Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Family, Friends, & Fellowship

Reflections on the last couple of months have us thanking God for His goodness and counting our many blessings as you, our family and friends, are among them!!


Before Thanksgiving, we were blessed by Australian company... The Walker family :)


Our puppies loved all the attention

Katie & Marv

Adelle & Maci

Hannah fell in love with the horses :)



Preparing meals together was a lot of fun!

It was a challenge to keep Emily out of the sink... ;)






Hay stacks with pineapple... the Australian way :)

Happy birthday, Uncle Alan!


Miss you, our Aussie friends! Our time together was way too short...


Thanksgiving Day

"Gratitude is born in hearts that take time to count up past mercies..."


Singing and recounting blessings




Thankful for friends


Sawtooth Mountains


An afternoon hike with friends
Missing Andrew and Natasha who were away.

 "Gold Dollar" pictures :)



The winners!




In the middle of December, we made a quick trip to Maryland to visit family and attend the wedding of our friends, Alex and Samantha.
The day before the wedding

The boys with their friends, Alex and Akeem

Surprising Aunt Mary Carol with a visit. She had just been released from the hospital the day before. It was a delight to sing Christmas carols to her and her friends down the hall!


Aunt Mary Carol is very dear to us all-- especially mom!


Time with the cousins on Dad's side was a highlight! Its been way to long since all 12 of us have spent time together. What fun it was to catch up on each other's lives! 
Top left to right: James, Quint, Andrew, Brett, Tyler
Middle: Brittany, Rebecca, Michelle, Jonathan
Bottom: Ally, Jodie, & Annie


GYC in Seattle, Washington
Rebecca, Esther (from Australia), Kirsten,  Hannah

An afternoon walk around Seattle. Fun memories! :)


Visting friends in Colorado after GYC

Going for a bare back ride through a foot of snow!





:)






Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Andrew Turns 24... Today!!


But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37 


Andrew is a caring, compassionate, people loving person. He's loyal and devoted. His love for reaching out to people in our community is contagious, and has inspired us to join him in avenues the rest of us may never have thought of. Teaching is one of his many talents. He is very motivated and is a hard worker; loves to keep busy, and thrives when his shop is full of engines that need fixing. He has a purpose for living; to honor the Lord and spread His love and truth to others. So much joy is brought into our home by the way he showers love on all of us in a way that is uniquely Andrew's. This expression compels us to love him all the more! 



Andrew's highlights of the past year
  • Honduras
-Working at the orphanage
-My little friend, Cindy
-Meeting Oscar and continuing to build that relationship
-The water falls and other great times 
  • My boy Jack-o!
-Hikes and tadpole hunting
-Making him a shop dog
  • Briggs training in Kansas City!
-Time with Dad, Ty-boy, and John-boy
-learning new skills
  • Trips back to Maryland
-Time on the family farm
-Time with Alex & Akeem and many other close friends
  • Biking!
-Blind bike ride
-The opportunity to meet Courtney, and the privilege it was to get to know her and learn from her experiences.
-500 mile bike trip, which I rode in memory of my Aunt Sandy
(Check out the blog: Pedaling 4 Prevention)
-Time with friends
-The feeling of accomplishment at the finish line
So looking forward to next year!!
  • The Grand Canyon
-Time with MomMom and the family
  • Camping at Glacier
-Fellowship with friends
  • Luke & Chantee's wedding
-Witnessing of a beautiful union
-The opportunity to help by organizing prelude music
-Time with friends
  • Campout with Jared, Nebb boys, and my bro!
-Great talks, great memories!
  • Family time!
-Projects together around the property
-A.T. Your Service & South Western Supply
-Biking with Becky
-Racquet ball; a new activity we all have really enjoyed as a family and with friends! 
-And just being at home with my family
  • Learning to trust God more fully in every facet of my life.