California

Although we were in California for "business", we enjoyed wonderful times of conversation with new friends.


Our hosts in California treated us sooooo well! On Sunday night we enjoyed delicious Swedish pancakes expertly created by Nathan, our chef for the night.

A wholehearted thank-you also goes to Janet who made us feel so welcome, and was a wonderful hostess.

BTW - We ended up bringing home fabulous strawberries, cherries, and apricots - they're soooo yummy! The best ever!

Nathan & Janet served asparagus along with the last meal we had at their house. It was absolutely the best asparagus I've ever had. Now, I usually eat asparagus just because it's something different to serve once in a while... but, this was amazing, it was actually delicious. I'm going to look into growing our own asparagus. (Anyone have any tips about growing asparagus?)

California sure has its perks!



We also enjoyed a delightful afternoon relaxing with friends.
Thank you, Eric & Heather!


Rog & I stayed an extra day so we could take in Yosemite... definitely worth the winding roads to get up there... :-/


How great Thou art! How majestic are Thy works, oh Lord.



Then it was time to head home. Our flight was delayed because, as the pilot stated, " Chicago has two seasons - winter and construction."

Because of our delay, we missed our train, and had to wait an hour for the next one...

We waited...




. . . and waited!

Did you know that quite a few rabbits live on and around the train tracks in Chicago??? "Wildlife Chicago style" at 10:30pm!

Food, fun and fellowship

So that we didn't get bored while Dad and Mom were gone, the Strand family invited us over for the evening on Saturday to celebrate Stuart's 12th birthday! Happy birthday, Stuart, and thanks for having us over!! The guys got out their BB guns and did some "target practice" shooting at vanilla wafers lined up on a log in the middle of a yet-unplanted corn field.



Then, lest we have too much time unsupervised, the VonHolten family invited us over to join them and some other families from church for a relaxed afternoon at their place on Sunday. Again, we found ourselves enjoying ourselves with some of the great people that God has placed into our lives. We didn't get any pictures of Sunday, but the VHS did! :)

Thanks to you all for hosting us this past weekend! We are so grateful to the Lord for your families!

San Francisco

In the early morning hours of this past Wednesday, Dad and Mom left our home for a church business/pleasure trip, and by the time the lunch hour rolled around, they were sitting along the Pacific coast in sight of the Golden Gate Bridge enjoying their lunch and the view! They've been meeting with other church leaders - and taking some time to do a little sight seeing as well! Today they'll be visiting Yosemite. We look forward to their return to the Midwest early next week... can't wait to hear all about it!

Mothers Day!

Mother's Day was an absolutely beautiful Sunday around us this year! So we had Grandpa and Grandma, Aunt Jill and Uncle Don, N&J, J&S and C2 & W2. Of course, the only pictures we took were of C2 and W2.

We had a very relaxing and enjoyable visit together. Aunt Jill brought a bunch of goodies for the younger ones, which were greatly enjoyed! The lilacs were in bloom and so very fragrant! The grass was green, the skies were blue... And we had a few of the world's greatest mothers at our table! What more could we ask for?

Friday Night Volleyball

Isn't she sweet?


Since the weather has been so beautiful around here during the last week, on Friday night the Hill family invited our family and the VonHoltens over for a cookout, volleyball, and some 'round the campfire visiting.


Yes, the fire was very hot! But that was good as the temperature dropped as the sun set.

Thanks, Hills, for having us over for such a fun evening!

Michigan

Last weekend was a conference weekend, one of many such weekends that we will experience this year. Thankfully, this one was 'close to home' - just across The Lake. Of course, it was still a several hour drive, but compared to other conference destinations it was right next door.

The INCH Convention was the event that called us over there. Josh and crew ran Resounding Voice, as pictured above, in the front near corner of the vendor hall, and as far away as possible - in the far back corner of the hall - was the book table that Dad and Jessica were 'manning' for Vision Forum. Quite honestly, I think we are getting rather used to these trips and are taking less pictures than we have the last couple of years! It's just another conference... and yet we are grateful for that conference and the opportunities and discussions that it brought into our lives and the resources and discussions that we were able to share with others. God in His goodness, has given to us work and ministry that we enjoy. But He sure has given us plenty of it to fill and over fill the next 6 weeks! We'll try to keep you up to date on who is where as we have some unique and exciting events coming up.

58 years!

From the Daily Herald Archives, printed on May 13, 1949:

The wedding vows of Miss Ethel K. and Roger Erber were repeated last Saturday [May 7] at the Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran church, Des Plaines. Rev. A.H. Fedder officiated...

The church was decorated with palms and flowers on the altar and candles and white ribbon lined the aisles. During the ceremony Miss Lois Carlson sang "Beautiful Savior" and "The Lord's Prayer. While the couple repeated their vows, Prof. T. Lams played "Because" on the organ.

Miss K. entered the church on the arm of her father who gave her in marriage. Her gown was of ivory satin and styled with a fitted bodice, having a sweetheart neckline and botton back to teh scalloped waistline, and a full skirt ending in a long train. She wore a full length veil, which fell from a peral headpiece, that had originally been worn by the bride's mother. The bride's flowers consisted of a cascade bouquet of white roses and lilies-of-the-valley.

A couple of paragraphs followed, listing the bridesmaids, and minutely describing their dresses, hats and flowers, which happened to be lilacs from the bride's yard. It also mentions the fact that Miss Amelia Goebbert had sewn the gowns for both the bride and her attendants. The paragraph on the groomsmen simply lists the names of the best man and ushers, and then the announcement closed with the following paragraph:

Three hundred and fifty guests attended the reception which was held at Elk Grove Inn immediately following the ceremony. After a short honeymoon Mr. & Mrs. Erber will be at home with the bride's parents until their new home in Des Plaines is completed.

That house in Des Plaines was soon completed, and they have lived there happily for 58 years now. They have been blessed with two children, 8 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren - so far.

Happy Anniversary Grandpa & Grandma! We love you!!

'Twas blind, but now...

The newest news on the home front is that as of this past weekend, Jonathan and Joseph are wearing glasses! It's taken a few days for them to look natural with glasses, and Jonathan still doesn't quite, but they both are amazed at how much they can see now.

Of the two, Joseph definitely needs them most. Apparently his eyes haven't been able to keep up with the immense amount of growing he has done this past year. But Jonathan has found that improved vision has its ups and downs. He claims that dandelions growing along the road now give him headaches ("because you can see each one of them...") but on the other hand, he is greatly enjoying the help they give with playing the piano as he can now read the music without having to look at each note.

No, those aren't the glasses that either of our guys are wearing! They're just an old "dress-up" pair that somebody found...

Last week Josh and crew made it back safe and sound from their trip to New Mexico, and this week they are preparing for another business trip - though not quite such a distant one. Just across the lake, this time!

Over the weekend we've had some really nice weather up here - although today is a little too warm. But that has meant that we've finally pulled out the mowers and are cutting the lawn for the first time of the year! It's been less than three weeks since the last major snowfall, but I think Spring might finally be here to stay.

Josiah's wonderful cello teacher is switching to a studio that is both more prestigious, and closer to her home, which means that the music academy is looking for a new cello teacher. This past Saturday, Josiah was chosen as the student to have a 'sample lesson' with a teacher who is being considered for the job. So not only did the 'ones in charge' get to observe this teacher, but Mom and Josiah also got to see what this teacher is like and if they want to stay for lessons or go elsewhere. Having witnessed Josiah play at a recent "cello showcase," the director of the music academy described him as having "...quite a mature sound and approach to the instrument. He is a bright and eager student." Keep up the good work, Josiah!

Yesterday after church we had several families back to our house and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon visiting, playing croquet, enjoying the rope swing, jumping rope, playing football and volleyball - including a parents vs. kids volleyball game that many participated in. Now that was an enjoyable game (or rather series of games) to watch. Some pretty sharp looking volleys, as well as some pretty not-sharp-looking-but-still-rather-impressive volleys to witness! :-) We'll have to do it again...