Post Christmas Celebrations

Eric and I not only got to see his family, but we were also able to hang out with my family the first week of January. Eric had to miss the first week of classes, but it was worth it. One fun thing about it was that we got to go to VA Beach and spend that week there with Izaak and Anneke's family. To get there we took our church van. That made the trip even better, because half the fun is getting there.
We made plenty of stops on the way, thanks to dad!!!

It was awesome to see Izaak and Anneke and Shiloh and Eli again. Nolan and Shiloh sure were excited to see each other. Cy and Eli, well let's just say that weren't quite so aware of each other.

Once we got there we only stayed at Izaak and Anneke's one night. The next morning we made our way to the Outer Banks, in NC. This was only about an hour and half drive, so after 18 hours in the car that was nothing. It was beautiful. We had such a relaxing time while we were there. We played alot of card games. Eric and I taught everyone how to play hand and foot, sad to say we didn't win. Doesn't that make us really good teachers?

We also discovered a hot tub while we were there. That was great. It was pretty chilly at night, so it was fun to get into the hot tub and enjoy the warmth while it was cold outside.

Another day we decided to go for a stroll on the beach. It wasn't too cold outside so off we went. While we were on the beach we looked for shells and watched out for dolphins. We collected tons of shells and saw a number of dolphins. It was beautiful. All of us girls were snapping pictures left and right. The guys thought we were crazy, but they will thank us someday, (I'm sure).

We then went back to Izaak and Anneke's after a few days at the beach house. We stayed with them until Monday, then took off again for home. On the way there and back we were actually able to spend the night at the half way point (about). We stayed with my Uncle Larry and Aunt Susie and Grandma. So that was nice to be able to rest there after being in the car for so long.

Eric and I are so blessed and had a fantastic time. We can't wait until we are able to see all the families again. Hopefully soon, although all the driving (63 hours is what we calculated total for both trips) we wouldn't mind giving up.

We thank the Lord for our families and the encouragement that they are to us. We love all of you guys!!

Christmas Going's On

Well, Eric and I have been pretty busy over the last few weeks. It has been great though, because we have been able to see both sides of the family. Over Christmas we went and visited his family in GA.

We had a great time. We were able to be down there for about ten days. It was a nice time to relax and recover from all the busyness of home. While we were there I got to go shopping alot with all the girls. Eric went and played golf with the guys one day.

Another day we went to visit Eric's Uncle John and Aunt Pat. We also got to see his cousins as well while we were there. His uncle and aunt live in Chattanooga, TN. They live right downtown. It was beautiful. We took a long walk around the whole downtown. While we were walking we saw a really steep hill that a bunch of people were sledding down. You might be thinking, sledding, was there snow? No! they were sledding down on cardboard boxes and things like that. Well, we couldn't pass up an oppurtunity like that. So of course, we all ran to get some cardboard pieces and raced each other to the bottom. It was hilarious.

It was a blast as you can tell.

Besides those fun things we also shared some good times of growth with them. One of the traditions that all the girls in Eric's family has is to pray for the family every Saturday no matter where you are, together or seperate. Well, the Saturday that we were there all of us girls went to Panera Bread and prayed for the family, immediate and extended. What a blessing that is. It was so incredible to be surrounded by so many godly women desiring to see their family grow to love God more. Another awesome event that took place was on New Years. There was a progressive dinner with Eric's parent's church. It ended at his parent's house. To bring in the new year there was a short devotional given and then we all took communion together. What a great way to bring in the new year.

While we were there we were also able to get together with a young couple who goes to his parent's church, Micheal and Natalie., We had a great time with them. It makes me wish that we lived a little closer so we could get to know them even better. Thanks guys, it was fun!