Decisions

Keep praying for Alan as he has some decisions to make at work. They are making changes and it affects him as far as his job goes. He has to decide on which job to take, and he needs wisdom to know what the Lord would have him to do. We would greatly appreciate your prayers in this matter!

6 Years!!

Well, August 27th was our 6th anniversary! Thankfully, we have good friends who don't live too far from us, and who our kids always want to be with, who were willing to keep our kids for a few hours while we went out. We went to "our" restaurant - the one we went to on our first date. (That would be Red Lobster!) Sometimes it's hard to believe it's been 6 years, and other times, it seems like just it was just the other day that we were married. It's been a good 6 years, and I am married to a wonderful man whom I truly respect, and is a great provider for our family. We really are blessed! To God be the Glory!!

Readin', 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic...

Well, we have officially started school! Erik and Kate started Monday, and Matthew started Tuesday. I guess I'm showing my age, but I still remember when school didn't start until after Labor Day...! Sometimes it seems so long ago, and other days it seems like just yesterday. (sigh) I told Alan the other day that the summer went by quite fast, and he said that it always does when you get older. Oh well. We are trying to get into a routine that works for us, which although it greatly benefits Erik, is so out of my comfort zone. I'm really not a routine-type of person. For those of you who know me rather well, I'm sure that won't come as much of a shock...(!) Matthew is quite interesting to watch already this year. He turned into a teenager this past year (aahhh!!) and along with that came an interesting change. For as long as we can remember, Matthew has been the early bird. I mean, EARLY!!! He wasn't allowed out of his room until at least 7am! Upon becoming a teenager, it was as if someone told him that he's supposed to sleep more. Well, sleep more he has! He has slept all summer, until at least 11AM. Now for school he has to get up at 5:30!!! He was laying on the couch today after his 1st day of school, complaining that he was tired. This should be an interesting school year.... Till next time....

Schaffer Family "Reunion"

Back at the beginning of the month, the Schaffer's from New Jersey, that is basically all the cousins - came to Hershey, to camp & go to Hersheypark. Since they were in the area, we all converged on their campsites Saturday night (Aug. 4th). We had a great time of reminiscing, eating, laughing, and even introductions. With 6 kids in their family, and 3 in ours, that's not so bad; but when you add in spouses, a new generation of kids, and years gone by, we either didn't know everybody, or had forgotten! It's hard to stay in touch sometimes, but we had a great time. Our dads had a good time being together, and we cousins had a fun time laughing over stories, remembering things we did together (that some had forgotten!), and even talking about our dogs! We had some great times as kids, despite the distance between us, and it's always fun to look back on them. It was also fun to get our dads to talk about their stories, and the trouble they'd get into as kids!! (Right, Steve?) It was so good to see you Denice! I still don't know when I saw you last, so it was good to see you this time. :-) The only ones missing that day were Tom & Crystal and their boys, and Nic & Ken and boys. We were all sorry they weren't there, but we talked about them anyway...(!) Hopefully, we can do this again next year!! Let's plan on it!!!! Love you all!

Schaffer Family "Reunion"

A "Wild" Week!

We're back! This has been our 5th year of Family Camp, at the Wilds. It's unbelievable that we've been going for so long now! What can one say about the Wilds??! There is so much to do, great speakers, incredible music, delicious food, awesome staff... Suffice it to say that if you do not come away challenged by the messages and music, you must be dead. Fortunately, God can revive a spiritually dead heart. Our speaker this year was Dr. Jim Binney, and although we had never heard him before, we would love to hear him again. He is very down to earth, and like Paul, has the same struggles we do. We call messages that speakers bring forth 'challenges' for a reason. He definitely challenged us in ways we most likely needed, both for the teens, and us as parents. Our hearts are full; please pray that we will all continue with the decisions we've made.
As for free time....there's no way to sum up a week at the Wilds, but we'll try! There are planned free time games & activities such as "Cat in the Hat", "Blanket Volleyball", "Volleyball Tournament", "The Summit". The Wilds wouldn't be the Wilds without The Giant Swing! It's this insane contraption that someone thought up, where they strap you to gear with a partner, and pull you up about 65ft., and let you fall! There's the game room, Cool Beans Coffee Shop (oh yeah!) and so much more!! This year for the first time, we decided to go white water rafting. They were Class IV rapids on the Pigeon River in TN. It was AWESOME! Part of the reason it was such a memorable day, was that we were blessed with a really great guide, named Jacob. At the Wilds, there is also family lake time, which in and of itself is activity after activity!! There's the water trolley (if you can hold on), the climbing wall (try to make it to the top), basketball (it's hard to jump in the water), tube slide (a running start is best), the 35ft. high jump (shoes help, right Erik?), and last but not least, the Blob! Many people don't care for the Blob, but I personally have a hard time staying away from it! Unless you've done it or seen a video, it's hard to explain being blobbed, but let me just say, you don't soon forget it!! You'll either love it or hate it! There is so much more to say, but this post is already really long. We'll just let some of the pictures speak for themselves. We highly recommend Family Camp. It's a refreshing week, both spiritually and physically, and by God's grace, we plan to do it for many more years to come!!

A "Wild" Week!