Time Out

Yesterday I spent part of the day with two of my sisters and a niece. It was so nice to have that time together. In case you are wondering about the picture of the car. We parked in this parking garage and it was pretty abandoned, like the scene from a scary movie. We were wondering if anyone knew some thing we didn't. It was a good thing it was the middle of the day and not at night. We had never seen anything like it. But our car was still there when we got back.

The Windy City

Everything went well for me and I am now in the Windy City. Although, I do have to say it was pretty cold and windy in Buffalo. It was a welcome surprise that it isn't as chilly here. (I might even be able to go for some walks without freezing.)

Happy Birthday Mother!

Today was my mother's birthday. It was very nice to be able to be here for her special day. Unfortunately she was not feeling that well. It was however special to see 12 of my 14 siblings who have stopped to see my mother the last couple of days.

Happy Birthday Ruth!

God has blessed me with some wonderful sisters. It was very special to be able to celebrate my sister Ruth's birthday with her yesterday. (The first two pictures are of me and some of my sisters and the group picture includes a couple of friends.) Us ladies had a great breakfast filled with many good laughs together. My sister Gay ordered a German pancake which was quite interesting. It looked like a bowl or upside down hat. I hope you had a wonderful birthday Ruth it was so nice to be here to help you celebrate.

Got Carrot Juice?

We are trying several different things to help our daughter on the road to better health. After talking to a couple of people who have been physically very low one thing that has helped several of them is drinking fresh carrot juice. One of our students has been very gracious in letting us use his juicer for a few weeks until we can work some thing else out. Therefore, a few days ago Ruth started drinking a glass of carrot juice every day. At first she wasn't too excited about the idea, but after drinking a couple of glasses of it, she says it really doesn't taste bad. Hopefully Ruth can be one of those success stories and say that "Carrot Juice" is what made the difference.

Family Time

We love spending time with our families but due to how spread out Vern and his siblings are we don't get to spend much time together. It has been a special treat to be here with Vern's brother and wife. This past week we made some great memories together spending a few days at the beach. Even though we lived here for years we never owned a car and had a way to get around and see much of the beauty of Venezuela. We went up to the ocean and truely did enjoy the beauty and wonder of God's creation. The beaches we went to were not the usual tourist spots. One beach we went to we were the only people on the beach. We had to take a boat ride out to it and it was like a roller coaster ride as the waves were high at times. We tried a bit of snorkeling which was fun. But since I had never done it before I had to learn how to relax and learn how to breath in and out. It was a great time together and really was an awesome time together.

Taking Off

In 15 minutes we will be taking off for Waukesha, WI. We were going to leave first thing this morning but Seth had an appointment that could not be changed. We will be taking three vehicles with us. One is Seth's, one is ours, and the other is a van we are bringing to Waukesha for a friend. We would REALLY appreciate your prayers for us as we travel. It will be a long haul. THANKS!

Spring Band Showcase

Last night I had the privilege of attending my three brothers' band concert. It was nice that the concert happened to be the week I was in the city visiting. Sitting there last night brought back many memories of when I was in high school band. ( Lots of great memories!) It made me wish Ruth had a high school band she could play in. Darius, Charles, and DanRon are very musical and they did a great job!

We Are Family

Here are a few snap shots from the weekend. It was nice to be able to connect with 12 of my siblings and their families. After all our time on the mission field we sure missed those connecting times.
It was of course SO NICE to spend at least part of the day with a couple of my kids. Caleb and Kris dropped in and it was a nice surprise to have them bring me flowers! That sure made the day VERY special. (Pretty great kids, aren't they!) It was also nice for the rest of the kids to call.

This is a picture of me and two of my sisters. Although I don't think we look that much alike, people have mistaken us for each other.

This is a picture of me and two of my brother's and their wives and one of my sisters.

This is two of my brothers and three nephews. They are enjoying some "guy time". They were playing on the computer, shooting some baskets, and went to a field to play baseball. I know Titus would have loved to hang with the guys.

What family would be complete without some teen girls hanging together? It was so much fun to see them enjoying spending time together. They gave me lots of different poses. This is their serious one.

Road Trip

Early tomorrow morning I will be taking off for Chicago. I will be spending about a week in Chicago with family and then I will be heading up to Waukesha to pick Zachary at Bible school. My mother's health is very poor and so I want to be able to be a help to my folks. My parents are also going to be celebrating their 50th anniversary next month so I will be working with some of my siblings on planning for the big party. It will also be very nice to connect with our kids again. I would appreciate your prayers as I travel tomorrow. I am gald I won't have to deal with any snow. (smile)

Chillin' with the Fam

Seth is presently attending the New Tribes Bible School in Waukesha, WI. This past Thursday and Friday they had a "Winter Break". So on Wednesday afternoon he along with a friend, Jon, made the trip back home for a visit. They pulled in at 3:00 a.m. on Thursday morning. It was sooo good to have him home for a few days. We were of course very disappointed that Zachary couldn't make it as well, but he had to work. It was nice that Vern was able to make it home Friday night so we could all enjoy Seth's visit. I enjoyed feeding Seth some of his favorite meals. As you can see, Cuddles enjoyed having Seth home as well. And no visit of Seth's would be complete without a little noise from the drum set. (smile)

Seth and Jon were going to be making it back to WI. Sunday. However, there was a big ice storm moving in and the road conditions were not good. Therefore, early this morning they took off. The road conditions were still not as good, but better then yesterday. We are looking forward to hearing that they have arrived safely.