Sunshine...

with a windchill of 36 degrees. And we're on the reservoir trying to catch a fish. Really. :-)



Her favorite part of fishing...


Her first pole...

posted from Bloggeroid

Long-awaited Birthday Gift...

35th Anniversary...

Our church...1977

Us...about the same time  :-)

Our church...present

~ January 2012 ~
Wish I had one of the whole family!

January 29th, 2012 marked the 35th Anniversary of my parents coming to the Lima area to pastor.  On January 28th, our church held a very nice dinner to celebrate the milestone, and presented them with a trip to Israel for March 2013.  I was waiting to get pictures from the photographer, but since I'm so far behind, I'll share a few that I have that others might want (Valerie :-) )...

Head table - I don't have a pic of the delicious food:
roast beef, ham, red potatoes, seasoned green beans, veggie bake,
 tossed salad, dinner rolls, specialty teas, coffee
(each dish was given a fancy name that I can't recall)

a tiered cake and cheesecake bites

 

Family time

Uncle Jeff and Aunt Andrea surprised us by coming to the
dinner...7 hours travel time...each way.  :-) 

Uncle Joe and Aunt Carol came from Circleville

This one's a keeper! Love those chubby cheeks!

Aunt Carol and loooong time family friend, Lorna

The next morning, we had a special service. Our conference president preached, and there were solos by Nathan Bailey (Shepherd Boy) and Renee' Hunsaker (Find Us Faithful), who are fourth and third-generation Lima Pilgrims. Greg, Valerie, and I sang "Faithful to the Faithful."

While Renee' sang "Find Us Faithful," the church children
filed in from Jr. Church and throughout the congregation and
brought roses to mom and dad.

The church board presented a beautiful wooden plaque.

At the end, the congregation was asked to come for
handshakes and hugs.

Special times with special children

At the end, the people of the church surrounded my parents
at the front, and Bro. Southerland prayed a special blessing
upon the ministry here at Lima. 

Crazy Candids

Free pretzel day at Auntie Anne's :-)

In January, we were able to spend a little time with our cousin,
Beth.  She lived in Lima with her sister for a little while, and
sometimes took Kaitlynn on fun outings.  Kaitlynn's favorite
was when Beth had a tea party with her.  Kaitlynn ended up
 being Beth's flower girl, so there's a special little connection
going on there.  :-)

Favorite part of any birthday cake...icing!

And more icing!

Healing teeth...

And little Will lovin' his ice cream cone.

So...the candids could have been a whole lot more crazy, but I might have gotten into trouble. :-) 

Lansing, MI Trip Part 3

Before our trip, I scouted the area online to make sure I would have enough to do.  You never want to get bored with four children depending on you to keep them entertained.  We found a nice little children's science museum type thingy (been to plenty of those in my day), and planned to visit, but when we awoke to such gorgeous temperatures and bright sunshine, we decided to avoid being indoors.  Lansing has an old town district, a river, fish ladder, etc., and that made for a couple of hours of fun.  Greg's meetings were finished a little earlier than expected, and so we left for home as soon as we could.  I've heard a lot about what a rough place Lansing is, but my overall perception of the place isn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I always felt safe, and I did cover a decent portion of the city. 

Not sure whether this restaurant is closed permanently or
for the season.  It is really attractive.

It's amazing how smooth the water seems just before
it crashes over the dam.  Several object lessons to
be found in that example.  :-)

I had such a fun weekend exploring with the kids.  They were
patient with my constant use of navigation, and my little
blondie even asked, "Does that lady know how to get
everywhere?"  Oh, she brings us lots of laughs!