Wedding #1

Vanessa was a BEAUTIFUL bride!!!
She NEVER stopped smiling...
but then she very seldom does!

The cake was made by Naomi.
It was very pretty but we didn't eat this one.
The one we ate was also delicious!

The shoe game
This was really fun!

Brad and Vanessa
The happy couple
(I don't know why my photos make Vanessa look like she had dark circles under her eyes.
She did not look that way in real life. She looked very beautiful!)

Bride's maids Tara and Laura

Krystal and Scott patiently (???) waiting for next Saturday
and wedding #2.

The children's pics will be posted on Gail's Grandkids. E-mail me if you want to see them.

Dave Hodder's Ordination

This is what we saw on our way to Hodders'. Dominique wondered what crop it was.
It is just a healthy, prolific crop of dandelions! Pretty!!! But not so pretty in our yard when they go to seed!

Dave's ordination service was last Saturday. I didn't get a pic of the whole family at the time but did get one today at Vanessa and Brad's wedding. Hannah said she is not part of the family yet but will be in August. That's close enough! Notice how Mitchell towers above everybody!

Look how he towers above me!
He graduates from high school shortly.

The service was wonderful! A real blessing and encouragement!

The other pics are self explanatory. I don't know why their house is so crooked.
(It was probably me out of kilter.) It was so good to see where Dave, Eva and family are. We miss them but are excited about their ministry in Nova Scotia!

AMAZING!!!

About a month ago a couple came to see Paul for some advice. The lady was pregnant with twins. The doctor told her that one twin had a serious heart problem and he recommended that the baby be aborted. This couple did not feel that was an option even though the baby was given only a 10% chance of survival. Of course Paul counseled them not to have an abortion!

WELL...the babies were born last Saturday. They are two little girls. The one with the heart problem is bigger than the other one and guess what! She now has a 90% chance of survival! The surgery she needs will take 2-3 hours instead of the 6 or more hours previously supposed!

What if they had taken the doctor's advice???? We have been praying for this family and their situation. God has answered in a wonder way!!!

The Star Spangled Banner

THIS is one of those things that made our country great! If 91% of viewers (who voted) responded favorably to this video, what about the 9%.? I am afraid that they are the ones who are dismantling all those things we hold dear and that others have fought and died for. And there are others who claim to love America, but are changing and destroying the freedoms which are so important to each American!

More about that Arch

Someone told me recently that when they built the arch, the two sides didn't meet! I guess they some how made them meet. I am still glad we went up in it. I still DO NOT want to go again!!!

It's a Man Thing

Paul is so good about stopping at my "girl things" while we are traveling. (Recently I heard about a man who said that he was "flowered out". That could happen in our family!:))
When he wanted to stop at Cabela's and Bass Pro on our trip,
I certainly had to be as happy and pleasant as he is at all my whims.

We saw some pretty nice things like this fireplace at Bass Pro.
I could get cosy with a book in front of that one!

The Arch Museum

Below the Arch in St. Louis is a wonderful museum which we enjoyed very much. It is all about those who traveled by wagon train across the prairies, many launching out at St. Louis.

I guess I am trying to have the same look as he has on his face!

You get the wagon train, prairie animals as well as the river history. We could have spent lots more time there.

Imagine packing your entire household into a wagon like this and then,
perhaps, leaving much of it along the way!

Misouri Real Estate

I meant to put these photos of houses - or former houses - in before we went to Dave and Maxine's, as if this was our destination, but I forgot. We actually did see these houses after we visited Dave & Maxine in their lovely home anyway. The contrast was quite shocking!

I do wonder what stories these houses could tell!

THE ARCH IN ST. LOUIS

On our way to Dave and Maxine's, we stopped in St. Louis to see The Arch. It was built in the same year we were married which was 1965 (IMAGINE!!!) The arch was not open at that time and Paul has always wanted to go up into it. The last time we passed through was in the summer and the line to get in was l-o-n-g. Soooo this was the time!

It was a beautiful, sunny day. The same kind of day when we went up in NY's Twin Towers. That scares me to death now, but it was gorgeous then.

The Arch Park is beautiful and we, coming from the frozen north, were especially impressed with the flowering trees. It was, however, windy and rather cold.

I couldn't resist putting in all these pics!

The Arch from the waterfront

St. Louis from the top

The muddy, mighty Mississip from way up there

Stadium from the top
This is where the Cardinals and the Rams play. Had to talk to the sports consultant about that.
I heard it before but somehow that info didn't stick with me!

See those itty, bitty windows waaaay up there?
We looked out of them and took the previous three photos!

I look happy, don't I? I said, " Get someone to take our picture because I sure am not coming up here again!" We rode up in a little cable car. It looked like it would hold 5 people, but it would have been pretty crowded. We were alone. There were windows in the door through which you could see the inner workings of the arch, cables, etc. I was very happy to get back to solid ground. Oh yes, the arch does move some when it is windy. I can't remember how much. That is one of those things you'd rather forget. But I am glad that we had the experience...once...in...our...lives!

Our Visit with Dave and Maxine

One exciting part of our trip was our visit with Paul's brother, Dave, and his new wife, Maxine. They were married in March 2008. This was our first chance to meet Maxine and also to visit in their home in Missouri. Here we are at the "throwed roll" restaurant. They throw hot, fresh rolls to you! It is no big deal if you miss and it goes on the floor. They will just throw another one. I didn't try to catch one. I was too busy eating fried okra which they put on paper towels on the table. Our meals were served in frying pans. Good ole Ozark comfort food! We had a great time and love our new sister-in-law! Hope they come here for a visit!

Our time in Indiana

Our first Sunday away, Paul preached in the Faith Baptist Church in Avon, Indiana.
We had a wonderful weekend celebrating the church's 51st Anniversary with Pastor Marc and Kelli Monte and their church family. We were treated to a stay in the wonderful hotel shown here. We also enjoyed wonderful meals with the Montes and a fellowship after the evening service. The Lord knew that we needed the encouragement and TLC that was shown to us.

Here were are with the Montes. Marc answered the call to preach under Paul's ministry years ago in Minneapolis. His salvation testimony is thrilling! He has never lost the joy and wonder of it and is very tender hearted. The church which seats 600 people was packed that Sunday and there were salvation decisions. What a joy it was for us to realize that we share in that exciting ministry!

PA Barns

Since we are basically farmers at heart, we like neat old barns.

I believe all of these barns were in Pennsylvania.

Isn't this one beautiful?!

Flowers on our trip (more to follow)

Coming from the frozen north land where we still had snow, we were impressed by anything that was growing! Things were starting to blossom in PA where these pics were taken.

These first two pics are of a tulip magnolia tree outside a post office where we stopped to mail a package to the 3 cuties that we know.

This was the first daffodil that we saw!
Quite an event when you are used to looking at a blanket of snow!

And these little crocuses managed to pop up by the time we arrived back in New Brunswick. They were at the farm.