After All the Rain

September 2008

The Eyes of Faith

One of Bridget's first assignments of her 8th grade year was to write about her most significant faith experience of the summer either at a camp or at a church. She came home from school that day and told me she had decided to write about what happened on our church campout. What follows is this experience in her own words as written for her school paper.

A couple weeks ago our church had a campout. Our family came Saturday morning and we had a fun day packed with things to do. Saturday night we were having a worship time full of singing and prayer. Our good friend Cathy had been having problems with her back and had recently found out that she had a bulging disc. Someone suggested that we all gather around her and pray. We all circled around her and prayed for a fast recovery and for her back to heal. We hoped that God would answer our prayers quickly and give her a fast recovery.

The next day we all packed up and headed out to eat at a restaurant. Our family arrived at the restaurant but we soon noticed that Cathy and her kids were not coming. My mom called her up and found out that Cathy had pulled over because she had lost feeling in her legs and could not drive. She ended up getting driven to the restaurant by a member of our church. After we ate, Cathy called her doctor, who told her to go to the emergency room. We drove down to Spectrum Health and my mom waited with Cathy to go see a doctor. They waited a long time and then finally got in to see a doctor, who then told her that she would need surgery. She had surgery that same night and got out of the hospital a few days later. We were all amazed at how quickly and how well God answered our prayers. This proves that God is truly an amazing God!

Saturday Salute

Leo is alive and well

Flash Back Friday 86

1996, Lake Michigan

The Sixth and Final Arthropod Collection of Our Household

Bridget holding a crayfish, 2008

So yay, we are almost done collecting bugs.

Each one of our dear children has had to do a bug collection in 4th grade and then again in 8th grade (now expanded to include the whole order of arthropods). Their science teacher told them that since crayfish get too stinky in the classroom (what and praying mantises do not?), they need to have a picture of one included in their collection. I took this as a challenge to get a most interesting picture of Bridget holding her crayfish so hence the above photo.

What is most shocking to realize is our "baby" is in 8th grade! meh.

Looking Into the Sun

"The older I get, the more I appreciate red geraniums."
- Jewels

Netherlands Nuesday 43

Mom & Paula grocery shopping in Nieuwveen

Some Things I Love About Our Church

So we had a Potluck yesterday, but it had a twist to it. We all had to bring a sack lunch, put it on the table and pick another sack lunch. The thought of it wasn't that appealing - we all know how I feel about packing lunches. But I packed 4 good lunches and participated in the event with our family. (Edward even showed up!)

The lunch I chose had a toaster in it! The lunch was imaginitively prepared by Gracie and included a placemat, napkins and everything to make a BLT! It was wonderful. Thanks Gracie!

Betty & Wilma, the church ladies

After lunch, I was walking around with my camera trying to take photos of some props for the church website. I talked to Cathy who is recovering nicely from her back surgery. It went like this:

Me: I didn't know you really had a leopard dress.

Cathy: This is my Wilma Flintstone dress.

Me: Oh yeah, I need some pictures of it, ok? (she forgot about this bloggy thing)

Since we couldn't find a big beaded necklace, Cathy, I mean Wilma, found some Blow Pops to stick in her dress. See? You probably thought that that was a necklace. Our friend Julie was looking so much like Betty Rubble that she decided also to pose, and her son Josiah was the perfect Bam Bam.

Wilma and Betty look on while Bam Bam thinks about bamming on the Jimbay.

The One Where We Bump Into Edward

Last evening, we took Bridget & her friend Chelsea downtown for pizza and to check out the bands that were playing. The girls were a hoot!! We hadn't gotten enough of vibrations in our sternum the night before so we thought we should sit about 5 feet away from the speakers for awhile. Bridget & Chelsea were cooperative models, but we weren't intense about it.





We were on Monroe close to church and what do you know, there was Edward coming to clean the church on his new bike. Yay, he can still be on the blog sometimes!

Pop, Pop, Pop

Last evening, we took our nieces Yara & Annelise, Bridget & her friend Jessie, down to the Celebration on the Grand where we saw the Best Fireworks Ever, even John said so. They were better than the Millenium celebration, the Olympics, Disney, and even the Willard Centennial. It helped that John marched us down to sit next to the sign that said, "Fireworks Danger Zone." The pop-pop-pop reverberated past our sternum right to our hearts and we were definitely feeling alive.

I enjoyed a few Van Gogh-ish moments waiting for the fireworks to begin there next to the Grand River. I call this next one, "Moony, Moony Night."

The girls had a great time - here they are just before the fireworks began:

It was impossible to do the grand finale justice with still photos, but here are some of them:

Flash Back Friday 85

Edward, 1995, 1st day of kindergarten

Eddie Goes to College

Yesterday, the day arrived to bring Edward to Calvin. We stopped by John's office for a piece of birthday cake (happy 46th!) and then headed to his Ed's dorm, Boer Hall, where we moved him in. Students in "We-Haul" t-shirts carried everything straight to his room where his roommate was already moved in ...meet his roommate Paul:


Paul & Edward, moving in the dorm, 2008


Edward at his desk, 2008

After getting him somewhat settled, we had lunch at the dining hall. Then, we went out in search of a plant and an electric kettle for his green tea - 2 essential things for a health conscious runner.


The Nellies, 2008

The girls and I came back in time for the family picnic and met John. First we stopped by Ed's room where the girls "Nellied it up". After talking to Ed at the picnic, John & I went out to Lake Michigan for a dinner party with Calvin Advancement staff, so it was a very big day indeed.

Netherlands Nuesday 42

Hard Rock Cafe, Amsterdam, 2007

Happy Labor Day!

So John, on-your-mark-get-set-go, has already replaced the petunias on the deck with these mums for fall.