Thursday, July 31, 2008

Missing my babies


Geoffrey is at on a mission trip in Florida and Danny is at camp 4 hours away. Just missing my boys so I made a layout of our putt-putt golfing day.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Summer in Virginia Beach

1. Beautiful sunny days in the 80's and 90's. No jackets required.
2. Beach Street USA. The city pays for performers to line the main street every evening. There are singers, comediens, magicians, acrobats and we even saw a woman imitating a statue. Stilt walkers mingle through the crowds. The beach shops stay open until 11pm or later, just in case you need a postcard or a boogie board. You never know what you will see! To top it off, parking for VB residents is only $1!
3. Town Center. This is where the grown ups go for an evening without the kids. Last week we parked and listened to live music in the plaza as we walked to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Couples are always dressed up and holding hands. It's peaceful, romantic and definately special.
4. The beach. Miles and miles of sand and surf. Boogie boarding, dolphin spotting, tanning, ice cream, collecting shells, watching jets burst throught the sky. And it's only 10 minutes from home.
5. The pool. Really, it makes the backyard look so pretty.
6. Camp. Geoff has over two weeks away from home and Danny has five days. A little peace and quiet for me!
7. No school, no soccer, no PTA. Life is good.

Swimming with the Dolphins




Who needs to spend tons of money to swim with the dolphins? Danny, Granny Sue and I went to the beach last week. It seems that the dolphins thought it was a great beach day too. They jumped and played just past the swimmers for over an hour.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Pool Stars

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Pittsburgh - Game Day



We love baseball. The crowd, the excitement, the stadium, the food! Oh yeah, and the all American game. Heading to PA for a week was a great chance to check out the brand new PNC Park. It is very intimate. We were so close that both of the boys got a ball that was tossed up into the stands. It rained the whole week we were in PA except for those hours we were at the ball game. Then the sun came out and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon with us.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Photo Quilt


CLICK PHOTO TO VIEW LARGER

My first quilt only took 10 years to complete. So why did I think it would be a good idea to make one in less than a month? This is our family photo quilt made for my parent's 40th anniversary party.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Threatened

We've heard for years about the persecuted church. Believers who meet in secret, in fear for their lives, their families and their livelihoods. I don't know if any Christians are persecuted here, but now I know what it is like to be threatened.

Our church had a revival scheduled for June. It's three days of concentrated messages, singing, commitment and recommitment. Our speaker backed out about 4 weeks before the event.

Through the persuasion of one of our pastors, we convinced a very popular speaker and seminary president to be the featured speaker for the Revival. He has been on network television, has debated religious leaders from over a dozen religions and is a former Muslim.

The first thing we noticed was the bomb sniffing dogs. Then we spotted the body guards. One of the computers in the sound booth was converted to watch all of the security cameras. There were guards posted at the doors of the children's wing and in the stairwells and that was just the security that we could see. The local police was there and so was the FBI. Our own Navy Seals and other high-ranking military officers were organized and dispatched throughout the church. There were guards on the stage with the speaker. They walked his family members to the bathroom. Can you imagine fearing to go to the bathroom alone? There was even more security that I won't mention because it wouldn't be security if everyone knew about it.

I don't know why this man has been threatened, but I suspect it is due to his outspoken criticism of Islam. Whoever has threatened him and his family has been taken seriously. He is quite frank about the evil intent of Islam and of many Muslims to eradicate Israel and to kill Americans.

But this is America. The land of free speech and free religion. Living in a military town, we are well aware of the cost of our freedom. I want you all to know that this liberty is precious and costly and sometimes threatened. Celebrate the fourth of July with all of your heart and pray for our nation to remain free.