Farewell To A Friend

Last week Larry and I said good-bye to a long time friend, Keith Ohlson. He is now with the Lord. At his funeral Larry read a quote from a book that I thought was excellent. I would like to share it here.

I bought a brand-new date book yesterday, the kind I use every year- sprial bound, black imitation leather covers wrapped around pages and pages of blank boxes. Every square has a number to tell me which day of the month I'm in at the moment. Every square is a frame for one episode of my life. Before I'm through with the book, I will fill the squares with classes I teach, people with whom I ate lunch, everlasting committee metings I sit through, and these are only the things I cannot afford to forget. I fill the squares too with things I do not write down to rememer: thousands of cups of coffee, some lovemaking, some praying, and, I hope, gestures of help to my neighbors. Whatever I do, it has to fit inside one of those squares on my date book. I live one square at a time. The four lines that make up the box are the walls of time that organize my life. Each box has an invisible door that leads to the next square. As if by a silent stroke, the door opens and I am pulled through as if by a magnet, sucked into the next square in line; there I will again fill the time frame that seals me - fill it with my busy-ness just as I did the square before. As I get older, the squares seem to get smaller. One day I will walk into a square that has no door. There will be no mysterious opening and no walking into an adjoining square. One of those squares will be terminal. I do not know which square it will be.

There are only two options about the final square. One is that it turns out to be a coffin or the second possibility is that when we walk into that final square, it isn't a box at all; it turns out to be a door. The four walls that have confined us melt away, and time is no more. And our real life, far rom being over, turns out to have just begun. (Taken from John Ortberg's book, "When The Game Is Over It All Goes Back In The Box")

We will miss Keith, but his life has just begun!

Let It Snow!!!!

Iowa Blizzard

If you like blizzards you really need to live in Iowa this winter. Yesterday we received 7 inches of new fluffy snow and today it is blowing around like crazy. No one is going anywhere. This first picture is a view of the amount of snow we now have. It is taken out of the sliding glass doors.

You almost can't see the swing anymore.

The New Year

The New Year is off to a snowy start in Iowa. Here is a glimpse of the beauty we get to see each day. It is truly awesome. Larry and I decided to go on a New Years Get A Way. At 3pm on Thursday we left for Sioux Fall. We did a little shopping and then checked into a nice motel. The lobby is pictured below. That night we went to "Texas Roadhouse" to eat. We waited and hour and a half to get in. The meal was delicious. Then we went back to the motel, covered up with our big Nebr. blanket and watched the ball drop. In the morning we sat around the motel and read and watched the parade. Then we did more shopping, ate at a cute restaurant and headed home.

We got home about 5 P.M. It was a great, refreshing time for us both.

Happy New Year to all.

Eight precious Grandchildren

Everyone made it to Meriden for a snowy Christmas. Here we are with all the kids.

Favorite Camera Moments

Josiah opening his bag. Each child got a bag with some smaller items inside. Grandpa and Luke keeping warm.

Two Kates!

Uncle Matt and Jonathan playing toys.

Unity and Emily making pie. Trying to get a picture of all the cousins.

Unity and Jackson.

Alise and Natalie

Natalie and Jackson

Family Christmas Pagent

One snowy night we went over to the church, dug out a box of costumes and had our own Christmas pagent. We had two angels, Mary, Joseph and two darling shepherds. Also an inn keeper who is not is the picture. After the play, we ate birhday cake. Another special memory.

The Blizzard Ball

Preparing for and lowering the Blizzard ball was hilarious fun. It was the Ostercamp was of ushering in the "Blizzard of the Century" .(thus dubbed by the TV) As it lowered we cheered and raised glasses of sparkling juice. (see video on U tube)

Snow for Christmas

Snow and more snow threatened to spoil our plans as our children all headed to Iowa for Christmas. Thankfully they all arrived, some just hours before the storm. Thus we were all safely tucked safely into the parsonage for the snow strom of the century.