SNOW!!! (in spring?)

                                        View from my front porch

This is what I saw when I woke up this morning! We got about 3-4 inches of new snow overnight! It has been sort of like spring all week and then this!!

     Looking out my front door

This is the end of March and I think maybe, looking back, that March came in like a lamb. Not good! Well, I have to look on the bright side (and it is bright out there) - look at these beautiful trees! Did I mention that I love trees? What a wonderful, snowy day!! (and spring is coming!)

                          The trees in our yard and across the street

Oh, and another thing to be thankful for - Terry was sweet enough to shovel and clean off my car before he went to work! Oh, and one more - Isaiah 1:18 "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow..."

Birthday Lunch

Monday some of our family got together for lunch at a restaurant on Jefferson to celebrate Terry and his sister Barb's birthdays. Their birthdays are only about a week apart and as you get older it isn't quite as important to have the celebration all for yourself. 

We had a nice lunch with a really good birthday cake. Terry picked up his dad from the nursing home. He enjoys getting out and being with people as often as possible. Ken (Terry and Barb's brother) and Sandy came, Darlene and Earlene (Terry's cousins), Aunt Shirley, Aunt Bev, and Aunt Muriel, and Ron, Barb's husband. Happy Birthday, Barb and Terry!

Barb got to blow out the candles because Terry had been on the phone (surprise, surprise) and didn't hang up in time to do anything but watch.  :)

O.K......I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF!!

Actually, I was at Partridge Creek Mall the other night and I decided just to LOOK at Janie and Jack's and a couple of other baby stores. WELL....I had a ball! Finally I decided on these two little outfits that coordinate but are a little different from each other. One is a one piece outfit and the other is two pieces. There is a little hat that is reversible and goes with both of the outfits - how cool is that? So I sent them to Shari today. It made me feel good - like it was really going to happen. It is so very hard to picture a child that hasn't been born yet, you know? I can't wait to see her in these clothes. No, I didn't get the usual pink. I'm sure I'll find something, though! Another time....soon.

MORE PICTURES AT THE LAZY FIVE RANCH (See Post Below)

Here are some more pictures that I was able to upload after the fact of the day we spent at the Lazy Five Ranch in North Carolina. I wrote about this a couple of posts down on the page. There were lots of ostriches!

There were three beautiful zebras at the ranch. I just think that they are so amazing!! Animals like this just make evolution look stupid.

It will be a.......GIRL!!

Today Shari had another ultrasound. She is now 16 weeks into her pregnancy and today was the day to find out what gender the baby is. It is a GIRL!!  I am very pleased because now we will not only have a grandson, but a granddaughter, too. Shari and I were looking at girl clothes in some of the children's stores in North Carolina where she and Mark live. We thought that the girl clothes were so cute and there was so much more for girls than boys. So now we can have fun shopping for a little girl. I will have to restrain myself a little because I love little girl clothes and dolls, etc. etc. I just love being a grandma and can't wait to hold this new granddaughter! :)

North Carolina (Part 4 - The End)

While in North Carolina last week, we decided to go to a ranch that Shari had heard about from some relatives who had gone there when visiting after Christmas this year. They had to occupy themselves while Shari worked some of the time they were there. This ranch was very cool because it had  A LOT of animals just wandering around on the premises. You could drive your car along a designated path and these animals would just come up to the car. We purchased a bucket of food and the animals would put their heads right in our car windows and eat the food from the bucket! Here is a Llama that came up to Terry's window. He had the bucket at the time.

The ranch was beautifully landscaped and laid out. It was also a beautiful day to wander around. You could drive for awhile and then there were other areas to walk around and see different types of animals. I wish I could upload all of my pictures -  you wouldn't believe the animals that were just wandering around, but my program here wouldn't let me upload any more pictures. It is being difficult today! Here are Shari and her dad just relaxing on a swing.

When we were riding on the trail, we were in our pickup truck. All three of us were riding in the front seat with Shari in the middle. (Mark was at a job interview.) Anyway, I was talking to Shari and watching some of the animals come up to Terry's window. Mine was rolled down also, but I didn't have the bucket of food. I heard a noise and turned toward my window right into this face staring at me!! I screamed and tried to roll my window up! We were laughing so hard. This animal (whatever it was) had a huge wet nose and big horns - pretty scary!

This is the last picture that I could get to come up. This is a ram and some baby deer. I actually have a better picture of the deer close up, but I couldn't get it to load. 

We had a great day and lots of fun seeing animals up close like we did. It was much better than a zoo any day!

North Carolina (Part 3)

This is the beautiful shopping and living village where Shari and Mark live! It has just about everything except a grocery store. It is beautifully landscaped and has lots of restaurants where you can eat inside or outside, lots of wonderful shops, a nice theatre, a LARGE swimming pool, and many apartments. It is a great place just to walk around and watch people. 

While we were there, we shopped, took walks, and ate at a couple of the restaurants.

It was beautiful weather (in the mid-60's to 70 degrees) and the flowers were all planted and the trees were blooming. On this evening we all went to a restaurant in another town. Here is a picture of Shari and Mark outside the restaurant.

North Carolina (Part 2)

Shari and Mark live in a beautiful shopping village. This is the side street next to the Ann Taylor Loft where Shari works. They live in this apartment building. Shari just has to go downstairs to work!

This is Shari outside of the Loft.

Here is a picture of the inside of Shari and Mark's apartment. They finally got their furniture from the house in Connecticut and it looks great!

Here is Shari with Napoleon. (Their "baby" for now) Napoleon is a pug and is very well behaved. He stays in his crate during the day when Shari and Mark are working and also sleeps in it at night.

More pictures to come!

North Carolina (Part 1)

Last Tuesday we got up bright and early to take a short trip to North Carolina to see Shari and Mark in North Carolina. It is about an eleven hour trip, but we were excited to get there to see our daughter who is about four months pregnant with their first child. We haven't seen her since Christmas - to us that is a long time!

To me this is the most beautiful drive I have ever experienced. Once we get past the Cleveland area (no offense to those who love Ohio) we slowly begin to get into the hills and beautiful scenery. The bigger mountains don't begin until we are in West Virginia. Actually, I would love to live in either W. Virginia or Virginia because of the beautiful mountains! I sit forward in my seat and just ooo and aah the whole time. (Ask Terry) I try to get good pictures, but it is difficult taking pictures while moving at 70 miles per hour and looking through the car windshield! But...I try!

It is also hard to take good pictures with all of the trucks on the road. Every time I get a good picture lined up, a truck (or two or three) get in the way. We had fun, though, just driving a long, sometimes silent (just some time to think) and sometimes listening to music, sometimes talking (much needed sometimes!). We really like the truck stops on the turnpike. They are beautiful and clean and have a lot of fun item to look at. Terry found some such items like strong magnets designed to place in spots that you would want to place a cell phone or ipod while traveling or in an office. He bought at least three - and I must admit they are very handy and nice looking, too! These places also have some nice eating areas like Panera Bread and Pizza Hut. They are great places to stop and walk around, use the bathroom facilities, and eat. Fortunately we both were wanting to stop at the same time and we stopped often.

At one such stop I found a trivia book and purchased it to use on our trip. I read the questions and we both gave our answers. The answers were upside down at the bottom of the page. This made time go by very fast on the way there, and we got through about a third of the book. The only thing is, I find out how smart my husband is and how NOT SMART (nice way to put it) I am!

Our trip to North Carolina was completed and we arrived at about 9:00 P.M. on Tuesday night. It was such a joy to see Shari and Mark (and Napoleon, their Pug, kind of)! They live in a beautiful area which I will show in my next post. Even though I hate having them live so far away, I am thankful (at least for the present) that it is possible to drive to see them in one day.

I am also thankful that they love each other and that Mark takes good care of Shari. We really are blessed!


The trip gave us a time to be together and just relax and enjoy God's beautiful creation! We tried not to think of the price of gas! But that will not stop us from traveling to see Shari - it is very hard to have a child (married, or not) living in a different state. But I know that she has her life and marriage and job, and we are just parents. (Did I just say that?) I guess we just have to leave them to the Lord and know that he is taking care of them when we are not there.

Toledo Conference on Eschatology

Friday night Terry and I drove to Toledo to attend the Toledo Reformed Theological Conference. We have gone quite a few times, and we knew it would be a lot of listening and sitting. In that respect, it is always a bit tiring. The conference this year was called, "How Long, O Lord?" It was actually lectures on three views of eschatology - Post Millennial View, A Millennial View, and Pre-Millennial View. It was my least favorite conference ever, but I did learn some things about other views that people have. Eschatology, unfortunately, is something that is hard to be dogmatic about because it is hard to prove any one view with any positive certainty. (oxymoron?) After hearing the two other views (in great detail) I still hold to the one I had originally, pre-millennialism. The other two, in my opinion leave out a lot of scripture and basically believe that we are now living in the millennium.

It is always good for me, though, to be reminded that Jesus Christ is going to return like he said. It may not be just how we envision it, or it may not be when we expect it or think it will happen, but he will return. He always keeps his promises! We need to live with that in mind every day, and we tend (or at least I do) to forget about it or just figure it is a long way off, so how does it affect me? It was good to look at the scriptures and be reminded that God keeps his word. No matter how crazy the world seems sometimes, God is still the same and his plan is still on schedule. It is also a good idea to realize that we just don't know everything. It makes us want to study more and learn more so that we can be more informed, but even then there are some things that we will just have to wait to find out. We can still be sure that he is coming because we know that God is faithful and true to his word. So, even though the conference was long and it was tedious listening to all the speakers, it was good to think again about Jesus' coming and how important it is to live each day like he is coming at any time...and it may be today!

I Decided to Stay Home!

Even though I did spend some time at church today doing some things, I have spent most of the day and night alone. :(  Shelley, Bob, and Matthew are at the hospital where Bob's dad has been admitted for tests and Terry is heading up a committee that is putting on our church's "BIG BUCK DINNER" tonight. The dinner is a lot of work, but it turned out well last year and probably will be enjoyed by the men again this year. So I am home alone which gives me time to write, but is also a little lonely. 

I helped place the programs for the dinner tonight on the tables. I have been laughing inside because when the men put on a dinner, it is so "different" from when women do one! I mentioned that the napkins were on the wrong side of the plate, and I was told that "men" like them that way because (if right handed) the fork and knife are right there and they don't have to "cross over" the plate to get them. I'm really not making fun, I'm just amused! Their decorations would not be tolerable to women either. Terry made stands for all kinds of deer heads and moose heads, and fish bodies. Kind of gross!  They didn't use any centerpieces - I thought that the tables could have used them - but, then I was thinking, what would they use? They give away prizes like rifles and deer scent, etc. I'll have to think of a good centerpiece for the tables next year - if you have any good ideas to go with the decor, let me know. Maybe vases of arrows! Too tall! Maybe bare tree branches sitting in bullet shells.  Maybe deer blinds made out of popsicle sticks! I'm on a roll! 

I shouldn't make fun of the men. They really enjoy this time together! Did I mention the kitchen?Believe me - you don't want to see it - especially AFTER the dinner is over!  I served at the dinner last year not knowing that we were also expected to clean up the kitchen after the dinner. Now I have cleaned up after MANY banquets and dinners at church - and even enjoyed the fellowship and the work. When I walked into the kitchen last year after the Big Buck Dinner, I about had a heart attack!! I really never thought that the kitchen would be clean again. It really was a huge job to clean it. The men did chip in, though, and it did finally get cleaned! This year I decided to stay home!  :) Even though it is lonely, I'm glad I did!

I Love Trees!

I love trees! They are one of my favorite things! I think that they are especially beautiful when covered with snow. We have surely seen a lot of that this winter! Even though I am anxious for spring, I will miss the beauty of all of the snow covered branches. I really have enjoyed all the snow this winter. Snowflakes are amazing in themselves - they show the wonderful creativity of God!

Some of my favorite Bible passages are about trees. One of the first sections that I ever memorized was Psalm 1. I remember memorizing that chapter when I was only about eight years old during Wednesday Bible group for the children at our church. I memorized it in the KJV, but I like it better in some of the newer versions.

Psalm 1  (NLT)  "Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.

They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. But not the wicked! They are like chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction."

Second Grandchild

I have been daydreaming a lot lately about our second grandchild who is on the way. Shari and Mark are expecting their first child. He/she is not due to arrive into the world until late August or early September. I find myself picturing what he or she will look like and be like. I like to think about it being another grandson, but then I also like to think about it being a little granddaughter. I know it will be one of those! :)  It is hard to picture loving another grandchild just as it is hard picturing how you could love another child the same way you love your first one. But then the baby is born, and you just love it. Every child is different from the others, but when he or she is yours, it is special and your heart is big enough for more than one. I am looking forward to holding and loving this baby. I love being a grandma - my first experience has exceeded my wildest dreams and I know that my heart is ready for another sweet baby. I just thank the Lord that he has given me this opportunity to know and love my grandchildren.

I am trying to pray for Matthew and the new baby daily - what their characters will be like, who they will marry, that they will come to know the Lord early in life and be strong in faith. It is a big responsibility to be a grandparent. Grandchildren look up to their grandparents and I want to be worthy of that - which means that I have to change a lot, too. I know that the Lord is growing me and changing me. I want to be someone that my children and grandchildren will remember as being someone who loved people and served the Lord. I also want my children and my grandchildren to know and feel that I love them unconditionally. 

PSALM 89:1  "I will sing of the Lord's great love forever: with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOB!

March 4 is Bob's birthday. Bob is our son-in-law and is married to our daughter, Shelley. They have one little boy, our little grandson, Matthew. Bob is very special to us. He is helpful, thoughtful, generous, AND he puts up with us the many times we call to come over or even when we just DROP BY! He has never made a face when he opens the door and sees me standing there unannounced. I try not to overdo the dropping in part, but I must confess that sometimes I do it. Bob is a very kind person. He is a loving husband and a good father!

 

Bob is one of seven children. He has three sisters and three brothers. His mom and dad live in Arizona, but visit Michigan periodically throughout the year. They have a home in Washington Township for when they visit here. His sister, Carol, lives nearby, and his brother, Tom, and wife Lisa, live in the area also in the house that Bob grew up in. His sister, Mary, and family live in Kentucky, and his brother Mark's family lives in Arizona as do his sister, Annie, and her family and his brother, Bill, and his family. Bob is a sports fan. He has been a Lions fan even though the Lions haven't had a winning season in years and years. But I like that about him! He is loyal. His favorite team, though, is the Boston Red Sox. He has followed them for many years and has always enjoyed watching them play. Bob, we hope you have a wonderful birthday today. We love you. You are a wonderful son-in-law! We are so happy that you are a part of our family!!   

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!