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I know that when you hear Spring, it doesn't make you think about December
26. Technically, the first two pictures should have been in the last
section. But we won't stand on formality around here. Marty turned
fifty on the day after Christmas. His newest hobby seems to be
throwing parties. This one was great. In fact, it was good
enough that I will not embarrass the guests with any pictures. Marty
did score big, with lots of friends in attendance we had a very warm home on
a chilly December night. It was exactly what Marty wanted for his
birthday.
Cindy got him a guitar that is beyond cool. Now he cannot blame his
poor guitar skills on lame gear. |
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The pictures surrounding this box are from Disney World. Cindy and
Marty had another party in March when they celebrated their 30th.
Above, we are having dinner at the top of the Contemporary Resort, the
California Grill. The sprinkled our table with confetti and even cam
by to take the picture. Disney is for adults, and they really made us
feel special all week long. |
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The Animal Kingdom is the newest park and included some cool coaster and
shows. But the animals usually take the show. We decided to
travel pretty light and only used disposable cameras. But the monkey
area had a family of bonobos with a baby. There was a trio of
tigers in the Asia exhibit above. Only two are visible, but you have
to search.
We also did some geneology research and got a print of Cindy's family
crest and history. It was completed by an Celtic sword and the three
are now on display in the hallway entrance. |
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Have you ever had a week end project from hell? That is what we had
when we tried to enhance our pond. We wanted to even out the bottom,
make it a smidge bigger and deeper and add a waterfall. With planning,
it should take about 8 hours, right? How about two weeks. After
a LOT of manual labor and moving 2 tons of small rocks by hand, we found we
had a leak by the skimmer. We could not put the fish in the pond until
we had that fixed. It meant draining the pond and trying to straighten
out the liner where it attaches to the skimmer. If the water poured
out, it would be a quick fix. But you have to drain the pond, fix it,
fill it and wait. If after 8 hours, the pond drops 2 inches, you have
a leak. Bad process, but the problem finally was beaten by brute force
and an entire tube of caulk. The fish were happy to get out of the
baby pool and into their new home. |
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The waterfall runs constantly and does
a good job of aerating the water. It sounds great in the evening, too.
The pump puts 60 gallons per minute over the edge and it acts like a real
stream. Finishing the pond is the only thing we did not celebrate with
a party. We were too tired. |
| We did have a party with the latest Amazing
Grace Coffee House. We had the most amazing thing happen.
Performers regularly contact us and want to play. They usually back
away when we cannot promise a specific payment. This time, two great
performers said they still wanted to come.
Kerensa Gray is pictured at right. She absolutely blew us away
with her vocals and story telling.
Jerry Coyle and Richmond Steak and Cheese catered the event. I
cannot say enough good things about that family or their food. |
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| But there was more.
Exit 9
is a team made up of Clay and Gloria. They really interacted with the
audience. They lured Pastor Ruppar, me and some kids up to dance.
They even included Bob in one of their songs. Bob is a pro drummer and
he really helped knock that song out of the park. It was more than
they expected. As always, the guests get to draw on the table coverings.
They came up with some pretty great artwork.
Both Kerensa and Exit 9 performed Sunday morning during services.
Between services, they gave LCOS a couple songs and answered our questions
about music and ministry. Of Course, we had them to our house with
some of the planning team for a party. |
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| Lars Graduates from Longwood |
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| This is where we sat. Not much of a
view, but the weather held and we were happy and proud parents. |
Lars built a lot of great friendships
through his four years. Many of his friends didn't make it, went on an
extended plan or just changed plans. We are very proud of him for his
grades and effort, but also, just because he stuck to it. |
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| We had a cake and a little party. A few
friends that we have know for YEARS were able to stop by and that was great
fun. For everybody that could not make it, we are sorry. We
could not save any of the bacon wrapped filet for you. It was just too
good. |
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| A graduation occasion requires out of state
visitors. Cindy's mom said she would not miss her grandson's college
graduation. |
She got a ride down with Cindy's
brother Mike, his fiancé Lisa and her son Robert. We all stopped at
Michie Tavern on out way to visit Monticello. |
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| The extra helping of fried chicken and BBQ
seemed to have slowed down Katie and Mike. They had to rest while
grandma went to snap a couple still pictures of Monticello. |
It has rained every week end in
Virginia this year. We got through the graduation and a tour of Thomas
Jefferson's home. The grounds looked great and we had a nice visit.
It rained on the way home. |
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| So much has happened, I just tried to get a
sprinkling of what is happening. Marty's employer needed to downsize, and
we made it through that with a job. Our friends in Illinois have had
great fortune. Ross is a published author and is the lead in a local
production of Rocky Horror Show. While we miss the folks up there, we
still try to talk people into moving south. It may have worked with
Eva. We will keep you posted on any progress.
And for everybody else, there is still room and the weather is great.
Think about coming down for a visit or a stay. |
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