Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

For all of you who are not Canadians, today was Canadian Thanksgiving. We were on the road most of the day so there was no turkey dinner for us. However, we did celebrate by stopping off at TGI Frisday's for lunch. Usually we eat at the golden arches, so it was a special treat. The waitress asked us if we were celebrating anything special. I told her that we were celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving. She is actually Canadian and totally forgot it was Thanksgiving. She said her mother would be upset with her for forgetting. Instead of pumpkin pie we had our dessert several hours later at DQ. Since Ruth always enjoys something salty she opted for fries instead. It was a good weekend and Thanksgiving. We are now looking forward to a good nights sleep.

Showers of Blessings

This is an exciting time in our lives as we await the arrival of our first grandchild. Kristina is a radiant mother-to-be and this morning the ladies in the Schroeder family along with some friends gathered to shower her with baby gifts in expectation of this new little one. (It was a special treat that one of Kristina's friends from MI. was able to come.) Caleb and Kristina have desired to be parents for awhile and it is such a joy to see God giving them the desire of their heart. They received a lot of beautiful gifts. Allison, thanks so much for all your hard work in throwing the shower, it was wonderful! And thanks to all the other Schroeder ladies who also helped in making it a very special day.

Ladies Weekend Away

The Dyck ladies are hanging in Chicago for the weekend. We left at 6:00 this morning so we are tired but enjoying hanging out.

Inside Out Night

Tonight at Cubbies we had "Inside Out Night". I don't think I have ever worn jeans inside out before. It isn't the most comfortable but it was better then wearing them backwards. I think Ruth had the right idea with wearing sweats .

Happy 60th Birthday Wes!

Did some one say "Party"? You know me, I love an excuse to celebrate. Yesterday was Vern's brother's 60th birthday. This morning we had a bit of a surprise party for him during our break time. We have been working and planning this for several days and we were happy that we were indeed able to surprise him. (It probably helped that we had it a day late.) I bought birthday horns for all the students and staff so we were able to give him a nice "Surprise" blowing our horns when he walked in the door. I scanned a bunch of pictures, and we also got Vern's mom to send us some. Therefore, Vern was able to put a picture slide show together playing it to the hit tune in 1948 of "I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover." We also worked on putting together a "Walk Mate". Which was our fancy name for a cane with all sorts of gadgets on it like: a light up reflector, a horn, a rear view mirror, a water bottle, a headlight, and a "wild life warning system"(deer whistles). It was a lot of fun to help Wes celebrate this big event in his life. HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY WES! It was so much fun helping you celebrate your birthday. We hope that it will be a LONG time before you actually need your "Walk Mate".

Anticipation

Every day at 6:00 p.m Cuddle sits by the door and waits for Seth to come home from work. When Seth comes home, he usually goes outside to play with her. The other day Seth was 1/2 hour late as he didn't get home until 6:30p.m. and Cuddles just sat there and waited the whole time. It is amazing that she just knows when it is 6:00p.m. She is such a loyal dog.

Day of Prayer

Today was Day of Prayer. This is a day that is set aside for us to learn about some of the countries that New Tribes Mission works in and to pray for the missionaries and works going on. We heard two presentations. The first one was about the country of Thailand and the second one was on Mongolia. It is always encouraging to hear what God is doing around the world. The guys who did the presentation on Thailand treated us to a Thai meal that they made. (Yum, Thanks guys!)

Hanging Out

In the ministry we are in, our children build some good friendships with our students' children that are their ages. Titus and Jake have really clicked and they enjoy spending time with each other. Jake's parents and older brother are away at a mission conference. Titus was so excited that Jake was going to be able to stay here and spend the weekend with us. They have taken over the basement and are having a great time together. I know Titus is going to feel like the weekend went by way to quickly.

Exercising My Right

One thing I feel very strongly about is exercising ones right to VOTE. It is a privilege to live in a free country and be able to have a part in electing our leaders. Here in Canada we have an election coming up in 10 days and in the States there is an election in a month. Since I am a dual citizen I get to vote in each country. This afternoon Vern and I went in to the elections office and cast our vote. (Here they have several dates when people can come in early to vote if you want to.) A few days ago I received my absentee ballot in the mail for the stateside election. I will get that mailed off in the next couple of days. I hope you will take advantage of the privilege you have and exercise your right to vote.

No Talent Night 2008

Tonight was the night we were all waiting for; the "No Talent Night". We were not disappointed; the evening was everything we hoped it would be. The evening started out with some children who sang, played the piano, and recited Bible verses. Then we moved on to watch some really funny skits and some great home made videos. It was a such a fun filled evening. A special thanks for everyone who participated to make the evening a success.