The Men in My Life

I have been so blessed by the men God has placed in my life.



First there's my Dad. We just celebrated his 76th birthday. What a blessing! Just 3 years ago one of my brothers and I hurried to Florida, where Dad and Mom were for a month, when he had a heart attack and needed bi-pass surgery. I was always "Daddy's Little Girl". But, I'm also his only "girl". In a young girl's life it is so important to know that her father loves her. I never doubted that. We didn't always agree - I wasn't always obedient - I didn't always make the best choices - but, I always knew that he loved me. He set the standard for the type of man I would look for - loving, caring, hard working, God fearing.


Then there's Dale, the loving, caring, hardworking man, that God brought into my life many years ago. He is the optimist and the giver in our family, just what God knew I needed. He's not afraid to take on new projects and learn how to do them.
Take all of these hickory nuts, for example. While driving around to his job sights he came across a hickory nut tree that was dropping them all in the road. So he stopped and his "new" project began. That table full is a small portion of what he has collected - so far. So the hunt is on to find the best way to crack them, store them and use them. In fact right now, he is cracking some while watching the Badger football game. I must admit that they do taste good.

Then there are our boys - young men really. Both are also hard working and loving. They also like to have fun. Here are 2 pictures of Josh finding a new use for Zach's PT putty.




Josh and Lauren have been married for 3 years already. We are so thankful for Lauren and the fun that she brings. It's nice to have another woman around to give the guys a 2nd feminine perspective. And with these guys there are times that they need it.




Zach and Christina have been dating for 1 year. I've enjoyed the times that she has come to visit Zach. And as we've gotten to know each other I feel that she comes to visit us also. She just sent us some caramels that she made at home (Holland, MI) after having them first here. We're excited to see how God leads in their relationship.

Here's a picture of the 6 of us last Christmas.



I can't wait until all of us can be together again. It might be a while, maybe Thanksgiving or Christmas. But, I look forward to more games of Dutch Blitz or Settlers of Catan, times of laughter, times of going to church to worship together, time to just be together. Life moves so fast and we need to cherish each moment that God gives us with those we love.
David in the Psalms talks about our children being our reward. I feel like I've collected mine. They are precious to me, a joy to watch grow, mature, learn to use the gifts and talents that God has given to them. I'm excited to see where He takes them!

The Brule River

Any fly fisherman in the United States knows of the Brule. So of course, when we were up in Superior, Dale needed to fish it. Unfortunately, because of the drought the fishing wasn't so hot. At one of the fly shops they requested that people not even fish a nearby stream at all because in some areas it was so low. We were able to canoe it one of the days along with my folks. I didn't fish, I just waded along and took pictures of Dale enjoying the river.



We also spent part of a day along Lake Superior. The temperature of the water was surprisingly warm. The sand on the beach was as fine and soft as that here in Sheboygan. We wished that we had brought along our swimsuits to go for a quick swim, but settled for a quick smooch instead. :)

Vacation to Superior
Early in August we went camping with my folks and my brother, Terry, and his wife, Sandy. Once a year we get away together to relax, eat, explore and laugh. This year we went to Pattison Lake State Park which is just South of Superior, WI.



Here are some of the pictures: our campsite, the Black River that runs through the campground and works of a chainsaw artist that did the most amazing pieces of their kind that I have ever seen. There were trails that we hiked on along the river which was very low because of drought conditions in the Northern area of the state.