An apple a day...

...keeps the doctor away! If that really is true, we should be in good shape. Stefan loves apples and he has just started eating them like a big boy. So much more fun than when they are all cut up.

More from our weekend

On the way home from OH, we were able to stop in Calkins, PA to visit Brian's brother, Erik. He just moved there last week, so we were really happy to be able to see him and his new place. It is a rural area. Beautiful countryside. We were glad to meet the pastor's family whom he'll be working with as well as eating dinner with him at another family's home in the church. We spent the night with him and took off early the next morning to get home in time for Brian to teach.



The three guys! It was great to see Erik again!

On the left is Erik's new church. It was built in 1850! There is a bell in that steeple, but we didn't get to hear it! The other two pictures are of his house. It is huge and has so much character (like you would expect of an old house). I'm not sure how a guy by himself is going to fill it up, but hopefully he won't be too lonely in it. We enjoyed being way out in the country--quite a change from the Boston area!

OH/PA Weekend

We had a great time visiting with our friends, Shaun and Pam Christy, in New Castle, PA. We arrived there Thursday evening in time for dinner after about 11 hours of driving! Stefan did really well on the trip thanks to many stops and a dvd player someone loaned us! Shaun and Pam are caring for Shaun's mother and we enjoyed meeting her. They have also added a "daughter" since we last saw them. It was really good to see Miriam Zepeda. She is 17 now--hard to believe--I knew her as a young girl! We were only there a short time, but we were able to see a good bit of the area and taste some yummy Amish baked goods. Stefan thouroughly enjoyed the donuts and the apple slush! Shaun and Pam's cheerful and giving spirit were such an encouragement to us. What a ministry they have with their family and caring for his elderly mom, as well as being parents to a teenager.

From the Christy's we headed to Madison, OH. Unfortunately, I was NOT very good with the camera. Forgot it on a couple of occasions and then I guess we were too busy talking to actually take many pictures. We enjoyed getting to know Chris and Lori Anderson and their 4 daughters. The girls were great babysitters and Stefan had a great time! We also spent some time with Joe and Hannah Tyrpak. They took us to see the place and monument where the train crash that killed P.P. Bliss happened. The bridge is in the background of where the guys (and kids!) are standing, but it was getting dark so you can't really see it. We really enjoyed visiting their church on Sunday and getting to meet some of their church family.

Stefan and Uncle Tim

It came...finally!

Newburyport and Rockport, MA

Yesterday, we enjoyed a beautiful and fun day with Tim, Ruth, and the family. We first went to Newburyport to visit the Old South Church that George Whitefield helped found. He is buried in a crypt underneath the pulpit. We were given a tour by a very kind elderly man from the church. You see all the guys standing in the pulpit. Underneath them is the the crypt which we went down to the basement to see (pic with Brian and Stefan). It was a very informative visit.



We then headed to Rockport which is a beautiful little town. Tim and Ruth treated us to lunch in a little restaurant right on the ocean. You can see in the picture of Miriam and me that we had a great view! It was a beautiful day, beautiful scenery, and very enjoyable company. We have lots of good pictures so I will try to get those uploaded on FB so you can see them all.

Cousins playing together

Tomorrow's a Big Day!

Brian's brother, Erik, is graduating with a Master of Divinity. Congratulations, Erik! We're so proud of all your hard work.

Tomorrow is also Dad's last day on faculty at Bob Jones University. He has been teaching Computer Science there since 2001 and is now retiring. Dad, I think we'll miss your student stories, but are glad that you can retire to spend more time at home with Mom, and hopefully travel more so you can come see us;-)

We also want to congratulate our good friend, Michael Cole, who will be receiving his PhD in Theology tomorrow.

My own sweet Hubby could also be walking to receive his diploma tomorrow--though he finished his degree last year, it is not being conferred until tomorrow. Unfortunately we could not make the trip down there, but I still want to say Congratulations. We can't wait to actually have the diploma in hand. Hopefully it arrives next week!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!

Silverware drawer, Mommy's helper, and Building towers

RANDOM...I know!


This may seem like a messy silverware drawer, but when you consider that a 16 month old put the silverware away from the dishwasher by himself, it's not too bad. Yes, he's my little helper. He found the correct drawer and put the silverware away with no help from Mommy. I had to snap a picture!

After building a tower three different days all the same color, I have decided that Stefan does indeed know the difference between colors. He doesn't know his colors, but he does know they are different. This is the first tower (of one color, that is) he built totally on his own. I was pretty surprised when I walked in and saw this.