Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

God bless you with health, wisdom, and
prosperity in this new year and always!

Merry Christmas!

Have a Blessed and Merry Christmas
full of Love, Joy, Peace, and Hope!

Above all else, during this season remember to celebrate
the coming of the King of Kings and Prince of Peace,
the Son of God, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

A part of our Advent season tradition is a visit to the
National Shrine of Our Lady of Snows in Belleville, IL,
to enjoy the Way of Lights holiday display and activities.

We also enjoyed the holiday lights and decorations
at the historic St. Louis Anheuser-Busch brewery.

Then it was off to visit family over the holidays!

We spent a few wonderful days with Carol, Paul, and Bradley (Kitty's sister and family) including Christmas eve and morning. As always when we visit with them, the hospitality and the food are incredible! We worshipped together at their church, which included Paul singing and Bradley playing in the hand bell choir!   On Monday, Greg and Brad played seven sports games - some as video games but also some "low hoops" basketball in the basement. Brad got the best of most of the matches.

Christmas afternoon we drove across Michigan to celebrate with Greg's family. Michael, Mandy, and little Sonja hosted us, Greg's parents, and Beth, Dennis, Bryan, and Kevin.

Kevin and Bryan enjoyed playing with Sonja, as did we all.

Once again we enjoyed terrific food and fun playing
foosball, pool, air hockey, and Tripoley.

What a wonderful time of celebrating with and catching up with so much of the family! Thursday came all too soon and the family headed off towards all points of the compass as the new year approaches. We're really looking forward to 2008 and all it will bring.

Most exciting of all, both Kim and Kristy announced during the holiday season that they are expecting again. So by the end of next year there will be five - 5! - grandchildren for us to love and spoil.

God is so good - and we are so thankful!

An Icy Ride

Winter is settling into Missouri, but at least around here it's been mostly freezing rain and sleet - oh, and cold! Last week Kitty decided to visit with the grandkids in KC, and drove home on Thursday. That turned out to be the same day the latest freezing rain swept across the state.

What is normally about a 4 hour drive became almost twice that. Kitty lost count of all the cars and trucks off of I-70 in the median or ditches. And by the time she finally arrived safely home the Impala was wearing the evidence of her long, slow, cold drive. Two-thirds of the car was covered by a bizarre wavy ice jacket that was between 1/2" to 3/4" thick! After a few minutes in the garage it peeled off the driver's rear view mirror like an ice mold. We may be staying home more often if this keeps up ...