Happy New Year!

Tomorrow is the last day of 2005! Wow...this year had gone quickly. It's been a busy one...so much has happened. John and I were reflecting on how blessed we have been. We'll have our 35th anniversary in 2006 and it doesn't seem possible that many years have passed. We met for the first time in 1967...two weeks before he shipped out to Viet Nam. I was a college freshman and he was a young, naive boy of 19. We fell in love through letters over that year. When he returned he was confused and a little bit angry...it took him a few years to sort through all the feelings that he experienced during that war. He accepted Christ in 1971 and that really gave him direction and peace. We've been through a lot in the past 35 years...the loss of a baby, the accident that left his father paralyzed...many surgeries and health problems...the birth of Molly and Joel...finding out that I have liver disease...so many things. But God has always been there to care for us and encourage us. Christ at the center of our marriage has been the key to the stability and security we enjoy. I pray that we will grow even closer to Christ in 2006 and continue to learn about His love and provision. We thank Him for our salvation and for the knowledge that we'll spend eternity with Him! We thank Him for our beautiful children, their wonderful godly spouses, and our adorable new granddaughter, Betsy. We are truly blessed!

Detweiler Christmas photos

Hoffman Family Christmas Photos

More Family Christmas photos

Betsy's First Christmas

Christmas has come and gone and left so many things to ponder. It was wonderful having Myron, Molly and Betsy here from Thursday until Monday. We had the opportunity to really bond with Betsy and enjoyed her so much. She has such a beautiful smile and is really starting to notice the world around her. She was so good for us the evening we babysat and let Molly & Myron have a night out at the movies. We decided to break with tradition and exchange our gifts on Christmas eve since Christmas was on Sunday and we wanted to be in church. It was a wonderful evening...Myron started by reading the Christmas story to us and we thought about the wonder the shepherds must have felt at being a part of such an exciting night. I remember how I felt as a young child participating in our church's live nativity. There was such a feeling of excitement and anticipation as we sang the traditional carols. I miss that time...it seems we often get too busy at this season to really cherish the great "Gift" who came to earth to redeem us! We really missed having Joel and Wendy with us this year. They went to Texas to spend Christmas with her brother's family. Joel is the one who always got us to stick to traditions...our orange danish rolls, opening our stockings...opening each gift one at a time. I really missed him. I guess it's inevitable that things change when your children marry and start families of their own. So I feel especially blessed that Molly and Myron were willing to let us be a part of Betsy's first Christmas. That night we went to my parents house for the Hoffman Christmas. Our numbers were down a little this year but the house was still packed to the rafters! It was fun to see all the new babies and catch up with brothers and sisters I hadn't seen for awhile. Mom and Dad were both a little under the weather but still wanted to have the festivities at their house. Since I have 2 sisters and 4 brothers...plus all our kids and grandkids...it was quite a gang! But we're very blessed to have the chance to be together and share all that family love while Grandpa Bill plays Santa. Those are times we'll always cherish.

Christmas in Michigan!

John and I traveled to Lansing this weekend to spend the weekend with Joel and Wendy. Their house was decorated so beautifully for Christmas. Wendy had a table of snacks set out and then served a delicious turkey dinner. Molly, Myron and Betsy came down from Grand Rapids to join us. We opened gifts with Joel and Wendy since they're going to Houston to spend Christmas with her brother and his family. We had a great time and enjoyed lots of "cuddle time" with Betsy. She's really developing her personality and smiles a lot! We got to enjoy the children's program at Joel's church on Sunday before heading back home. It was a quick weekend but certainly worth the time spent with our loved ones.

Betsy the Snow Bunny

Christmas at Wendy and Joel's house!

Over the Rhine was great!

We had a big snow storm Thursday night and Friday morning. The library was closed because people couldn't get out of their driveways, so I had the day to do things at home! I was afraid the Over the Rhine show might be cancelled but called "The Music Mill" and found the concert was still on. Then I got an e-mail from Linford saying they had made it through the snow from Wisconsin to Indianapolis. He was happy we were going to the show and said he'd see us afterwards. So John and I headed to Indy with my sister and her husband...there we met up with their son, Benji and his girlfriend, Ashlea. After a supper of pizza and salad at Benji's we headed to the concert. It was a fairly small venue so we were able to sit really close to the stage. It was so fun to see Linford and Karin in concert again. The last few times we've seen them have been family get-togethers which was great. But it was really fun to see their musical side too! I think everyone had a great time. We were about to leave after the concert when Linford saw us and greeted us warmly. He took us backstage to talk with Karin. They're so loving and gracious. It was a wonderful evening for everyone. John had to work today so getting to bed at 2 a.m. was pretty hard on him...but he managed! I didn't get any photos at the concert because you couldn't use flash photography and I didn't know how to use my digital camera without the flash. Despite that...it was great!

Isn't that the sweetest face?

Over the Rhine!

I'm so excited...John and I are going to an Over the Rhine concert this weekend in Indianapolis with my sister, Ruth and her husband, Chip and their son Benji and his girlfriend, Ashlea. John and I haven't seen them in concert for a few years...but we love their music! Linford Detweiler and his wife, Karin Bergquist are in the band...and are family too! My daughter, Molly, is married to Linford's brother, Myron. The band has been playing for a long time and have a loyal following all over the country. This year there's buzz about a possible Grammy nomination! I would love for them to gain the recognition I think they deserve! Here are a couple of photos of Linford and Karin with their niece, Betsy (my grand-daughter).
You can hear their new Mp3 here.