Fun on the Fourth

The fourth was a busy day. Scott preached at Cascade Fellowship and then we had lunch with some of Scott's family at his mom's. We then headed out of town to enjoy time at a lake where some of my cousins live. It was a neat time of catching up and playing in the sunshine and water. We decided to forgo the fireworks display and get our tired kids to bed.

Setting up for the fireworks.

Going on a tube ride.

Playing "bags" with Boppa.

Troy in his element.

Katie on a successful knee boarding ride.

Troy and cousins.

Blessing of Friendship

Tonight we had a great time of fellowship with a special couple. We began our Seminary journey at the same time as Matt and Gail. They also made the move from Central California to Western Michigan. Scott and Matt share a background in Youth Ministry. We have many great memories of time spent together in Grand Rapids. It's been a wonderful thing to have close friends to share the "life" of Seminary with. (As Kamryn put it, "They understand what we're going through!") We look forward to keeping in touch as we both move forward in our lives and ministry. We thank God for you, Matt, Gail and Anna!

Katie did a photo shoot while babysitting Troy and Anna...

Surprise!

Tonight Kamryn's friends are throwing her a surprise going away party. They have been hard at work for months planning this. The great thing was that Kamryn had no idea what was going on even after we pulled up to her friend Gretchen's house to drop her off. They were all so excited! I'm sure it will be a late night filled with lots of laughter and fun.

Ludington Day Trip

Yesterday we had to be out of our house for two more showings (YEAH!). We decided to venture out to Ludington which is a town on Lake Michigan. As you can see we hit a beautiful day to be by the water. The only thing was the windy, cool conditions caught us by surprise so we ended up investing in some touristy sweatshirts to keep us warm.

Posing Kids

We took a little family outing to Rockford, MI the other morning. It's a quaint little town which we enjoyed exploring. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have the kids pose by these flowers.

Sitting so still...

Knew it couldn't last.

Fun at the Lake

Upon our arrival in Grand Rapids about three years ago, we began attending a local CRC church. We wanted to become more involved and missed our small group in Visalia. We asked around at the church about joining a small group, but nothing seemed to be working out. Scott decided to take matters into his own hands and asked three other couples if they wanted to be in a small group with us. Fast forward three years and here we are. Our time in GR is almost complete. We have come to love these people who we have laughed, cried, studied, and shared many stories and life with. We will miss them very much!

Last night we had a final gathering of our group out at the lake. We were wonderfully hosted by Pete and Deb at their condo. We took an always exciting boat ride with Pete at the helm out on Lake Michigan. We headed over to Saugatuck for dinner and also enjoyed strolling through shops. It was a wonderful evening full of laughter and fun. We have been blessed by these couples and are thankful they have been a part of our lives.

Raterinks, Klavers, Stysmas and us

The women after a windy boat ride.

Scott protecting his fudge.

Hilarious!

Sorry Lynn-couldn't resist!

The Gang's All Here!

This is our first summer since we have lived in Grand Rapids that we have actually been home for the summer. The past two years we have been away on internships in other states. It has been really nice to just stay home (even if it is for just another month or two!) Anyway, we are just getting such a kick out of Troy and his neighborhood friends. They play together every day for as much time as possible. There are minor arguments, but nothing major and they get over it and move on to another activity if there is a problem. This is most of their group assembled on our front lawn this morning.