Jim's49th

Jim turned 49 on May 25th... this is also Leah's 23rd Birthday!
After working 1/2 day at the library, we drove down to Franklin OH (s. of Dayton) for James Pretorius' graduation party on the 24th.
It was held at their church in Middletown, which we had never been to before, but were able to get there thanks to Google Map directions!
Diana and her sisters prepared a lovely feast and since we got there in the last hour of the open house we were encouraged to "eat it up!"

It was a nice celebration of his accomplishments.
James will be attending Wheaton College in Illinois (SW of Chicago) to study Business and Bible - planning to be a pastor one day! His family and friends are so proud of him and we know that his dad, Brian is smiling down from heaven and cheering him on as well!

After the party we drove to mom and dad's on the north side of Dayton for the night. Went to church at North Riverdale Lutheran the next morning where Pastor Monte announced Jim's birthday and made a "joke" about his sister EJ being 80, so that makes Jim.... ? He received many well wishes from the folks there.
Mom fixed a lovely lunch of strata and salad at home and we ended with a sweet berry pie a-la-mode! EJ & Joe joined us for lunch as well. It's nice to spend birthdays and special occasions with family.
I had planned to take jim shopping at a sports store on the way home so he could choose his own gift. We went to 3 stores, but none of them had any biking jackets, or bike gear at all! So he got a small gift - which i had bought earlier at a local bike shop- when we got home, (safety flashing light and ankle straps for visibility!) and he ordered his jacket on line...

Leah sent her dad a gift from Germany and he received it on Wednesday the 28th. It was a 'manly' european scarf and some delicious tea. He modeled the scarf with his Berlin cap! Very continental!

Berlin Pics - Random

*First Night in Berlin.... Italian Dinner with L's classmates*


*Bicycle Taxi--- i want a ride!*


*Leah and Carol get a Berlin Bear Hug!*


*Leah and Carol - Peace Church courtyard, Potsdam*


*"Smart Car" - we saw them a lot - cool paint job!*


*Carol & Jim with a piece of the Wall*


*Jim and Carol near "Twin Church"


*Jim sipping brew and eating a brat*

Berlin Germany Pics

*Leah & Carol at Apt. door next to Bakery*


*Woman with Accordian on Bridge to Museum Is.*


*Carol & Leah on the way to the train*


*Jim and Carol near 'East-West' Berlin Sculpture*


*Carol & Leah at Train Platform*

We took over 300 photos while in Germany with Leah, here are a few of the best ones...

Wedding Pics 4.4.08

*Carla officiates the civil ceremony*

*Pausing for a Kiss*


*Parents with the happy couple!*


*Family and friends after the service*

April in May

We've had a LOT of rain this May... sort of like April usually is around here. I'm not complaining... it makes it easier to pull the many weeds from the flower beds... and the grass sure is green!

The Month of April was a busy one for us. Our (only) daughter Leah Joelle got married, i turned 50, and Jim and i took a trip to Berlin Germany! So, now i'll tell a little about our April '08 (in May).

Leah married Julian Santiago Gonzalez in Arlington VA on April 4, 2008. They became engaged over Christmas '07 and told us about the wedding plans just before Easter. It was a civil ceremony done by a lovely attorney named Carla in an outdoor courtyard beside her office building. The wedding was quickly arranged, (although they had been discussing the idea for a while), in order to speed up the visa process for Julian so that he wouldn't lose his (very good) job with Brothers Concrete where he's an estimator.

Jim and I flew out on the now infamous Skybus airline to Richmond where we rented a car for the 2 hour drive up to Annandale. Julian's host parents from Athens, Anne and Tom Walker, drove out the next day. Four of Julian and Leah's friends from the area joined us for the ceremony as well as Julian's Pastor Paul.

Leah and i drove about 30 mins. from the apt. to a friend's home business to get her hair done in the morning. The afternoon was filled with lunch with the Walker's and getting ready at the apt. I bought leah an 'overcoat' at the local thrift shop so she could hide her dress from Julian to surprise him at the cermony.

All was on schedule as we made our way to the ceremony in two cars: Jim, Tom and Julian in one and Anne, Leah and me in the other, to the courthouse office to meet the attorney. Just as we all stepped out of the cars - 1/2 hour ahead of schedule - Julian asked Leah if she had brought the necessary paperwork... their looks confirmed that in the commotion of the day, neither one had remembered the all important documents! SO- in rush hour traffic (4:30pm) Julian made his way back to the apt., stopping on the way for gas! The attorney was very gracious to wait for us as she had paperwork to do in her office. The rest of us spent our time in the office's main hallway just hanging out, talking and taking pictures! Some of the other people in the building weren't amused at our little gathering. When Julian finally returned, papers in hand, the gig was on !

The weather had been wet, but it cleared up nicely for the 1/2 hour of the ceremony and pics!
God is Good! All the Time!

The next day we met the newlyweds & the Walker's & Nereida for brunch in Arlington... yum!
After saying our goodbyes Jim and i drove thru DC trying to find a place to park to get out and walk amongst the cherry blossoms... but we had NO luck! Had to drive by the beautiful scene and the WWII memorial without the chance to get out and look!
So--- we took the scenic route back to Richmond - along the shore - getting there in plenty of time for our return flight home..... only to find that our airlne no longer existed! How rude!
After weighing our options - bus, another high-priced flight to somewhere in Ohio, or car rental - we decided to rent a car (after just returning the other one) and start the long journey home. We made it to the edge of the mountain range and stopped for the night at a seedy Super 8 motel. On the road the next day - lovely weather.... finally got to Columbus and picked up our car from the airport lot. Jim drove the rental over to where the sign said the office was, and i followed in our car. The (much) smaller sign said that the office had moved....down the road near the Eastland Mall! When we finally found the office, it was closed. We filled out the paperwork and left the key in the drop box and drove the final leg home to Sidney. An exhausting trip! We're still attempting to get reimbursed for the flight we were dumped from!