daddy4ms

Today is my 20th wedding anniversary! I don't think it is possible because I don't feel that old. I am thankful for my amazing wife.  She has been a blessing to me in so many ways. I still remember: seeing you for the first time on our wedding day as you walked down the aisle. the large hole in the back of my tux jacket that had to be repaired.  Thanks Denice! all of the great food at the reception that we hardly ate and a meal at Carlos O'Kelley's that we didn't eat much of either. being sent to the basement of the church because of bad weather and how some of our guests saw a tornado on their drive home, but when we drove to Kansas City, we only saw rainbows. an awesome week in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for our honeymoon including Blue's Clues, 10 grain pancakes (or was it more?), wonderful restaurants, beaches, going to the movies, and even a waterpark (you must of been in love because I don't think you have been to one since)  We still have ...

Sometimes a pastor's family is neglected because of the demands of ministry.  I try very hard to keep my evening meetings to a minimum so I spend time with my wife and kids.  During sabbatical, I made a goal of taking each of my kids somewhere for 24 hours.  It was their choice as long as we could drive there.  Mackenzie and Megan chose instead to go to Guatemala for a week on a mission trip with me in exchange for this 24 hour trip.  Other relationships that were strengthened were with extended family.  Since we are at Hesston MB most Sundays, we miss out on different activities with our families that happen on Sundays so during Sabbatical we spent some Sundays with Bethany's parents and my parents. We also took a longer than usual vacation to Florida as part of our Sabbatical.  This was great to spend time together, have fun, and make memories.  I would have liked to have a weekend or short trip away with Bethany, but that did not work out d...

As you know, during my sabbatical, I have been scheduling trips one-on-one with each of my kids.   Molly and I went to World's of Fun in June.  Mackenzie and Megan decided to pass on one-on-one and instead served with me in Guatemala for a week. Today, Mitchell and I are spending the day at Schlitterbahn in Kansas City.  Since it is my son and he does not like pictures, I will probably not be posting as many pictures as I have with the girls.  But I hope to get a few. We hope to be able to ride the world's tallest waterslide.  If you have not heard about it, here is a picture.  I hope we survive!

We had a great vacation to Florida from June 20-July 3. It included two days driving each way. Here are my top 10 pictures from the trip:

We had a great time together at Hollywood Studios & Magic Kingdom for Day 2 & 3. Here are some pictures:

After a quick visit to see Bethany's family in Paris, TN, we arrived in Orlando after 24 hours of driving. Below are some pictures to capture our memories.