The Boys

The boys are growing up so fast. They are now 7 and 9, so we had some new pictures taken with them and their favorite hobbies...scooter and skateboards.

New Addresses

The stress of moving, packing and cleaning has caught up with me for the first time. I am generally so healthy, but this week I've felt my age. I think my body has just not been able to keep up with everything I need to get done. My right wrist is in a splint from a pulled tendon, I've hurt my back (using the Rug Doctor), but my cough is improving. My eye checkup went well, with no changes in two years. The health concerns have forced me to get serious with diet and exercise while I am still young enough to prevent more serious problems. That will be a goal while we're in Italy over the next six months. I'm going to try to feed my family seasonally grown foods, without all of the additives we have in our foods here. I'll let you know how successful my attempt is:) We fly out on June 5 and will be flying home on December 7. My friend, Jenny, is picking up the boys for the day tomorrow and fixing dinner for all of us tomorrow evening. I'm hoping to get finished up with my many projects around the house.It's very important to organize the piano music:) I do wonder why these little things matter to me when I'm going to be gone for six months, but haven't bothered me at all for almost four years!!From June 5- August 24 we can be reached at :La Pietra Grezza, Via Castello di Bisticci

50067 Troghi

Rignano sull' Arno (FI) Italia

and from August 25- December 7:

Hotel Sobaria

Via della Pineta 2

06010 Citerna (PG) Italia Write us!

Family Time

On Saturday we woke early and met up with Katie, Tim and the babies at Chelsea and Justin's. We had such a wonderful day together. It was especially wonderful because Chelsea normally worked at Ethan Allen on Saturdays and was only able to join us in the evening. She received a promotion last week (way to go, Chelsea!)and is now Operations Administrator...with weekends off! The guys played bocce, soccer, and video games while the girls went window shopping. We celebrated Katie's 26th birthday at Carabba's Italian Grill for dinner. Gabriel and Maria are growing so quickly and are absolutely adorable. They both have such sweet natures. Jordan and Christian spent the night and went to church with everyone on Sunday. Terry and I had to head back because Terry was speaking. It was an unexpected "vacation" and very much appreciated.When the boys got home last night you would have thought it was Christmas. They had their new outfits on (compliments of Chelsea and Justin), their new Nintendo DS (compliments of Katie and Tim), Brainquest, Spirograph--to name just a bit. I think the boys have been telling them that we'll be gone longer than we really will be. The time will fly, and we will really miss all of them so much. We are so blessed to have these precious children. All nine of them. Justin and Chelsea will be here next weekend and then we're all spending the weekend together in Nashville and going to church with Jon at Crieve Hall on our last Sunday. We fly out two weeks from tomorrow. I have much to do so I better close for the evening. Tonight is my niece's graduation. Congratulations Jessica!! Full trustee scholarship to Harding University in the Fall. Way to go!! Last weekend was David Case's College graduation from Harding University. Bravo, David!! We expect great things from you!

Brandon and Kristin's Wedding

I realize it has been quite a while since a post, but life has been even busier than usual. The entire event went perfectly, with the exception of a terrible car accident Roy (Kristin's father) was involved in the Wednesday afternoon before the wedding. We thank God for his mercy and for the inner strength Roy had. He managed to walk his beautiful daughter down the aisle (with his son walking protectively behind him), though he had only just been released from a hospital bed. The latest news is that he has recuperated amazingly well. Again, we give thanks. There was a lingerie shower on Wednesday night, a lovely bridal dinner on Thursday night, followed by our rehearsal dinner on Friday night. The weather cooperated beautifully, there was a nice cool breeze, and it was a wonderfully relaxing evening, outdoors, with Josh Grobin playing in the background, Terry singing and playing the guitar, and Brandon and his groomsmen entertaining us with songs from their teen years. My dear friend, Mona Lee, served by my side, along with my amazing son-in-laws and daughters. It was a family effort and our gift from the heart to Brandon and his new bride. The Barnes' did a beautiful job organizing a beautiful day. The flowers were exquisite, the ceremony and vows meaningful, and the reception lovely...or so I hear. I never got a chance to enjoy the food, but I heard it was delicious. They left in a Cinderella carriage. They are now safely settled in Florence, Italy, after a few days at a bed and breakfast and one night in Rome. They are enjoying gelati and pizzas, and married life in their frist home. We will be seeing them in less than three weeks, so we feel especially blessed to spend time with them in one of the world's most beautiful cities. Thank you again to all of our dear friends and family that blessed all of us, and especially Brandon, with your love and support as he starts out his new work on the mission field.