Tuesday, February 26, 2008

If I had another daughter I'd have to name her Lilly

You may ask, "Why ever in the world?" I've been waiting to write this post for some time now- four months to be exact.

My beloved husband applied for a grant from Lilly (the pharmaceutical company) last fall and we were informed today that HE GOT IT!!!!!! The big white envelope arrived in our mailbox with a letter of congratulations and news that the $8,000 is on its way.





The grant is specifically for teachers to explore an area of interest that would inspire and renew them personally and professionally. It's called the Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program.
His proposal is titled "Fifty Years of Space Exploration" and for those of you who know him it fits the bill.

We will be spending the month in June living here...
(pray for this one please)



and touring here...
and watching many of these...



and going to Family Space Camp where I will finally be weightless...


and in control...

We'll have lunch with him...



and maybe even get to see this!!



We'll also be spending our days here...


Learning about these cute little guys...



And getting some exercise in the great outdoors...


And the rest of our time? We'll be doing a lot of this.


20 comments:

Kathy in WA said...

Congratulations! This is wonderful. My father received a sabbatical from the Lilly Foundation (same one, I would presume) several years ago. It was wonderful! He and my mom took 3 months off of their work at my dad's church and traveled around.

Loved the pictures showing how you are going to spend your time. :)

Duckabush Blog

Sarah said...

Congratulations. What an amazing opportunity for your family!

Alaina said...

Oh my goodness! How incredibly exciting! Can we come, too?! :)

Jenny B said...

WAHOO! Praise God. That is so exciting. I can't wait to hear all the stories.

jennie said...

What a way to end a GREAT February!!!! I will miss you!

Heather L. said...

I'm so excited for you!!! I'm so glad the Foundation chose Sean! God is good to provide this wonderful time! Can't wait to hear about it and see pictures!!!

Unknown said...

WOW! What a wonderful, wonderful thing, Monica! I'm sure Sean is so proud and excited! And talk about a mecca for a homeschoolin' family! I'm sure you'll learn lots and lots. And actually get some school days in during the summer!

Catherine said...

Wow that sounds terrific!!!

Tisha Alexander said...

OH Monica, I am so happy for you all!!! That is going to be a great experience.

Cindy-Still His Girl said...

YEAH!!!!!!!!!! So he got BOTH grants??? WOW!!!! I'm so, so happy for you. That house looks AMAZING!! It will be wonderful for you guys to get away, and the affects of it will last for years! :) I'm thrilled for you, friend. God is so, so good. I just know He ESPECIALLY likes to dump blessings on YOU; you bring Him so much pleasure and honor!

mindi said...

Yay for you and your family!! Fun fun fun!!

Saralyn said...

Hip hip horray! And having good looking gams should come in handy in FL :~). (I started reading your blog about the same time you posted about your veins.)

Amy K said...

That's so awesome Monica! I'm so glad for you guys to have this opportunity!!

And, did I hear rumor it's your birthday? If so, hope you had a great day!

Rob said...

Congratulations! This sounds like it's going to be a great time. I'm really excited for you guys!

Heather and I are really looking forward to hearing all about it.

Amy said...

Yay Sean! That is so exciting - I have been wondering if he got it ever since you told us at our girlie get-away in the fall. You are going to have such a great time!

Unknown said...

I wish he could have talked this morning. Do you ever have a free evening to go out for coffee or anything?

Denise said...

How exciting is this!! I'm sure you will make lots of precious memories and have LOTS to blog about!! Congrats to your husband!!

Rebekah said...

Congratulations. I found your site from Miss Sniz. I grew up in FL and my sister lives just down the street from Merrit Island.
Im sure you guys will have a great time down there exploring and relaxing.

Unknown said...

Wow, Monica...this sounds simply wonderful! I had no idea Sean had even applied for this. God has certainly blessed your family with these wonderful gifts (the Best Buy certificate and now this trip). We look forward to hearing all about it and seeing pictures. What a wonderful opportunity for the whole family!
Love you guys,
Margie :)

Mary@notbefore7 said...

The sheer joy is written all over this post and I am so excited for you all. Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy!

Looks so great!