marv padding

about a year ago my uncle marv was diagnosed with cancer. he was given 2 months to live. it was very sad, but he wasnt done fighting! about a month after his diagnosis he started to recover. he was never quite at full strength, but he was able to live happily. unfortunately, on may 26 he lost his battle with cancer. God called him back home where he can now live forever without pain. we love you uncle marv, and miss you!
an amazing story about his passing: the week before he had been complaining about back problems, so that morning he went in to the hospital to have them take a look. the doctors told him that his organs were shutting down and there was nothing they could do. he decided he did not want to die in a hospital, so he and his wife headed back home. their two kids, tammy and tim, both met them at the house along with the grandkids. marv spent his final hours talking and sharing his love for all of them. he grew tired and fell asleep. just as he passed, there was a single thundering boom from the otherwise clear skies. nick, his grandson, said 'grandpa's gone to see God now'. thirty miles away my parents were outside and heard the thunder off in the distance and wondered where it had come from because there was hardly a cloud in the sky! it was a good, blessed life, uncle marv, and we will see you again soon in glory!

2 years after 'yes'

two years ago on memorial weekend i asked a question that changed my life forever: 'diana, will you marry me?' i thought i knew what i was in for, but it has been so much better than i could have ever expected! first of all, she said 'yes', so that helped...
we spent the next ten months, almost to the day, planning what was going to happen next for us, getting ready to spend the rest of our lives together!
here are some links from that weekend two years ago: the search, the set-up, and the question.

sunday play

sunday we met up with everyone for lunch at sandy pines. its always fun to just watch the kids play, they are so creative and carefree- makes me jealous! the kids were so funny all day long!
after lunch we went back to the water park, but we didnt end up staying too long, diana and mom wanted to hit the beach! i headed back to the trailer and hung out with papa for a while. after a quick run back home to make sure the dog was doing ok, we stuck around for dinner too.
jill and timmy invited us over for a campfire that night, so we joined them and a few other friends for a few hours chatting and laughing.
(more pics: 1, 2)

friendly fire

saturday night diana and i went to go spend some time with the guys. i had been talking with jeffry lee for a week or two trying to plan something out. we talked with freddie and decided to have a campfire at his place. well, one thing lead to another, and for some reason i still dont understand, jeffry lee had to back out, but diana and i still headed over to freddie's for the fire. when we got there everyone else was already there enjoying the fire. freddie, rex and aaron were there with keith and brains and his wife. we didnt realize that all these people would be here, so we were quite surprised to see everyone there! the night was spent chatting and catching up with everyone. we spent the night trying to get brain's dog away from the gummy bears, hear brains strum out any requests on his guitar (no U2 though, due to some strange dislike brains has...). the best part of the night, to me, was when brains and i rattled on for 20 minutes or so discussing stargate! freddie and keith later tried to be as cool as us by talking about star wars. nerds.
(more pics)

a memorial tradition

as happens every year, mom and papa invite over the whole gang for a memorial day dinner! its always nice to see everyone, i know mom and papa spend all summer with these people, but for diana and i this is usually the only chance we get to see them all year!
i tell you what, the past couple years its been a lot more fun and comfortable at these get togethers. before diana and i were together i would often feel awkward at these things because it seemed like everyone else was married with children and i was still going solo. i know thats not exactly true, not everyone was married or had kids or anything, but it sure felt like it to me!
anyway, it was a great time together. we had tacos this year, i guess papa decided not to show off his superior grilling skillz this time. it always makes everyone else jealous anyway, so it was probably a good idea to keep that spatula in its holster...

afternoon splash

after the flee market the kids wanted to go to the water park! diana and i donned our bathing suits and joined the whole family there. diana and i got some lunch there, and then went into the water with the kids (regrettably, we did not follow the rule of waiting a half hour after we ate. miraculously the day did not end in disaster...) playing around and just enjoying the wet fun! after playing for a while, diana and i stole a moment alone (well, mom went too) to go down to the much less crowded and much quieter adult pool. it is nice to spend time with the kids, but we are still lucky enough to get to have time away from them too...

the flea

one of the highlights of memorial weekend at sandy pines is the saturday morning flee market! diana and i made sure we were up and ready to join everyone there in the morning. when we arrived we met up with tim, jill, and the kids. before we even got going, i gave each of the kids a dollar and told them to spend it however they wanted (yes, i am angling to be their favorite uncle, and i think this puts me in the lead!) as we wandered around we checked out everything that was there, including cute puppies, cheap shirts, even cheaper dvds, and some cool kids sunglasses! jill got each of the kids a pair so they could be stylin' all summer. the girls used their money on the duck game and a bubba somehow parlayed it into a couple more dollars (what can i say, i want that 'favorite uncle' position!), and got a new toy that he really wanted. diana got 8 new shirts and a few dvds and i ended up with nothing. well, except a couple happy nieces and one very happy nephew!

memorable memorial

fortunately, diana had the saturday of memorial weekend off, so we were able to go and visit the family all weekend! we headed off as soon as we could and joined the family at sandy pines! mom and papa were having dinner with some friends, so we barged in and ate up what was left. after dinner jill and tim's kids were swimming at the indoor pool, so we stopped in to say hi! the kids were having a blast- and they are getting really good at swimming! those lessons really paid off!
we got to hang out and play with the kids and go back to the trailer and talk with mom and day for a bit. afterward we headed to the house to get to bed early, we have a big day ahead!

sister visit

diana's sister barbara came to visit us again recently. she stops by every month or so, and it is always the highlight of diana's month! when ever she comes we usually get to hang out with her for the day, just chilling out. this time when she came, they went in to diana's work so she could show her boss some of her cutting skills on a live model. barbara was willing to be the guinea pig for this one! fortunately, as we all expected, diana's cutting skills look great!
after the girls got back from the hair cut, we went out to eat. when we got back home we even took the opportunity to play a little yatzee! i had forgotten what a fun game that is!
come back again soon, sis!

playing dress up

each year our school has a special 8th grade banquet for the graduating students. its a big to do and the kids take it very seriously. its meant to be a meal with the students and parents to celebrate their moving on from junior high, but it usually feels more like a junior prom. with parents. the girls get gowns and get their hair done, and the guys rent tuxes. its strange. everyone seems to love it though, so who am i to make fun, huh? i dont mind really, i do get a free meal out of it, so it cant be all bad!

80 years young

recently it was diana's grandmother's birthday. she turned 80 years old, and a big party was thrown for her. they rented out an area of a park and had a big meal and cake for everyone to enjoy. there were many friends and family members that stopped by to wish her a happy birthday! it was great to see her again and meet a bunch of extended family member i hadnt yet met. the weather was beautiful that day as well, so diana and i snuck away for a while and enjoyed a walk through the park and a quick swing on the rec equipment!

salon delux

she got a job! diana graduated from cosmotology school back in february, a dream she had wanted to follow since she first got out of high school. after a couple weeks she took her licensing exam to become a professional and passed it with 98% (i know, i was embarrassed for her too, how could she miss those last two percent?!?). she as soon as we knew she had been issued a license, she went out and applied to a bunch of different salons. it took about 1 day for her to get a call back! she went in for an interview and got the job- praise God! she now works at salon delux, which is about 10 minutes from home! (i couldnt find a website for them, but they do have a page on facebook, which you can check out here). she is really excited about it because she starts out as an assistant, working her way up to full time hair stylist. that is exactly what she wanted, she hoped to start somewhere and be able to observe and learn for a bit until she felt confident in her skills to take on her own clients. she started a couple weeks before memorial weekend and has been really enjoying it! the girls she works with are really nice and are quickly becoming good friends!
this process of schooling and getting a job has been a year and a half in the making, so to see diana find a good job with good people is truly a blessing from God! i'm sure she will be a stylist before we know it! congratulations, diana!

melting hearts

one of the highlights of our visit that weekend was this moment: david, who has always stated that he doesnt like dogs, actually invited poco up on his lap! what?!? it was so amazing i had to snap this photo as evidence that it actually happened!
it was great fun to see, and nice to see that david is warming up to our stinky little rat dog! poco has been talking about it ever since...

christmas in may?!?

on mother's day diana's grandmother and aunt drove up to spend the day as well! it was great to see them! it had been the first time we got to see them since christmas when they had to cancel due to a terrible blizzard. so, only about 5 months late, we had our christmas with that side of the family! oh, i like this whole getting christmas prizes in may! sunday afternoon we all gathered together in the living room and exchanged gifts! it was a lot of fun, and i think mom still had their christmas tree up, so it felt perfectly christmasy!
(more pics)

mother's (fri)day

for mothers day this year diana and i went to spend the weekend with her mom. we left saturday evening after diana spent the day at work, packed up the stinky dog, and were off! when we got there barbara was there as well. we spent the night just hanging out, eating dinner, and chatting. we even pulled out the ol' phase 10 cards and actually finished a game! we often start that game when we are there, but there are always interruptions or other distractions. but this time we actually finished a game!

the pink bible

diana got a bible a while ago which she really loved. she would bring it to church each week and follow along. the only problem with is is that its a different translation that what we use in church, so she would always be frustrated when she would try to follow along. one of the things she has been wanting is the NIV version of the bible so she can follow along better in church and for her own reading.
knowing this, i took the opportunity to get her an NIV bible for her birthday! i kind of wanted to get it for her and have her unwrap it and be surprised, but i know how particular she can be at times, so i figured it would be a better idea for her to pick her own bible.
we recently went to the family christian bookstore and she got to spend a half hour or so looking for just the right edition! she picked the pink one, which came as a shock to no one... when we went up to the counter i asked them to emboss her name on the cover as well. when it was done diana was quite pleased! now she and i have matching bibles with our names on them! she was very excited and has been devouring it ever since- she reads a half dozen chapters a night!

crabby brunch

we celebrated diana and jill's birthday with the kids the night before, but now it was time to celebrate without the kids! mom and dad, tim and jill, and diana and i all went to charley's crab for their yummy brunch- mom and dad's treat! we got there about a half hour before our reservation, so the four of us decided to walk around a bit since the weather was amazing. we walked over to a bridge over the grand river. it was beautiful! eventually we went back to the restaurant and got our seat. all six of us had an amazing time and really enjoyed the special time together (with no kids!).
(more pics)

lawn games

one of the reasons we visited my family in grand rapids was to go to my aunt's retirement open house, but another reason we went was to celebrate jill and diana's birthdays! jills birthday had been earlier in the week, and diana's was about a week or so away, so we celebrated them both! saturday afternoon tim, jill, and the kids came by to grill out with us. before the food was ready, we all went out in the back yard and had some fun! the girls always love to run around back there, and jill and diana were up for it too! bubba and i threw the football back and forth to each other (he is seven and can throw a football 10 times better than me!). after a bit of the ol' run around, it was time to go in and enjoy the grilled brats papa had prepared!
(more pics)

those who can, teach

as a teacher, i always love to talk with and support other teachers. well, it just so happens that my aunt marlene (my dad's sister) is a fellow teacher. well, was a fellow teacher! this year she is retiring and had an open house at her school to celebrate. diana and i made a point of making sure that we could come up that weekend to see her and celebrate her wonderful career! we got there and got to see all of my dad's family there to support her. my uncle and aunt from virginia were even in town for it! (granted, that might be because their daughter who lives in grand rapids had a baby the day before...) we got to congratulate marlene, and even got to wander around in her room, which was fun to see because she was a kindergarten teacher so she had tons of stuff around her room (remember 'the letter people'?!?)
well done, marlene! i hope i am still as sane as you are after 35 years of this teaching thing...
(more pics)