Our May vacation to Cincinnati

On May 12, Rowen, Janet, and Emily flew to Cincinnati.  We wanted to take in the SWSE (Symphonic Wind and String Ensemble) end of the year concert, and the camp meeting and graduation, and we were anxious to bring Beth home with us for the summer.  Emily took six hundred pictures, but I will only share a few here.

This was taken on the 13th, a hot sunny day right before three days of rain! 

 We got to eat meals together as a family several times.  Karen, Jason's special friend, joined us and got better acquainted with us.

 Beth took us on a long, hard, beautiful walk through Eden Park, which is close to God's Bible School.

                Finally, I am entering proof that Emily was along by showing a picture that she is in!  :)

                                     Beth and Emily on a bridge on our walk through Eden Park

                                             A couple of ducks framed by the bridge structure.

Also that day, I gave Jeffrey a much needed haircut, since he was leaving the following week for four weeks in Israel.  

 That evening we heard SWSE in their Americana concert.  GBS President Avery prayed the opening prayer.

                                                       A closeup of Jason during the concert.

This was the next morning; camp hadn't started yet.  It was raining, so we spent time in the Girls' Dorm parlor.  Karen and Jason played checkers.  For some unknown reason, about a third of the red checkers were missing.  Being a gentleman, Jason let Karen have the advantage, and yes, she did win.  :)

                   In the rainy afternoon, we went over into Kentucky and saw our friend, Retha Elger.

             Jason accompanied the high school choir on his cello in the opening service of camp meeting.

                                   Rev. Randy Brown was the evening service speaker each day.

Rev. Blake Jones was the morning services and graduation speaker.

                                          Jason, Karen, and Brother Muir, just checking on them.

                                        One of the breakfast meals where we ate with Jeffrey and Jason.

                                                    Karen writing in a yearbook for a friend

 The choir singing for the evening service.  Some of the choir members play instruments for some of the songs the choir sings.  Jason is playing his cello.

This is the majority of Karen's family.  One brother had to work and missed his older two brothers' graduation.

                           Karen received the award from Dr. Allan Brown for the best grades in Greek!

 All the graduates from the college.  The ones in red received Associate Degrees, and the ones in black received Bachelor Degrees.

 Heidi, on the left is Beth's roommate.  Heather is her sister who graduated with an Associates in Business.

                                      Beth and Heidi:  they plan to be roommates again in the fall.

                            Beth and her friend, Mikah, who graduated with a Bachelor's in Missions.

                                                                     Emily and Mikah

 Karen is on the left, next to Marianne Brown, Emily, Janet, and Beth.  Marianne is a mentor to Karen.  Marianne and her husband, Dr. Phil Brown, had us over for a meal on Thursday evening.  We enjoyed the fellowship and food very much.

                          Rev. Larry Smith administered the Communion Service on Sunday morning.

                                                  A picture of our family on Sunday morning.

                                                     Jason and Karen on Sunday afternoon

                                                          She enjoys Jason, as we do!  :)

 Sunday afternoon's service was all about student ministries.  Next up was the Cincinnati Circuit Riders, which Jason and Jeffrey have both participated in.  Jeffrey spoke about it, while Jason just had to sit there and look nice.  :)

                                                       Jeffrey waiting for his turn to speak

                                                                              Jason

                                       Jeffrey speaking about teaching outreach to area churches.

                                             The choir singing again.  Jason is top second right.

On Monday, the 19th, we helped with campus cleanup, and shortly after 12:30 p.m. we were free to leave with Beth and head for Joplin.  We arrived at 11 p.m. at Tim and Brenda's house.  Jason left the next day with the choir on their first ever "Western Tour."  Jeffrey flew away on Tuesday to Israel to spend the next four weeks there as part of a class.

Book Review: Seasons of Tomorrow by Cindy Woodsmall

Seasons of Tomorrow , Book 4 in the Amish Vines and Orchards series, by Cindy Woodsmall, was a good finish to all the threads of people’s lives and conflicts that we have been following through the previous three books in the series. 

I am happy to report that each of the main characters (Samuel, Rhoda, Leah, and Jacob) and others grew in their relationship with the Lord and resolved the conflicts with each other.  Any time there are non-Amish intimately involved in Amish family and business, there is conflict, and this book reveals that clearly.  It also discloses the ability of some to love deeply enough to let others, however different, into their hearts.  I am saddened that some of the relatives were willing to rigidly cut off fellowship for the sake of tradition and rules that I personally have never found in the Bible.

I enjoy reading Amish books, because they are wholesome, but sometimes the culture really frustrates me.  I love it when some of the characters in this series believe deeply in obeying God’s Word more than obeying man’s words.  It is painful to do, because of the conflicts that it causes in families, but it is the right thing to do.  This book closes with Samuel, Rhoda, and Jacob purposefully choosing to support Leah in her walk with God even though they know they will be shunned again.

If you have read the other three books in the series already, please read this one for closure on all your favorite people!  I would not recommend reading it as a stand-alone, as you would miss too much of the context provided previously.  There were times when this book moved too slowly for me, especially with too much construction information or orchard tending information, but it was all needed for the occupations of the characters.

I received my free copy of Seasons of Tomorrow from Waterbrook/Multnomah in exchange for my honest review.

New Albertson Granddaughter!

Jewelyn Alice Albertson was born to Randy and Joy Albertson on April 26, 4:48 p.m. MDT, at home.  She weighed 8#, 2 oz., and measured 20.25 inches long.  Jesus kept His loving hand over her birth, so that she is healthy, and we are so blessed to have her join our family! 

Her names are special:  Jewelyn is an original name, coming from her Great-Grandma Scoles (Wanda Jewell), and Alice is from her Great-Grandma Albertson (Alice Louise).  Alice has also been a favorite girl name to Quil and Micah.  Alice means Noble, Truth, and Jewel means Joy, Precious Gem.  

Quil, Micah, Jonathan, and Joanna (Joy's sister) came to our house to stay on the birth day, so when we went down to Federal Heights on Sunday morning, the boys got to see their new sister for the first time.

 Now Jonathan is no longer the baby and he looks huge beside his little sister.  He couldn't help having a big grin on his face when he looked at her.

                                   Grandma Albertson is quite thrilled with Jewelyn.

                                                Grandpa Albertson is pretty proud of her too!

                                 There's a kiss Great-Grandma Scoles said to give her...

                                   The boys loved getting to hold her.  They took turns very nicely.

                     Jewelyn already knows what to do when she has a swaddler on:  time to go to sleep!

                                                 She is picture perfect!

                                                  We took her socks off to look at her feet.

                                                              Quil holding Jewelyn

                                                             Micah having his turn

                                                           Jonathan loves her, too.

 Aunt Emily loves having a new baby to hold.  This is the first grandchild born close enough that we can participate in the spoiling training from the start!

Interesting trivia from our family that matches Jewelyn's birth:  We had three boys, then got our first girl Beth.  Beth was born with the cord around her neck; so was Jewelyn.  Both of them were born on the 26th; Beth in September, Jewelyn in April.

New Quilts Finished

This first quilt is for Beth to take to college next semester

                                          This is a quilt for Charissa, our granddaughter.

                                       Both quilts are twin size and were completed on April 19.

Ready for the new baby

Any Day Now...

Garden of the gods with Quil and Micah

Rowen, Janet, Randy, Quil and Micah went to Garden of the gods on Saturday afternoon, April 12.  Everybody else wanted to take a nap.  There was a parking space available (you can see our van in the distance) so we grabbed it, even though it was not by the normal trails or features you think of when you think of Garden of the gods.  So we found our own features on the little hike that we took!  In this one, we are holding up the balanced rock :)

 The boys were kind of scared of standing on the ledge, so Grandma held them on.

                                 We could see Kissing Camels at a distance.

 The boys went clear to the edge of this formation.  We got them to come back to a safer place for the picture.

                                   Randy watching to see what the boys would do

                                 Quil was pretty proud of himself getting to this place all by himself.

 Here is what it looked like from where we were.  He had to go around behind and climb up there.

                                 Of course, Micah had to go up there too to be with brother.

                                    They came down the slip and slide way.

We had a fun little hike and taught them about prickly pear cactus, yucca, and lichen and told stories of their daddy in the mountains when he was a little boy.  I hope it was as special for them as it was for us.