Category Archives: Family and Friends

Pictures and stories of our dear family and friends

Project Potourri

Our March SOWER project at Ethnos 360 Aviation (located outside of Douglas, AZ) was unique is so many ways! Here are  just ten –

    1. We got to help with and attend a wedding!
      UntitledIt was a small celebration of two widowers who had found love for a second time and we were so honored to be able to share in their joy!
      2.  We did not have LIzzie (our RV) with us, and instead stayed in  housing on the base.Home for March
      We had plenty of room and were very comfortable, even though it was a little weird not having all our ‘stuff’ with us! And we also were a fair ways away from our fellow SOWERs.
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      We made it work, though – and it did have us closer to where we were working and meeting!
      3. We ladies got to go to a “Ladies Tea”! What a blessing that was!
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      4. There is a wildlife preserve nearby and we enjoyed the beauty we found there!
      Untitled (If you look really hard you can see the flock of Sandhill Cranes to the left of the trees. I mean REALLY hard!)
      4. We also got to do a little exploring with our friends Joe & Kim!
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      We were looking for Camp Rucker (an Indian War-era encampment) that we never actually found, but we did find some Green. While it wasn’t Vermont-Green, it was still greener than where we had been! And water!!!
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      And there were trees! Big trees!

      It was a fun adventure with good friends!

      5. I had my first helicopter ride!!
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      Probably it will be my last one also – but it was good to check it off the list! (Of course, I had to add it first!)
      6. Lunch with the girls in Tombstone – the town too tough to die!
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      Untitled Super fun to be a little touristy for the day!

      7.  We watched this older trailer (located just across the street from us) go from this –Untitled
      to this –
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      to this –
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      After they haul off the debris they’ll be preparing the spot for a new manufactured home for their trainees!
      8. Our work was varied! Along with helping with the wedding prep, we also did some cleaning (both pre-occupants and post occupants)
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      some Mission Barrel (onsite thrift store!) sorting
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      (my suitcase may or may not have been a bit fuller on our return trip!)
      and even a bit of sewing!
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      (We were working on helicopter door covers. Who knew?)

The guys were also working on a variety of tasks – from plumbing
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to welding-
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to helping with that demolition!

(‘Cause everyone loves some good demo!)
9. After being part of the RV group “Escapees” for twenty years, we finally made it to one of their “Escapades” – a national rally of hundreds of RV’ers (I think there were over 600 units there!) filled with all things RV! We met up with SOWERs who were manning a SOWER informational booth and enjoyed the day connecting with friends and even making a few new ones!
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It was a fun Tucson excursion to be sure!
10. And finally – those Arizona skies!
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Fabulous.

It was a very special month. We worked with some our closest SOWER friends, and made many new friends along the way! We ventured into a part of the country that we hadn’t been in for many years, and most likely won’t get that way again.  We were able to be part of the support team of a global ministry which is striving to bring the Gospel to the multitude of unreached people.

How honored we are to serve in this way!

Thanks for stopping by (especially after such a long time of silence!)-

Steph

 

These Boys!

What a very special time I had last week! It was the first time I got to observe (and interact!) with these four boys in their ‘natural habitat’ for a whole week, and what a joy it was. With Mom and Dad away (being spoiled on a cruise), Meemaw (the Grandma in residence) and I (the back-up Granny) were large and in charge!
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We did a little schoolwork –
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Tackled a little yardwork –
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and played a lot of games (because that is what I am really good at!)!
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We kept the ‘screen time’ to a minimum (virtually none during the week), but when it did happen it did keep everyone quiet for a spell!
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Because, let’s face it – even Grams enjoys a little screen time now and again!
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The week seemed to fly by! The two older boys did a great job of caring for the animals (puppies, dogs, pigs, chickens and a cat!) along with their other chores and schoolwork.
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And the ‘littles’ helped around the house with simple chores (and keeping me in line!). Meemaw was the main taxi driver and chief cook (along with her teaching schedule and appointments!), and I filled in all the gaps that I could!
But regardless of how much fun the week was, for the boys, the best part was Saturday morning when Mom and Dad came home!
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It was a busy week – and I was so glad I could share in the care of these sweet boys.  It was truly an honor to be able to tuck them in at night. (Ok, there wasn’t much ‘tucking in’ with the older two – but at least I got to hug and kiss them each night!).

I was also pretty glad to be reunited with my dear husband and back in my own bed after a week away.

Oh, and naps. =)

Steph

February Birthdays!

We had a couple of family birthdays this week, so it seems appropriate to wish them both a big Texas Happy Birthday!

Grandson Taran turned 10 on Sunday! Yep, another one hits the double digits!
His heart is a big as his smile – and I’m excited that we’re going to see him (and the rest of the family) this weekend!
These kids are growing up so very fast!

But today is Tammy’s birthday – and she doesn’t seem to age at all!! As I was looking for a recent picture of Tammy, I realized I couldn’t find any of ‘just’ her. Her heart is always for her family, her friends and her Jesus. We are so thankful we get to claim her as one of our beautiful Daughters-in-love.

Our other February birthday, Ellie, was back on February third – but we already talked about that!

How blessed we are!
Steph

February Eleventh

Did you know  February 11th  is National Make A Friend Day? Here is what the Internet tells me about this celebration –

NATIONAL MAKE A FRIEND DAY

Always observed on February 11th, National Make A Friend Day is a fantastic opportunity to meet someone new and make a new friendship. Friends serve a vital role in everyone’s lives. They are one of life’s most valuable assets.

#NationalMakeAFriendDay

“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light”  – Helen Keller

New friends can broaden our horizons by helping us to see new perspectives, challenging us to try something different, or connecting us to opportunities. Meeting new people can help sharpen our social skills and keep us from becoming lonely.

 

I’m happy to report that since we are in a new (to us) neighborhood – and have been here for three plus months (as opposed to three plus weeks)  we’ve been celebrating “Make a Friend Day” quite frequently.  While we already knew several couples that live here (there are about 60 dwellings), it’s been a delight to get to know (or get to know better) so many good folk! Gary often joins the ‘guys’ for coffee in the afternoon where they solve the problems of the world (or at least discuss the best place for Texas BBQ), and I’ve enjoyed the weekly Bible Study group and have even found some lovely walking buddies!

So while today may be the National Make A Friend Day, it’s more than that for us. We are full-steam ahead in Make A Friend Season! And it’s been grand!

Thank you, friends, for stopping by!
Steph