Happy Birthday!!

Last Friday we drove to Lafayette to surprise our grandchildren. Two of them, Steven (Feb. 22) and Ashlee (Feb. 23) were to have birthdays; and mine was that same Friday.

Michelle had them out to Subway for supper, so we used our key and slipped into the house, keeping all the lights off. I got my camera ready to take a picture as they came in the door, but, as you can see, I didn't position myself very well. My dear wife's arm sort of blocked the view.

However, when I enlarged the photo on the camera screen and focused on Kelcee (left), it was obvious that we had caught her by surprise! Indeed, later I asked her, "Did we surprise you or scare you?" She looked at me with her serious eyes and very deliberately said, "You scared me!."

The scare didn't last too long, though, and the next day Ashlee (left) and Kelcee shared a blanket with Grandma as they waited for birthday gifts to be produced.

Steven, wearing a Cubs shirt that he got for Christmas, was rather expansive as he showed us the 2-way radio set he got for his birthday -- so expansive that the radios got clear out of the picture. He's more important than they are, though, and one has to say that he's definitely a bundle of energy. If I just had a third of what he has . . . . . . .

Happy birthday, Steven and Ashlee.

Valentine's Day

Unfortunately, I have to be in the Dominican Republic on February 14. I did leave my wife a little something to keep her reminded of my love, though: A card a day from Monday through Saturday, a box of Girl Scout Samoa cookies, and a bear to hold them all.

Happy Valentine's Day to my sweetheart! Love ya!

Kathy's Birthday

Yes, I know it's been awhile since I blogged; since Christmas, in fact. There's just been too much going on, what with racquetball, snow, a trip to Florida, busy-ness at EFM, and all that stuff.

What better way to break back into blogging than showing you the flower arrangement I gave my dear wife for her birthday on February 3. A pretty spring variety arrangement that has some of her favorite colors (lavender and purple and related hues) in it.

Happy Birthday, Love!!!

Special Christmas Gift!

My granddaughter, Ashlee Krick, had a special project in school just before Christmas. She and the other students decorated special Christmas sacks, colored a pasteboard Nativity scene (which is also a stand or holder), and then put a candy cane on the Nativity scene.

When the teacher asked each student who he or she wanted to give his special Christmas gift to, Ashlee told her she wanted it for her grandpa!

Here I am with Ashlee and her specially decorated Christmas bag.
(Click on the photo for a larger view.)

Thank you, Ash, for giving me something extra special for Christmas. I love you!

Snowmen appear at FMC youth Christmas gathering

We had a great time with the young people of Faith Mission Church and Stone City Christian Academy at the youth Christmas get-together on Friday night, December 12. There's nothing like being with young people to help one keep young at heart (and tired in body).

Some long-suffering wives put up with us guys at the party last night, such as my wife, Kathy (pictured here), Marci Webb, and Alice Golden. Well, actually it was Alice who put together the snowman feature that follows. Tamara Crosley wisely stayed home and out of danger's way.
Alice divided the young people into teams. She gave each team three rolls of toilet paper, a scarf, a hat, a sheet of construction paper, and some tape. From these materials, and with four of us fellows serving as mannequins to be "dressed," each team was to fashion a snowman. The results, as you can see here, were hilarious.

In alphabetical order, so as not to favor one snowman over another, we have:

David CrosleyTim GoldenSteve Hight

Anthony Webb

Left to right:
Anthony Webb, Tim Golden, Steve Hight, David Crosley

Here's the team that fixed me up so well, even putting my glasses on outside my face so that I could see -- well, at least halfway, since I could only peer out of one eye.As you might imagine, there was a lot of melted snowman material in the middle of the floor when we were finished. It didn't stain the carpet, though.

You must go on to the following post to see David Crosley lose at musical chairs!

David Crosley loses musical chairs game in last round
Loss is second in two years for self-avowed musical chairs champ

Bedford, IN -- December 12, 2008

In dramatic fashion, David Crosley, who claims to be a musical chairs champion, lost in the final round on Friday evening at the Faith Mission Church young people's Christmas get-together. Crosley, who earlier forced his son Dwight out of the game, raising his fist in the air and crying out, "I got him! I got him!" was himself eliminated when he vied with one other contestant for the final chair.

In a timely move as the music stopped, Skylar Batley beat Crosley to the chair by a split second, then had to wrestle the chair away from Crosley, who attempted to unseat Batley by force. Batley hung on bravely, and when it was evident that he had won against the self-proclaimed champion, he raised his arms in the air in celebration of his well-earned victory.

In a desperate move, Crosley attempted to claim a share of the win by alleging that, by having his hands on the chair and because of competing against a younger opponent, he had earned half of the first-place honor. Judges of the contest disallowed Crosley's allegation.

Watch the video clip below to see the dramatic action, beginning with third-place Elizabeth Smith being eliminated in the next-to-last round.

Recent Events

I find three notable things worthy of mention.

(1) November 23 -- Commissioning service for Rex II and Missy McDowell. Kathy and I went to the Millmont, PA, God's Missionary Church for this special event. Steve Mowery, director of the missions department at Penn View Bible Institute, preached the message. I did the commissioning on behalf of EFM, and offered the commissioning prayer. After that, each father offered a prayer of blessing.

In this photo, Rex II and Missy are kneeling. Rex and Hannah McDowell are standing at the right; Rex had already prayed for the couple. Drema and Tom Susan, Missy's parents are at the left; Tom is praying for them in the picture. Missy's brother Jason stands in the center, and Anita Brechbill, founder of RopeHolders is seated at Tom Susan's left hand.

(2) Christmas is coming! Kathy is wrapping a gift here; and is actually wrapping more presents as I write. We were planning to do outside lights today, but the third notable event is . . . .

(3) It has snowed today! The temperature was down to about 21 overnight and we woke up to a skiff of snow. Then the white stuff really started coming down. I don't think the weatherman was expecting this much -- at least we didn't hear anything in the forecasts about accumulation. I measured 1 1/2 inches of dry, powdery snow in one spot on the deck rail.

As you can see, the carport didn't do much to keep the snow off my car this morning.

I haven't been able to use my snow thrower for at least two years now, either because of the lack of snow, or because what snow we've gotten has come when I've been out of town. I think I'll declare 1 1/2 inches to be sufficient for getting the snow thrower out this afternoon. After all, we have a pretty long driveway.