Sweaters and Golf Balls

Christmas parties abound in December and this year we experienced a party like no other we've attended. The youth group had a tacky Christmas party complete with ugly sweaters, mismatched outfits, and a very special putt putt course customed designed by the youth pastor and his team (Jozsef included).

There were nine golf holes spread throughout the church for the teams to wind their way through, one challenge at a time. The holes were very creatively designed--I wish I had been able to take more photos of them.

John helped man golf holes while I helped in the kitchen--we served breakfast foods to the children as it was a brunch style event.

It was loads of fun and Sonja even managed to get the third best score!

Holiday Happiness

December, being the notoriously busy month that it is, is a time when a little bit of everything pops up--some things are planned, and some are just happy surprises. :-) I'll highlight here some of the smaller, but no less joyful, moments of the month. Nikolas found a vintage sleigh and brought it home for me. He thought I might like it as a decoration--he was right! Sonja helped me to clean it up and retore it and now it sits on our front porch. Sonja did a fabulous job with the lettering!

There's a rig owner in our locale that all out decorates his big rig--he even puts a loud speaker and great Christmas tunes on it--and then spends the while of December spreading Christmas cheer. Sometimes you'll pass it on the road, and sometimes you'll randomly find it parked in a lot somewhere that people can enjoy it. He's known as Chritmas Pete adn he's SO much fun! We look forward to finding him around town every year. This time, Sonja and I were enjoying a sunset when we noticed Pete across the parking lot :-)

Happy mail is a wonderful upside to the Christmas season--so much to appreciate and you never know what will show up! One of the packages we received had dry ice in it. And why is that exciting? Because volcano drinks are made with dry ice! The children had so much fun with these :-)

Shopping in December can be difficult and tedious or a treasure hunt upon you embark while looking for small joys along the way. One of the local grocery stores was helping to set the mood by allowing a cellist to play Christmas tunes for customer enjoyment--what a beautiful treat!

While shopping, we took the time to take in the sights--many areas of beautiful decorations, and some that were just fun. At our church, the Worship Pastor did a full scale string art nativity scene as a backdrop for the season, and one of the department stores had a great photo spot with a giant dinosaur. :-)

Yes, December is crazy busy--but we try to capture as many moments as possible as the month whizzes by. Sometimes, that means jsut stopping in at the small local coffee shop to enjoy a handcrafted delicious piece of art and sit a spell to rest while you catch up with folks you know.

It's a magical season!

From Dream to Done

When we purchased this home, the basement was listed as unfinished. However, there was enough done to that level for us to make a functional office and bedroom on that floor which were instantly put to use. At the end of the hallway, there was a big black void. Just a space with wall studs in place and a concrete floor--literally a blank canvas. Though that space has been used to house many a storage pieces over the years that we've been here, the vision was to make that hole a functioning bathroom.

We knew that the task would be monumental, but we also knew that it would be well worth doing. It took us a L O N G time, but we can gleefully say that we have a bathroom! Nikolas practiced his plumbing skills, Jozsef exercised his drywall and painting skills, and John filled in all of the other gaps. From coring a can for the toilet and installing an ejector pump, to full out plumbing, making walls, making doorways, creating a ceiling, wiring for lights and outlets, installing fixtures--every little detail--the guys did it all! Ok, we had help with the coring, ejector pump, and some of the wiring--thank you Grassroots and Denver! But overall, the project was by and large an in-house project.

The boys are thrilled--as are the rest of us. This is a B I G deal! I'm so happy for the willing hands to put in the numerous hours in making this dream become a reality. Great Work Guys! and THANK YOU!

Contract to Covenant

Once upon a time, the church was the center of a community. People met there, they worshipped and fellowshipped there, creating bonds. People were married at the church and when thier babies were born, the babies were baptized there. At the end of life, funerals were held at the church and people were buried at the church cemetary. All the records were simple. The Pastor and the people wrote the name of the event and the date of the event in thier Bibles. Every sacred event was between the Pastor, the people, and God--because these were God given rights of passage. This was the way life was recorded for generations--until the government got involved and found a way to take charge of records and attach financial gain to them. This is where covenant was changed to contract. A contract, by definition, is an agreement between two or more parites that creates mutual obligations that are enforceable by law. In regards to marriage, that sounds super romantic, doesn't it. In contrast, a covenant is defined as a promise, agreement, or contract between two or more oarties, often accompanied by oaths, signs, and ceremonies. It is a relationship bwtween two partners who make binding promises to otherand work together to reach a common goal. Covenants define obligations and commitments but they are different from a contract because they are relational and personal. Biblically, a covenant marriage is a solemn and binding relationship between a man and a woman that is meant to last a lifetime. The purpose of a covenant marriage is to reflect the love and relationship between Christ and His church, and it is meant to be a unique display of God's covenant grace because, unlike all other human relaitonships, the husband and wife are bound by covenant into the closest possible relationship for a lfetime.

When John and I first were married, we were not Christ followers, and though we included Biblical verses and mentioned God in our ceremony, we definitely entered into a contract. Over the years, after trial and triumph with resulting growth, and yes, becoming Christ followers, we decided that we would rather be in covenant than in contract. It took us quite some time to reach the point of ability to make the switch, but we finally got all of our pieces together and recently made the switch. In a lake side gazebo, witnessed by the children and Bethany, John and I made a covenant vow. We didn't just mention God, we made God the cornerstone of our lives together.

It was simple, sweet, special, and significant. We topped off the night with a celebratory dinner and a delicious apple butter cake.

We made a marked moment. Praise God! ;-)

Giving Thanks

November is a great month. Not only does it cool down and we can open windows, but the foliage turns brilliant colors and we are surrounded by beauty. In the midst of it all, we have an entire month to really focus on counting our blessings and giving thanks culminating in a day of thanks and a feast. How wonderful is that?! We worked our way through the alphabet identiflying the blessings we have which is always a treat to see other people's perspectives. Thanksgiving day was filled with games, puzzles, good food, and time together.

I didn't get much in the way of photos, but that's because we were too involved in enjoying our time--and I'll take that. :-)

Family, Autumn, and a Park

This year, we were blessed by a friend who gifted us his time and talents for a family photo shoot in the park. We had a great time while we captured a few moments in time. We are thankful for our friend's generous gift. Many thanks to you, ZachRicky! (there's a story behind that nickname--a story for another time, maybe). :-) Thank you MUCH Zach!

Teen Time

We have a new teen in the house! Riley recently had a birthday.

We celebrated him with a day at the range, a special homemade sushi dinner, and an evening of cake and gifts. Riley had a great time with the guys at the range and we learned that he's a pretty good shot!

Riley chose a pretty specific cake--yellow heath toffee cake with fall sprinkles and the traditional candy corn. The cake hit all the high points that Riley was looking forward to and the sushi dinner was a wonderful treat. :-)

We had a great time celebrating Riley and welcoming him into the teen time of his life. Happy Birthday, Riley! We love you!