He is Risen

Just a few weeks ago, my roommate Amy and her mom Karen kindly invited me on a trip to Florida for Spring Break. We collected shark's teeth on the beach, spent all day on a boat fishing for sheepshead, and enjoyed authentic (and definitely delicious) Greek food.

First Catch (sadly, not big enough to keep)

This weekend, I thought I would return the favor. Although I couldn't plan a trip as tropical and relaxing as a vacation to the Gulf of Mexico, I wanted to give Amy a break from the harsh reality of college life. Amy is from Massachusetts, so she wasn't going to be able to spend Easter with her family (she would've spent half the weekend in the car). I thought to myself, Amy is my family, so she should come home with me!

She was so excited to make her second trip to the great valley of Halifax (it's really not so special, I promise), and I had some ideas in mind to make it the best (and shortest) escape from reality that we could have. We left campus on Friday night a bit flustered and entirely overwhelmed; it's a long story. Amy thought she was going to have to work until five, and then she didn't. I thought we weren't leaving until five so I worked out and then had to get a shower. We had pounds of laundry to take home and neither of us had considered packing a single thing. 

As soon as I spotted my parents walking toward us from the HUB, a wave of relief and comfort washed over me. I hadn't realized how much I missed my parents, and my heart ached knowing that Amy wouldn't get to spend time with her family. When we got home on Friday night, we spent a copious (abundant, extensive, ample, plentiful) amount of time cuddling with my dog, Rocket and my cat, Smudge. Amy has a German shepherd at home named Faye and I'm sure she was missing her too. 

After eating some delicious, warm, home-cooked food, Amy requested that we watch a Disney movie. I think I actually danced a jig, internally of course. Moral of the story, I LOVE Disney movies, and we picked one that brought me back to my days spent in my carseat with pizza crust laying at my feet and the DVD player pulled down from the roof of my mom's Explorer. Ahh the memories. Amy wanted to watch Brother Bear, which to this day, I believe is so ahead of its time. It's one of those Disney movies that fills you with hope and love and forces a few (a lot of) tears down your cheeks. We cuddled up on the couch under some soft, fuzzy blankets and relived our glory days. 

After a good night of rest (in beds that you can roll over in without falling out), we woke up and soaked in the happiness of a morning filled with warm coffee, sleepy eyes, and pajamas until noon. Then, we decided to get some fresh air. My dad took us on a hike in the state forest, and Amy and I discovered a trail that would lead us to the top of the ridge and the Appalachian Trail! 

(Almost) The Appalachian Trail

After hiking, we were obviously starving, so we thought a trip for ice cream would be a nutritious and fulfilling meal (a joke, but I do love me some ice cream). We went to our best local ice cream shop called 3Bs and I made sure that Amy got the best flavor on the menu. We each enjoyed a cone of Graham Slam, which is graham cracker flavored ice cream swirled with graham cracker crumbs and marshmallow cups (like peanut butter cups but with marshmallow inside). I'm almost positive that our ice cream trip was the highlight of my week. 

Saturday night was full of Easter prep. We stuffed plastic eggs with tons of candy and prepared all the food for our feast that would occur around noon on Sunday. Unfortunately, we opted to do homework rather than dye Easter eggs (a decision that was probably for the best). Amy and I helped each other study for a chemistry exam that we took this week, and got to bed early so that we could get up for church.

Ahh. Easter. This holiday always has a refreshing feel for me. It finally feels like Spring has arrived, everyone is wearing their Sunday best, and it just feels... happy. Amy got the opportunity to attend my local church (for the second time) and experience what I have grown to know and love as our traditional Easter service. Every Easter, my church does a flowering of the cross where the entire congregation walks to the front of the church and deposits a flower into the chicken wire wrapped around our homemade wooden cross. The cross is then escorted outside to stand proudly in the sun and to remind us of God's sacrifice and His grace. 

Flowering of the cross in our Sunday best

This past weekend, Amy got to experience all the joy of a Spicher family Easter including my mom's famous pineapple filling and brown sugar (caramel taffy) sweet potatoes. I got to experience it with her by my side, and I am very thankful for that. To add to the tradition, we even made Amy an Easter basket filled with candy, Penn State gear, and some devotional literature. She was so excited that I think she squirmed in her seat as my mom brought the baskets to us. 

Amy has truly become a member of my family, and I am so blessed that I got to spend my holiday with her. Because I live relatively close to Penn State, I can't imagine what Amy must have been feeling missing her family on Easter. I know how special holidays are to me and my family, and I hope our kindness attempted to fill in the gaps for her. Amy and I have grown very close over the past year, and my parents view her as family, so even though Amy didn't get to go home and spend Easter with her biological family, I hope that she felt loved and cherished as an honorary member of the Spicher family this Easter.