and me. It was also the first year that I didn't hide eggs and watch the kids have an easter egg hunt. Suddenly our family has entered a new season.

We started the day with a light breakfast of orange rolls and fruit and relaxed around the house. Our church has 3 services every Sunday...at 8:30-10:15 and 12:15. We typically go to the 10:15 and I serve before as a greeter. However our Pastor had asked us "regulars" of the 10:15 if we would attend a book end service instead which would open up the sanctuary for visitors and newcomers. So, we attended church at 12:15 and the service was simply amazing. We absolutely LOVE our church and feel so blessed that we have found a place to worship each Sunday that we look forward to each and every week and that enriches us in our Christian lives. Kyle also loves our church. It isn't always easy to get the sleepy head up and out the door, but once he is there he is always happy to be there. Today after church Kyle shared with us the entire lesson he learned about how Christ endured the cross without as much as a complaint or attempt to save himself. We then had a lively discussion about the importance of Easter for us as believers.

Here are some pics of our church decorated for the big day.

Here we are after the service.

When we got home from church we had a late lunch and I gave the guys their Easter baskets full of candy. (I  mailed Kate hers last week)

We had a late dinner (this week's recipe of the week) and we will enjoy fresh strawberries on vanilla ice cream in a bit for desert. All in all I have to say that Easter this year was wonderful. (even with the shake up!)

 I hope that all my blog readers had a blessed Easter!