Too old

This is what happens when you have teenagers in your old age they walk or maybe sit all over you and put strange hats on your head and make you listen to strange sounds they call music and allow there underwear to show. Oh my what a life we lead!! I guess I'm missing Marklar because he's at a Christian Conference called the ramp at least that's the story I get, but what do I know.

Lunch at La Posada

Here's the gang enjoying lunch.

The Best Birthday Ever!

Simeon was determined that I would have my best birthday ever. The original plans included a tent! His mom said he couldn't be in charge of everything, because she knew this would include fireworks. Simi went hard to work at making I love you signs and getting up at 5:30 am to put these huge spectacular balloons in my room. We did have a great day. It was a smashy splashy birthday as the boys said. We went to feed and seed for church and Isaac's gang all came too. We then went to a mexican restaurant afterwards. Monica had actually made a beautiful lunch, but she said we could postpone it to dinner. It was great. Joel and Monica went on a little adventure of their own and so we watched the boys for a couple of days. They made it well worth being alive!

Christmas with the Klepac boys and a first christmas for some of our girls!!

There are Judah, Eli, and Samuel having a laugh sitting on our fire place. Abram loving that money great grandma sent, Simeon hard at work putting together his pirate ship, and of course Aliyah and Ariel just having fun and looking beautiful. It's always good to be with family.

Some more beauty

God's handiwork

Thought you might like to see some of the fall color around Asheville. I wish we had it back, it's been so cold here this year, but at least we don't have Chardon's snow.

Feed and Seed

Here is our church believe it or not. They have couches in the back for people to sit on. Simeon, Judah, Elijah, and Abram are taking advantage of the soft place. This was the Sunday Joel and Monica shared about Romania and the ministry they've been doing there the last 8 years! People really seemed to enjoy and learn from what they had to offer.

Like father like son

Here is Joel and Abram in the garage at our house playing away. Sweet melodies.

Pics at last of Klepac visit

Here's sweet Abram on his violin. He plays and sings his heart out. It is a sight to behold.

Thanksgiving at the Sullivans 2008

We had a beautiful day at the Sullivan's, great meal, good company, a skit to remind us of the way Thanksgiving really was, and a time to appreciate our families. We are blessed. I love and appreciate each and everyone, those who were with us and those who weren't.

Nina and the twins

I've been wanting a photo with the girls. Too bad I had to be in it! Aren't they beautiful. They are so sweet and really moving along. They did really well with our big crowd. It's going to be fun to see them grow.

Pretty faces in pretty leaves

I know this is on Monica's blog, but it is so cute I didn't want anyone to miss it. This is when they visited Ohio and the leaves are always a plenty at the owens house.

Opening for the Showdown

This is the concert Mark used his vocal cords in a totally planned out, but very loud way. It was an experience for us old people, but the younger version seemed to have a lot of fun. He is starting to play his guitar in the group also. And here they thought the two mark's weren't alike.

Marklar catch up

so how hard is it to be a youth pastor? My back hurts just looking at it. Marklar of course is the one on top. I believe this was in sweden, but maybe not. The other pic is of a Catalpult which mark goes everything month. They do discipleship stuff, teaching, worship )Remix (Mark's been playing his guitar the last few times - no screaming though), usually outreach and fun.

Cold Grandbabies

Okay, I've been complaining about how cold it is in Asheville this winter, but then I saw these??? wow. It puts it all into perspective.

Slippery Slope

I know I usually have cutesy pictures of my beautiful grandchildren, and my one remaining wild child, but I am so saddened by what seems to be an escalation of our walking away from the things we know to be good and true. It becomes confusing unless we keep our eyes on the creator of our lives and world as to what is right and what is wrong. How mean of us to want to deny people who love each other the status of marriage. It was getting very cloudy for me. There is no sin in being kind and loving and having good relationships, but where it gets murky is when we chose to go outside of God's design in our sexual relationships. We can see people together who treat each other well and say that can't be wrong, but we all know very kind people who have also chosen to have relations outside of marriage or who do things behind closed doors that are not so kind. I believe that God created and ordained marriage. He did it to be a daily visible picture of Christ and the church. Gay marriage can not reflect that, when God Himself has ordained that marriage is between one man and one woman. We have seen slowly, but surely gay relationships are becoming very mainstreamed in our media, our lives, our conversations. It is very uncomfortable to say that we don't approve of someone else's choices and lifestyle, but it has become necessary. Recently two shows on tv that I have to admit I love have entered into there storyline gay relationships. You say what's new. To me what was new was the very sexualized scenarios. Earlier in one of the shows two coworkers got together (also not God's thing), but I can't remember them showing big love scenes between them. I think this is enticing the senses, making this common place, and provoking us to blur the lines. Unfortunately I don't think this was a one episode thing it looks like it will continue to be a storyline, so I feel that I don't want to support this kind of "entertainment." We need to be careful of how we listen to the news. I remember being in Wichita during the big pro life rally's in front of abortion clinics and would go home at night to see something totally different on tv. We are told now that this is a right, but in my mind rights are what God gives us, not the workings of men's minds.

All dressed up

Well it's been a long time since I have blogged. I've been thinking about writing more, but until this picture I couldn't get inspired enough. To see more, click on to molly's blog. I know they are my grandkids, but I can't help it. They are so cute. I haven't been able to get any pictures off of mark's camera from our visit with simeon and abram, but I still always have hope.

New do

Well after picking Mark up from college (weird) he got a haircut. I guess it's a family trait that they can't just look normal, like smile. It's different, but looks cute in person.

Friends

Here's Marklar and good friend Josh. Not sure where they are or what they're doing, but they look happy. Josh is going to be a famous baseball player. He's graduated and playing ball and is a good friend to Mark.

Work space

I thought you might like to see where I work everyday.
That is a window to the right which looks into our backyard
It is a nice view. Many pretty birds and butterflys come and
tap on my window. (Many bugs too)

Just add water and presto a house

So this is what happens when you blink. A house is born. This is next door. They took out most of the trees, build a basement, laid pipe, and delivered the house. It was up in a day. Pretty wild. I brought the boys over one day to watch, but it didn't happen. They snuck it in when I wasn't looking, but Mark must of been home. So some finishing touches and we'll have neighbors in a couple of weeks.

Some wet and wild fun

These pictures almost make me want to be there. If I didn't know how cold it probably was up in the mountains. They do all look like they are having fun though

Day out for the Guys-Slippery Rock

So this is what happens when grandma is at church all day. The guys go out for some real adventure. It was an hour trek in the car, then a mile walk, then fun at slippery rock. Then grandpas favorite the blue grass concert at Seed and Feed, an old Seed store renovated as a store front church. They have free concerts every friday and saturday night in the summer. You can be sure they were all sound asleep when I got home.

Blood and guts

Well here are the wounds of loving your music. He was at a concert with friends and got wacked. Fortunately Ethan was there to clean it up and butterfly it. He is normal again (at least in the eye department. It's weird because two other of my kids got cuts in the same place. Marklar thinks I'm weird, because I think it's weird.

Tie Dye

Marklar got a little bored so his creative juices got going on 3 tie dye shirts. He looks a little mesmerized by them. Maybe it's all the hippie juice in the air.

Bikers unite

Not sure if this was before or after there climb for 100 miles, but they do look in pain.

Chardon is everywhere!

Here we are at the Mellow Mushroom with some Chardon neighbors, the Krolls and ethan's hiding somewhere. Tom was working in Asheville and his wife and daughter came for a visit.

Ethan playing in the drum circle in Asheville

Mark and Marky took Ethan to the drum circle in downtown. It's pretty wild and fun.

Sopenski Visit

Peggy, Jayne, and Ethan came last Saturday for a visit. Ethan is a cycler so Mark and him have gone on a few rides. This is Marky's room where they can be heard talk at all hours!! Peggy and Jayne were taken on a hike in the mountains by Mark while Marky, Ethan, and I went to church. We all met up at Doc Chey's Peggy's favorite Asheville restaurant afterwards. Now the girls don't look like they're hiking do they??? Ethan's staying the week and Peg will be back to pick him up after there trip to Atlanta. So here I go with all men, oh my, oh me.

Weekend with the Boys

I just realized I am out numbered with boys again. Where did all the girls go??We went to our favorite Fletcher Park and had all your cookout foods and uncle Mark did some stunts helping the boys reach the ceiling of our pavilion. Then they had a contest to see who who could stand on the post the longest. Fishing was a big feature, couple places, many times over the weekend. Don't have a picture of it, but camping on the deck.

He's back!!!

Well, he's back. Hopefully many of you got the letter he sent from my email since I have all the addresses. He had a good trip and God moved among them in salvations, baptisms, and healings of the heart and body. The picture I couldn't get to be in the right direction is some kind of thing they did as a challenge where they were on this crates and then kept adding them. Mark was on top of 14 of them. I think this picture about 10, so kinda high.