The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinquish it.

  It started out like many previous Tuesday mornings, you wake, get ready for the day, grab a bite to eat and head out the door.  However, on this particular day it started snowing.  I actually thought that it was going to snow closer to where my daughter lives and bypass us all together, but that was not the case.  Instead, it bypassed her city and hit us and hit us hard, by noon the power went out at work, the snow was coming down hard and beginning to create havoc due to the weight and the wetness of the white fluffy stuff.  By the time I reached my house, I caught myself taking a deep breath, I hadn't realized that I had been holding it while I had been driving in the snow for the past twenty-five minutes (it usually take about 15 minutes to get home). 
  Upon entering the driveway, the garage door would not open...hmmmm why won't it open?  It only took some deductive reasoning to realize that the power was out at the house as well. No problem I thought, it will be on in a little while, at least past experience had indicated that notion.  But as the day was turning into dusk, I thought I better find some candles or something to light the house up just in case, the stove was also out so I thought I better find our camp stove, but didn't have any success with that...it was going to be P&J for dinner.  As the evening progressed, darkness seemed to engulf my house.  I gave up the idea that the electric was going to turn back on that evening and put all my resources together and lit up my room, it started getting pretty cold so I figured it best to simply go to bed and get under the warmth of the blankets.
  As I pondered this unusual circumstance, I had to reflect that something always happens out of the ordinary when Philip is away.  I also noted that we have come to a place in time where we rely so much on our modern conveniences. And yet, we need them....but more importantly, we need Jesus. 
  Throughout my power outage, I was trying to take matters into my own hands, as if I could really change the situation in my own strength. Through this storm, God gently reminded me that it is He who brings the "true" light to a dark and hurting world.

John 1:5 NLT
  The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can NEVER extinguish it.  Jesus is the LIGHT!

FIVE YEARS AND COUNTING...

We had a wonderful day celebrating our eldest grandson's birthday...
FUN, FUN, FUN !!!!

BOW & ARROWS

Dear Ayden,
You will never really comprehend the love that your Papa and Nana have for you.
You bring joy, laughter & lots of smiles to our hearts. 
We think you are probably one of the smartest 5 year olds alive today
and we take pride in being your grandparents.

AUTUMN COLORS

Autumn colors are so beautiful in Wisconsin and Michigan...take a look...

In Traverse, MI, they believe in keeping eveb the bubbler warm.
But oh it is dressed for the autumn colors!  

The brightness of the leaves was absolutely breath taking...

The Bed & Breakfast landscape was very sweet, the house we stayed in was a restored old farm house. We slept well and played much.  It was a a really nice getaway.

The McCoys

 

This is us...needing a much needed break in the busyness of life!



Lake Michigan off of the peninsula of Traverse, Michigan



I love taking pictures of the landscape. 



This was a very cool hobby shop that we came across.

Are we having fun yet? Say YEAH!

Blessings to all of you who may come across my blog!

Friendships are simply priceless...

     This is a picture of us all at the end of a peninsula in Michigan.  We are truly blessed to have friends that we cherish and enjoy spending time with.  What a wonderful couple of days we shared in the autumn beauty of colors.

Many people will walk in and out of your life,

but only true friends will leave

footprints in your heart.

- Eleanor Roosevelt -

 

 

 

 

FAMILY FUN AT THE FARMER'S MARKET

The end of the summer get together with the ones I love..... 

This is a wonderful place to find all the best fruits, veggies, honey, granola, & flowers.


We were not the only ones looking for a good deal!

The produce was amazing and the colors were vibrant and the samples were simply delightful!

 

 Did I say flowers....there were so many bouquets to choose from. We all came home with a treasure or two.

A much needed time of R&R

 We had the opportunity to meet with some dear friends for a few days in Michigan. We had so much fun.

                                                          Philip really need this time away!

                                                   Bob                                     Philip

                                                           Some of the scenery in Michigan

                                                        Friends are such a blessing to have!

                                                         Painted Rock - Indian Head

        Different Minerals within the rocks cause this reaction to the cliff, it was absolutely beautiful to view.

                                                               R&R is good for the soul!

REFLECTIONS OF TWENTY SOMETHING YEARS...

     I am utterly amazed and at times even humbled as I reflect on the past twenty something years of my marriage. Philip and I have been married actually now 27 years, but twenty something just seems a bit more trendy I think! There have been times though that it already seems like forever, we certainly have been together longer than we have been a part, but God has shown Himself faithful to us on so many levels throughout these many years together.

     As I look back, I wonder how we ever survived those first years...living on love can only get you so far and then reality sets in and the pressure begins with each one of us still believing that marriage was about "ME" and my needs & how our partner was suppose to meet those needs.

     Then the babies came! You know, to this day there still isn't an instruction manual on how to raise children. I think once you get to this point, you just do a lot of praying that these little bundles of joy only acquire your good habits and not the bad. We no longer were focusing on the "ME" of the relationship. Our lives were filled with way to many sleepless nights, bottles & changing diapers. We also had not realized until the time quickly approached, that our philosophies and thoughts on child raising were a bit different at first, but somewhere along the line the Lord saw fit to whisper little words of wisdom for us to apply to both our own lives and that of our children.

     Twenty-five years ago, we were swimming in barbies, tri-cycles, Lady and the Tramp and Cinderella, note books and pens; we dove into sports, piano, violin and voice lessons, plays and learning to drive. The years have literally floated by in a sea of remarkable memories and adventures that we, as husband and wife will always treasure.

     I believe that the Lord has brought Philip and I even closer now, than we ever really were in the beginning of our life together. I don't think that I even knew what love really was way back when...isn't it funny how when you are younger; that you think you know everything? I think that this is when grace appears in your life and shows you what love really is, the kind of love that Jesus spoke of again and again in Scripture. I know that I probably still do not comprehend the full meaning of love, but I have seen glimpses of it displayed over and over again in my life by my husband. Oh how he has shown his love toward me through out the years. He is a keeper until the end of time!

     I must acknowledge that if it was not for Jesus Christ being the Lord in our marriage and life, we would never have survived the difficulties of this life. It is His strength and power to move us forward, when we refuse to move on our own. It is His grace and mercy, that causes us to forgive and forget. It is His never ending love, that allows us to realize that life is way to precious to waste and that we need to seize each moment that He allows us to have, to love & live for Him and each other.

For Better or Worse!

    Over the last almost twenty-seven years of marriage I have to give my husband a huge thumbs up for his tireless effots in taking care of his wife as it relates to her health issues.  Yesterday was no different, I had a procedure done and was so sick due to the meds given to put me to put me to sleep. After waking up, I was nauseous with a mega headache, pain and to simply say - I simply was not at my best. After returning home he put me to bed, catering to my every need. (Really nice I say) I got worse through out the day. It ended with me vomiting in the hallway, thank goodness I was carrying a bowl and he was right there to help me through that ordeal. What is comforting to me the most is when I tell him thank you for being there, he simply replies, that is what I worked hard for all my life, to be there when you need me. I am humbled and amazed in how God has blessed me with such an amazing compassionate man. I totally will keep him around for like forever and a day.

Wisconsin Skies

This storm was brewing. It was hot,
raining and perfect weather for the
tornado warning that came into the area.

Within a few hours of the storm, we took a look outside again and found the sun in all it's glory.




A few nights later, we had this awesome full moon. You can almost see the man in the moon too!

I have never seen the skies look like this before. These are untouched photos of this amazing sky.

As I reflect upon the ever changing skies, I wonder at times if we realize just how precious life really is? When I stop to think about this question, I am utterly humbled at the creativeness & the fagility of our bodies and yet the strength and willpower that God has instilled in us. TOTALLY AWE STRUCK!

Photography 101

Just finished up with classes...here are the models for my photography class. Are they not the cutest?
Breana brought them home to their Nana so that they could help with her final project in a photography class.
We had rain the first day and then the sun was really bright the next, however we had fun!

I entered the above photograph as my final project!
It's title is "The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin"
I received a "yellow" ribbon (3rd place) from the judge.
One of his comments was that we should have had a cloudy day to take the photo!

 I am amazed in how much these boys love the outdoors. They loved helping their Papa paint fences.

The horse was inspecting their work. Opps, missed a spot!

Being a grandparent is such blessing. I never thought that you could receive so much joy, being a part of these little ones lives. It is true what the Bible says....children are an inheritance from the Lord! Thank you boys for being such super helpers for my class.

Find something you enjoy doing and have fun with it!

I have had the opportunity to take a photography class. I am trying to learn how to use my new camera in the more creative settings than the basic point & shoot. So here are samples, using reflectors, custom white balancing and natural light and the scenery itself.

All these pictures were taken between the hours of 6:30 and 8 p.m.

This is me, enjoying the moment! Another student was kind enough to take my picture. What makes this so fun for me is that it is something out of the ordinary. It is taking the time to learn and become creative. How creative I will be...is yet to be seen, but I am in it for the journey!

Blessings to you all.