Westward Ho

This past week, John & I have met with a group from our church planning a mission trip to Rehoboth, New Mexico this January for a week. We are excited to be a part of this opportunity to serve and ask for your prayers as we prepare and go on this trip. I'll be taking photos and blogging for the group and hopefully painting or tutoring or whatever they need.

The above pictures were taken of us in Rehoboth almost 20 years ago when we were considering moving out there and working for the Rehoboth Christian School. We had just found out we were expecting Edward so the timing wasn't right and we didn't go, but now that Edward is in college...

Love Thursday

Chicago, Sept, 2008, The Blogger with her True Love

I was so so happy to see this photo be recovered after the big Chicago camera trauma resolved because it was such a happy memory. We were walking around Chicago and I was taking John's picture in front of this statue when a professional came up to us and asked if she could take one of both of us. She was holding a HUGE camera and took my little Rebel XT and said, I know what I'm doing. You can see she did.

What Happened in Chicago

Chicago, September 2008

I already mentioned the great Chicago camera trauma. Well, last week when I got a card reader, more of the photos I had taken in Chicago reappeared. Good thing! I probably never would have thought of the time John & I stood in front of the funny mirrors on Navy Pier.

Sharon says we look like the Go Go Gadget Couple!!!

Humor in the Ugly, Part 2

We were having a lovely Sunday lunch out on our deck next to the mums yesterday when the subject of their prolonged existence came up.

John: I could probably get a few days off work if I tell them my Mum died.
Maria: She died because Poppy wasn't with her.

Maybe I should go throw them away now.

Flash Back Friday 89

John & the Blogger at a Chicago Cubs game, 1988

Humor in the Ugly

Remember the beautiful mums that John planted on Labor Day? They never recovered after a solid week of September rain (see above) The other night at supper, I was wondering why they were still out on the deck.

Me: Why are those flowers on the deck still there?

The ever-funny John to his daughters: Those flowers are making Mum mad.

He's still the funniest guy I know.

Facing My Fear on Navy Pier

After we walked by the John Hancock building Saturday night, we decided to go out to Navy Pier. We thought it would be memorable to go on the Ferris Wheel at night even though I think ferris wheels in general look boring and who wants to be trapped in a little box for 7 minutes anyway while it goes around just one time? I pretty much walk around all the time like I'm not afraid of anything while ignoring the fact that I may be a bit padded from the harsher realities which many people face.

We were greeted at Navy Pier like royalty by the beginning of the fireworks display and music and dancing. Of course now we really had to go look at the city from high above.

We waited for just a short time to get on the ride.

It wasn't long until I realized my real issue with ferris wheels is this fear of heights thing I have which I had for the most part forgotten. I took this photo which is a pretty accurate rendering of what it looked like to me.

John, however, was walking all over the cart leaning out taking pictures, spinning, dancing, laughing, smiling...

Thankfully, I was able to sit still for 7 minutes finding my peace and we made a good memory.

Volvo Road Trip

We were looking forward to taking the new old Volvo on a road trip one of these days, but I didn't realize it would come so soon. As I was leaving work on Thursday, Sharon asked me what I was doing this weekend. We didn't have big plans and suddenly, she realized they had an extra room in Chicago. We were certainly up for that since we always enjoy the opportunity to get away!


The new old Volvo goes to Chicago


Me posing with my fairy godmother Sharon and her handsome son Connor beneath the shadow of the John Hancock building


The sun rising this morning over Lake Michigan from our hotel room

Tomorrow I'll tell about one of adventures we had while there. Don't hold your breath :) I experienced camera difficulties while there which is typical of me when I get really excited.

Volvo Love

Taken last evening in our driveway after we went "volvoing" to Meijer

If you happen to like Volvos, then you know what I'm talking about. It's not like we LOVE inanimate objects, but you know. John went on a great adventure this past weekend down to Athens, Georgia. He got a one way plane ticket to Atlanta with the goal in mind of finding an old Volvo station wagon without the corrosive effects you find in the harsh winters of the northern climate we live in and since his old Volvo was history. He found the perfect car, spent some good time with his brother who teaches at UGA, and drove it back to Michigan on Monday. Now we can continue to go "volvo-ing."

Later, as I was reflecting on why John likes old Volvos I was thinking it makes sense because he likes me and I'm a kind of a dependable old classic. The analogy holds up when you think of how my dad likes big black Mercedes' and my Uncle Ray loves bright red sports cars -isn't that right, Mom & Aunt Michaela? LOL!

Happy Labor Day!

So John, on-your-mark-get-set-go, has already replaced the petunias on the deck with these mums for fall.

So This is What It's Like to be Married to a Gold Medalist

John apparently running into the cops, Holland Rotary 5K, 2008

Yesterday morning, John and I hit the road at 7am to go to Holland, MI so he could run in a 5K there. It was kind of a local yokel affair where you all are standing around and out of the blue, someone says, without any passion, "On your mark, get set, go" like you did on the playground when you were a kid. John ran a good race, not his best time, but definitely respectable. Much to our surprise, he was presented with the 1st place medal for his age group!

Do I have to say the part about how he was the only one in his age group?

I'm still proud to be married to a gold medalist!

Roller Coaster Loving Cousins

Yara, Maria, Bridget & Annelise, August 2008, Michigan Adventure

Yesterday, John & I had the opportunity to take our 2 nieces from Venzuela to Michigan Adventure with our girls. We soon noticed that these 4 girl cousins with the same last name are fearless when it comes to roller coasters. We did them over and over again. When John, Maria & I rode the Thunder Hawk, their newest ride where your legs dangle and you see them several times up against the blue sky during the ride, I couldn't help but think how much trust we put in the roller coaster people and the mechanical devices that hold us in against the forces of gravity which are always there. When we rode the corkscrew, John & I were in the car ahead of them, so we could run ahead and get some photos of them during the ride.




After several hours on the roller coasters, we hit the water parks. I found my happy spot, as Sharon would say, on the Lazy River. But then I went and ruined it when we rode a couple of stomach churners - the Tilt-a-Whirl and something I only remember as the Barf Boat.

Big Sandbox

Last weekend, nephew Brian was so intoxicated by the beauty of the sand and water that he fell over the sand dune cliff.



Maria, Bridget, and Uncle John were dispatched to help him up. I calmly stood by to take photos.



Not to worry - John rescued him and it made for some good photographs.

Pontoonicating

Last weekend, when we were up at Big Platte Lake, we filed like little old people onto Paul & Susan's new pontoon boat. It was fun!! I am getting old!! Our oh-so-clever John coined the term pontoonificating for that thing you do when you ride a pontoon boat.


Maria


Edward


John


Paul................................. Susan


Edward & Brian

Chicago

After taking Maria to the airport, John & I headed downtown to spend the evening. We stayed at the Millenium Knickerbocker Hotel which is right off of Michigan Avenue near the John Hancock Building. We had Chicago style pizza at Gino's and went down to see the fireworks from Navy Pier.











When we were walking around downtown, I must have been in a daze because John squished me in a revolving door. I thought I was a goner, but I later realized the only damage was that the filter on my lens was shattered. See below. John later said that he thought his fully grown wife could figure out how to walk through a revolving door. Har-har. He is so funny.

Cape Hatteras Misadventure

One day last week when we were at the Outer Banks of North Carolina, John and Maria set out on a small adventure to Cape Hatteras to see the famed lighthouse. As you can see, Maria was quite pleased to see it and pose in front of it.

As John was fiddling with the camera (pulling a Judy), Maria grew tired and began to rest on the lighthouse. Suddenly, it tipped over.

Not to fear. Maria picked it up and put it back in place. No one even noticed.

Oh, and then, on the way back from the Cape, John got a $170 traffic ticket for passing in the right lane. This was the real misadventure.

Adventures at Sea

Today,,, I walked along the beach between the ocean and the shining people who were staring at the beauty and I felt their joy. It was amazing.

I later saw the dolphins jumping just off shore and the pelicans swooping low and beating their wings in perfect rhythm. That was amazing too.

I went out into the ocean with John in search of the sand bar to play catch, and with the water over my head for too long (we couldn't find it) felt pulled by a rip current. My body started to feel unusually weak and I was even a little scared. I yelled help to John and he looked a little worried, but something in his eyes told me to relax. I laid on back and floated as best as I could and kicked with my weak legs. After what seemed like an eternity of being sucked into sea with my weak muscles helpless against the force, I could finally touch my toes on the ground only to be hit several times in the back by great waves. I struggled to shore and then walked about 200 yards, gasping, to my chair. I told everyone that they almost lost me. John was so funny and calm and maybe I was a being a bit dramatic, but he said when I was waving my arms and saying help, he thought I said, Throw me the football!

This is amazing too.

Twentieth Anniversary

June 11, 1988

Things in their most basic form
are the hardest to put words around:
the winged tail of a shrimp.
a freshly washed pillow case,
growing crisp in the autumn air.
The late winter sun
quenching itself on a bowlful
of snow. The half moon
resting, always,
in your right thumbnail.
What I mean is this—
after the long ride home
when the grass is wet, and the dishes
have been dried, and the wrinkles
have begun to set themselves
in lines more broad
than fine, there will be you—
asleep. Your head in its infinite state
of undress. Each hair
set upon another
wrestling against the grains,
that by some unwritten rule,
must form in your blue eyes.
There will be you, again.
You.
Alight, aloft, adrift,
in my arms alone.
There will be you
and me
and we will be
at home. - M.C. Boyes

Happy Memorial Day

Waiting for the parade (actually 4th of July last year)

American Idol Funnies by John

This quote was from John while he was discussing with the girls next week's show-down between the Davids:

"Why archuletting me make a prediction about who's cooking up a big win next week?

Running by the River

Yesterday, I got up at O'dark-thirty with John to go down to the annual Fifth Third Riverbank Run to watch him run in the 25K with 16,000 runners. I saw him at the start and again at the finish line and saw many people I knew in between. You can see him too if you look carefully at the white arrows below:



I caught up with the great runner at the end and got him to pose in front of La Grand Vitesse and the giant water bottle.


John, May 2008, after running 25K

Taxes and Other Such Fun

I thought it was so cute yesterday when John was helping Edward do his taxes - it was something new to photograph. He gets a $70 refund. Woohoo!

What is Truth?

I actually remembered when I woke up yesterday that it was April Fool's Day so I was on guard and it was working out good for me. John told Bridget she could go back to bed because school was cancelled and I quick blurted "April Fool's" because I don't like to see people be disappointed.

Bridget came home from school at 3:35pm and excitedly told me about all the jokes that were made in school that day in the name of April 1. I was amused. The truth is, on this day, watch out or you'll be fooled.

Oh, remember that picture of me eating a donut that was in the Brian Diemer 5K brochure? Today a friend wrote to tell me it is on their website this year. I thought this was pretty cool so I sent the link to John. He called me later in the afternoon to tell me he also saw the picture on a billboard on 68th street on the way to work. I was so excited at the thought of a bigger than life picture of me out there - I don't know why, I just thought it would be funny. He told me it was that billboard by the railroad tracks and I couldn't picture it, so he said it was that one that says April Billboards at the bottom, so I said what side of the road is it on, and he said you see it when you're driving TO school. I was all, why do they like that picture so much??? I still couldn't picture where the billboard was, so he told me it's the one that says www.aprilfools.com. I finally got it.

Such is the Life of the Jewels

John returned home last night from his travels. After jetting around all week with the likes of congressman, multi-millionares, college presidents, professors, and computer geeks, he is happy to be home with that one lady who cleaned the kitchen... :) We are of course thrilled he is home - life can go on now.

Flash Back Friday 61

John shows Edward how to do it. 1991

Sometimes We Are Out Past Our Bedtime

Josh Ritter on stage
photo by John taken with Palm Pilot, a time I wished I had my camera


The other evening, John and I went downtown to the former Ladies' Literary Club to see Josh Ritter in concert. This old historic property was donated by the club to Calvin College to carry on their tradition of lectures and music for the community, and I have been wanting to go there. John had heard that Josh Ritter was like a new Bob Dylan, so I was expecting something more melancholy and out of tune, you know, but what we saw was a very exciting, high-energy concert. He was so funny in between songs when he would make references to the Bronte sisters and Wuthering Heights or Jane Austen and said he was used to playing in places with names like Doc Willoughby's or Elixir. Anyway, it was fun, but a little late for old people on a school night.

Note to Netherlands readers: Josh Ritter will be in Groningen on March 23!