In Loving Memory...

Evelyn Hurst
09/05/17 - 01/20/07

Steve's grandmother (Evelyn Hurst) went home to be with the Lord last Saturday (01/20/07). She was a very special lady and will truly be missed by so many. We rejoice in knowing that we christians who loved her so much will someday be reunited with her in glory. I remember her as being such a sweet lady who loved her family very much. Everytime we saw her she would give us a big hug and wanted to know how we were doing. She was a very caring, thoughtful lady. Even after her grandchildren were grown and married with children of their own, she still remembered their birthdays and their children's birthdays. She was also so very generous with what she had. Every year on Christmas day for many, many years, she treated the entire family (of many members) out to a really wonderful Chinese dinner. Not only that, but she always had a very thoughtful gift for everyone as well.
I can't help but smile when I think about what she's doing right now, who she's talking with, what she's looking at...it just brings tears of joy to my eyes to think about it! She now has a perfect body, she's in perfect health and best of all, she's rejoicing with our Savior in paradise!
Please keep the Hurst family in prayer as this is a very difficult time for them. They will be having a memorial service on February 24th.

Our Weekend Winter Retreat

Well, it's winter time, but you sure wouldn't know it by the weather we had! We took 16 teens from our youth group on a winter bible retreat to the Smoky Mountains, TN. The conferences were in Sevierville and we stayed at a hotel on the main strip in Pigeon Forge. The weather was incredibly warm! We were really hoping for snow since many of our teens have NEVER seen snow before...SOOO hard to imagine! The weather was way up in the 60's and sadly, we did not see snow...obviously.
Despite the fact, the weekend was wonderful. One of our teens made a decision to receive Christ and several of the teens who were already christians made some important decisions as well. The Holy Spirit certainly was in the Smoky Mountains this past weekend! The speakers were excellent and all of them were authors who gave away their books for a small donation of your own choosing. Many of our kids received some wonderful books that will really help them through their christian journey.
The ride there and back was rather long (14 hours both ways) and Steve drove the entire way, bless his heart!! We had a great weekend but we were just as glad to be back home.
(The picture was taken just outside the Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg)

Cael's New Favorite Word

Cael is on a "no" kick these days. He likes to just yell the word, "NO!" out of the blue for no reason at all. He is very familiar with the word as we use it in context with his name quite often.
We even play a game with him where we say, "yes" and he says "no" and the game will go on and on as long as you let it. The funniest part is that he cracks up laughing throughout the entire course of the game. I know it's probably not a great "game" to teach him but at this age it's just too cute!
I'm pretty sure he knows what he is saying too. Yesterday we were in a restaurant and I offered him a cracker and right away he shook his head from right to left and said, "no!" as loud as he could. He didn't just say it once though, he said it about 10-12 times. The people around us laughed but I'm sure they were a little annoyed at the same time. At any rate, we got the message and didn't offer him any more crackers throughout the rest of the meal.

Big News from a Good Friend...

Well, I have been given permission to share some really good news from a very good friend of mine that many of you all know (or knew at one time) and love! Katy (formerly Kenneweg) Rogowicz and her husband, Ron, just recently found out that they are expecting their very first baby. She is due September 9th and so far feeling pretty good (knock on wood). Please pray for Katy and her precious little one. Pray for a healthy pregnancy and for a very safe delivery of a healthy baby boy/girl. Congratulations Katy!! I love you!! :)

Recapping...

Well, it's been awhile since my lost post. We have been so busy over the holidays, I really didn't get much of a chance to sit down and even think, let alone type. We went home to MI for Christmas. We spent about a week and a half there, it was such a wonderful time! We got to spend time with family and friends and catch up on what has been going on with everyone. The hardest part about living so far away from "home" is the special people that you leave behind when you move.
Since we drove up to MI, we decided to do the smart thing and get a DVD player installed in our van before the trip. What a difference it made! I wish we had done that awhile ago. Greyson loved watching his DVD's in the van with his headphones on.
The boys had such a wonderful Christmas. They got so many new toys that they love. The highlight of Greyson's vacation was going to Toys R' Us with Grandpa Dave and Grandma Diane for some new toys. That was such a special treat for him!
We couldn't believe how quickly our bodies have adjusted to the great temperature change since we've been living in FL. While we were in MI, everyone kept saying how thankful they were for the beautiful, warm temperature of 42 degrees!! All I could think was, "man this is soooo cold!!!" I can't believe that just a couple winters ago, I was one of those people who would have been glad to see the wonderful, sunny 42 degree weather. However, I was disappointed that there was no snow. We had been hoping to make a snowman with Greyson but there was not one iota of snow that fell the entire time we were in MI.
Well, were back in FL now and settling back into reality. We've been home for a day in a half and I'm still busy getting things cleaned, put away and organized.
Steve is now full time at the church as 'Associate Pastor of Youth and Families'. We've been busy getting his office cleaned and organized. We went to Lowe's last night and bought some paint. Hopefully we will have it all painted and furnished before too long.
Well, that's about all that's going on with us. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Have a blessed new year everyone!!