He Leadeth Me

I'm not sure why, but Colorado Springs is a GREAT place to yard sale. Mandy, Jeremy, and kids were out this morning enjoying the beautiful weather and some sales. Mandy kept seeing things that she thought I would like and texting me pictures. Three red bar stools! I passed since I have a red bar stool that I am not using right now and probably don't need 3 more in storage. A retro ice cream freezer! I really liked this, but wasn't sure where I would display it, so again I passed. She called about some bunk beds for the grandchildren's room. They were what I am looking for with a full size mattress on the bottom and a twin on the top, but they were metal and I'm really looking for wood. Again, I passed. I have a very smart daughter-in-law who was determined that she find something that I was willing to buy. The picture below was the last I received from the morning's shopping trip. The text message said: "Want one of these? $100 million each My Reply: ...

When you are the "little" brother, you don't get a lot of alone time with Nana and Ducca. Today, we invited Aaron over for a play date without his big brother. Sweet Caleb was fine with that and went off happily with his dad for some male bonding. The first thing you have to do at Nana's is eat! Then we headed down the stairs to the grandchildren room to play. This wagon is really cool, Nana. The best way to play at the train table is to climb in the drawer with all the toys. Hi, Mama Duck! I can say "bear" Nana. This is a bear that was made for Kelly and Jeremy by Aaron's great-great Grandma Bergeron many years ago. This helicopter is really cool. Getting in the wagon is even more fun than pulling it. I am a smart boy and very good with puzzles. And I love to read! "Tupperware" makes the greatest toy. But the best thing of all is to head down the hallway to Ducca's office. I knock on the door if Ducca is working and he stops to play wi...

The newest member of our family is Filiberto Hinojosa, Jenny's husband. They were married in March and Fili is just a super guy that we all fell in love with immediately. On Saturday night, a large group of the family went to a Skysox game. They are the minor league baseball team who make their home here in Colorado Springs. Someone had heard before the game that there were going to be 10 used cars given away at the game that night! Guess who was the FIRST person to win a car? That's right--Fili--the one and only family member to be so lucky. Of course, there were a couple of problems. Jenny and Fili had flown here, and they both already had cars. So on Monday morning they paid the taxes and sold the car. I'd say the newlyweds had a pretty good story to tell from their first family reunion as a married couple.

Sweetie made matching Superhero Capes for all the little boys at the family reunion. ( left to right) Andrew, Caleb, Nathan who had a big time playing together during the reunion Sometimes Superheroes need a rest! Sometimes Superheroes have no clue what all the fuss is about! SuperNana got to commission the Heroes and tie on their capes! This little Superhero needed a hug. This is fun says Superhero Nathan. The most fun was rolling around on the floor and wresting since everyone had Superhero strength. They were even able to successfully conquer big cousins Matthew and Josh. Sweetie was even kind enough to make a cape for SuperNana. What a sweetie that Sweetie is!

Did we have fun at our family reunion? Jenny and Fili did! Jon and Andrew did! Bethany and Jon did! In the next several posts, I will show you highlights of some of our adventures. All of the pictures were taken by talented photographers other than me, but everyone was so busy snapping photos, that I'm not sure which pictures belong to whom. I hope you enjoy!!!

My friend Vicky mentioned in a Bible class once that she kept a stack of index cards on which she wrote verses/quotes she wanted to remember and then read them during her quiet time. I started that practice and it has been very meaningful to me. Here are some of that have meant a lot to me lately. "He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me." Ps 18:19 "I could have no greater joy that to hear that my children are following the truth." 3 John 4 "It is well, it is well, with my soul." "I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him." Ps 62:1 "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings." Malachi 4:2 "I am not afraid of tomorrow for I have seen yesterday and I love today." quote sent from my mother "If you hold on to me for dear life, says God, I'll get you out of any trouble. I'll give you the best of care if you'll only g...

Day 4 of our Family Reunion fell on a Sunday! Our big family has been blessed with unity of faith in our wonderful God. We decided to worship together in the beautiful Garden of the Gods. (One of my nieces said we should rename the park Garden of THE GOD for today-- pretty profound thought!) We sang, prayed and heard stories of both family legacy and a legacy of faith while we worshiped our God in his beautiful creation. Wish you could have been with us! Thank you Adrian, one of our newer family members, for this great group photo!

When your birthday is July 6th, just two days after the nation's birthday, it always seems like you get the BELATED birthday wishes! Sorry Jeremy! Wasn't he an adorable one year old? This picture reminds me just a little of Aaron. He had such fun with his big sister, Kelly. He still enjoys his afternoon naps, just not with Kermit the Frog anymore. He is an amazing Christian man, friend, husband, father, son, uncle, and all around good guy! And he's not a bad dancer either! Happy Birthday Jeremy! Thanks for all you do to make your mom and dad very proud to call you our Son!

We had an unfinished bedroom in our home when we bought it. I dreamed that it could become a room for the grandchildren. My sweet husband, while taking care of me after surgery and during chemotherapy made sure my dream came true before the family reunion! This is what I dreamed of. Little David and Aaron playing at the train table. All 5 of the boy cousins playing together. From top right, Nathan, Caleb, Aaron, Andrew, and David. The pictures aren't the best in the world, but they were all so excited to be together that they wouldn't sit still long enough to have a really good photo taken.

Well, friends, the day I had been dreading finally arrived. And much like the quote from Mark Twain, "I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened." it wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. One of the side effects of my chemotherapy is losing my hair. Those of you who know me well know that I spend a lot of time and a lot of money making sure my hair looks good, so naturally I was dreading being bald. Several weeks ago, my daughter Kelly and I went to a wonderful little shop here in Colorado Springs called In Care of You . The owner is a breast cancer survivor and she specializes in helping women through the whole process of getting well both physically and emotionally (which for me includes a wig that I feel good in.) We tried on several wigs and settled on the one above. One of my sweet friends from church, Joan, had agreed to shave my head when the time came. She used to be a hairdresser and just has the most wonderful se...

There is a neat little Farmer's Market called Froberg's in Alvin, Texas The entire time I lived in Houston, I had never visited this wonderful place. When I was in Houston for my niece, Jenny's wedding, my mom, sister and sister-in-law spent one morning picking strawberries at Froberg's. The fruit was everywhere, and we were picking away. Aunt Kim Aunt Gail Definitely the pro--she takes her grandsons a lot during strawberry season. Sweetie Yummy! I must admit that after about 20 minutes of picking fruit for fun, I had a whole new appreciation for people who do this kind of work for a living.