In Others' Words...

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
C.S. Lewis, Is Theology Poetry? (1945)

Joni's Baby Shower...

Joni's shower came off without a hitch... fun time with good friends
and lots of nice gifts for baby Miles :).

Sisters... so good to have Julie home for the weekend!

Joni & the Myra we all love...

Lots of reading books with a reading bag from Auntie Julie.

Steve & Vicki Deur know Mike too well. A pair of
All-Star Chucks to match out Mike's many pairs was
a fitting gift!

Proud Dad and Papa-to-be.

Proud Mom & G'ma to be.

So great to have family friend (first Julie's friend :),
Rachel with us.

Joni gave Julie a great hair cut before they parted ways.

Loved having family around. Looking forward to a
trip to WA in June to welcome our third grandbaby!

A whirlwind couple of weeks...

Two weeks ago Dennis and I stayed with the Gorveatte kids while their parents celebrated 25 years of marriage with a cruise. It reminded me how busy life can be with four kids (ages 10 - 17)... and it's been awhile since I had to set my alarm for 6:15 in the morning :). We had a great time though with John, Joey (or is it Joel?), Josiah (or J or J.J.) and Jordan. Don't ask me how many times I mixed up those names. You'd think I'd have down the J names since our four kids names all began with J.

Got home in time to meet with a realtor that evening and repack for a long trip out east the next morning. Yep, we put our house on the market this week after no luck with for sale by owner. We've already had three showings this week.

I made it to Princeton, NJ in twelve and a half hours the next day. So great to spend time with Clint, Jamie, Evee and Regina who was visiting from NYC that weekend. Four days later I drove just over two hours to PA where my family lives. Mike and Joni flew into PA to see my folks. The next day we drove back to Princeton for a quick visit. And the following day we drove back to Spring Lake. Whew! Quite the travel, but oh so good to see family. Below are pictures from that time.

Our sweet little Evee communicating at a whole new level!

Down on the farm where I grew up. This is my mom
feeding banana peels to the donkeys.

My brother, the farmer, with Mike and Joni.

Evee calls me Poppa (like Dennis)... just can't get
that Grrrr and Maaaa sound together.

Evee loved her Uncle Mike!

Great to have Mike and Joni around!

All smiles for the camera... recognize those Jackson slits?

Fun to hang out with Clint, Jamie & Evee - only
wish Dennis could have been with me!

Next on the docket... a baby shower for Joni today!

In Others' Words...

People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.

C.S. Lewis referred to it in Mere Christianity. It comes from Samuel Johnson, 18th century English author, critic, and lexicographer.

So true. If only I put into practice those things I already know.

Take prayer, for instance - perseverance, specificity, belief, hope - because it's not just about getting an answer. It's about the intimacy I encounter with God in fresh and new ways.

Perseverance because I believe he's a God who is attentive to my prayers. He delights in hearing my voice.

Specificity because he loves to have me involved in bringing his Kingdom to earth.

Belief because he is God and in who I put my trust.

Hope because he is trustworthy.

Sometimes I just need to be reminded.

More of Stella...

Just thought I'd post some pictures of our last couple days with Josh, Kari and Stella.
What can I say... what are Grandma's for? Enjoy!