Hi Dale, Sarah, and Lorri!
Thank you so much for calling today Dale! It was great to hear your voice, and to hear how life is going for you, Sarah, and Lorri there in NZ! Sarah, thank you for all you've posted. We enjoy it all so much. I regret not taking pictures today with everyone around the table. We enjoyed Bob and Donna Eagle so much, and it was fun to visit with G/G Silveus as well. The afternoon was rather brisk, but great for being together. Grandpa and I took a walk around the flower beds. We have some plants that we need to share with him and Grandma. Our ferns are growing very well this year and have multiplied beautifully from the dozen we planted a few years ago to about 100 now. It's so pretty. I wish our hosta bed would fill in as well, but that takes time. Referring back to our meal together . . . after we ate, Anna played a couple songs on her keyboard, Dawn (from "Pride and Prejudice") and Moonlight Sonata. Everyone was quiet, and the music was so rich and good. It was a sweet time together. We enjoyed fellowship from hearing God's Word and being together as a church family, we enjoyed a wonderful meal and fellowship around the table, and then good music. It was so good, and I'm grateful. You topped the afternoon off with your phone call. The Lord is so good.
You should have seen our house, though, just 24 hours earlier. Uncle Mike and Dad were doing a beautiful job on the walls and ceiling, but the mess, as you might imagine, was exactly that . . . a mess! YIKES! At least our cupboards are really clean now, and the floors have been washed well.
Highlights:
-Anna went to Cedar Point for the first time yesterday. The trip was with kids from school, and she really enjoyed herself.
-Dori has been very busy this weekend babysitting (an overnighter) and working this afternoon at the hospital.
-In his truck, Dad drove Lowell and Kimberly Lucas (Kreider) home after church. They thought it was pretty cool. In fact, Kimberly called it a "chick magnet." Now that's just too funny. Dad made sure she understood that he didn't need to pick up any chicks in his truck!
-Jonathan Ellis and Amy Miller were married Friday night. It was a lovely wedding, and it was all good.
-I stayed home all day on Saturday and went to bed with our house in order and all the laundry done! That's an incredible "highlight" and one I hope to repeat as often as possible!
Based on things I'm gleaning from your reports of Lorri's growth and development, it seems like she has a great sense of humor. Her laughter seems contagious . . . like Sarah's! Maybe I just delight in her so much that I find all her cute little antics fun. Nevertheless, I'm doing my best to hear and understand her and sincerely appreciate being able to learn from you what she's like and what she enjoys. As I try to do that, I grow increasingly curious to learn what the next little one will be like. We'll see, won't we.
Family Update - I thought I'd try to write about relatives with each blog to keep you aware of what's going on with those you may not connect with. It's worth a try, anyway . . .
Uncle Mike, Aunt Jill, Ethan, Colten, Keegan, Makayla: UM has had his work cut down to three days/week. I know he has had some side jobs, but I'm just praying that the Lord will meet their every need. He's incredibly gracious with his skills and uses his gift of service at every opportunity. We are certainly among the benefactorsl. Aunt Jill keeps extremely busy with managing the foursome and their garden. They also have goats now - two kids were born in the last few weeks, and another is due soon. They plan to milk the goats! Can you believe that Ethan is already 11 years old. That shocked me when Grandma reminded me of that today. Ethan and Colten are on the same Little League team, so that's helpful. UM said that Keegan is amazing in the garden. When all the other kids are totally unaware, he's mindful of everything that's happening in the garden. He is such a sweetheart and so attentive to the smallest things. Pretty amazing. Colten is a fun guy . . . so cute and bright. Oh yeah, I'll try and get a copy of one of his reports to you. He had to research a topic and ended up writing about going to Arkansas to visit you guys and hiking in a particular cave with his Uncle Bud and cousin Calvin. It's an incredible paper . . . very short, but so amazing! Makayla just celebrated her fifth birthday and is as cute as can be. She's very bright and loves everyone, but Kyle still holds a very special place in her heart! So funny!
OK, it's time for me to sign off. I'm sure I've rambled enough. Again, I love you all and will look forward to being in touch another time! Mom
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Wednesday
Dale, Sarah, and Lorri:
Sometimes it seems like there's supposed to be something monumental to record in order to make this worth your time to read. On the other hand, I remember my brother Cal's testimony when we were in our mid-teens . . . He simply gave thanks to the Lord for being with us through the "hum-drum" things in life. Today was probably hum-drum in that it was like most of our Wednesdays - long, but very good. Like Cal, though, I'm ever so grateful for God's goodness to us whether it's something big or just the ordinary things in life. In fact, to know that I heard from the Lord through the reading of Scripture is an amazing thing, and to see His handiwork in the lives of so many around is equally thrilling. Indeed, we have much to be grateful for. I'm thankful to see the Lord use Calvin with Ernie and Donna and so many others and to see his gift of service activated as the Lord prompts him. Likewise, Dori is constantly growing in her awareness of the Lord's gentle prompting and He's directing her in deep truths that will provide safe protection for her as she continues to follow His lead. Anna also demonstrates a growing sensitivity to the things of the Lord and using her gifts to honor Him.
Today's highlights:
-Calvin built a ramp so that Ernie can use the wheelchair to get Donna in and out of the house.
-Calvin decided not to bike out to Utah. Instead, he'll use the time to prepare for Uganda and spend time reading, arriving perhaps a week earlier than intended originally at Wilderness Quest.
-Dori had class this morning and worked at the hospital this afternoon/evening.
-Dori and Calvin topped the evening off with a trip to Fidler's. Dori took her long board along, so I'm assuming that means a trip to an empty parking garage.
-Anna had a luncheon to honor the students that were involved in the community leadership training throughout the school year. It cost too much for Dad or me to attend, and Anna wasn't feeling like it was necessary for us to join her.
-Anna worked hard at the piano, as usual. We're hoping for another lesson soon since it's hard to know how to progress without some direction. Her teacher hasn't been available for quite some time, so it is becoming a challenge to progress.
-There are only ten more days of school for Anna. That also means that I have a lot to get done in the meantime because the end of school also includes a lot of other things on the church calendar.
-Regarding the house, we're waiting for Uncle Mike to be able to return for the next coat of mud. He's so good at it that messing with what he does so masterfully seems absurd. We're grateful for what he's done and plan to compensate him for it.
-Dad gave plasma today and just keeps tucking away the money from it for travel expenses. It's what we hope to use for his trip with Calvin to Hawaii and money for our travels to NZ to see you, our loved ones there.
-Work at the church for Dad and for me was good. There are so many neat things we see the Lord doing that we are simply amazed. More than anything, we're grateful.
-We looked at the newly posted pictures from D/S's trip to Karikari. The one with the rainbow looks artificial. The beauty is absolutely amazing.
As I reflected on how the Lord is clearly at work in Calvin, Dori, and Anna, we're also grateful for the way He's been leading and using each of you in NZ. That is my prayer, and as I've been leading a study on Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman, specifically addressing some studies on temperaments, I've often used each of you as examples as you demonstrate so well how to allow the Lord to take you and use you in a manner that fits His plan and creation of who you are. I've been grateful to see how the Lord uses Lorri to help build relationships with those around you, and your willingness to go where He leads is sincerely appreciated. I must confess, though, how much it truly helps to have connections with you through technology like this. I don't know how I'd manage otherwise.
I love you all so much and thank you for taking the time to read your mother's notes. It's just refreshing to have a little chat with you. You can rest assured that each of you, including our little one growing inside of you, Sarah, is bathed in prayer. It's my prayer that your passion and pursuit of Truth will grow deeper each day and that you'll be found faithful in your service to Jesus.
I love you,
Mom (or should I say, Mum)
Sometimes it seems like there's supposed to be something monumental to record in order to make this worth your time to read. On the other hand, I remember my brother Cal's testimony when we were in our mid-teens . . . He simply gave thanks to the Lord for being with us through the "hum-drum" things in life. Today was probably hum-drum in that it was like most of our Wednesdays - long, but very good. Like Cal, though, I'm ever so grateful for God's goodness to us whether it's something big or just the ordinary things in life. In fact, to know that I heard from the Lord through the reading of Scripture is an amazing thing, and to see His handiwork in the lives of so many around is equally thrilling. Indeed, we have much to be grateful for. I'm thankful to see the Lord use Calvin with Ernie and Donna and so many others and to see his gift of service activated as the Lord prompts him. Likewise, Dori is constantly growing in her awareness of the Lord's gentle prompting and He's directing her in deep truths that will provide safe protection for her as she continues to follow His lead. Anna also demonstrates a growing sensitivity to the things of the Lord and using her gifts to honor Him.
Today's highlights:
-Calvin built a ramp so that Ernie can use the wheelchair to get Donna in and out of the house.
-Calvin decided not to bike out to Utah. Instead, he'll use the time to prepare for Uganda and spend time reading, arriving perhaps a week earlier than intended originally at Wilderness Quest.
-Dori had class this morning and worked at the hospital this afternoon/evening.
-Dori and Calvin topped the evening off with a trip to Fidler's. Dori took her long board along, so I'm assuming that means a trip to an empty parking garage.
-Anna had a luncheon to honor the students that were involved in the community leadership training throughout the school year. It cost too much for Dad or me to attend, and Anna wasn't feeling like it was necessary for us to join her.
-Anna worked hard at the piano, as usual. We're hoping for another lesson soon since it's hard to know how to progress without some direction. Her teacher hasn't been available for quite some time, so it is becoming a challenge to progress.
-There are only ten more days of school for Anna. That also means that I have a lot to get done in the meantime because the end of school also includes a lot of other things on the church calendar.
-Regarding the house, we're waiting for Uncle Mike to be able to return for the next coat of mud. He's so good at it that messing with what he does so masterfully seems absurd. We're grateful for what he's done and plan to compensate him for it.
-Dad gave plasma today and just keeps tucking away the money from it for travel expenses. It's what we hope to use for his trip with Calvin to Hawaii and money for our travels to NZ to see you, our loved ones there.
-Work at the church for Dad and for me was good. There are so many neat things we see the Lord doing that we are simply amazed. More than anything, we're grateful.
-We looked at the newly posted pictures from D/S's trip to Karikari. The one with the rainbow looks artificial. The beauty is absolutely amazing.
As I reflected on how the Lord is clearly at work in Calvin, Dori, and Anna, we're also grateful for the way He's been leading and using each of you in NZ. That is my prayer, and as I've been leading a study on Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman, specifically addressing some studies on temperaments, I've often used each of you as examples as you demonstrate so well how to allow the Lord to take you and use you in a manner that fits His plan and creation of who you are. I've been grateful to see how the Lord uses Lorri to help build relationships with those around you, and your willingness to go where He leads is sincerely appreciated. I must confess, though, how much it truly helps to have connections with you through technology like this. I don't know how I'd manage otherwise.
I love you all so much and thank you for taking the time to read your mother's notes. It's just refreshing to have a little chat with you. You can rest assured that each of you, including our little one growing inside of you, Sarah, is bathed in prayer. It's my prayer that your passion and pursuit of Truth will grow deeper each day and that you'll be found faithful in your service to Jesus.
I love you,
Mom (or should I say, Mum)
Monday, May 11, 2009
May 11th, 2009
Hi Dale, Sarah, and Lorri! This is the big debut for your "Hoosier Home" blog . . . my effort to keep you up-to-date on what's happening around here. I'll try to include a wide variety of pictures and "people stories" to help you feel aware of what's happening in our lives. This is intended for our family, but if you want others to read it, that will be fine, too, of course. I figured that this will help keep Calvin up-to-date as well.
I took some pictures of the condition of our front room so that you can see the progress made thus far and in hopes of comparing the "after" pictures. I have colors selected already and Donna Stabler has promised to help me paint. Kim Foy does a super job with decorating, so when it comes to putting some of that together, I'll ask her for some advice. I don't know if we told you that Grandma S. had purchased a dining room set for a very, very good price. It's mahogany, and should fit nicely in the "formal dining" area (previously the office area), and we should be able to leave it set up nicely all the time. Having the front room open should also help us to be able to enjoy the fireplace. It has always been so awkward, so I hope the new layout will make it more user-friendly. Even with the mess, I appreciate the openness enough to not be bother by it very much.
Dad is back in the CC working on one of the ponds to help make sure it's flowing well enough. He has worked on his truck today since we're waiting on Uncle Mike to be able to come back to do more mudding on the seems of the dry-wall. It's not that Dad can't do it. Rather, UM is just so good at it and is able to do it so efficiently, that it's pretty silly to try to do what he can do so flawlessly. Additionally, he's the one that will be texturing the walls and ceiling to make it all match what had already been done. I'm not crazy about texturing, but it does need to match, and the alternative is far beyond anything we'd want to spend money to have done. Anyway, Dad was working on his truck to make it more quiet. I think he mounted something on rubber so that it won't rattle so much. Anything to make it more quiet sounds like a good plan to me! I am grateful to have the truck available. It certainly doesn't provide fast transportation, but it's good for hauling things and it's faster than walking or riding a bike when Dad needs to be someplace.
Calvin and Dori started their classes today for May term. Brett Byler is in Dori's Intro to Philosophy class, and Calvin's Environmental Biology class only had eight people in it. Dori's class released 1.5 hours early today (since they hadn't read anything yet), and Calvin's remained for the full five hours . . . a bit longer than Calvin would prefer, to say the least. Anna enjoyed a snow make-up day today, the only one that wasn't used this past winter. She only has twelve days left of school and then she starts summer school shortly after. Marching band and cross country will help her transition into HS as well. There is undoubtedly an advantage for her to have had three older siblings go before her. She's not inclined to have to follow in any of your footsteps, just for the sake of it, but it does help nevertheless.
OK, that's all for now! I'll do my best to stick with this and take enough pictures for you to enjoy the beauty of our changing seasons here in IN! I love you all!
I took some pictures of the condition of our front room so that you can see the progress made thus far and in hopes of comparing the "after" pictures. I have colors selected already and Donna Stabler has promised to help me paint. Kim Foy does a super job with decorating, so when it comes to putting some of that together, I'll ask her for some advice. I don't know if we told you that Grandma S. had purchased a dining room set for a very, very good price. It's mahogany, and should fit nicely in the "formal dining" area (previously the office area), and we should be able to leave it set up nicely all the time. Having the front room open should also help us to be able to enjoy the fireplace. It has always been so awkward, so I hope the new layout will make it more user-friendly. Even with the mess, I appreciate the openness enough to not be bother by it very much.
Dad is back in the CC working on one of the ponds to help make sure it's flowing well enough. He has worked on his truck today since we're waiting on Uncle Mike to be able to come back to do more mudding on the seems of the dry-wall. It's not that Dad can't do it. Rather, UM is just so good at it and is able to do it so efficiently, that it's pretty silly to try to do what he can do so flawlessly. Additionally, he's the one that will be texturing the walls and ceiling to make it all match what had already been done. I'm not crazy about texturing, but it does need to match, and the alternative is far beyond anything we'd want to spend money to have done. Anyway, Dad was working on his truck to make it more quiet. I think he mounted something on rubber so that it won't rattle so much. Anything to make it more quiet sounds like a good plan to me! I am grateful to have the truck available. It certainly doesn't provide fast transportation, but it's good for hauling things and it's faster than walking or riding a bike when Dad needs to be someplace.
Calvin and Dori started their classes today for May term. Brett Byler is in Dori's Intro to Philosophy class, and Calvin's Environmental Biology class only had eight people in it. Dori's class released 1.5 hours early today (since they hadn't read anything yet), and Calvin's remained for the full five hours . . . a bit longer than Calvin would prefer, to say the least. Anna enjoyed a snow make-up day today, the only one that wasn't used this past winter. She only has twelve days left of school and then she starts summer school shortly after. Marching band and cross country will help her transition into HS as well. There is undoubtedly an advantage for her to have had three older siblings go before her. She's not inclined to have to follow in any of your footsteps, just for the sake of it, but it does help nevertheless.
OK, that's all for now! I'll do my best to stick with this and take enough pictures for you to enjoy the beauty of our changing seasons here in IN! I love you all!
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