New Jersey and fun

 We flew to New Jersey (took up a whole row on the plane) and the only car available to pick up 6 of us was...a limo!!!  What a fun surprise.

 We enjoyed spending time with grandpa at his house.  Here are the 3 Carls!

 Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

 Grandpa let us run in the sprinklers :)

 Aunt Carol came for a visit and went jogging too.

 Here we are at the WWII Memorial Park.

 We got to spend 2 weeks at the Jersey Shore in Ortley Beach.  It was beautiful!

 Donuts!

 We were sad because we miss our Grandma--we had a memorial for her and afterwards took some time for photos together.  Here's Grandpa and Carol:

 Grandpa with his kids

 The Fletchers

 With the Sokols

 With the Copelands

 Brother and sister

 We saw Carl's grandmother's gravesite

 Cousins

 Back to the beach--down Surf Road

 Sisters

 Hanna loves to body surf.

 Elliot got burried.

 Legos

 We went to Philadelphia and saw the Old Town.

 Liberty Bell and Independence Hall

Phillie Cheesesteaks--yum!

Carpenter's Hall

Opa's favorite saying, printed by Ben Franklin.

Betsy Ross house and family tree

Ben Franklin's grave

Watching the fireworks

Maggie's little crab

Maggie learns to surf

Maike and I went to Rutgers and Princeton for the afternoon.

My street growing up

My old house

Mutti's gravesite

Beden's Brook

Moutain View Rd.

Thomas Sweet's

Our place

The boardwalk

Not quite big enough...

Sunny morning, warm water, warm sand...

Our sandcastle

Trey found a flounder and crab

Three Brother's Pizza

Another few days with Grandpa before flying home.

Lily finds produce

She makes a fruit plate

Hanna learns about electricity...

We enjoy time with friends at Lake Mendocino.

Silly kids, our getaway, and fun in the yard

 Trey and Lily were playing with packing peanuts (the dissolving kind) and then they got this idea...

 I planned a surprise getaway with Carl overnight.  Here is what I wrote to give him a clue:

 We drove to Ft. Bragg and went to Glass Beach--so beautiful!

 It was so fun to hang out and see the ocean!

 We got to play minigolf, eat DELICIOUS fish 'n chips, catch up, and relax.  We also went to the botanical gardens...

 ...which had a very cool gate.

 This is Carl's normal stance at the beach--looking at the waves and analyzing the sets!

 We had lunch in Mendocino, where I got a really gorgeous ring and drank delicious chai by this flower.

Today we had such fun today picking peaches, boysenberries, (some tomatoes, apples, pears, plums), and cutting lavender.  We baked boysenberry almond muffins and lavender cookies.  Lily made a nice picnic on the lawn, and Trey and Lily rode their "horses."

WDW 2012

I had the privilege of attending the Women Discipling Women Conference in LA.  On the way down, I stopped by my brother's house and got to see my sister-in-law and nieces. 

 I also got to see my dad and Heidi as Hanna and Maggie were going to spend some time with them while I was at the conference.

 It was such a wonderful time for me--I got to pick up my friend and sister-in-Christ Christy from the airport and spend the days attending the conference and hanging out with her.  What a joy!

Christy and I enjoyed eating out together, sharing things from the last 9 years, staying up late, praying, and just really encouraging each other.  What a gift!

 Opa and Oma brought Hanna and Maggie back to me...we dropped Christy off at the airport, and then back home.

This one's one of my favorites:

A great prayer

My Dear Father,
Thank you for your mercy.  Thank you that you've done for me what I could have never done for myself.  You've sovereignly made me your treasured possession because you've granted to me the righteous record of your Son.  Forgive me when I become impatient with my growth in holiness, rely on myself and my good intentions, and seek to nullify grace.  Keep me from trusting in myself and make me love you today, I pray.
AMEN.