Father/ Son Hike

This past weekend Jim and Isaac joined the men from Jim's Sunday School class, and their sons, for a Father/ son hike on the Appalachian Trail. A portion of the famous trail runs quite near where we live. They geared up for an overnight stay with hiking both days. Some of the guys could only join them for the first day's hiking, but most braved the night and second day as well.

Jim brought not only sleeping equipment and food, but a book with amusing stories about camping to share around the fire. You can tell by the clothing and posture of the guys in this shot that it got pretty chilly once the sun went down!

Day two, seated on "the pinnacle", which is a pile of rocks at one high point along the trail.

Onward and upward!

What a spectacular view, makes the effort to reach it worthwhile.

A "boulder field" left by a glacier thousands of years ago.

Photos courtesy of Jim O'Donoghue- thanks for sharing Jim!

Chronologically Incorrect!

A couple of weeks ago, our dear friends the Moffatts drove up all the way from Georgia to spend the night with us while on their way elsewhere. I hope that, in spite of my direction giving faux pas, they will return for a longer visit someday. While their stay was way too brief, it was so neat to see them again.

Now it's a nice quiet Saturday at home. Why so quiet you ask? Jim's Sunday School class of men are taking their sons on a camping trip together. The weather has finally cooled down so the hiking will be crisp and lovely and the sandwiches won't overheat. The sunshine is simply spectacular. Can the sun shine at different intensities? The past two days it's been dazzling. Some of the leaves are beginning to turn and the sky is so blue.

Yesterday Jim and I had the pleasure of going to the school where Rebekah is taking her culinary courses. The restaurant is now open, so we stopped in for lunch! Bekah served us and we were very pleased with the quality of the food. Soup, salad and sandwiches topped off with rice pudding for Jim and chocolate cake for me, all cooked by the students. Yum!


Bekah's chef instructor came out for a visit and then gave us a tour of the kitchen when we finished our meal. We'd toured the facility last year, but now that Bekah's been there he was able to give us the "inside scoop". Evidently she is doing very well and he is pleased with her hard work and motivation. So nice to hear. He works with her for about 3 hours a day so he has a better idea of who she is than any of her other teachers have a chance to.


Our sweet chef...

ttfn!

Life is Full!

We have gone from parading through the streets of Mohnton, celebrating it's 100th Anniversary, to driving across the state to see friends. Erin is still playing field hockey and loving it. Isaac is Scouting and learning new things each week. Bekah is enjoying her Culinary courses. Life is full!

I've broken the recent activities into two slide shows to make them easier to view. First is the Mohnton parade and field hockey action!

For the Columbus Day weekend we drove over to Grove City, PA to see friends and pick up some things that we'd left behind when we moved away so long ago. The Breitensteins had graciously stored a couple of items for us and it was time to claim them. So we took the seats out of the van, drove both cars over and after loading up spent the rest of the weekend visiting,... and EATING!

We took Randy and Lisa and the kids to Applebees for dinner on Saturday. Isaac and Matt hit it off so well, Isaac ended up spending the night at the Welkers while the rest of us went to our hotel! Sunday morning Jim and our kids went to church with Randy while I visited with Lisa in the quiet.

After church We said goodbye and drove over to the Breitenstein's home for a feast. Jeff and Rebecca had a mountain of kabobs ready for the grill, along with beef and venison steaks. Jason Miller was also there to join in the reunion. While the cooking and preparing were happening Jason took Isaac down to the pond to fish. The deal was, whoever caught the first fish didn't have to help with the dishes. Isaac proceeded to catch the first fish!

Meanwhile our girls were playing with the Breitenstein's children. Our Erin sat down with their Christen and Erin for some beading- fortunately she came prepared! Between helping in the kitchen our Rebekah was frequently seen with one or both twins in her arms.

After a fabulous afternoon visiting we made our way over to the Whitehouses' for a campfire cookout- just like old times! Fewer kids running around, but just as familiar and comfortable as we remembered. Janet and Terry and Jim and I swapped stories of what's been going on with our busy older kids as well as those still at home. I don't know anyone busier, yet so content.

Our trip was a wonderful time together and with friends and we hope to repeat it in the coming months. Now that we are close enough the traffic can run both ways!

Yahoo!

Nathaniel has left Iraq! We got a call on Sunday from Anchorage, Alaska, where they'd stopped on their globe-circling trip to Hawaii. He'll probably be very busy for a while- the Army is good at that, doing whatever it is they do when a unit like theirs returns from deployment. He'd once said something about cleaning the sand out of the helicopters...

Whatever he's doing, he's doing it someplace other than a war-zone. Praise God! I hope to soon hear from him via a call from his new cell phone, which he plans to run out and buy as soon as he's able.

Whew- this is one grateful and relieved Mom, signing off for now.

A Month Later...

It's taken me a month, sorry, to get back to this. How has this computer, meant to simplify life, added so many more tasks to my day??? I must sit down and figure out what I must keep in the routine and what must go, because life is too full right now!

Let's see now, school started the week after I got home from Europe. Bekah is now a sophomore and attends Culinary courses at the local Berks County Technical Center every afternoon- loves it too. Erin is in 7th grade and playing field hockey, also loves what she's doing. Isaac is a 4th grader, has moved to the Intermediate School, and enjoys not having a sport to play but rather focuses now on fun boy stuff and scouts.

Wow, my list is shorter this year,... No longer at home, but ever on our minds and hearts, Kate is having a wonderful experience living in Switzerland. L'Abri is exactly what she needed. The other "students" there and the staff folks are all living in community and learning about themselves in relation to "the God who is there". Some of the students are staying for the whole term as Kate is, but others come and go for shorter periods of time.

Kate has already taken a "side trip" down to Rome to see friends who are living there for a year. The DePiantes are really more like family for us since Jim and I have known them since our Nathaniel and their Anthony were babies. now Anthony is 20 and he and his brother Alex squired Kate around the city of Rome; more entertaining, knowledgeable and simply delightful guides you'll never find.

As for Nathaniel, the word is he'll be leaving Iraq within a few weeks. He called twice last week and said that he's not sure of the exact date, and couldn't tell me even if he did know it. Good enough for me! We expect to get a call from either Kuwait or a stopover somewhere in Europe when he is actually on his way. He will return to his base in Hawaii- poor kid- before going on any post-deployment leave. The plans for leave are still just that, plans, so I won't speculate here... but they sound great!

For Labor Day weekend Jim and the kids and I went camping; yes, in a tent! We tested the proverbial waters by going to a nearby campground and over the weekend got firmer ideas of what we'll need to still purchase and what kind of campground to look for next time. The experience was overall a positive one for us, chilly and smoky, and we are looking forward to camping again.

Jim has been working primarily from home lately, which is wonderful. His job changed slightly within DHL and he doesn't need to be in an office. Our own wireless internet and his blackberry are sufficient most of the time. An unexpected benefit to his being home is that he now has an "office cat". Milo has made Jim his personal project. He will interrupt Jim's day several times to make him stop and rub his ears or belly, jump onto Jim's workspace to lay on his paperwork and even chase the computer mouse. His funny little "miao" is enough to bring an ear-to-ear grin to Jim's face as he waltzes in demanding his share of attention. I'm sure that if we were to have it checked, we'd find that Jim's blood pressure is lower! He'll often call me in to have me see what new antics Milo is up to. We do need to have an office built in the basement so Jim can truly set up an office, but when we do there will be a hole cut into the door for Milo!

I've been busy getting my scrapbooking out and back in progress. I'd put everything away when we moved here and hadn't pulled it back out. Whether I feel I have the time or not, it must be done! So I joined Creative Memories since I'll be purchasing quite a lot just for myself, and in hopes of finding some friends who'll scrap with me.

I've also agreed to help teach the Women's Sunday School class at church which has been a blessing to me already. Then we just had our Women's Retreat at a nearby location, having Andree Seu come as our speaker,... oh, what a blessing! There's always so much to do, but I must- again- cull my routines down so that I can spend more focused time in Scripture and prayer and simply have time to "be". My head is always so full of the next ten important things on my list that I am never right where I am. The scrapbooking helps slow me down as does digging in the dirt outside. We'll see how successful this is. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me...

Here's a slide show of a little bit of what's been happening. To see the captions just pass your mouse over each photo as it slides by. Unfortunately I kinda lost the photos from camping- computer glitch, ...sniff.

Switzerland, how is it possible???

How to fit Switzerland into a blog post? Pretty nigh impossible. Yet, here, my friends, is a taste...

Swiss swans serenely swimming- oh, yeah.

After the smoke, fumes, busy-ness and crowds of London and Paris- terrific as those cities are- Lausanne Switzerland is literally a breath of fresh air. The girls and I took the bus down to Ouchy (pronounced "wishy") and enjoyed the views of Lake Geneva and the few strolling people. Boats, birds and clouds. What a lovely interlude!

The next morning after sleeping until we woke up (no alarm clocks involved!) we took the train from Lausanne to tiny little Aigle. From here we'll board a bus for a 20 minute ride uphill to L'Abri- whee!

While buying tickets and talking about something back home in PA, this gentleman joins us, having overheard our conversation. Charlie is from Pittsburgh and is also going to L'Abri for the fall term! We team up to buy bus tickets and find the bus stop.

At the bus stop we meet two more Americans and one Canadian who are also L'Abri-bound!

After a dizzying ride up the switchbacks in a full-sized bus we arrive at L'Abri, just outside of the teeny town of Huemoz, (pronounced "way-mo").

Kate's new home, a Chalet on a Swiss mountainside.

Geraniums and satellite dishes...

This note on one of the bathroom mirrors gives a clue into the heart of L'Abri.

Kate in her new room- couldn't be happier!

This is the view from her room, oh my.

Also from her balcony, overlooking the patio area.

Have I mentioned that she's in the alps?!?!

A brief tour of the L'Abri buildings, we hike down to the Chalet, Farel House, where most of the studying will be happening.

The room where lectures and Sunday chapel will take place.

And downstairs is the library.

Let's not forget the volleyball court with the view!

Dinner is under way in the tiny, yet efficient, kitchen.

The dining room set for dinner also enjoys, yes, the view of the mountains!

Kate's starting to get to know the other students. Here on the patio most of the discussions center around stories of the traveling to L'Abri and why each is here.

Oh look, it's the mountain view again- can't quite do it justice...

After dinner Gabby finds the piano, lovely!

Most everyone else settles into the comfy couches and chairs in the student lounge to talk about what life at L'Abri will be like with those who've already been here. Music, warm fellowship, the alps, what a spectacular evening.

Next morning, Kate and her roommate Lizzie are ready for anything!

Kate checks the schedule. Every day will bring chores and studies.

Saying goodbye, for now. I'm thrilled that this is where I'm leaving her, she is suited for this and will flourish in this environment. Praise God for L'Abri.

Event he bus stop has a view!

On the train to Geneva Gabby spies an undone Sudoku puzzle in a French language Swiss newspaper someone left behind- yay!

At the University of Geneva Reformer's wall, a memorial to Calvin, Beza, Farel and Knox.

The giants of the Reformation, surrounded by others who were influenced by them. We had the privilege of listening in as an American Pastor lectured to a group on Geneva's role in the Reformation, filling in the historical holes in our own memories. How very providential.

A view of the lake from Geneva.

We took a boat across the inlet, sort of a water taxi. These little girls were too adorable to miss.

Our taxi.

Must not leave Switzerland without chocolate!

And Gabby gets a Swiss watch!

That's it for the trip. We had an absolutely spectacular time and are still decompressing. Our flight home was long and relatively uneventful. It's so nice to sleep in my own bed and not have anything pressing for a few days. Now to put this to bed and move on.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
May He continue to watch over Kate as she learns and grows.

Goodnight.