Thursday, August 16, 2012

new!!!

Went grocery shopping, first time since we got back!! Bare cupboards!!! Ha!!!

New cookware for zzzzzz kitchen!!! 3 pieces!!! Yay!!! Just flat wore my other out!!!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

you were there.....

At this moment of snapping the photo of these 3, I imagined and pictured in my mind Joel standing right there with Siah! Two little jackets, two little pants and ties! I can picture him being the "little clown" of the two. Probably antsy and making faces at the camera! There is NO place I can travel or go on this earth that I don't think of him, envision him there, wish he was with us. Miss you still.....

Where's the navigator of your destiny
Where is the dealer of this hand
Who can explain
Life and it's brevity
'Cause there is nothing here
That I can understand

You and I
Have barely met
And I just don't want to let go of you yet

(Joel) hello, good-bye
I'll see you on the other side
(Joel) sweet child of mine
I'll see you on the other side

And so I hold your tiny hand in mine
For the hardest thing I've ever had to face
Heaven calls for you
Before it calls for me

When you get there save me a place
A place where I can share your smile
And I can hold you for more than just awhile

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

CRAZY rehersal and dinner!!

I have been so blessed and excited to get hold of many photo captures of the wedding week!!!! These photos are from Kristen's friend's friend!! ha! The rehearsal dinner was as far as the wedding part "our part!!" I wish I could have done more for the actual wedding but distance made it a bit hard, soooooo I wanted to make the dinner very special and locate a very wonderful restaurant!! Since I wasnt able to drive around Maryland and check the restaurants out, I just did it all on-line!! I had a vicinity we had to be near so I just started looking at one restaurant option after another and calling and calling and talking to sooo many people. On some phone conversations I even forgot who I was talking to and had to ask "now which restaurant was this!!" Also, I thought it would be fun to "do something" at the dinner, something fun!!! AND of course I love to do games and parties, soooooo i had come across a few games a few months ago and jotted them down to keep "just in case!!" As it drew closer to making final preparations and I secured the restaurant, I kept going back and forth whether to do the games or not!! It sounded like fun as I thought but I didnt know how well it would go over at a rehearsal dinner....sometimes they are a little more serious!!! But I just couldn't let it slip away without going for it!!!! So I gathered ALL the supplies for the intended games and took it all with me!! Many of the children kept asking "what is that for??" SURPRISES I would say!!!! haha!!! I also planned a slideshow that kinda help the "more serious" part happen!!

The games were kinda like a "walk through a day" of what Caleb and Kristen might experience after married!! Breakfast Scramble was their favorite cerel boxes cut up and they had to put the pieces together!! Kristen won!!! Caleb didnt even know his soon to be wifes fav cerel!!!! He wasnt starting off very well!! Next after breakfast, was exercise time. The next one was soooooo hilarious!!!! I tied a banana on a string and then around Calebs waist and it hung down close to the floor!! Kristen was his cheerleader cheering him to the finish line by rocking his hips swinging the banana back and forth to roll an orange across the line I had taped on the floor!!! We have it on video!!! It was beyond hilarious!! Next, as it was drawing near to lunch in their day, which I know Kristen will serve more than spagetti and rootbeer, the game was to move 3 empty root beer cans with a uncooked spagetti noodle across the table! After lunch, and since Caleb LOVES dessert, he had to work for his treat.....Kristen stacked 6 ding dongs on his forehead in 60 seconds! Now in their day it was time for more exercise, cause we sure dont want married weight gain (it happens to EVERYONE) soooo they played "rebound!!" AND since Kristen is a basketball coach, she really was on top of this game throwing pin pong balls off of a clip board tied around Calebs waist!! Now as they got to the end of their day, it was time to make sure they ended it with "No Junk in their Trunk!!!!" I tied on each of their bottoms a plastic container that held 8 ping pong balls and the box had a hole cut in it so they were going to have to do some real shaking of their little booties to get all the junk out of their trunk......representing seeking forgiveness and making up at the end of each day if needed!!!  It was hilarious too!!

The slide show was next and hopefully it was meaningful to them. Then Caleb and Kristen shared some special memories they had with each of their parents! I was touched with their thoughts and memories they shared!!

It was a memorable night for me as we all came together to celebrate their big day that was to follow on Thursday!!!


Enjoy the photos!!!!!!





   I LOVE this shot of Anna, Elijah and Katelyn (Kristens sister)



























Monday, August 13, 2012

DC!!!!!

*wedding photos on previous posts!!


On Friday after the wedding we had a day to do "something!" Some went to the county fair, and some of us went to DC!!!! Hosanna, Mercy, Terry and I took the more exciting option, Washington DC!! We got on the Metro, which was an adventure in itself!! Whizz ing through black underground tunnels at speeds to 79-80 mph, stopping at 11 stations until we arrived directly in front of the Smithsonian Institute!! The Smithsonian really was extra neat because we watched the movie "Night of the Museum" and they really thought some of the things in it might just come to life! Ha! We arrived in DC at 5pm soooo we had to make quick stops at each place! We zoomed through the museum, and then made our way (walking the whole way!!!) over to the White House!! It's just amazing to be at these historic places!! We then made our way to the National Monument, and Hosanna wanted to see Lincoln in his big chair!! We strolled downtown which I really liked and ate at a fun little restaurant "Chef Geoffs." we hadn't had any lunch so we were starving!! Surprisingly Mercy did really well walking the 7-9 miles we covered!! The lights around all the sights at dusk were stunning! It was a day I will never forget!! (I only wish I could have gone in all those cute shops downtown!!) hahah!!!!

Saturday we started our journey back home with a few sightseeing stops as well. I have to say Virginia is so beautiful! The mountains are just so majestic and breathtaking! We stopped at Fredricksburgh which was Terry's dream of a lifetime place to stop!! His hero is Jackson!!!! We saw and mercy sat on a remnant of the actual
stonewall at the Battle of Fredricksburgh!! Just to see photos of that era they had there and to think you were on the "spot." is so sereal!! So many places alongside the road that indicated much history of that time! We stopped at Monticello as well and hoped to tour Jefferson's home but they were very proud of the tour. $25 a piece!!!! Eeeeee!!! We drove through beautiful mountain scenery
and finally could drive no more.... hotel stop near Charleston Va. Sunday we drove 16 hours, two vehicles!! The third vehicle with Elijah and Micah stayed in Maryland for a few weeks of work!!

Now we are home!!! So so so glad to be here!!!! Busy day!!!

Thank you for all your sweet comments here and on fb!!! It's been fun to share it with you all!!


Our first wedding!!!!!! Yay!!!!