Best Buddies

I was told to blog more. I was told to share more of the cute little things that happen around here. I trying to learn what is blogworthy. So here goes . . . Zach got a phone call today after school. It was from one of his "Best Buddies". Best Buddies is an after school group that Zach belongs to. It involves the "regular ed" kids and the "special ed" kids. They meet about twice a month after school. Back to the phone call. Zach got on the phone and was so excited. He has gotten phone calls before, like the several calls he received on his birthday. But this one was different. It was a friend. A friend from school. I saw how this program benefits both groups of students. It teaches one group to be more understanding of others and their disabilities, and it teaches the other group that they belong. Maybe they're not so different after all. Zach was on the phone for about ten minutes, and then I hear "Mama, phone!". His Best Buddy wanted some help from me deciphering some of Zach's answers. They were trying to get out of Zach what he would like for Christmas. So I gave a few simple suggestions, and then I got a gift from them. They said Zach is such a neat kid. They really love him and enjoy being his friend. What a blessing!

Happy 48th Birthday, Bob!!!

Happy Birthday, Bob!

I met my husband, Bob, when he was 23. So much has happened since. Ups, downs, good, bad, but mostly I have seen tremendous growth. "He's still workin' on me" comes to mind. How true. I hope He is still working on me as well. So enjoy your day, Barter Bob, Lasagna Bob, Pesto Bob, whoever you are :)

Happy 16th Birthday Zach!

16! WOW! As you have heard me say before, "He's come a long way!" From just sitting on the floor, or couch, not wanting any contact with another human being, (not even me) to talking to and greeting all his church family every chance he gets! What a blessing Zach is to us. He is so excited for today. He woke to his Dad making him his favorite drink, and orange banana smoothie. And he heard "Happy Birthday" played on the piano as well. We are going to Red Robin for his birthday dinner tonight. He has a coupon for a free dinner there!
I want to thank all of Zach's friends and family for being such a huge encouragement to him, and to us. It means alot. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A Pleasant Surprise

Mike lost his wallet Monday. We've backtracked, searched the house, the car, parking lots . . . nothing. So after getting over the initial shock of "My wallet is gone!", we had to get the license replaced. Mind you, he hasn't had his license for one month yet. Back to the DMV. Not somewhere we had planned to return to so quickly. But this time the pressure is off. No testing, just go get the license reissued. We went on Wednesday. Since they were closed on Tuesday for Veteran's Day, the lines were longer than usual, and Zach was making it known that he didn't want to be there. But God is good. We got in line, and an employee notices Mike on his crutches. So she says "Here, take this ticket, and go to the front of the line. Your number will be called VERY soon." It was! Apparently there is a priority system in place for senior citizens, and the disabled. And on Wednesday, Mike qualified. It took a total of 10 minutes to get through all the lines and have his license reissued.

Replacing the wallet and the license was easy. The money is probably gone for good. I'm sure he won't be carrying all his money in his wallet from now on. Lesson learned. As for the "points cards" from various stores Mike goes to, well they're gone with the cash.

This is the second time Mike has lost his wallet. I'm thinking of one of those wallet chains. Tacky? Maybe. But for him, practical.

Friends, Food & Fun!

Last night the Slone family came over for dinner. We had a really nice night. There was alot of food (of course!), and alot of fun. The kids did a great job keeping themselves entertained with ping pong and foosball. This allowed the adults to enjoy some fellowship as well.

I loved having the Slone family over. They are very easygoing, and I like that in a guest. I especially liked when they arrived with a yummy caramel apple pie for dessert. What a treat!Thanks again for sharing an evening with us.

Waited on Hand and Foot

Mike is doing well. His surgery was yesterday afternoon, and it went as planned. Thank you for all your prayers. The doctor removed several plantar warts and he was amazed at the depth of them . Mike was to the point that is was incredibly painful to walk. So now he is bearing with the pain of healing and the awkwardness of using crutches to get around. The teen choir is singing Sunday and he is determined to be up there with them, crutches and all. He is also looking forward to the upcoming Men's retreat at Camp Joy. I wonder where he gets all this energy, heredity maybe?

I just want to add the funny things you say when the anesthesia is wearing off! He says he doesn't remember saying a thing. " How could I make some of this stuff up?" I said. I promised I wouldn't tell everything he said, but he did tell me of a friend he has that makes lemon meringue pie from scratch! :)

What A Week!

Wow! What a week! Bob & Mike returned home safely from Florida. Mike is very excited, to say the least, about his new car. Then on Tuesday he went to take his driving test to get his license. He passed! So now he is able to drive himself to school, church activities, and do other little odds and ends for us. What a blessing this is.

On Wednesday I had the privilege to go to The Christian Womanhood Spectacular, held at First Baptist of Hammond. It was entitled, "Living on the Edge". Sounded perfect for me, and believe me it was. There were nine ladies from our church who attended. I believe each and every one of us benefited from attending. Debbie, Kris and I stayed in a hotel to avoid the commuting each day from home. Once again this was a blessing to be able to do this. It was the icing on the cake!

Then on Saturday we had a booth at Trade expo. We had our equipment there, but we also had some added extras that were a great success. We brought ALOT of our homemade goodies. We had lasagna, poppers, pesto, broccoli cheese soup, meatloaf, and our various degrees of salsa. We topped it all of by offering delicious BLT sandwiches (tomatoes & lettuce were from the garden, of course) made with pesto on them, instead of mayo. The crowd loved them. A big thanks to Kris for helping us out! And of course to Sam, who is now Zach's new buddy!

On Sunday we enjoyed Sunday School, and teaching in Children's church, and then a very useful message from Pastor Dave in the evening. Unfortunately, Bob was home sick today. He has bronchitis, and is on a couple of medications. He had to hear of our great day at church second hand. Things just aren't the same when you can't go to church. Bob seems to be getting better today.

Can't hardly wait for this week!

Cleaning House

Cleaning the house, and garage, and basement, and bedrooms, and kitchen. No area in my home was safe from weeding through the junk, and the necessities. I love having garage sales. It's a lot of work. Some say just have the truck come by and pick up your junk and take the tax deduction. But where's the fun in that? I love the bargaining, and haggling over pricing. Who doensn't love to make a deal? Plus on Satuday we had a table of free ladies clothing left over from the clothing swap at church the night before. So we were able to bless some people who needed it!

Now doesn't that look like fun? It was. Thanks to the Todd's who are a huge help, and alot of fun too!

Happy 17th Birthday Mike!

Today is Mike's 17th birthday. He's grown into a fine young man. We appreciate him, and all he does for our family. It is very exciting to see how the Lord has worked in his life.
Enjoy your day Mike!

An Act of Kindness

This past Saturday I went to church to clean the nursery. The men were having their monthly breakfast that morning, and I tried to sneak in without being noticed. No such luck. As I got one foot in the door I immediately heard "Intruder!!!". I made it to the nursery and began cleaning. Within a few minutes I hear the door open and looked and saw Ed Slone. He was bringing me a plate FULL of food from the men's breakfast. That was such a kind gesture, from a kind man. Then a few minutes later Forest stuck his head in the nursery and offered to make me up a plate of food. What a blessing it is to have such kind, considerate men at our church. It made my day.

An Encouraging Note

Tucked way down in the bottom of Zach's backpack was a gem. I found a note folded many times, as if it had no meaning. When I unfolded it, I found it to have as much meaning, even more, than the largest billboard. It said . . .
Mr/Mrs G-
Zach found a students ID in the hallway. He turned it into the police officer and was rewarded with a dollar.
Thanks for raising such a teriffic young man.

That made my day, and Bob's, and even Mike's. It's so nice to receive encouraging words. Many of you have only known Zach for a few years, but some have known him a while and will testify that he has come a long way. He hasn't always been the Zach you know today. What a blessing we have been given to have Zach as part of our family. I thank the Lord for giving us Zach. Love ya big guy!

Yes, We Canned!!!

Today I spent time learning from my experienced canning buddy, Kris. What a blast we had! Well, at least I had fun. I hope she did too. We canned 35 jars of homemade cinnamon applesauce. Yum. I appreciate her taking time from her busy schedule and helping me. Next we will be canning green beans. Friends make work seem like fun.

Silver Lake, Michigan

This past weekned we had our last summer hurrah in Silver Lake, Michigan. We've been going there for years. We love it there. It was a great time for being together, relaxing and enjoying some of our favorite activities.

Bob & Zach go karting

Mike practices his driving

More practice for Mike

A beautiful day on the boat

Zach drives the boat. He did really well. And he loved it!

We enjoyed a nice dinner at Gull Landing in Pentwater.


This looks like a postcard, doesn't it? It's such a beautiful part of Michigan.

They Knew Fear

Five young men from our youth group attended The Midwest Christian Boys Football Camp in Dwight, Illinois. From what I hear they had an amazing week. I am so proud of all of them. A special "Thank You!" To brother Jeremy and Brother Jeff K. for giving your time and attention to the young men.

Mike was on the Red Varsity team #65

The Red Varsity team won the "Superbowl" Go G!

Worn out, but worth it

#1

Coach Noonan with the team

Pastor Petrich being an encouragement

Brother Jeremy and the football players

Z watching the game

Zach and his friends Carlie and Christie enjoying the game
Thank you Lord for watching over the young men

Bitten By The Blogging Bug

This may seem like an ordinary salad to most. But today my husband, Bob, thought it was the best thing on the face of the earth. He was so excited to see that I had made him a salad with fresh spinach and broccoli (from the garden of course), fresh shredded parma cheese, bacon, chopped pecans, dried cherries, topped with homemade raspberry vinaigrette dressing.
When he sat down at the table he was awestruck. He said "Get the camera, you have to blog this!" So I did. I guess it's the little things that please people.

Our Mini In Minnesota

We went to Minnesota for a mini vacation recently. It was FULL of family, food, and golf. We were celebrating many occasions . . . My inlaws 5oth wedding anniversary, the grand opening of my brother inlaws golf course that he just purchased, my nephew Brian's high school graduation, and a celebration of 20 years in business for my brother in law's security alarm business. Can you say party? WOW! We also had the experience of visiting "THE MALL OF AMERICA". It is a very overwhelming mall. Thank you to my sweet niece Nicole for being our tour guide. She was amazing.

Here are some pictures from our trip:

On the way up to Minnesota

Bob and his big brother, Ken

Zach gets a tour of the golf course from Uncle Ron

Bob, Zach, and Uncle Ron

Mike & his Grandma playing Rummikub

I will explain this picture . . . At the grand opening of the golf course, they had a dunk tank. Part of the festivities was to dunk the owner. So we did. Ron was showing us his Speedo that he "threatened" to put on. I am so happy he wore swim trunks!

Mom. Dad, and their boys

My sister in law Janice(Ken's wife), and my niece, Nicole, arranging us for family photos

Brian, Ken, Dad, Bob, Mom, Ron, and Nicole

Ron, Bob, and Ken at the Grand Opening of The Princeton Golf Club

We had a really nice time. I loved the golf course. It was so beautiful. It was great to see us all together.

Fishing With Brother Larry

Today was "Fishing with Brother Larry". We went to beautiful K-Mine Lake in Godley. Between the raindrops there was some good fishin'. Everyone seemed to enjoy the day and the fellowship. Skyla, Kimmy, Pastor Dave, & Nicole

Jason loves to fish

The Grosse Family

Skyla whistles with a blade of grass

Beth instructs Mr. Bob on how to bait a hook properly

And what would a Grace Baptist outing be without food . . .

Shrimp on the "Barbie" .These disappeared FAST!

Our wonderful pavillion that kept us dry

The beautiful sky after the rains

It was a wonderful day. Thank you to Brother Larry and Mrs. Gerlinde for all their hard work. It was worth it!