Wednesday, August 31, 2005

ICHE's Father Son Retreat

We're back! I hope to get a few pictures from both weekend trips (Kentucky & Washington) up here soon, but in the mean time, Click Here to read the AIG Museum blog's report on the guys work in Kentucky.

Click Here to download some video footage of the projects they did (also posted on the Museum Blog) Sounds like they did a ton of work and were able to be of great assistance to Answers in Genesis. And despite the hot and exhausting nature of the weather and work, they all report having had a great time!

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Traveling, again

Since we've been just sitting around at home for SO long, we decided it's time to hit the road again!

Dad, Jonathan, and Joseph are already out the door this morning. This year ICHE's Father Son Retreat is taking a group of about 80 guys down to Petersburg, Kentucky, to be a work crew for the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum. It's the first time AIG has had a group like this one come out so there have been a number of extra details to figure out, but I'm sure they'll all have a great time - and hopefully get a lot of work done, too!

Later this morning, Josh & I will be heading to O'Hare to board a flight to Seattle, Washington, for an NCFIC conference that Josh will be recording in Olympia. We are looking forward both to the conference itself, and visiting with friends while we're there!

Mom, Joanna & Josiah will be the ones staying on to keep an eye on the home front, but I understand that they also have some fun things planned with the Webb family!

That's all for this weekend!

Monday, August 22, 2005

Happy Birthday, Josiah!


It's birthday time again! The youngest member of the Roger Erber family is now 9 years old!!! Happy Birthday, Josiah!

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Erber Updates

Everyday excitement in the Erber home:

*Josh was scolded by a cashier at Walmart yesterday for allowing Josiah to carry the box of little plastic bright orange air-soft BBs up to the counter. Safety first, you know. After checking Josh's ID, she instructed him, Josh, to make sure that he was the one who carried them to the car because if a police officer were to see Josiah carrying them it would not be good.

*Jonathan has been putting in long hours at the piano, but has also managed to find some time to work for a moving company owned by a friend of Nathan's. He and Jeremy are both in Milwaukee on a moving job today.

*Nathan had an overnight out-of-town job this week, so Jeanine and Corrine packed up and visited us for a couple of days. What fun! Our across-the-street neighbor, Mrs. Bernhardt, is a former cosmotologist and came over with her sister and daughters to talk homeschool stuff, and "do" Jeanine's hair and mine.

*Joseph, Joanna, & Josiah have been working on their music - banjo, violin, cello, and piano - enjoying the great outdoors, reading, painting...

*Our next door neighbors, the Savinos, caught a bat (yes, the kind that fly) in their home a couple of days ago and brought it over for us to see. In fact, they made a gift of it as they were planning to just throw it away.

*Josh has been finishing up orders and paperwork from the conferences this year, and preparing for the next one - next week.

*I, Jessica, have hardly left the computer for the last two days as I've been working on numerous updates on ICHE's website. Sadly, if you go visit the site right now you can't even see much of anything changed unless you are looking for a few specific items (ie. removing your child from a public school). Hopefully the rest of the updates will be visible early next week.

*Dad & Mom are at a Friday/Saturday ICHE board meeting in Zion, IL.

*This past Sunday our only surviving cat, Mammy, had 5 kittens. All gray/black tabbies. Free to friends...

*It has rained. Big news for an area suffering from its worst drought in 150 years.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Happy Birthday, Jeremy!


Okay, so this picture is 20+ years old, but as it ranks as a "famous photo" in the Erber collection, we just had to use it!
Happy Birthday, Jeremy!

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

All Roads Lead Home


Down from the mountains...


...across the deserts...


...away from the bug-infested south...


...all roads lead home! Yes, we are finally once again at home in dear ol' Harvard, Illinois! Even despite the drought, it is truly beautiful here! Of course, we may be slightly biased. Actually, you'd all probably laugh if you could have heard us driving through central Illinois discussing the beauties of the cornfields. It is a cultivated beauty that the western states just don't have. It looks inhabited, and civilized. Homely and welcoming. Ah, yes! There is no place like home!

Here are a few remaining miscellaneous pictures from our trip!

Filling the tank - the most constant, most expensive, and most non-photographed event of our trip!


One other typically non-photographed event... window washing.


The scenery along the way was breathtaking... to some more than others!




Final Stop - The Serven Clan


It was with mixed emotions that we left Plano, TX on Sunday morning. While eager to see home again, the road before us also signaled the end of a delightful, refreshing, and much needed family vacation.

Well, almost the end, but not quite. The Serven family had invited us to stop by their home on that final leg of our trip and we were scheduled to have lunch with them on Monday before finally heading home. BUT, we made better time along the way than we had anticipated... and the Servens graciously opened their home to us Sunday night! Some of us had met all of them before, and some of them had met all of us, but this visit marked the first meeting of all of us and all of them! We greatly enjoyed our time with them - again marked with good discussions and fun games. Dutch Blitz, to be specific. Thanks, Servens!

Shortly after noon on Monday, August 8, we finally loaded our stuff into the car one last time and turned our faces homeward!

NTHEN

The North Texas Home Educators Network (NTHEN) conference and book fair was the reason for our stop in Plano, TX during our three week excursion. Business was fairly slow, but slow or not we still enjoyed our weekend there! :-)


Josh & Jonathan work hard during the conference. Not sure what they're doing, though.


Dad


Josiah


The booth


Saturday night, after the conference was over some friends and fellow exhibitors joined us in our hotel room for dinner - and conversation, of course. We had an enjoyable evening together... but sometime you all will have to come up to our place so we can offer you something better than hotel room cooking! :-)


L-R Nathan Barnes and Tim Horn of Vision Forum, and Mr. James McDonald of Books On The Path


Some Erbers w/ Christa McDonald


Joseph & Josiah enjoyed the company of Caleb McDonald during the NTHEN convention.


At the Hubers


Benjamin, Josiah, & Brenton search for Waldo

Oh, how we thank God for dear friends like the Hubers! Good friends and co-laborers for many years, we have sorely missed them since their move to Texas three years ago. It was truly a blessing and refreshment to once again be together for a few days during our travels in Texas July 31-August 4. As always, much fun was had by all, and we shared many delightful, encouraging, and challenging conversations on a great variety of topics. Our visit together just wasn't long enough... Thank you, Hubers, for your hospitality! We are eagerly looking forward to visiting again in October!

Oh, one problem with our visit, is that we had so much fun we forgot to take many pictures!!! Here are a few!


Joseph horseback riding


Pool Time


Kaylianna enjoys a California fresh lemon!


Kristalyn and Joanna


VERY late night conversation... or was it early morning by then?


Movie time


Jonathan E. & the Huber's youngest (of 11), Christian

Friday, August 05, 2005

Carlsbad

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, here are some pictures from our visit to Carlsbad Caverns! It felt so good to be chilly again down in the cave! :-)


In the "Big Room"


Dad & Mom






"King's Palace"




Jessica, Joseph, Joanna, and Josiah



Caroline


Ain't she a sweet heart! Sara has emailed us pictures of Caroline through out our trip and we just had to post one of them! BTW, you can find pictures of Corrine at Nathan & Jeanine's blog.

We had a great time at the Hubers, but right now we've got to head out the door for the NTHEN conference. I'll try to post some pics tonight from our visit with them. Joanna woke up this morning with a fever so we'll be a little short handed today, but hopefully a day of sleeping will take care of it for her.