October already

Howdy from Howie.
How are things with you? I realize I haven't posted for a while...I guess September went by fast. I don't think I did much....well, ok, maybe I did.

Let's see. Did you hear about Katie & Clark at the MN State fair? My 12 year niece went to the great Minnesota get together, her first year in 4H that she was eligible. Clark won his class and weight. So then she got in to the Grand Champion round. She & Clark won Reserve Grand Champion Dairy Steer. She was positively glowing all weekend ( and her dad was pretty excited too.) If you didn't see pictures on Facebook, let me know...
That same weekend, I was blessed to spend time with my cousins and "elderly aunt" at the Twins game vs Texas. I know Woody enjoyed it, so I decided to take him to another game for his birthday. We went to the game vs KC on Saturday Oct 3. Yep, one of the exciting games on the way to a (hopefully) division title. We also got a few pictures with former Twins greats...yeah, I have a FEW pictures of that as well. But right now, my computer is not letting me upload them or email them...so I guess that will be a while.
In September, I was able to go to the Ladies Retreat at IRBC. Yes, a good time, but also a bit challenging when the memories come over me....How many years I was blessed to attend with my mother...So now it's October...where did the summer go........What's happening with you? Keep in touch!!
L8R, G8R, ~Howie

Family Camp 5

We enjoyed our week of family togetherness. The new addition was fun to have along! :-) We did the usual things: squinny ball, jet-skis, swimming, zipline, campfires, "Let's Make a Deal" and of course, good preaching & teaching from God's word. The evening speaker was the brother to my college friend so that was kinda cool for me.

What did you do this summer? What didn't you get to do or get done that you wanted? What are your plans for next summer, Lord willing?

L8R, G8R, ~Howie

Auntie Again!

Abigail Hope was born this July. I was able to go over to see her and her Mommy on Tuesday evening. I also stopped at the house to see the big sisters Elliana & Madeline! It was a fun quick visit.

On Saturday Lynn, Shereen & the girls had come to swim in the outdoor pool and we enjoyed a fun supper on the patio, too.

Wedding Day

Dad and Rachel were married on June 20. It was a small ceremony at church. Very beautiful and the reception was fun.

Family Reunion

Grandma Jean and her family. Those pictured: Rusty and Meagan; Diane & Ron; Joan and James; Suzie, Woody and Amanda; Lynn, Shereen, Elliana, and Madeline; Katie, Robert and Kasey; and me.

Saturday, the 8 of us traveled to Beeds Lake for the yearly Wharton Family Reunion. This was a nice trip as we all carpooled in the Expedition together enjoying quality family time. We enjoyed the area and the lovely SUNNY day.

Meagan, me and Joan--cousins!

Tuckered out on the way back.

Merry Merry month of May

Ok, so it's been a while since I posted, but obviously no one is checking this as I haven't received any comments that I have been slacking.

So let me catch you up on my life.

The weekend after Easter, I went to Belmond to visit Grandma Jean as well as my Illinois relatives. It was very nice to see cousin Rusty--all of him!!! hee hee Let's just say I think he likes not doing PT and being home with his wife!

Bubba enjoyed the geocaching...sorry we didn't find all that were on my list, but we did try! It was fun that there was 1 so close to Grandma's house...over the path and through the woods. :-)

May was pretty calm. Judy & I took a road trip to Wisconsin to visit some friends Memorial day weekend. We had a relaxing time. I was able to see a college friend for a few hours as well. And still managed to get back early on the holiday to enjoy the pool.

Speaking of the pool, hurray for the holiday, as now the outdoor pool is open. And yep, it is sooo lovely. Li'l Sis Joy was able to come spend the night with me and she loved the water!! :-) I can't wait til she comes back again!

Actually, I would love any visitors. Just bring the meat to grill and we will have a patio/pool party!

Have a GR8 Day!

L8R, G8R, ~Howieeeeeeeeeeee

Happy Red Nose Day!

In honor of Red Nose Day 13 March 2009, I am posting some lovely pics. On Facebook, I did a few more. Hope you SMILE as I tried to do SOMETHING FUNNY FOR MONEY.

I don't want to get up!!!

Just hanging out...

Help! I think I'm lost...I just want to go back to my castle.

So just tell me which way should I go?

Have a RED NOSE funny day! L8R, G8R, ~howie

Saturday

Hiya,

Happy March. Someone reminded me that I haven't posted lately, so I thought I'd better.

Saturday evening Dad and I went to the Branding Iron with Helen & Juern to celebrate their 30th anniversary. It was a lovely evening and the steaks were delish! ;-)

Sunday Dad and I went to church, then went to Grandma Jean's for a lovely Sunday dinner. I especially enjoyed my 2nd birthday strawberry pie. (Due to the weather, I was unable to get the first, so she shared it with others.) YUMMY! Then I spent a while showing her a portion of our pictures from the England trip. Dad & I had to leave so that he could be back in time for church, so at a later date, I will be able to show her the rest.
It was a full week of work for me...and Dad too! I hadn't worked a full week since January and Dad had been off work for 6 weeks. Maybe we were a little spoiled, but it was difficult to go back. As for me, job security is good, since a lot of my work conveniently waited for me. :-) :-(
This weekend, I stayed around home since Berean's Missions Conference starts this Sunday. Later in the month I think I may be going to Iowa for a weekend, but for now, most of my weekends have activities planned so I am needing to be around here.
Ok, that's about all for this week. If you want to see my DVDs of photos, I'll gladly show them, but just keep in mind that it takes a WHILE to see all that we saw in 3 weeks. But if you want an abbreviated version for now, I did print a few pictures out to show. :-)
L8R, G8R, ~Howie

More Basketball Games

Hiya,

Saturday was a great family day! Katie had a round robin basketball event, so all of us made it there. By all, I mean Dad, Lynn, Shereen, Elliana, Madeline, Robert, Kasey and I. It was entertaining to watch 6th graders play. They are very agressive and expressive!

My favorite girl is #22!!

L8R, G8R, ~Howie

Basketball Games

Hiya,

Thursday I snoozed on the couch most of the evening and then went to bed and woke up several times. I think the jet lag is still in control...

Friday it was back to work...no surprise there that most of my work waited for me. I didn't think I was all that important in my department, but from the stack of work piled up waiting, I guess maybe I am. Maybe I should ask about a raise?!?

Friday I was able to go watch my li'l brother play the final game of his season. I missed not having any of the other family members there with me, but I did survive. It was a tough loss, but I did enjoy watching 44 play.

L8R, G8R, ~Howie

Wakey Wakey Wednesday

Hiya,

Ok, I think it's almost 3 pm local time. The last post should have been at Philly where we had a couple hours layover. Our last flight didn't board until 8 p.m. (scheduled to have left at 7:25, but we still made it to MPLS within 10 minutes of our scheduled arrival.) Scheduling on this trip didn't always go as planned, but hey, that's what makes it an adventure! :-)

My brother picked us up & took us to his place so we could get dad's vehicle. A little hiccup here...ok, so someone said you begin as you end. My house keys were in dad's vehicle...but someone decided that they shouldn't be. Thanks to Judy, (Sorry about the disturbance to your sleep) I was able to snag a set of keys and we arrived in my house about 11:30 p.m. local time. Within 45 minutes dad and I were both sleeping. It was a long day and we were both quite shattered.

I woke up about 8...that's probably the longest I've slept in a couple years...Thank you JETLAG.

And here's my welcome home gift:

No, not the truck. :-) But a snow storm! That's where I live, Minne-snow-ta!!! We are supposed to get 6-8 inches today. My truck was white within the 10 minutes I stopped at the Post office. Maybe I did send the snow over to England to greet us and then brought it back to MN this week. Hmmm...something to consider. No, I don't want to take credit for anything. :-) Or to get blamed for anything either. hee hee hee

Dad left about 11:15 this morning. He is having to drive through some of the snow...sleet and icy conditions that are to the south. Me, I'm just hanging out at the library to update this blog.

Now, I should really head home to find something to eat. Oh wait, that means I have to stop at the grocery store first...I think I need a nap.

Have a GR8 Day!

L8R, G8R, ~Howie

On Location: Airports

Hiya,

Last evening, Chris, Richard, Jade and Tim came over. We played a lovely game of LIFE. Quite exciting (Chris had a lot of children and I accumulated a lot of Life insurance). I went to bed a little late (or early, I'm not real sure anymore). We left early this morning...well, ok, I got up early and we left Stan & Paula's by 7. A little hiccup as I left the e-tickets on the counter. But with all the checks and verification, I would say you don't really need a physical ticket anymore.

We were at Gatwick Airport for a couple hours and then departed Jolly Ole England about 12:15 and arrived in Philly about 3:45 p.m. local time. It took about an hour to get through customs and checked back in. We are now just relaxing again before we depart this fair city for our Final Destination.

I did phone Paula (had to wish her a good night) and was missing them all (I could hear the others in the background for the Bible study.)

Depending on how awake I am when I get HOME tonight, I will blog more, otherwise, I will finish in the morning.

Watch this space. ;-) L8R, G8R, ~Howie

Shrove Tuesday

Hiya, Today Stan, Dad, Esther and I went to Olney for the Famous Pancake Race, actually just another excuse for Stan to go back to The Olney Delicatessen. :-) We had a lovely cream tea there.

We watched the children's pancake races, saw the princesses & queen and then watched the end of the race near the finish line.

We then attended the Shriving service (If you want to know all about that, then see me after class). Afterwards, we went to Elstow to view the birthplace of John Bunyan, alas--closed for the season.

Tonight, the blokes are coming round. I should really pack at some point as well, but I am way too much a procrastinator.

L8R, G8R, ~Howie

Monday's Musings

Hiya, this morning was a slow start. This afternoon, Stan took us back to Houghton House. The first time we had visited, the snow had prevented us from walking up close so today we were able to do that.

We also drove into Bedford to see some John Bunyan stuff. On the way back, we stopped to pick up Paula from school. This was fun to see her classroom.

For the evening we went out ot eat, a last supper with Stan & Paula. Tomorrow is our last full day and we are planning one last outing. L8R, G8R, ~Howie

Sweet Sunday

Hiya! Today was a good day. Beavin spoke on Psalm 1 in the morning service and Tim spoke on Psalm 5 tonight.

Church is truly a fellowship time as we get there about 10:15, service starts at 11:00. We have tea afterwards and everyone talks to each other before departing. We get home about 2:30. Today, I was trying to make sure I had a picture of most of the people. Some we won't see again on our trip so this was a bittersweet time.

I must confess that I had a nap this afternoon; I think maybe all the events are catching up to me. We are winding down our time, not too many things planned but we will spend more time with our English friends.

Dave and Sondra, Tim & Chris's dad and mum, are friends from my first trip. It has been lovely to see them again and to renew that friendship.

Hope you had a good Lord's day. L8R, G8R, ~Howie

Saturday's Scenes

Saturday morning we went for brekky at McDonalds. Tim, Chris & Richard came over and they took Dad & I to Dunstable Downs. Today was a gorgeous sunny and windy day. It was lovely for the hang gliders & kites. I even flew a kite, but the blokes refused to fly my butterfly. They told me if I had purchased the pirate one they might have tried it, but they also were afraid to be seen by someone they knew.

Stan made us a Christmas dinner: turkey, broasted potatoes, veggies, yorkshire pudding, sausage stuffing, Irish sausages, cranberry sauce and Christmas pudd for dessert.

The evening's entertainment was the group bowling. We had 13 bowlers and enjoyed a good time together.

Hope you had a lovely day and looking forward to worship services tomorrow.

L8R, G8R, ~Howie

Friday's Form & Fun

Friday was a bit slower. I had arranged a mini card making party for a few of the ladies from church. We made 6 lovely cards.







I made emergency steak, smash, green beans and corn for supper.

Then we headed off to JUICE, the youth meeting. This was an exciting experience and loads of fun, as I taught the group to play ga ga ball.

L8R, G8R, ~Howie