Month: April 2021

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April 26 – 28, 2021 On the road again – headed to Colorado. Meeting Megan on the Way!

Our goal was to pass through Iowa on our way to Colorado. Since Megan was currantly at Faith Bible College in Ankeny, we reached out to see if there was an opportinty to meet up with her- Yes there was! (…another adventure in the making!) On our way we spent a night at one of Huck Finn’s hangouts on the the Mississippi river.

This was a beautiful stopover on the mighty Mississippi River. It was quite windy, even saw a few white caps on the water! There is a lot of river traffic going on! It was amazing to watch the barges navigate up and down the river being pushed with tugs.

These barges are like a railroad train – each barge was hooked end to end and the complete “train” was was very long. Several barges were passing each other – very busy! Speaking of trains – we “enjoyed” the trains passing right by our campsite. (we were in between the river and the train tracks).

God delighted us with this amazing full and bright moon over the water. Such a peaceful and serene setting! All we could do was try to take it all in, thanks God for the beauty all around that you bless us with!

Always thankful for technology while we travel – we get to face time with our kiddos wherever we are. Saying hi to Bently, Emily, Jessica, and Kimberly!

We met up with Megan at Faith Bible Collage. She gave us a great tour around the campus. We invited her and some of her friends out to the lake for a hamburger cookout – we learned a lot about college social life as we just sat and listened. This was a great group of friends – so happy for Megan to be able to experience life away from home in such a great place, with great people!

From Iowa we traveled through Nebraska – we met up with Franklin and Sarah Krause and had a wonderful reunion. It was great to catch up on their life and share our journeys with them. We finally entered “Colorful Colorado”. It’s always good to see this sign – it’s like “we’ll be home soon”!

…and here is our Fort Morgan exit! We’re planning to spend a few weeks with Mom Johnson getting things ready for Kay to move in this spring! We found a great RV park to stay at just a few miles west of town called Emerald RV Park. We’re looking forward to getting to work on remodeling Mom’s storage room into a new office for Kay!

Check the next blog story for all the details!

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April 19 – 25, 2021 Michigan fun times with family! Ray & Sarah, Jeremiah, Asia, Faith and surprise visitors!

The welcome sign along I 35 into Michigan says “Welcome to Pure Michigan”. Well… we arrived in “refreshingly cleansed pure Michigan”! It was pouring rain – even while we set up our rig at Life Action Camp. As alumni we received a special blessing to be able to park in their RV park with full hook-ups @ $10 per night! Thank you LAM!

We immediately booked it over to Niles to see our kiddo’s – such a warm loving welcome! It’s always so good to be back “home” with our family.

SURPRISE! Look who also is here!

Nick and Carl were here! They were staying at Ray & Sarah’s house to attend a funeral of a special mentor of theirs while growing up in Michigan. It was great to have a mini-family reunion even for a couple of days. Ray and Sarah fed us well – we relaxed, shared stories, adventures, and fellowshiped together. We just love our family and thank God for the beautiful lives He has created!

Then we were blessed to see these kiddos doing “everyday life” as well as loving on this Nana and Papa. So much fun, activity, and special memories! Did you see the book Asia picked out for Nana? It was all she could do to read and look at the alligator pictures! (For reference see our blog dated March 30…yikes!)

Faith (at 10 mo’s) has grown so much! She is so laid back and “goes with the flow” whatever is going on. We never heard a whimper or cry – we just received loving looks and hugs!

We had a great time playing games, eating Sarah’s Chinese specialties, and then s’mores over a campfire! Ray – thanks for reminding us that you can touch your nose with your tongue! LOL!

…and of course we really enjoyed the smoked dishes that Ray provided! Smoked brisket, bacon, and smoked cheeses to take on our journey with us. So tasty! -Thank you Ray!

WOW! We are in the midst of living a life full of adventures with God in control. The theme of the message Sunday by Dan Jarvis was “Free from boredom…Full of Adventure!” It really hit home with us as we think about where we have been and the months ahead of us. We have been so blessed serving with SOWER’s Ministry and are planning to be a help and servant to my Mom and sister Kay, then settling at our cabin in the mountains – getting things ready for a family reunion. God – you take the reigns! We’ll go and do what you have planned for us! “Everyday is an adventure with God!”

We had to have a sleepover in Nana and Papa’s RV! I think this is one of the granddkid’s memorable moments!? We had fun getting ready for bed and waking up in the morning. We all enjoyed Nana’s hot chocolate and Papa’s yummy breakfast!

We had such a great time (we got to just unwind and relax) with these kiddo’s. We are looking forward to our time together in July for our full Family Reunion. See you soon!

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April 15 – 18, 2021 We’re going to OHIO! An adventure with special friends and a virtual Juice Plus Conference!

We made plans to be in Ohio to attend the virtual Fall Juice Plus Conference. We stayed a few nights in Kentucky at Levi Jackson State Park Campground. It was “our happy place” as the entrance sign suggested!

It’s been a while since we had a campfire and rosted hot dogs. So good – this was a nice campground!

We never knew there was a “library” of mill stones. This place was connected to Levi Jackson Park – and very interesting. Who knew there was such a science to making and using mill stones to grind wheat and other grains into usable flour for food. We learned a lot here!

We arrived in Springfield, Ohio. Out of the scenic camping and into the city! Lots of traffic!

Then right back into a beautiful scenic campground – this was a great place to escape the city – while still in the city! We’re only a few miles away from Jeff & Chris Reap and Jan & Mark Roberto where we will be attending the Juice Plus Conference virtually with the team based in Ohio.

We hiked to the lake through the brambles behind our campsite. It’s always so peaceful near the water on a beach! Should’ve grabbed the fishing poles!

Time for the conference! We always have such sweet fellowship when we get together (which isn’t often enough!) Of course we especially enjoy food! We enjoyed a special treat going out to eat at the Clifton Mill – a historic site with a vintage mill and a covered bridge.

Our weekend started at Jeff and Chris’s house with the Friday morning Prayer breakfast. There were thousands “attending” virtually. Worship time with Araon Keys and special speaker Charles Martin. Wow – so challenged on the topic of God…our Father!

Learned a lot of new material on presentation, using Zoom to build community, and the amazing company compensation plan. Each took turns sharing their Juice Plus story. We were blessed to met several new team members and make new friends!

Saturday we all met at Mark & Jan’s house – even a bigger crowd! We had so much fun meeting, talking, sharing, and learning, the day went fast even though it was so full!

We’re so thankful for being involved with the Juice Plus Company. Our God-given immune system has remained strong and healthy, protecting us from so many health issues (like COVID). Lorree’s business has enabled us to do what we’re doing – retire, serve others, and travel to see friends and family. And we get to have fun doing it!

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If you want to learn more about the Juice Plus business and/or health benefits, contact Lorree (see below).

lorreej@gmail.com  www.lorree.juiceplus.com (copy & paste into browser)

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We spent Sunday with Dana and Dayna Love! After church we came home to find a robin had built a nest and layed eggs on top of their JP Tower Garden! (…there has to be a divine illustration in this somehow!?) The day was certaintly joy-filled!

Since Dana retired he’s becoming quite a chef! He cooked up some fantastic Chinese dishes and the girls made fresh vegetable spring rolls. Everything was oh SO good!

Time to move on to our next adventure… Headed to Michigan to be with Ray & Sarah and our grandkiddo’s! Here we come!

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April 11 – 14, 2021. An amazing adventure in the Great Smoky Mountains – One of our favorites!

We set out for a day trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We drove through the Cades Cove Loop. It was great! Lots to look at and enjoy. We followed along with our guide booklet and learned about the history of early pioneers and their lives in the Smokies.

Here’s an interesting scene. The picture on the left was taken in November 2004 (the last time we were here). 17 years later without knowing, I took the picture on the right – almost the exact same angle! This is Cades Cove Primitive Baptist Church – the first church in the area. It was encouraging and challenging to learn that God was a primary focus of life in the culture of that era! God is ALWAYS with us!

It was a bit rainy off and on during our hike and while exploring Cades Cove – and a good amount of others driving the loop. We found “Elijah Oliver’s Place”, a nice log cabin with multiple buildings. It was fun to imagine living here during his time. There was even a “cold house” that allowed the stream to run through and keep food cool during the day!

Traveling on the next day, We explored another hiking area in the Great Smoky Mountains that we had experienced 17 years ago – the Appalachian Trail and the Clingmans Dome Observation Tower! At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome boasts the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (The “Dome” refers to the mountaintop, not the man-made observation tower.)The Dome actually lies within both Tennessee and North Carolina and is the highest point in Tennessee.

The paved trail to the summit of Clingmans Dome is paved, about 1/2 mile, but very steep! We gained elevation of over 330 feet which makes the climb gradient almost 13%! There were several benches along the way – we needed to catch our breath several times! Then we needed to take the ramp to the top of the tower – another approx. 400′ and another 45 feet elevation! They say on clear days, visitors may see as far as 100 miles – it was very clear for us, and we had amazing views! (Again with the whole exploring high places – yikes!)

What a special treat to find this old sign at the Appalachian Trail near Clingman’s Dome. We were here 17 years ago! It was fun to re-create these photos and reminisce of earlier adventures together! (The sign sure has aged – not us! LOL!)

A picnic lunch by a river and more exploring in the GSM National Park. So beautiful and relaxing! We’ve had a full week of every-day adventures! One of our favorite get-away’s this year!

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April 6 – 10, 2021 From Alabama to Kentucky – we had adventures in Gatlinburg, and Dollywood / Pigeon Forge!

Kimberly suggested that we stop by and see the falls at Noccalula Falls Park in Gadsden, AL our way out of the Anniston area. With all the recent rain it was very beautiful and scenic, a 90ft drop of water! We caught a fisherman down below fishing under a rainbow!

So, to get from Alabama to Kentucky you have to drive through Georgia and Tennessee. We’re sure seeing lots of states and highways. Its fun to find so many crosses along our nations highways!

Just follow that crowd to Dollywood! It was an early Wednesday morning during Spring Break – Dollywood had limited capacity (COVID regs) but we were able to enjoy a day with Buddy and Cindy Ward (Tate’s parents). They work here part time and were able to bring in guests!

We walked, visited, and saw many of the shows at Dollywood. It was interesting to learn that quite a few of the eateries and attractions were closed because they cannot find help. It seems that the COVID unemployment benefits out weigh the desire to work? It was a great day – Thanks Buddy & Cindy!

All you can eat catfish and chicken! We’re lov’in all this “fine” dining! (although we’re starting to look a bit plump LOL!)

We parked at the Welcome Center and rode the trolley into Gatlinburg. So thankful to not have to fight the traffic and try to find a place to park – it was crazy! We decided to go on adventure to Anakesta (“place of high ground”). It’s beautiful – we would recommend this to anyone! Such a different atmosphere away from the noise and crowds down below.

We took a stroll along the 16-bridge Treetop Skywalk. Wow – what a view (and a bit of sway!) from at least 60 feet or more! It’s claim is the longest tree-based skywalk in North America – around 880′ long! Little kids were running across as their parents hung on for dear life. We had fun taking our time across the bridges.

We took the gondola ride down the mountain back to street level in Gatlinburg. I think we are trying to face our fear of heights on this trip! It was a beautiful and gentle ride (except for a few start and stop moments). We’re “all smiles” but hanging on with white knuckles! LOL!

We walked the downtown Gatlinburg amongst all the people, whew, wonder what a summertime weekend crowd looks like!? Had to have some ice cream from Chocolate Monkey to top off the day – YUM!

SO.MUCH.FUN! To top off our Gatlinburg getaway, we really had fun on this mountain coaster! We even stayed for a second time up and down the mountain. Wheee! Highly recommended! (and yes more thrills out of our ‘fear of heights”!)

We had a great time in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN. We’ll cherish these memories until we come back again!

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March 31 – April 5, 2021 Hiking, birthdays, and Easter with the Ward Family! Anniston, AL.

Whew! We headed right into a major thunderstorm and wind warning as we headed to Anniston, AL. We were able to pull over at a rest stop and wait it out for about an hour. Thankful for a place to park it! We’ve learned to never be in a hurry while traveling – great advice!

We’re gonna be spoiled for sure!

Our first day…. “Hey Papa, what do you want for breakfast?” These girls can handle the kitchen really well. Thanks Mom for teaching them cooking, cleaning, and so much more!

Nana had a special project for the girls., teaching them to sew. She included everything from selecting material, layout and cutting, ironing, and machine sewing. The finished product is a nice zippered clutch bag to be used for anything!

Papa spent time with the girls teaching them to draw a face. “Where do the eyes go? …the nose? …the lips? We had fun and the girls did great! Lots to practice on till next time.

The weather was great so we decided to have a picnic and hike around Cheaha State Park – featuring the highest point in Alabama!

It was a great day – we could see for miles! We saw they have a very nice campground – maybe for a future visit!

It was Easter weekend and family friends came over for a night time Easter egg hunt – so much fun! Then we had reeces smores for a special treat!

On Saturday, we all helped get the programs ready for Sunday morning Easter service – then enjoyed Chic-fil-a at the park!

It was a great worship time celebrating our resurrected Savior and Lord on Easter morning. Thank you Jesus for loving all of us SOOO Much!

Then we enjoyed a wonderful grilled Salmon dinner back at the house. It was a beautiful day!

I think we ate it all – no leftovers! It was so good. Love these smiles!

And we celebrated Emily’s birthday before we left. These girls are growing up into beautiful young women! Jessica’s birthday will be next week – both are turning 12 years old.

Before we left, Papa set up the griddle and cooked up some chicken and steak fajitas. YUM!

It was great o spend these days with our kids and kiddos in Alabama! looking forward to being together again in July at Selah Acres at the cabin! We love you Tate, Kimberly, Emily, and Jessica!