All Church Picnic/Community Fair/VBS Closing

Sunday afternoon was our annual All Church Picnic on our church grounds. This year it was decided that it would be a picnic combined with our VBS closing. All the kids from Bible School along with their families were invited. Then the community around the church was invited along with the Mayor, Fire Department, Police Department, etc. and then the armed services representatives in the area were invited. We rented a covered platform for music also. It turned out to be a HUGE undertaking that turned out very well!

Instead of everyone bringing dishes to pass and having a sit-down meal, we sold tickets for hot dogs, chips, drinks, watermelon, and cookies. There were tents and tables in different areas for eating and talking. VBS ran a very well done game fair for the kids and their families that went over big. The kids got tokens in VBS for doing various things and could use them to play the games. Visitors from the community and elsewhere could also get tokens. Here is a face painter that was hired for the day.

Shelley and Bob came and brought Matthew. He was very happy with all of those people around! He loves to be around people. (I think he comes by THAT honestly!!) The weather was just beautiful and, we had a great time.

Matthew got to get up on this WHITE fire truck. What ever happened to the red ones? Matthew likes the red ones better also. I actually had a better picture of him sitting on the step there with a fire hat on, but I couldn't get it to load!

We had a great turn out of people from church, VBS parents, and people from the community.

I saw lots of people whom I didn't know. Hopefully, some of them will come to church to check it out! We actually had over 150 visitors who were not from our church at VBS this year.

Here is Matthew trying out the fishing game. I think this was his favorite. He had to pick up magnets on the bottom of the pool with a fishing pole that also had a magnet. If the magnet you picked up had a certain color, you could pick a treat. There were also goldfish swimming in the pool! He loved it!  :)

Matthew is following in the family tradition of bowling here. He is being told what to do and is listening intently. He actually has bowled before and talks about it sometimes. He really liked doing it. One time we were in a restaurant with Shelley, Bob and Matthew. Matthew was in a very congenial mood and turned around in our booth to talk to an older boy in the next booth. He said, "Hi! I'm Matthew. Did you ever go bowling? The ball knocks down the pins..etc." That was one of the first times I remember him just starting up a conversation with a complete stranger!

When we went to Florida in June we went miniature golfing and took Matthew. This was the second year that we took him. He had a ball and also went golfing again with his parents when he got home. I love the way he holds the club! :)

This is the entrance to the games. The kids got tokens called Sand Dollars all week in VBS. Our theme this year was Outrigger Island.

                                                     No, the pop wasn't Matthew's! 

This is Amy Jaquomotte and her little girl Avery with Shelley. They live only a couple of blocks from Shelley and Bob, and Shelley and Amy have been friends for a long time. Now Avery and Matthew are good friends and play together really well.  Amy and Dave go to Cornerstone.

We had snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn and lots of things to do. The National Guard brought this big blow up deal and someone else brought the climbing wall. There were lots of blow up jumping things, lots of old cars to look at, and even some parade horses that were beautiful!

Here are the hot dog cooks! Mike Herhuth, Joe Asaro, Jim Alvaro, Troy Grogan, and Joyce Griffin. They were having a great time and probably cooked about 2000 hot dogs.

There was a little train that was motorized for the little kids to get rides in. Matthew loves trains and automatically says "Too-toot!" when playing with trains or riding in one. (That's what he is saying in the picture.) It was a fun day - lots of work to put together and a lot of clean-up, but a very successful "picnic"!

A Visit with David and Carol

While we were in Orlando last week we got to have a visit with my brother David and my sister-in-law Carol. We hadn't seen them in a year and it was great to have this time with them. 

We started out by going out to eat. David and Carol picked us up at our hotel (in the pouring rain) and we went to eat at the Bahama Breeze on International Drive. It was a very nice restaurant with good food and we had a great time talking and getting caught up. Then we went back to the hotel and just sat and talked a while more. We got to hear about what their kids are up to, about their grandchildren (they just took two of their grandsons to Disney World) and about their jobs. It is a shame that we can't get together more often - it was fun!  Thanks, David and Carol for taking the time to drive an hour just to see us!

International Christian Retailer's Show 2008

Terry and I had the privilege of going to the Christian Retailer's Show in Orlando this past week. It was amazing! All day long there were Christian author's signing their books and giving them away! We met so many people and it was very fun! Here is Terry with Ben Stein who was there because of his movie Expelled. Terry stood in a long line to have this one taken!

                    The information desk at the show.

Here I am with Terri Blackstock. She writes Christian novels that are a mixture of mystery, romance and just good writing. I have read all of her books. She is just a beautiful person. She is much more beautiful in person - this picture doesn't do her justice!

The vendor floor was just huge! Every big and small Christian publisher and supplier was there.

All of their products were on display with special deals just for ordering at the show. I really learned a lot and found some new suppliers for the book store. There were many suppliers of gift items for stores also - some beautiful stuff. (to keep in mind for the future)

We were given so much that we had to ship it home! We bought boxes and kept coming back to fill them up to send home. We sent home four large boxes! Can't wait to get them!! It was a good four days - wish we could have stayed longer. The last day all of the vendors give away their products that are left over to avoid shipping them home. We had to leave Wednesday and missed that part! :(   I also attended some training classes for bookstore managers and an idea exchange luncheon. We won't talk about the plane trips - flying is not fun for me. When we returned to Detroit (on time, I might add) we were waiting for our luggage for about 30 minutes when they came over the loud speaker and said that they had lost our flight's luggage. They couldn't find it! They said that everyone had to go to the baggage claim office and give their address for the luggage to be delivered when it was found! What really happened was that the shift of workers who unload the baggage walked off the job at end of shift and just didn't unload the plane. No one told the other shift and they didn't know that it hadn't been unloaded. When someone figured this out, we got our luggage! That was only an hour and a half after landing! What organization!

A Visit and a Ballgame!

Last night Carol, Shane, and Dylan came for a visit. The boys follow the Tigers and Terry and I have tickets each summer with a good view of the game, so Terry invited them to go with us tonight to the ball game. We had dinner together at our house first and then went down to Comerica Park together. Shelley and Bob and Matthew came over to have pizza with us and visit with Carol and the boys.

I forgot to take my camera to the ball game, but if you go to Carol's blog, she took lots of good pictures of it. The Tigers led most of the game, but were losing in the eighth inning. They came back to win in the ninth - that made all of us happy! Then we stayed to view the wonderful fireworks before Carol and the boys headed home. 

It was a very rainy day, but just before the game the sun came out and it was beautiful for most of the game. The only problem was that I was sick all evening. I had just gotten one of those awful summer colds - I was miserable, but happy to see my sister and Dylan and Shane.

Shari's and Mark - June 2008

This year Terry and I got to spend a bit more time with Shari and Mark on the way home from Florida. I got to go to Shari's baby shower on Saturday afternoon and then we went with them to church on Sunday. That afternoon we all went shopping to buy their baby stroller and some other necessities for the baby on the way. We had fun even though it wasn't a very productive trip. The stroller that they picked out had been recalled and will be coming back out, but not for a couple of weeks. But it was fun shopping around. I really need to stay away from little girl clothes, though, because seriously, I am a sucker for them! Here we are packing up the car. After shopping we went with them to look at some houses that they are interested in and later, we went to dinner at a restaurant on Lake Norman. It was Father's Day and the first one in a very long time that Terry got to spend with Shari. :)

I wanted to get a few pictures of Shari when she is pregnant because they are fun to look back on later in life, and fun for the children to see later also. She looks cute! Shari is making her own baby bedding for the crib, so I got to see all of that while I was there. She is very good at sewing and improvising when needed. The baby's room will be coral, pink, and white.

I love these pictures of Shari and Mark! They are both very photogenic! We had such a nice time with them and probably won't see them again until the baby is born in either August or September.

Shari's Baby Shower

Isn't Shari cute when she's pregnant? Shari is our youngest daughter and she is expecting her first baby - a little girl. This will be our first granddaughter and we are very excited. We already love being grandparents and now both Shelley and Shari are expecting. What fun!!  This baby shower was given by the girls in Shari's small group at the home of an older couple who have taken great care of Shari and Mark since they moved to NC. They all go to the same church.

Shari had a beautiful cake and we had a really nice time visiting with everyone. All of us got to guess the date of birth, time of birth, and weight of the baby - I guessed August 30, 5:00 PM and six and a half pounds. We'll see!

It was fun to watch Shari open her gifts and see all of the beautiful little girl things. She got lots of pretty things - I am always amazed how things have changed since I was expecting my children. Everyone was so generous and we had lots to pack up and take home.

This was a happy day for Shari. A couple of her co-workers couldn't make it to the shower, but most of her favorite people were there. I was really impressed with her friends - they were all so nice and personable. Four girls (including Shari) from their small group are seven months pregnant. All four are pregnant with girls and they are all due to have their babies within three weeks of each other! Three of them are going to the same hospital and one even has the same doctor and mid-wife! They have a lot of fun comparing their experiences so far, and I am sure they will have a great time after the babies are born comparing their birth experiences. The other three girls were at the shower, so I got to meet them all.

This picture was supposed to be at the top, but as usual I can't seem to always place these pictures in the right order!

These were the girls who attended the shower. The shower was at the home of the woman who is three from the left.

Shari is talking to Liz here. She doesn't go to Shari's church, but is a friend that Shari met through Mark's boss's wife. She is directly from England and has a strong British accent. She is a wonderful person and I had a good time with her. Oh! I actually managed to sneak into this picture. I really do exist!

Those of you who know Shari, know that she is a talker! This is at the end of the shower. Mark came in and we were getting ready to pack up, but were mainly standing around talking. (Especially Shari!) I was so glad that I was able to be at this important event. I don't get to see Shari often and I really miss her a lot!

COCOA BEACH 2008 - Part 2 - Sea World

We stopped on our way to Florida in North Carolina to see Shari and Mark and have dinner with them. Then we drove on to Savannah, Georgia, that night so that we would be able to get to Cocoa Beach in time for check-in at the resort the next day. While we were visiting with Mark and Shari, he asked us if we wanted to go to Sea World while we were there. Of course, we would like to go, but it is very expensive for all of us to go. He said that he could get us free tickets because his company has dealings with Sea World. Anyway, he called and had the tickets waiting for us when we got to Sea World on Thursday. It was a hot, hot day, but we saw a lot and had a great day.

A couple of these pictures are out of order, (as usual I had some trouble uploading them) but I'll roll with it. We got to eat at the Shark Encounter. It is a restaurant where the tables are situated looking at huge fish aquariums that are built into the walls. The aquariums are full of sharks and some other big fish. You can see in the next picture how close we were to the fish. Matthew really likes watching fish and had a good time.

We also went to the dolphin show and, of course, the Shamu show. We also saw some other shows. The scenery was spectacular - beautiful colors and choreography! Here is Shamu.

This was one of the favorite things that I saw at sea world. Underwater sea creatures never cease to amaze me with their uniqueness and beauty. I have never seen one of these before - it is a sea dragon. It actually looked like a sea horse with leaves coming out of it! It was so beautiful and unusual!

We had a very fun day thanks to Mark!  Bob got to ride the fun roller coaster, we saw lots of strange sea creatures, fun shows, had an interesting lunch and we were REALLY TIRED!!

COCOA BEACH 2008 - Part I

It was so great to be back in Cocoa Beach, Florida for another vacation! We had wonderful weather the whole twelve days that we were there. It was sunny and in the eighties, sometimes nineties. Being by the ocean is one of my favorite things, and we have found a very nice resort that we get to use once a year and enjoy just relaxing and walking on the beautiful beach by the ocean, picking up seashells, eating in the great restaurants in the area, playing games, reading a lot and just enjoying ourselves. This year Bob and Shelley and Matthew joined us from Sunday to Sunday of the first week. They had a frustrating day with the airlines in getting to Florida, but after they finally got there on Sunday night, we had a great time. We stayed on the sixth floor this year and had a double balcony with a great view of the ocean. Here are Shelley and Bob on the balcony that goes along the inside of all of the condos and overlooks the pool area.

Here is Matthew playing on the beach with his sand toys. The water was warm this year so we spent a bit more time playing in the waves, which were rolling nicely every day. We also got to see lots of different birds, some jellyfish, and some crabs.

This is a picture of Terry. As usual, he is multi-tasking! He was trying to fly a kite and talk on the phone at the same time. We thought that Matthew would enjoy the kite, but he was too busy doing other things to bother looking at it much. He's probably too young yet.

This is the view from the inside balcony overlooking the pool area. It is a beautiful view and is usually very busy with people. We spent a lot of time there in the water, reading, eating at the food bar and talking. One day in the second week, I actually played BINGO! Most days there is either live entertainment in the afternoon at the pool or organized games or trivia for those who want to participate. We did the trivia one day and I did Bingo one day. Lost both.

Matthew got to be quite a little surfer while we were there! Here he is on a big wave. Isn't he talented? Oh no! He forgot to remove his shoes! What kind of surfer surfs in sandals? He just isn't up on all of that stuff yet.

The ocean was warm and we really didn't have to get used to it before walking in. I never really swam in it, but Bob, Shelley, and Terry did a bit, and Matthew went into the waves while someone was holding him. Beautiful water!

Here is Matthew playing in the sand. He loved to make rivers and fill up the bucket with sand and then pour water into it so it would overflow into his river.

Here we are walking along the beach one day. I am the one taking the pictures, so I am not in the pictures! I have to figure out how to fix that one of these days. I find that it is easier to just take the pictures myself most of the time. 

We had a wonderful time at the Resort on Cocoa Beach! We also did some other things with our time which I will tell about

 in Part II.

Anticipation!!

Saturday Terry and I are leaving for Cocoa Beach, Florida, for TWO WEEKS!! I have tried several times this morning to upload a few pictures of the resort where we are owners (one week a year), but to no avail. This is the only picture that I could get to come up. We have gone to this time share for about seven years now - and no, we don't get bored. This beautiful pool is in the front of the huge building and the ocean is on the backside. Who could get bored living right on the ocean? I love it and so does Terry. It is like a home away from home to us. We know all of the cool restaurants to go to and many other wonderful things to do. Orlando is just 45 minutes away also. 

This year Shelley, Bob, and Matthew are meeting us there like they did last year. This year Shari won't be with us because she wants to take her vacation when the baby is born at the end of August or early September. Matthew is eagerly awaiting Saturday - he actually remembers the ocean and beach there!

On the way to Florida (we are driving) we will stop in Charlotte and have dinner with Shari and Mark and then head on to Savannah where we have reservations for a short night. Then we will get up early and drive on to Cocoa Beach. On the way home we will spend a day and night with Shari and Mark.

We are looking forward to having Matthew with us again this year because he is a little older and will enjoy everything just a little more. I can't wait. (We are also very happy to have his parents there, too.) More pictures to follow!

The second week we are in Florida we are staying by ourselves (Shelley, Bob, and Matthew will be flying home) at a beautiful condo owned by a friend. It is also in Cocoa Beach, so we just change places. This condo is on the Banana River which is an inter coastal waterway. We are only a 10 minute walk from the ocean on the other side of the condo. The Banana River is beautiful and has lots of dolphins, fish, and manatees. We also have the use of a small rowboat while we are there, so it is nice to go out on the water - beautiful!