Girls Weekend #7 !!!!!!

This year's Girls Weekend had a change, in that we got together for the first weekend in March, rather than in June.  Beth and I have been friends for 48 years........that's a long time!  We met in Madame Lutz's French 2 class at Shawnee Mission East High School.

As usual, we had a marvelous time at the La Paloma Resort and the weather couldn't 

have been better!  We watched movies, ate at our favorite restaurants, took walks, and had some serious talk time!  It was not nearly as crowded as in the summer, which was nice.

This is the two of us in high school!

We went to different universities, but we still remained good friends!

This is the two of us as young adults......trying to rock the sophisticated look!!

But through all the years, we have stayed in touch by letters and phone calls, and now by

email, text, and yes......still phone calls.  We've both lost our parents at this point, which is sad.

It's funny how we both ended up in Arizona back in 2004-2005.

This was my year to have the picture fronds coming out of my head!

Thanks for the great time, Beth, and all the good memories over the years!

I treasure our friendship and am already looking forward to next year!!!!!

AWANA Grand Prix - 2020

The pressure was on this year..............two years ago, Isaac won third place for

speed and Joshua did not win anything.

Oh my, that was so heartbreaking for that nine year old boy.

We had lots of talks about being a good sport and how to lose gracefully.

Isaac made his car to look like a slice of watermelon, and Joshua made Noah's Ark.

Once we arrived, the cars had to be weighed, and then weights had to be glued to the bottom

to get just under the required five ounces.

Drills were going, the hot glue-gun was available, graphite was everywhere, and the pressure

was on - just like the Daytona 500!

Cubbies raced first, then the Sparks, and then finally is was the TNT kids.

After winning several heats, Isaac and Joshua had to race against each other!

Blurry, I know, but it's the best I could do with such excitement!

Noah's Ark races to First Place!

Congratulations, Joshua!

First Place in Speed for Joshua, and Second Place for Isaac!

Well done, young men!

Zac Snyman came in third for the TNT group.

We then went to Big Tex BBQ, which was Joshua's choice for his Gotcha' Day!

These boys didn't stop smiling all day!

Joshua - Nine Years Home!

Time is a funny thing...........while we were waiting for Isaac and Joshua to be a part

of our family, time seemed to absolutely crawl by.

But now, Joshua has been home for nine full years and we can't even imagine

life without him!

He is full of spunk, tender and sensitive, and loves all things related to books.

He's also as crazy about basketball as his brother, Isaac!

What a dramatic change from that terrified little two year old that screamed and screamed

when he saw his new family, and ran as fast as he could down the hall to get away from us.

"Adopting one child won't change the world, but for that one child, the

whole world will change."

Another interesting fact is that Joshua is from Wuhan, and we spent a full week there back in

2011.  That city is now known worldwide as where the coronavirus outbreak began.

We all love you, Joshua!  God is going to do amazing things in your life.

Happy Gotcha' Day #9!!!!

Ash Wednesday, Willcox Style!

This is Pastor Bob, the wonderful pastor at the Willcox United Methodist Church.

He's a great man who loves the Lord, the AWANA program, and the people of Willcox.

Every Ash Wednesday, he has a curbside "Prayer-and-Ashes-To-Go" tent on the sidewalk in town.

It's hard to believe that Easter is just around the corner!

Enjoying the Warm Arizona Weather!

We have all been enjoying the lovely warm(er) weather during our winter months

here in Arizona.  Nebraska has been having an unusually mild winter, but they don't

have the sunshine and warmth that we do.

So........we are enjoying it while we are here!

We've had gorgeous sunsets and beautiful clouds - and even rainbows!

The sandhill cranes were heading back to the playa for the night.

No matter where we live in this great country, God's creation is absolutely beautiful!

Joe's Valentine Birthday!

Yes, another Valentine birthday has rolled around for Joe!

We made him feel special by going on to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants.

We made Joe feel special with a few gifts and some very creative homemade cards!

What a year this has been!  On to the next..........!!!

Happy Birthday!!

Rachel's Family!

Rachel's family came over for a visit in between Joe's and my birthdays.

Their work schedules were both changing, so we got in a fun day at the farm while we could.

They have a new-to-them truck and it was great to be able to see it.

We cooked out on the grill and enjoyed a nice meal.

It was incredibly hard to get pictures because all of the children were constantly on the move!!

Elenna has a special fondness for Joshua and is enamored with his special hand.

He is so very patient to play with her.

Now Isaac really gets a kick out of Nathan and "usually" can get him to smile or laugh!

Of course, Nathan is so fast I have a hard time getting a front on picture of him!!

I guess all the activity wore this sweet boy out!

Thanks for coming out - it was great to see all of you!