The Road to Sedona

This the first of four posts with pictures of our recent vacation to Sedona/Grand Canyon/Las Vegas.  The following were taken on the way to Sedona from Phoenix.

Montezuma's Castle

Detail of the Castle

I was fascinated by the trees in the Southwest.  Lynn got this picture on her iPhone.

This is the picture I was taking above.  A juniper. 

Montezuma's Well, a natural spring in the middle of the desert.

Resting at the well.

Stay tuned for the red rocks of Sedona!

My Grandma....

...was an incredible lady.  She went to be with Jesus on Friday.  She lived a long (would have been 90 next month) and active life.  Two months ago she was still walking 2 1/2 miles every morning, volunteering, sewing part time, living independently, and driving.  She was sharp as a tac.  She sometimes babysat my kids when I was home.  She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and quickly deteriorated.  She loved the Lord and loved her family.  She prayed for each of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren daily.  I was able to see her a few times since she was diagnosed.  She said, "I'm ready to see Jesus and see Miles (my grandpa)."  

For anyone who is local, her viewing is on Wednesday evening, and her funeral is Thursday morning.  Let me know if you need more specific details.  I love you, grandma, and I will see you again....

Day at the Park

The following were taken using our new Tamron 18-270mm lens (with a UV filter).  We recently took the Beginner and Intermediate classes with McKay Photography Academy, and I took these as part of a "Rule of Thirds" exercise.  -- Patrick

They heard a squirrel rustling in the leaves...and declared it was "a bear."

"Camille, look at Daddy!"  She just would not turn around.  Then, "Camille, I'm gonna get you!"  And I snapped this shot.

BIG NEWS!!!

No, not that news....good gracious people, Nathaniel's only 6 months old!

We're moving!!!!!

We thought we were staying in this area for another 3-5 years.  God had a different plan.  Doors were closed here, and doors we were barely knocking on started opening wide.  Bottom line...we are moving back to Pennsylvania!!!  Patrick accepted a position at a small family practice (in my hometown!) under the umbrella of Heart of Lancaster hospital.  His start date is Nov 1.  We are both excited and overwhelmed.  

We need to sell our house.  The market is not very conducive to meeting that goal, but we know our God is big enough.  Please pray with us that we would find a buyer soon.  If you know anyone moving to the Baltimore/Washington area (our house is in Bowie, MD), please send them our way!

I created a blog to show our house, since most of the sites where we listed it only allow 5-10 pictures.  Our house is convenient to several military bases (Andrews, Naval Academy, Fort Meade, Bethesda).  Comments, advice, and encouragement are welcome.

www.orchardparkway.blogspot.com

You can also pray that we will find a house in PA.  We've been looking, although the process is somewhat stalled until we sell/rent our house.  It's a big decision.

More PA weekend fun...

The same weekend as "camping weekend" we spent Sunday with my family.  Lisa even joined us for dinner.  The fish pond is just beautiful in my parents' back yard.  The girls love to help paw paw feed the fish.

My dad is super cool, talented, and creative.  He decided to build a tree house for my kids.   It even has a porch, skylight, and a slide attached.  I tried to get a good picture of it, but it's hidden by some trees.  You get the idea though...

Camping Weekend...

You may remember the super fun kickoffthesummer picnic we had at Jen and Scott's farm.  Since they are such fun folks, they invited us all back to camp out one Friday night.  We I have very little camping experience.  Yes, all 5 of us "slept" in the red tent.  We figured even if it was awful, it was one night, and we would recover.  Having indoor plumbing a short walk away was helpful.  I was woefully unprepared in the blankets department....it was a COLD night.  In the wee hours, I was scavenging the house for blankets.  We did better after that.

 I left my kids with my friends and went to get a haircut.  John, Jonathan, and Patrick went golfing while Scott packed eggs.  The kids spent most of the day in their swim suits.  They played in the water, rode bikes, played with water balloons, chased each other, played lawn games, played in the sand, and ate...we all ate...a lot.

I was so proud of Adeline for trying this floaty.  Jen K was kind enough to swim with Adeline so I could take a nap tend to the other two.

Popsicles!!!  Brennan, Isaiah, Aubrey, Camille, and Adeline

Molly is such a sweetie, but she usually has to stay in the garage when we come to visit.  However, my usually scared of a dog the size of her ankles brave girl even petted her a few times.

Boche ball....among other lawn games...

It was a packed weekend, and we were all wiped!

Thanks again to Scott and Jen for opening up your home.  We love you!

Wordless Wednesday...