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.

Beauty doubled

Aren't they incredible. They are just beginning to eat food. I've been coming the last three Tuesdays at 6 Am to let Isaac go to a prayer meeting. What a blessing to be able to spend time with them. What great parents Isaac and Molly are and wonderful big brothers the boys have become. Neat to see how God forms families.

Biking on the Parkway

Well I thought I should give you a glimpse into living with an athlete. He goes for a bike ride, why not it's beautiful out and beautiful views to boot. Now at this time of our life you'd think a nice stroll around the neighborhood, but no because we had the boys this weekend he felt the need to ride 75 miles up the mountain. He doesn't want too many days to go by for those legs of his. By eight at night I'm think he's gone off the edge of one of those mountains, but (I almost said alas again)(what's up with that?) but he says around nine he strolled in. I do try to find out at least which direction he's heading, I've put our address and phone numbers in his pouch and sometimes he remembers to bring his phone just in case it could help track him! I got to say he is in very good shape. Which is a good thing.

Quiet House

Do you know how quiet it is with out Marky here? I keep trying to drive him to work or wake him up or make him cinnamon rolls, but alas only these two old people who don't scream when they sing or jump around because they have more energy then there body can contain. Alas we are going to have the three Klepac boys this weekend. That should liven the place up a bit.

Airport

Here they are in front of security at Asheville Airport. You can see how big it is (ha ha). They are very excited. Mark called from Atlanta and they had arrived safely there without losing anything or anyone. The leaders four year old is missing from the picture.

Sweden send off

Wow we had a visitation from the Lord in church today. This is Robert sharing about their trip to Sweden. We are on our way to the airport in a minute. These are most of the group going. Here is a pic of everyone praying over the team. You can see Isaac behind Mark. He spent a year in Sweden so had a powerful prayer. Pray for Marky and all his team members that they will be used powerfully by God. I am feeling the impending future of my last birdie flying the coop. It's a strange feeling.

Catching up with friends

We got to see some of our old friends. I had lunch with Karen, Sandy G, and Jan. Mark saw his good friends, Jack, Bob Dasher, and his sister Tina. We both went and visited his brothers family with a few of their grandkids thrown in for Faith to play with. Mark Stone stopped by as you can see on the porch steps. (He faithfully mowed our lawn when the house was empty) We went to our old church the Vineyard in Wickliffe where we were really loved on and Marklar shared at two services about his mission and a word he believed God gave him on His love for them. (By the way he got exactly how much he needed to finish paying for the trip!Halleluia) They made us a card telling us how much they missed us. Dann and Dixie's crowd came too. Several of my friends were out of town, Peggy- Maine, Barb-Phillipines, Teresa Chicago, Joanne - mom's surgery. We managed to squeeze in a visit with Brent and Teresa late on Sunday night. Good to have friends and family. The Lord has blessed us abundantly with both.

Graduation 2008

Here's the big day. The pictures are backward (I'll have to remember that) Joey walking in, The gang in the very hot gymnasium, throwing of the hats, hugs all around and a group picture. Neal is back there and Becky. We needed something to stand on. We all went to a park and had chicken and salads and caught up. I'm sure you all know Joe will be going to Akron and be cheerleading. Pray for his continued success.

Family get together at Owens! Food and Fun

Here we are at Mike and Jo's new home. Having a little pre graduation party. Dogs and burgers on the grill. Guitar Hero in the living room, and plenty of smiling faces. We're happy to be together and to celebrate Joey's success. Dann and Dixie and Zach, Gage, and Danielle came down on Saturday and returned on Sunday. God bless them for there devotion to being with Joey and Lynn on their big day. Thanks Jo for hosting us.

Traveling to and from Ohio

Well I'm not sure why Mark was so fasinated with pigs on the way to Ohio, but here you have them a triple decker truck with wall to wall pigs. This is also a beautiful electrical storm we went through on the way back to North Carolina

16 at last!!

Marky finally hit 16, hard to believe only two more years. I'm missing him already. He had some of his friends over. I won't describe all of their fun activities (remember they're teenagers!), but they did go on a scavenger hunt thing where they try to trade up. They bring something go to neighbors and try to get them to give them something better. What ever team has the best thing at the end wins. I got a set of pots and pans out of the deal and one the guys got a cooler. Normal fare, pizza, wings, chips, and pop. We now have driving to look forward to.

Purity Banquet

Mark was involved in a study on purity from a biblical point of view this year. The guys got together once and week at one place and the girls another. The studied a book and held each other accountible. They had a banquet at the end of the course to make vows before God and their parents and peers. You can see us here reading the vow and Mark saying it after me. It was a very nice time. They also recieved rings to remind them of their commitment to stay pure until marriage. (Not sure if that means you become impure after??? Only kidding!)

Amazing how old everyone else is?!?!

Well here's Mark with his friend Jordan in their red pants. Believe it or not he turned 16 yesterday! Two more years and after we will be empty nest after a mere 36 1/2 years! Wow that sounds wild.