Mary Ellens blog

What else I should have added....

2010-03-23T00:14:00.000-04:00

My blog is changing over to private....you can read more about it in the blog below this one.

What I should have also said is if anyone would rather not leave a public comment because you don't want your email posted publicly but you want me to add you to the list of those who will be able to view my blog, you can send me a private email at RHUFF99217@aol.com Your email address will be shared with NO ONE nor will it be posted anywhere.

Someone asked if my blog will still show up in their google reader, if you sent me your email address then yes it will once you receive the email inviting you to be a reader.

All of you who sent me email addresses will be getting an email saying you are invited to view this blog sometime in the next few days - if you don't get one make sure you check your spam folder. If you have any trouble just send me an email and I'll try to help you figure out what the problem is. I'll be making the change soon.

Just a reminder to anyone who has not responded. If you want to continue to be a reader of this blog you have to either leave a comment with your name and email address or send me a private email with your name and email address - I am going to change this blog from public to private and unless you have been invited by me to be a viewer you will not be able to see any of my blog, old or new. All of my blog readers are invited to keep reading, you just have to let me know you want to keep reading. It's OK if we haven't met...you can know me, my husband, either side of our families, your relatives attend our church, your relatives attend the college, we know a lot of the same people...it's all good, the only ones who will be refused are anyone who is "anonymous" as in when you leave your comment you need to identify yourself inside the comment section, first names and how we are connected are fine.

While spam is a big reason I want to change to private, it is not the only one. Safety is another very big one and there are a few other smaller ones. I just think all around it's a good idea. "-) If you have any questions or don't understand what you are supposed to do, please feel free to send me an email and I'll help the best I can.

To my blog readers....

2010-03-22T15:19:00.000-04:00

Good Friday afternoon! The time has come for me to set my blog to private. I have been getting slammed with spam (hardy har har) and it is getting increasingly annoying. The best way to get rid of spam is to not have a public blog so the spammers can't post anything. I already have my comments so that I have to approve them but the constant emails has gotten beyond annoying.

So....if you are a reader of my blog and want to continue to be one you will have to send me an email request stating who you are and your email address so that you can get an invitation from me. If you only send an email address and I don't know who you are, I will not be accepting your request...you have to say who you are.

For all of you who read my blog on the Hobe Sound Bible College Alumni site, this means that my blog will no longer appear there. If you want to continue reading you will have to click on the name of my blog and leave your name and email address in the comment section under this post.

To all of you who may chose not to respond and this will be the last time you read a blog I posted, thank you for being a faithful reader...it's been real, it's been fun, it's been real fun. "-)

I will leave this post up for a couple of days and then I will set it to private.

Dr. Whitakers service now available

2010-03-22T07:56:00.003-04:00

To see the service for Dr. Whitaker you can send an email to the church and they will send you a complimentary DVD. The e-mail to contact them is highview@highview.org (that is an EMAIL ADDRESS, and NOT a website) Give them your mailing address and they will send one to you. The service will not be archived.

Visitation and Celebration of Life information

2010-03-16T23:38:00.002-04:00

The obituary of Dr. Robert E. Whitaker:
http://www.legacy.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Robert-Whitaker&lc=2356&mid=4172036

The Visitation will be on Wednesday from 6-8PM at:
Arch L. Heady Funeral Home
4400 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY 40218

On Thursday there will be a one hour visitation from 9 to 10AM at the church.
The Celebration of Life Service will begin at 10AM at:
Highview Baptist Church
7711 Fegenbush Lane
Louisville, KY 40228.

The service WILL be online. I think this is the link that will be where you would go to watch the service, I will try to find out for sure tomorrow.
http://www.highviewbaptist.org/fegenbush/resources/videos.asp

Then click on LIVE, again I'm not 100% sure but from looking around I think that is where you would go.

Flowers for Dr. Whitaker

2010-03-16T09:44:00.002-04:00

The funeral home where you can send flowers is:

Arch L Heady & Son Funeral Home/Rest Haven Memorial Park
4400 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY 40218
(502)491-5950

Here is the link to local florists in that area:
http://www.fsnfuneralhomes.com/funeral-home-flowers/61526

The funeral will be Thursday morning at 10AM, the location is still undecided other than it will be in Louisville, I will post it when I know...as well as the information about the viewing.

Dr. Robert Whitaker

2010-03-15T13:44:00.005-04:00

Dr. Robert Whitaker passed away unexpectedly this morning from a massive heart attack - our hearts go out to Mrs. Whitaker, Bob, Steve and Scott and all of their families. He was a true saint, a Godly man who touched many lives with his gentle spirit and preaching.

I grew up next door to the Whitaker family and spent a lot of time in their home -- he was the exact same man at home that he was in the pulpit. I am honored and privileged to have known him, he touched my life in many ways and he will be greatly missed.

Steve Whitaker has asked that if you are planning on attending the viewing and/or funeral for Dr. Whitaker that you please leave a comment under this message - they are trying to make the funeral plans and want to make sure they have it somewhere that can hold everyone comfortably, they are hoping to get a rough idea of the number that will be coming. If you know others that are coming please let me know, I don't need names, numbers are fine. The viewing will be Wednesday evening - the funeral will be Thursday at 10AM, the location is yet to be announced - in Louisville, Kentucky. Thank you so much.

Also - anyone who lives in this area, my Dad is offering to drive the Coach up - everone would attend the funeral on Thursday and then drive back to Hobe Sound...the cost would be $30 for gas. It would be up and back, no nights spent except on the bus. If you are interested you need to call the school switchboard at 772-546-5534 and ask for a seat(s) to be reserved.

Friendship.....

2010-03-03T12:02:00.001-05:00

On February 11th, for Language class, the 3rd grade was supposed to write a paper titled "Friendship". This was what my nephew Bryce wrote about our oldest son Michael. Spelling, etc. is exactly as he wrote it......

Feb 11, 2010
Subject: Friendship
Title: Friendship
By: Bryce

Friendship is having a good friend. To be a real friend, you have to be a friend to them. My best friend is Michael Huff. The reason I like him is because he's nice to me, but sometimes we like to fight (by arguing).

We playayyyy basketball, baseball, tackle football, football, and much more. My friend and I are 11 and 9 (friend is 11, Bryce is 9). He let me ceep a game because my brother took and deleted it. My friend and I got mad, but I got farther than I did before, I'm happy. He got over it and doesn't care any more.

My best friend is Katlyn's brother. We go over to the goats sometimes and sometimes spy.
Once, we spied on Katlyn and got a picture and she didn't know (Ha! Ha!). I spend the night there alot. We were best friends and still are. Michael and me do a lot of fun stuff.

Well now I say something that's super duper cool and do you want to here it? It is THE END.

A 3-ring circus!

2010-03-02T13:31:00.007-05:00

Both Ethan and Kaitlyn celebrate their birthdays in January, as does our niece Payton. Robyn had the great idea of doing a triple birthday party since we'd be inviting a lot of the same family and friends anyway. So on a beautiful Saturday afternoon we had a 3-ring circus themed birthday party for our 3 January birthday kiddos.

She found an amazing deal on this awesome bounce house. We had it for one and a half days instead of the usual 4 or so hours and for some reason they were having a special on it too! This was the best bounce house, not only was it wide and tall inside but the entire sides were all net so the breeze could blow through - it never felt stuffy or closed in like some of them do. It was also very large...just an all around great bounce house!
.

Robyn has a wonderful imagination for events like this and she is terrific at finding really great deals so we had a big but very inexpensive party! One table held gifts, one held the very cool circus cake my sister Charlene did and the third held drinks and some snacks, including a big bin of popcorn I made and she had cute little red & white striped bags like you'd see at a circus for people to fill with the popcorn. The whole thing was very cute!

The guests gather in....

Cake table....
Above and below....the guests of honor....

Luke Brinkman from our church did amazing balloon animals and all kinds of other things, he was awesome!

Jen Black did face painting, also a very big hit....

Time to open gifts....this part was truly a three ringed circus!

Friends and cousins of the birthday girl....

Birthday kids with Dad and Mom.....

It was a very fun day in every way - kids and adults had a great time. To see more pictures go to this link....

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=143198&id=616327758&l=e6e714fba6

Here is a very short video with just a few moments from the day....

Or here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFtnZH48-5A

January happenings.....

2010-02-24T12:31:00.003-05:00

January was a very full month with a whole lot going on. While some areas of the country are very busy during the holidays, around here that seems to be just the beginning and January and February are anything but slow for us...they seem to be packed with activities and they zoom by.

Here are just of the few things that went on during the month of January. The school's annual Spelling Bee....Katie-bug won first place in her division!

One beautiful Saturday afternoon a lot of families from our church met at the ballfield for a family night of pizza and softball (more pictures in a link at the bottom)....
Our kids had "Spirit Week" at their school. This picture was from Career Day and this year they totally came up with their own outfits and what they wanted to be when they grow up. Kaitlyn wanted to be a horse trainer, Ethan a Tae kwon do teacher and Michael said he wanted to be the President. Kaitlyn asked him why he wanted to be President Obama and he informed her he wasn't dressing up like Halloween where he was supposed to look like the current President, Career Day is for what YOU want to be and that meant he was dressing up to say someday he'd like to be THE President of the United States as in President Michael Huff and NOT President Obama. It was quite amusing hearing him explain it. One further funny thing that happened was he asked me that morning if he could carry a brief case. I told him he could but that you didn't usually see the President carrying one because he had people that did that stuff for him. He nodded and said he knew that and he had people. Me, quite surprised said, "You have people?" And he assured me he did. Sure enough, there were several boys in his class who came dressed to be the President's "people"....cracked me right up!

There was also a Women of Worth Tea in the dining hall for the ladies of the church, more picture in the link at the bottom.....

Kaitlyn, Cassidey, Brianna and Julia enjoying the tea. It looks empty behind them because almost everyone was in line to get their food....

Here is a very short video of Kaitlyn spelling a few words for the Spelling Bee....

Or here is the link....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FooUslzCjM

And here is a link to a photo album with more pictures from the events I mention above, plus a couple more....
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=141507&id=616327758&l=d1632d584a

Goin' to the chapel and she's gonna get married....

2010-02-20T22:13:00.010-05:00

This lovely lady you see here.....

Is (ok, by now it's was - they are now married) getting married to David Snyder (son of William Snyder and Keren Baldwin Wheeler) so we ladies....

threw her a bridal shower. Not only are we all very close to her Mom, Jan Hobbs, but we have watched her grow up and Amanda has been a special part of all our lives. For some as friends of their own girls growing up (Jackie & Lenita) and for others of us (Charlene & I) we've gotten to know her not only as our good friends daughter but as a babysitter for our own kids. Since not only is her Mom one of my best friends but I grew up with her Dad she has seemed like a niece to me and she's been a one of those young ladies who has been special to me.

The shower was held in the home of Jackie Shamber and as always when something is held in Jackie's home, it looked lovely.....

It is still hard to believe that someone who is just 3 months younger than me has a daughter getting married! And as you can see, there will be others not too terribly far behind with these gorgeous girls. When I posted this picture on Facebook someone who doesn't know them commented they thought this was four sisters and was very surprised one was the Mom, it's easy to see why....

With my own sweet girl. While right now attending her bridal shower seems like many years away I know it's just a few blinks before that day arrives.....

Amanda with her fiancee's Aunt Anna Baldwin (married to Frank Jr.) and his Grandma, Anne Baldwin.....

Amanda with her two sisters and several friends.....

Let's eat!

Getting ready to open gifts....

One of many nice things she received that evening....

David comes by to collect his fiancee and the gifts...congratulations to the soon to be Mr. and Mrs......

To see more photos from the evening you can click on this link. Most of the photos were taken by Jackie Shamber, a very few were taken by yours truly....

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=139147&id=616327758&l=34a1d44efd

And here is a photo book I just made using the pictures from the shower, I know it says in the middle that the book has been deleted by the author but it hasn't, it's right there just click on "click here to view this photo book larger"...blogger seems to be having an issue but it is there....

Click here to view this photo book larger

Or here is the link:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8CcuG7Vu3cMTI

They are now Mr. & Mrs. David Snyder...congratulations to them both!

Our New Year's weekend in the c-c-c-cold North....

2010-02-05T08:27:00.003-05:00

One of the things we look forward to during Christmas time is the arrival of the Paul & Jen Pedersen family from Indiana. They had decided this year to stay put in the hopes that they could get some visitors to come their way for once...well their planned worked. The Estes family spent a few days there and once we realized they weren't coming down here we decided we'd just have to go see them!

We packed up our SUV and drove through the night to arrive on Thursday morning. It's our favorite way to travel, the kids sleep great and to them the trip feels like just a few hours. We arrived to very cold temps that just kept getting colder as the weekend progressed! But we didn't let that affect the fun factor and we had a great weekend.

Rick's brother Randy and his family were in the area and he and their two sons spent all day Saturday with us while Jane was enjoying a girls day with her sisters.

Liz was able to stay and enjoy the weekend with us before catching a flight back to FL Saturday evening. We left Sunday evening and arrived back home Monday late morning - so glad we took the time to go, always enjoy spending time with them and making memories together.

Here are a few pictures from our weekend....

The 4 Pedersen kids, our four kids, Randy & Jane's two sons and a friend of their oldest son Lawrence - the 7 boys and 3 girls had a great time together.....

We had a great time but I must say I am so glad I live in FL! We returned to record breaking cold temps in South FL for ten days in a row but it felt balmy after the very frigid temps we experiences while in Indiana!

To see more pictures from our weekend you can click on this link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=135358&id=616327758&l=2cc7a6185a

After all these years.....

2010-02-01T21:19:00.002-05:00

Since my two cousins, John and Philip Olsen, were going to be visiting their parents over the holidays....and since one wife, Janan used to be Addison, who was in my sister Brendas class was going to be here...and since the other wife Jennifer used to be Brown, who was in the class below me and a very good friend of mine was going to be here....and since we ladies had known each other for years, long before we were cousins by marriage....and since Jennifer's classmate Sheila used to be Vogel who was also a friend of mine and we all knew her wanted to see all of us since it had been years....we decided to all get together one evening at our home. If you followed all that, I'm impressed!

Jennifer, Sheila, Charlene and Janan...it actually wasn't nearly as dark as it looked and all the husbands/kids were in the backyard - everyone had just arrived so we were doing a little catching up.

Some of the cousins playing a game - they seem to always pick right up where they left off....
Brenda and Philip are the same age...we have a lot of great memories growing up with the cousins from both sides of the family tree. So thankful for parents who knew the value of family...

Husbands waiting for the food....

So, lets see if I can make this easier. Starting on the left...Lenita and I were in the same grade, my sister Brenda and Janan (who had gone lay down b/c of a migraine coming on) were one grade above us and Janan married our cousin Philip Olsen....Sheila and Jennifer were one grade below Lenita and I, Jennifer married our cousin John Olsen....my sister Charlene was two grades below them. All of us except Jennifer spent most, if not all, of our childhood here....and Jennifer was here for all of high school. I introduced her to our cousin John when he was here visiting once and helped set up their first date, and the rest, as the saying goes...is history!

A few more photos from our evening can be found here....

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=134414&id=616327758&l=f9d83dffee

My favorite day of the year....

2010-01-13T14:08:00.003-05:00

Christmas Day...definitely my favorite day of the entire year! I think this was one of my favorites since this year all four of the kids were 100% into it, up until now our youngest would open a toy or two then he'd want to play with them and we'd have to keep "fetching" him and bringing him back to open another gift. This year all six of us enjoyed the entire morning together - just made it all the more fun.

I lay out their stockings the night before and they know they can open what is in them as soon as all four of them are up...and then they can play with whatever is in there so Mom and Dad can sleep in a little. I figured that one out a couple of years ago and it works beautifully...and I always put either a new video game or DVD or something that will keep them occupied for at least a couple of hours. We don't want to sleep till noon or anything but neither do we want to get up at 6AM! "-)

Once we were awake we had cinnamon rolls, a little family devotional time and then we opened our gifts....

Then that evening any family from either side that lived in the area that wanted to joined us for games - our house was full and we love it! Posing with our niece Payton....

To see more pictures from our day/evening just click on this link...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=135138&id=616327758&l=f4ffc12a4f

Over the sand pile and down US1 to Grandma's house we go...

2010-01-11T01:21:00.001-05:00

One of the traditions in our family when I was growing up was my Grandpa and Grandma Olsen would take everyone out for dinner on Christmas Eve with all the relatives that were there that year, Grandpa's treat, then we'd go back to somebodies house and open our gifts to each other. The years we weren't with the Olsen relatives we would go out for dinner ourselves and then go home and each open one gift. With my Mom's side of the family things happened on Christmas Day itself. Each family has their own traditions and things they do..I love the variety of what each family does.

Now that everyone's families have expanded and everyone is making their own traditions my parents have theirs for our family...we all go to my parents house and my Mom fixes us a delicious meal then my Dad reads the Christmas story and the grandkids exchange gifts (they draw names) and my parents give their gifts to everybody and we to them. I look forward to this evening every year.

My Dad getting ready to read the Christmas story from the Bible to the grandchildren....

Ethan just thinks Aunt Brenda is one cool chick!
This is triple trouble right here...throw my Dad and Rick in the mix and it gets even worse! '-)

I was pretty excited about my gift for my parents this year...its hard to come up with something new/unique or that they don't know about...as in not something on their wish list...but I was able to do that this year!

You can read more about it when you click on the link further below and look through the rest of the photos and read the captions.

Two girl cousins...they are both about to celebrate a birthday...how funny that my parents only two (biological) grand daughters were born on the exact same day five years apart!

To see the rest of the pictures from our Christmas Eve click on this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=133549&id=616327758&l=fc50aa580e

And here is a short video of an extra cool gift my nephew Alex got...or in his vocabulary I would say "That is SICK!" which actually means "That is really awesome!"....

Or here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9thA7rRdnDA

Christmas time family traditions...I've loved being a part of them when I was growing up...I love making them now with my own family!

Oooohhh....ahhhh....

2010-01-07T00:05:00.000-05:00

It was especially fun to go look at Christmas lights this year because for the first time all four kids were really into it. The first time we went we had Brianna with us and we let the kids stand and look out our sunroof (except little guy who was still in his car seat at this point) when we were on some small side streets that were dead ends with no traffic. The kids thought it was so cool to look at the lights that way so I jumped out to grab a picture of them....

Then we met up with Grant & Lenita and headed north to a place where the the fourth generation in a family goes all out with their Christmas decor. You can park in the empty lot next door and after you check out their majorly decorated garage....

You are welcome to walk inside and look around, this is a small house but they pack a lot in there! Kaitlyn and Brianna admiring the Christmas village....
You can walk through and as you pass by the kitchen they have cookies and punch for anyone who wants any. These people do this every night from Thanksgiving till after New Year...can you imagine? And it is just to be nice, they represent no one. Some of their decorations have been used for four generations...wow

Here is a link to a few more pictures from the evening...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=132438&id=616327758&l=768d9df97f

The outside lighting is all set to music, here's a little peak at what we saw...

or here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed8tl4eOwSg

A few nights later we were able to go out for dinner with my cousin Vicki and her husband Chris. Rick, Vicki and I were all in college together and the three of us were great friends during those years. When I lived in NY she worked for the same family I did and she was there for all our married years in NY so we have a whole lot of great memories with Vicki. We were there when she met and started dating Chris, great guy. We flew back to NY for their wedding, Michael was their Bible bearer. So great to spend an evening with them, love how we always pick up right where we left off. After a yummy dinner we decided to go look at some Christmas lghts with them since we'd heard so much about one little neighborhood that was a must see. Vicki and I decided that since there were no children along we'd act like kids ourselves so up through the sun roof we crawled and sat on the roof of the SUV, giggling like kids and snapping pictures of each other with Rick's iphone....

Then later in the week we took the kids down to the same neighborhood so they could see it too. By now it's after Christmas and I had my new iphone so Michael did about 3 min. of videoing. They have some lights like I've never seen and I don't think I've ever seen a place do as much with outdoor lighting as they did at the end of this little road...unbelievable. For never having videoed with my iphone, I thought Michael did a really good job..probably better than I would have!

Or here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7l8XCkrKiM

Always fun to find new places we haven't seen before and this year was our best yet!

Mix, roll, cut, bake...decorate!

2010-01-06T00:15:00.001-05:00

On a Saturday afternoon our house was full of ladies and children eager to do some Christmas cookie cutting, baking and decorating. Everyone had a great time and we made some more fun family and friends Christmas time memories.

This was our little niece Payton's first time to do this and it was so much fun to watch her as she first observed then participated in what we were doing. At first she wasn't too sure and wasn't sure what to think but as I showed her and put the cut out cookie in her hand she soon got into it..so much fun to watch.

Two little girls in their aprons, all ready to go....

We had two Grandma's present, my Mom and my sister Charlene's Mother in law who was visiting. My Mom helps Ethan...
Some (Charlene) are more talented in the decorating part than others (me) of us...

Lenita and her girls....

Showing Payton how it is done.....before long she had her hands right in the dough, flour on her face and snacking on some cookie dough...

A big thank you to Allana Martian and Misty Peterson for sharing their cookie recipe...it worked beautifully AND the cookies tasted yummy. It was also nice to have a recipe with no eggs so we didn't have to worry about the kids eating raw eggs if they wanted a bite of the dough.

To see more photos click on this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=132179&id=616327758&l=1a555ee2dc

Here is a video:

Or here is the link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzWa59Eal8U

I blinked...and she was 9...

2010-01-04T21:17:00.017-05:00

Kaitlyn Joyce turned 9 while we were in IN over the weekend...birthday party to come but I wanted to do a blog about my oh so sweet, always happy, never grumpy, loves life, loves to help her Daddy & Mommy, loves all babies, her brothers, cousins, friends, relatives and every living thing on four legs...daughter.

To enjoy this blog the way I have it set up, click play on the middle of the video screen you see below then scroll down as you listen to the song. There is nothing to see on the video except for the words to the song, which you can read as you scroll down and look at the pictures...

Or here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PfST5Wa-uE

In My Daughter's Eyes by Martina McBride (Photos are in random order)

In my daughters eyes, I am a hero

I am strong and wise and I know no fear

But the truth is plain to see

She was sent to rescue me

I see who I wanna be

In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal

Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace

This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak

I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger

Oh it puts a smile in my heart

Everything becomes a little clearer

I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart
has had enough

It's giving more when you feel like giving up

I've seen the light
It's in my daugter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be

And though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family

When I'm gone I hope you see

how happy she made me

For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes.

!!!Happy 9th Birthday to our beautiful Katie-bug!!!

Just a singin'...

2010-01-03T01:00:00.003-05:00

This year the Academy did something they plan to do each year from now on, the last Friday before Christmas vacation they had a special Christmas Chapel where some of the classes did something and then families were encouraged to have some kind of special prepared. It could be the parents and children, Grandparents and grandkids, siblings, etc. It could be singing, musical instruments, a skit, a special reading...anything. This was the first year but there was a good number who participated. Because the normal auditorium where this would be held was being decorated for a wedding it was held in the Tabernacle.

Ethan's class played sticks in time with music for a little song, directed by Carla Case.

That would be he in the purple shirt and tie, third from the left...the one with the grin on his face, he loves doing this....

One of the specials was Melissa and her daughter. It was so cute because Brianna sat there, swinging her feet, looking around yet playing her part the entire time....
I videoed the song so I don't have a picture but here are our 3 kids and their cousins doing a family musical number. In hindsight we should have practiced more, we only went over it a couple of times two days before...and we should have chosen an easier song...but it was fine. The only bummer part was Sarah Capps was supposed to play her violin too but she came down with a fever the night before and couldn't come to school.

Here is the video, this also includes two other numbers...a quartet from the Wheatcrafts and the Kindergarten class playing the bells, directed by their teacher Mrs. Linda Deckard...too cute....

Or here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbwMHWt_yX4

The Smashingly Successful Shamber Schristmas Sparty...

2009-12-20T13:54:00.003-05:00

More pictures can be seen here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130571&id=616327758&l=6c8e2bbd64

A few video moments from the evening:

Or here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8-saBNenkQ

Oh (singing) ChristmasTree....oh (singing) Christmas Tree....

2009-12-16T23:07:00.007-05:00

I know we aren't the only church to have a "Singing Christmas Tree" but since I've never been to any one else's I can honestly say ours is the best I've EVER seen. '-) I think ours is really good and judging by the crowds each night, apparently so do a lot of other people! We set a record this year, and on the last night they brought in every chair they could find and there were still people standing. I've never seen that tabernacle so jam packed. So awesome to be ministering to literally thousands (between the four nights) of people with the real Reason for the season.

Mark Going is in charge of the choir and the over all production, Paula Pierpoint is in charge of all the drama, Robb Huff playes the piano for the entire evening, and Doyle Bozone directs the live orchestra....put it all together and you have one great evening. There is something for everyone, kids to elderly, and for 90 minutes people get to see/hear what you see below.

There is a manger scene with shepherds and a live (and very adorable) baby "Jesus...

There are all kinds of adorable children dressed as everything from elves to presents to trees to snowflakes....

There are beautiful solo's with the choir backing them up....

There are real, live FLYING angels!

There is a beautiful ladies trio...
There is a childrens choir...and a lion in the form of our six year old....

Shepherds who play guitars....our oldest son... And very happy little angels who think this is just so much fun and who will sing their little heart out while smiling happily at the crowd....our daughter Kaitlyn....

And there is a grand finale that is really impressive!

You can watch this by going to www.hobesoundbiblechurch.com and go to the bottom of the page and click on "Live Stream" and then just scroll down until you see the words "Singing Christmas Tree" and click on Video.

Here is a link to more pictures...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=131332&id=616327758&l=03ce676210

The 2009 Singing Christmas Tree - excellent!

There's floats in a parade and then there is floating in a parade!

2009-12-10T13:11:00.003-05:00

Well, I don't think any of us that were in the parade, or those who stayed for the entire parade, will EVER forget the one we had this year.

The morning started off grey and cloudy with lots of showers. All the bands except for one cancelled, the Shriners were dropping out right and left...but the head honcho said unless there was lightning the parade would go on...so, since our two companies were the sponsors we were there for the duration - rain or shine.

It was pretty amazing because about twenty minutes before the parade was due to start it did stop raining, as you can see from the top of the photo below the skies even started to clear, blue sky starting peeking through and for a few moments the sun came out. It looked like we were going to be okay and the parade could go on as planned.

Heather Loper (visiting from OH) and I loaded six of our eight kids into the Gator so we could head over to the parade route and let the kids watch as much of the parade as possible before we would be joining our float. Since TCI and Rood are the sponsors we have one vehicle that leads off the parade with a sign saying we are the sponsors...then we end the parade with our float and throwing out beach balls except for Santa Clause in the firetruck.....

Here comes our school marching band, the only band that didn't drop out! Michael is in the middle holding his trumpet...
And just a few minutes after that the heavens opened and it...just...POURED!!! I was riding on a Gator and had to keep my camera safely put away in a ziplock bag but I was able to copy a few pictures from others (Allana Martian, Jon Duren and Rebekah Boissevain) so we can show just how hard it was raining! Umbrellas became pretty much useless for us, the rain started coming in sidways. By the end, I could not have been any more soaked had I been sitting in a pool!

We had just moved through, people are holding on to their beach balls that we had passed out...maybe they are thinking they might have to use them as floatation devices??

Seriously, does this not look like a hurricane?!?! It was unbelievable! But the parade kept going and an amazing number of people stayed to watch. One lady said that they figured if the people in the parade were nice enough to keep going and give them a parade the least they could do was stay and watch!

This wasn't everybody but this was the majority of the crew from TCI and Rood that helped, most of these people walked in the pouring rain, no umbrellas, passing out beach balls. We were all glad our tshirts were red instead of white!

Click on this link to see a few more of my pictures from this most unforgettable day...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130087&id=616327758&l=7864bcda4a

And here is a short video with a few moments from the parade...

Or here is the link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaqxWpVwpNc

The Christmas parade of 2009, we won't ever forget it!

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

2009-12-05T22:30:00.001-05:00

My wonderful Mom came over two different days this week and helped me decorate for Christmas. BIG job and I loved having her help. Thursday evening our family (Rick, the four kids and I) decorated the tree. Our tree isn't a fancy one but it's full of homemade or holds-a-special-memory ornaments and as long as we have younger children that's how we are going to keep it. I love hearing the kids talk about the different ornaments and the memories that surround many of them.

This year Rick and I mainly sat and watched the kids do the decorating, this was the first year Devin was into it and that was quite entertaining. Of course I also took some pictures....

Now that we have email, this blog and Facebook I don't send out a Christmas card every year since we are able to keep in touch with most of our family and friends year round anymore. But if I would have been sending one out this year, I think this picture would have made a great Christmas card....

A couple of pictures from the house decorations....

To see more pictures of the kids decorating the tree and pictures from our home decorated for the holidays, click on this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=129007&id=616327758&l=b1f58f3b9b

Now that this big job is done I'm ready to really enjoy everything the Christmas season brings us! Here is a short video clip:

Or here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQKBu5sv8ZA

Seven Reasons Why Marriages Fail.....

2009-12-01T13:43:00.002-05:00

My old college friend, William Brown, posted a link to this blog written by Perry Noble - a senior pastor in South Carolina - even though it isn't super deep and profound, I thought the writer put it in a nut shell why many marraige end in divorce. These are certainly NOT all of the reasons and there are people who are divorced who were not the ones who ever wanted their marriages to end, but this blog seemed to be written about what he perceived to be seven of the main reasons many or most marriages end and I think he's got it right....

Seven Reasons Why Marriages Fail December 1, 2009
We finished up our singles series on Sunday…it lasted five weeks, but I felt like I could have taught for 15 more. I am so desperate to see the covenant of marriage taken seriously by the church and I pray that teenagers and 20 somethings will be the generation that really does begin to see as God sees when it comes to this issue.

I hate seeing marriages fall apart…it’s NEVER pretty…EVER. Today I wanted to share seven reasons why marriages fall apart…

#1 – The Couple Takes The Commitment Too Lightly – Whenever a couple enters into marriage thinking, “well, if this doesn’t work out then I will just…” there is a good shot that the marriage isn’t going to make it. We need to stop planning for our divorce before the ceremony actually takes place!!! When the vows take place…those aren’t words that should be taken lightly…but rather a promise before a Holy and Awesome God that should be prayed through and thought about…A LOT!

#2 – Compromise Is The Foundation – When a person feels like they are not getting God’s best…but convinces themselves that, with a little time, the other person can be shaped up…there’s trouble. Jesus leads us…but never to compromise. (BTW…if he/she is asking you to compromise before marriage…their pursuit PROBABLY isn’t Jesus but rather getting you out of your clothes!)

#3 – Unrealistic Expectations – I know people that once thought, “once I get married I will be happy!” And…they’re not happy! Too many couples go into marriage thinking that somehow the other person is going to fill a void that only JESUS could fill…this is dangerous! (BTW…ladies, “he” is not going to make you happy, if you aren’t happy now you are going to CRUSH him when he can’t fulfill your desire. And dude…”she” is NOT going to have sex with you all of the time…she’s a woman with a heart and a soul, not a sex toy that should be available at your desire!!!)

#4 – Bad Counsel – It’s sad…but in America today there are more people who will buy into what a talk show host who has never been married says about the subject than what the Scriptures say! OR…instead of seeking godly counsel when the marriage is in trouble they will surround themselves with people who will affirm their dysfunctional ideas rather than call them out. When we refuse to seek what Jesus says on an issue…it’s NOT going to go well.

#5 – Selfishness – Whenever a person believes the marriage is all about “getting my needs met,” it’s over!!! Marriage is NOT someone else’s service opportunity but rather OUR opportunity to serve our spouse.

#6 – Laziness – Couples date before marriage…and stop doing so soon after the ceremony! Marriage takes WORK! I am SO guilty of being lazy at times…giving my best at work and then coming home and expecting Lucretia to be content with the leftovers. SHE’S NOT! That is why DATING after marriage is WAY MORE IMPORTANT than dating before the marriage! If a man stops pursuing…and the woman stops responding…that spells trouble!!!

#7 – No Communication – It BLOWS MY MIND the couples that will talk ABOUT one another…but not TO one another. If a couple wants to see success in marriage then they MUST be willing to have serious, heart to heart conversations…even when it’s hard!!!

One AMAZING evening!

2009-11-29T20:50:00.003-05:00

My brother in law Robb, thanks to some conncections of his, was offered four free tickets to the ANDREA BOCELLI concert that was in Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday evening and he very kindly asked Rick and I if we wanted to go with he and his wife. The tickets would have been $277 each and came with a parking pass where you park very close and have your own special way to get out and avoid the traffic but it was all free! Needless to say, as soon as he asked if we'd like to go there wasn't a moments hesitation - who would ever pass up that oppportunity??

Andrea is doing his first tour in the USA and is only doing six concerts, six different cities, one appearance at each one . I have no idea why Fort Lauderdale was chosen as one of the stops (may have been because he needs a full orchestra and a full choir from the area and so he looks for places with those two things that are good enough) but what an opportunity! The concert was two and a half hours and felt like 30 min. The first half was all in Italian and was opera music, which normally wouldn't be our thing...but his voice is so amazing you wouldn't care if he was singing through your phone book or recipe box!

One of his favorite songs of mine is "The Prayer" which he famously sang with Celine Dion. Saturday night he sang it with a 25 year old singer from Australia, Delta Goodrem. I've never heard of her but over there she is currently the top selling recording artist. What a VOICE she has! I've never said this about anyone but I'd say she is an up and coming Celine Dion, she was that good. She sang a couple of songs with him during the concert and then for one of the encore's they sang "The Prayer" together. It was so beautiful.

It is one thing to hear him on a CD but it's another thing to hear him Live and with a full orchestra and choir backing him up. It was, I'm sure, a once in a lifetime experience....and I still can't believe it was FREE! I don't know how someone who is blind can do a two and half hour concert like that with no music in front of him, he can't see the conductor or anything, on an unfamiliar stage, etc. Knowing that make it even more amazing. He also sang "The Lord's Prayer" - gave me goosebumps several times over.

We began our evening by eating at one of our favorite restaurants, Maggianos, in Boca Raton. Robyn had only been once to the one in Orlando and Robb had never been. Eating there is such a unique experience because of the way they do things plus the food is amazing so it's a lot of fun to go with someone who has never been. I try to always go very hungry because I want to enjoy every bite!

We stopped for a couple of pictures outside before we headed for Fort Lauderdale....

Our seats were terrific - you had a great view of the stage and the entire arena. The lighting made picture taking a little tricky....

For the second half he was in a white tux....

He not only sings but plays the piano - having no talent in that area myself, despite years of lessons, someone who is blind and can play the piano beautifully just amazed me!

Click on this link to see a few more pictures from the evening:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=127627&id=616327758&l=9f8c50d1f2

Here is a video I made, this was the only time I videoed an entire song. There were either four or five encores, I lost count...and I was thrilled that for one of them he did "The Prayer" and he did it with one of the two guest singers, this song he did with Delta. Take a moment to listen and prepare to be touched by the beauty of the song and their voices....

Or here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRdHFd5mSTc

And here is a video with just various clips from a few places in the concert. I didn't video at all during the first half, I must have been too awe struck...but I did video a little bit in the second half. I didn't realize until later that I only videod when he was singing with someone else, even though over half the concert were solo's!

Or here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK5TM-RpcAE

It was so very kind of Robb & Robyn to include us in this amazing evening. I know there are other people they could have asked who I'm sure would have enjoyed it just as much as we did so we are very grateful that they chose to ask us! IF one of the remaining five concerts happens to be near you and you are able to buy tickets, I promise you that you will be glad you did! Otherwise, you can find his CD's on Amazon and in most music stores. God has given this man some amazing talent, I'm so glad he choses to share it with others.

Thanksgiving 09

2009-11-27T18:13:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving Day was lovely in every way. Family and friends started arriving around 11:30AM - 40 of us (my parents, Grandma Kemmerer, 6 Huffs, 4 Owens, 6 Shillingtons, Karen Hoffman, 6 Bowens and 4 McCoys) ate an oh so yummy Thanksgiving dinner around 1:00PM. All the ladies pitched in and brought a variety of items and it was oh so good!

We sat and talked and laughed, some slept, some watched a little football, some watched a Hallmark movie...kids played inside and outside and everywhere and anywhere they wanted to and had a great time together, some played games inside, some played games outside...then we ate some more and more family and friends arrived (3 Robb Huffs, 4 Capps, 4 Boissevains, 4 Heather Lopers) for the evening and we played more games, talked, laughed, ate, some sat outside by a bonfire since a wonderful cool front moved in. Just a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful day!!!!

Here are a few photos.....

And to see more photos click on this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=127186&id=616327758&l=e56216596c

Here is a short video:

Or here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHWmu1i7l0U

I hope whatever you did and wherever you went and whomever you spent the day with it was a wonderful day for you too!