A Weekend in North Carolina

As promised, here's the first of a couple of updates from our trip! After the fun, but very busy, week of the Faith & Freedom Tour, (check Jonathan's Blog, too), and before the fun, but very busy, week of the History of the World Conference, we were very grateful to the Brown family for opening their home to a van load of weary Erbers! The weekend at their home was a much needed respite between events. Their hospitality was refreshing, and their fellowship recharged us for the week ahead and sent us home grateful for various discussions on family and church issues and experiences that are close to the hearts of both of our families. We had a great time! Thanks much, Browns!

While no doubt we who were there enjoy these pics more than y'all, here's a peek at our visit:

Cousins!

William, Caroline, Corrine, Winston

Winston & William

Home again...

We're back! The past 12 days since our last post have been very full (which is the reason it has been 12 days since our last post). But now we're back home again, and having gotten the guys back out on the road again (within 12 hours of arriving home), survived yesterday's 20-hour power outtage (by escaping to Nathan & Jeanine's home for the day), and gotten our internet connection up and running again, we hope to have time to update y'all with news and pictures over the next few days!

Faith & Freedom

Greetings from ol' Virginia! As you may have surmised from the lack of updates on this blog, we've been out of town. The 2006 Faith & Freedom Tour in Virginia has had us occupied for the last couple of weeks - and what a glorious couple of weeks it has been.

The early morning hours of June 26 (the 30th anniversary of Dad & Mom's wedding!) saw us hurridly packing the final items into the van and trailer, and heading east. Aside from some incredible rain in Pennsylvania, Maryland and the DC area, the trip was made without incident.

After a day or so of shopping, unpacking and final preparations, the 2006 Virginia Faith & Freedom Tour began on Wednesday, June 28. The week that followed was one of work, fun, and inspiration! As we walked through Virginia's famous battlefields, homes, cemeteries and towns, we not only learned of the people and events that took place, but were constantly reminded of the providential work of God in our history. What a rich and blessed legacy! May God grant that we might be worthy stewards of this inheritance!

Much could be said, and more will be elsewhere - or here later. Time gives me but a moment now to leave you with but a few pictures from this past week.


Josh again recorded and amplified all the lectures for the tour.


Jonathan with young Providence Phillips.


On the bus


Mr. Phillips lecturing in front of the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg, Virginia.


Our family with the guide who led us through the Governor's palace.


Josh & Brian


On Surrender Field in Yorktown, Virginia, we reenacted the surrender of Cornwallis to General Washington. Though, other pictures reveal that our "Red Coat" contingent had a hard time surprising their smiles as they surrendered! True patriots all!


Serving lunches at Scotchtown (Home of Patrick Henry)


Early morning food preparation (classy room, eh?)


Reenacting the patriot attack on Redoubt 10 on the Yorktown battlefield


On the banks of the Potomac at Mt. Vernon


Tour guide and historian Bill Potter


St. John's Church, Richmond, Virginia where we were treated to a stirring reenactment of the 2nd Virginia Convention.


Jessica, Josiah, Joanna, Jonathan, and Joseph in St. John's Church


Jonathan with General Washington


At the Iwo Jima monument


Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, Arlington National Cemetary


Joanna & Josiah at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C.

A New Deck

This weekend we are enjoying visits from Jeremy, Sara, Caroline, and William. Well, it's only been one visit so far, but we expect them (or some of them) again today and tomorrow.


Jeremy is spending this weekend building a deck out back for us. Since we moved in (in 1998) we've had a 3-foot step out the back door. Finally we are getting around to remedying that and the deck is going in. As all our other guys are in Ohio at the CHEO convention, Jeremy's assistant and student for this project is Josiah. They spent almost all day out there together - except for coming inside to cool off a few times! Today promises to be cooler (it's in the 50's now!!!) so they should have much better working conditions today.


While the guys worked, Caroline managed to keep the rest of us smiling all day!


And she helped out in the kitchen as we finished up food prep for the upcoming Faith & Freedom Tour.

A couple weeks in the life of us

While we certainly could be spending all our time oogling over our new little grandson/nephew, the fact is that there are other things going on around here as well. As I (Jessica) am back in town again, I find myself once again in the position of family chronicler and blog updater. So here we go!

My time in Alabama was absolutely wonderful! It was very special to spend that many weeks with my sister, bro-in-law, niece and nephew. All four of them conspired to keep me busy and entertained during my 10 week stay in the south, so I have come home enriched with more memories, experiences and friends.

The last week of my stay was definitely the craziest, which is why I stayed for it. Late nights, early mornings and busy days! For the last several days we had 11-13 people staying at the apartment each night - with more at most meals. Very memorable.

Six of the guests were Josh and his crew who had driven down after a conference in New York to help out for the last few days of Justice Parker's campaign, and bring me back home. Finally on Wednesday night, June 7, we said most of our goodbyes and stayed up late once more just for fun. Thursday morning we packed up, said our final goodbyes, squished us and all our stuff into Josh's suburban (the guys gave me the front seat so they felt most of the squish), and hit the road. Jonathan chronicled those last few days pretty well, so look here for pics and commentary!

While on the road we got a phone call about the very exciting happenings in Illinois which increased our desire to get home quickly. After a short stop in Ohio (complicated only slightly by me getting us lost while I gave Josh a break from driving) - we arrived home around 2:00am on Friday!

Friday was busy enough with us setting up for the special event that evening and taking a quick visit to see William.

Dr. Trifkovic's presentation on 1500 years of Balkan history that evening was both fascinating and overwhelming!! Granted, the late nights and long hours of the proceeding week didn't work to my advantage that evening, but I am looking forward to sitting down and listening to the recording of the lecture with a stack of encyclopedias, a dictionary, more maps, and a notebook, and gaining a better grasp on eastern European history.

This week has been much more laid back:

Monday was spent unpacking and shopping ... and selling kittens.

Tuesday was spent painting, teaching, and prepping the kitchen.

Wednesday & Thursday were spent baking 150+ dozen cookies (same reason that we did so last year) and teaching piano lessons. I'm really not sure what everyone else did those days! Oh, Jonathan took (and scored well on) the entrance exam at Rock Valley College where he'll be taking some classes this fall.

On Friday, we had friends who are missionaries to the Ivory Coast here during the day. It was good to catch up with them again and hear first hand of their work and adventures (such as experiencing an emergency evacuation from the Ivory Coast to Mali due to the unrest there) and enjoyed catching up with them and sharing music together! In the evening we ran over to visit with Jeremy, Sara, Caroline & William.

Today we're doing more baking, having a family over for dinner, preparing for tomorrow's get-together with Grandpa & Grandma Erber, Aunt Jill & Uncle Don, and doing some general house cleaning - and a little more painting.

Looking ahead we eagerly anticipate the arrival of certain special people who will be returning home to the midwest this coming week!


While the rest of us were down in Alabama, Dad, Mom, Joanna, and Josiah brought our chickens in to be butchered! We now have a bunch of tasty roasters in our freezer...


Corrine is excited to be moving back to Wisconsin!


Winston doesn't seem to care where he lives - as long as he's with Mama!


Mom, Joseph, and Josiah cleaning up the yard.


One of our four kittens that now have a new home.


One of about 2,000 cookies that we baked this week!


More fun in the kitchen! (Joanna, Josiah, Joseph)


A visit with "big sister" Caroline Joy.


Enjoying a family visit getting to know someone very special...


... William Henry Erber

Our Little Men

William Henry Erber - 5 days old















Winston Curtis DeLadurantey - 7 weeks old

Boy, Oh Boy!

Once again, we are thrilled to announce the safe arrival of a baby boy!
Jeremy & Sara welcomed their new son, William Henry Erber, yesterday morning. He weighed 8lbs. 10oz. and is 21" long.
Mama, Papa, Sister and Baby are well and very happy this morning - as are the numerous aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins!
Praise the Lord for His many blessings to us!

Join Us For Balkan History with Dr. Trifkovic

Sandwiched between the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea and the Danube River, lies a land full of history. The Balkans have been in the center of many global crises: The 1389 Turkish Invasion, the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Duke Ferdinand’s assassination and World War I, the Serbian Freedom Fighters, and more! Overlooked in most history books, a proper understanding of the Balkans is necessary to fully understand Europe and our western heritage.

On Friday, June 9 our church is honored by the rare opportunity to host expert on the Balkans, Dr. Serge Trifkovic. An internationally acclaimed speaker and author, he will be teaching on the ancient history of that area of the world, how it has affected world-wide events, and, bringing us up to recent history, provide us with a better understanding of current events, especially in the light of the decline of Christianity in our country and Europe along with the expansion of Islam.

This event is hosted by Christ’s Church, and will be open to others as well. Please come! Send us an email if you’re interested in attending, and we’ll get you the pertinent details and directions. Go to our user profile and send us an email for more information.

Dr. Trifkovic, the director of the Center for International Affairs, is a scholar who has combined his academic interests with a distinguished and varied career in journalism and public affairs.

Co-founder and Executive Director, of The Lord Byron Foundation for Balkan Studies, he has appeared on a myriad of national and international TV and radio programs, including the Ollie North Show (MSNBC), CNN, CNN International, BBC World Service, CBC, Voice of America, and U.S. News & World Report.

Dr. Trifkovic continues to hold the post of foreign-affairs editor of the Rockford Institute’s magazine, Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture. His regular column is appropriately called The American Interest. He has also authored two highly acclaimed books addressing Islam: “The Sword of the Prophet” and “Defeating Jihad: How the War on Terrorism Can Be Won - in Spite of Ourselves”

Surprise visitors!

We hadn't seen the Stockdale family for years...
What a pleasure it was to catch up and visit!
Come back again soon, ya'hear?

The Del' Family

Nathan, Jeanine, Corrine and Winston DeLadurantey - May 19, 2006