The Gift of a Family

A Weekend in Williamsburg

July is a busy month with lots of family coming and going. For the weekend and week after the 4th of July, my oldest brother Jerry, his wife Johanna and their two precious boys came up for a visit. We went to Williamsburg for a few days and enjoyed the walking, sightseeing and just being able to spend time with everyone. It had been over a year since the last time I saw those little munchkins so I def. made up for the loss of hugs and kisses.

Ethan (2 1/2 yrs.)

Josiah (1 1/2 yrs.)

Rocks and pebbles never lose their fascination...

Rachel and I, waiting for the fife and drums at the beginning of the day

Playing songs for each of the 13 States

Cannon shots after each salute

Ethan and Grandpa walking the streets

A beautiful time of the year

For some reason I really like this picture....(Maybe because it makes me feel good to know that there are others who have trouble seeing over top of things. =)

Baby feet. I love how Josiah has two toes on one side of the flip-flop.

We sat and listened to this guy for a while. He had this weird serpent instrument and also played the bagpipes for us. The little boys love music!

Ethan loves his Aunt Chrystal

At first glance it would appear to be a normal dog. Yet something makes you look again and the second glance is what tells you the difference.

We went to hear a speech by Lafayette and he did an excellent job.

...And what's the 4th of July without fireworks? Sunday night was extremely enjoyable. Hanging out on the blankets with my family, watching fireworks, playing with the nephews, walking in the cool air (up and down the streets afterwards trying to find our way back to the visitors center), and talking with my sister-in-law....that's what I call a vacation. ;)

A Good God and Mercy I don't Deserve

Devotions. Why is it that they can become so hard to have but then every time I go God's Word, I wonder how I ever stayed away from it for so long? I'm ashamed to admit how pathetic my devotions have been recently, for if you were look at the the amount and quality of time I've spent with Him recently, you'd think I didn't care very much about Him. However, on Monday, God used a girlfriend to help me get into His Word for an extended time and it was just refreshing to study out this verse.

"Psalm 108:4 - "For Thy mercy is above the heavens and Thy truth reacheth unto the clouds."

According to the dictionary, Mercy is kindness in excess of what may be expected or demanded by fairness. It's also the power to forgive.

So, God's loyalty (truth) to us and our ability to depend on Him because of His absoluteness (truth) is great---unto the clouds! BUT His kindness goes beyond our trust and is there for us even when we don't deserve it---It goes ABOVE the heavens! Now that's high!

Why is He so good to us?

Visit with Mike's Grandparents

Cooking some of the best hamburgers I've ever eaten. ;)

Grandpa Geib

We enjoyed a beautiful evening outside as I was given a tour of the farm.

The Pasture

The flowers and property were impressive and gave me a chance to take some pictures with my new camera. ;)

Mike's grandparents. It was really nice to spend time with them and to hear them tell their stories, see pictures of their kids and grandkids from ancient times, ;) and to see their love for their family. Overall, it was just a very pleasant evening and one that I would do over again in a heartbeat.

Anna's Highschool Graduation

Dad, Mom, Rachel and I made a trip up to New York City for a quick weekend with family to help celebrate with Anna. We were very proud of our only girl cousin (on my Dad's side of the family) and very thankful to see for ourselves what God has been doing in her life and in their school in this past year.

Helping put together a picture board

The Finished Product

A Peek into the Past

Miss these days (not the outfits ;)

The Valedictorian Speech

Proud Parents

School Choir

My Dad was the Special Speaker

Our Cousin. Our Friend.

My Favorite Picture

Young School Friends.

More Family....Waiting for Uncle Bill.

On the way home we stopped at Cracker Barrel

This hat would be perfect for Mr. Fenton. =)

"You Cannot Multiply Wealth by Dividing it"

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had once failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan".
All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A...

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Could not be any simpler than that.

So Said A Very Wise Man....

PRAYER- "We would virtually defend our belief in it with our lives, but we do not practice it in our lives."

"There is very little value in talking about, studying and reading about prayer if we do not pray. In fact, learning about prayer can be positively harmful because it increases our responsibility and intensifies our guilt if we fail to pray. Prayer is one of the highest privileges of the Child of God, the most significant form of service that can be rendered to God and men, and is the duty of every believer. Therefore, we must pray!"