Images from trip to Puerto Vallarta

So no trip to Indonesia this summer, but I did lead a small team to Puerto Vallarto to investigate joining an additional missions partnership in Mexico. The tacos were good, the Spanish practice was fun, and the trip was a success. Here are some images.

This is me actually playing the guitar for a former mariachi guitarist at an old folks home















Praying for a guy blind in one eye. Don't get to do that very often.










Playing with kids at an orphanage















Handing out water at a dump. No we are not holding hands...

I'm getting old!

We had a date, a real date with dinner and a movie, all by ourselves. I was looking forward to it all week. So the big day comes and Sienna is being crazy, we finally get her fed and Jeff's mom arrives home from work to take care of her and we are out the door by 7. Not so late really, we go to dinner (at this really great cajun place) and then decide, YES we will get home late but YES! we are going to go to the movie (which started at 9:30). We'd been looking forward to Nacho Libre as big Jack Black fans but halfway through the movie my butt started hurting and then there wasn't enough room for my feet, I was feeling restless, tired and uncomfortable and wishing I had just gone home to watch a movie. Then I was falling asleep during the final dramatic fight scene while trying to stay awake for the culmination. The next morning Sienna got up at 5:15 and I had gone to bed at 12. I felt like I was having the hang over I've never had. I'd rather go to dinner and watch a movie in my pj's on the couch so I can go to bed by 10:30 at the LATEST. I'm officially old.
By the way: the podcasts for Nacho Libre are more funny than the actual movie in my opinion.

Summer Movie Bounty

Anyone seen any good movies lately?

just because

For those of you that don't know we have moved to Marion, New York which is just outside of Rochester. We are living with Jeff's parents, which is working out well. We have two rooms and bathroom of our own and more square footage than we have had since living in Holland. We'll probably be here until Jeff gets ordained and the process could take anywhere from one to two years! Oh how I long for house of my own, but free rent and willing helpers aren't bad either. It's been around 90 here the last few days and it reminds me of when Missy and I would lay around with wet wash cloths over our faces saying that it was TOO HOT TO DO ANYTHING! I think Sienna is picking up Auntie Missy's flare for the dramatic in this first picture. The others are just of lazy summer chillin. Also, Sienna is a pro at clapping now, she loves music and especially at church she gets excited during worhsip.

Eva

Simone asked for more pictures of my niece, Eva, and I'm happy to oblige.

She is now almost eight years old--can you believe it? I remember her baby years so well, while we were in college.

Her mom, Sandy, remarried last summer to a guy named Mike. They live in Lansing in a big commune-type house downtown. Sandy and Mike homeschool Eva. They are expecting a child in November.

The first picture is of Eva with Ashley (my main student) and Ashley's temporary pet chickens.

The second one is a personal favorite of Eva full of her childlike joy. She is really beautiful, sweet, and affectionate.

These last two are of her in a pensive (read: overloaded) mood at the wedding.

Eva has the ability to be extremely serious. She seems to be knowledgeable beyond her years and also has quite a sharp & silly sense of humor, especially in her writing. She emails constantly, and edits her own email newsletter called "Email for People." Her favorite thing is to say to someone: "Guess what?" and when they say "What?," she says: "You're a person!" In fact, "youraperson" is her email address.

All of these pics were taken by my dad, her "Papa"-razzi.

I just finished a really good book. It is full of funny little stories, well-written and amazing. I think that anyone, athlete or not, would like it. Link to Ultra Marathon Man for more information.

Nathan Joel Koedyker

My brother Joel and his wife of about nine and a half months, just became parents recently. Both baby and his parents are doing great. I can never remember the weight or length. Nathan's birthdate is the eighth of June, but I found out about it yesterday afternoon. One of those strange time zone things. Here's another thing: Nathan is the second generation American born to missionaries in Japan. Pretty snazzy. The first picture is obviously Nathan, the second is Joel, Mary, and Mary's sister Liz. Congratulations!

Good bye, Cruiser.

Cruiser died last night.
We had him for fifteen-and-a-half years, and he was a good dog.

Wet Spring Days

"Ah, just taking it easy here on the rocks down by the river. Working on my tan. I wonder if I can steal Cadence's squirt gun while he's out chasing tubes... I bet I could. He gets so distracted, and by the time he notices it's gone, mom will tell him I had it first and I will win. Hahaha."

This is Cadence (the one in front) racing (his friend Cameron) to the start to take another exciting trip down the Pflugerville River on a tube. Whether it was really a race or not is irrelevant, Cadence is always racing even if it is just to the refrigerator . He's so competitive, he even cries when mommy beats him in a race from the car door to the front door (half the time I don't know we're racing but he informs we he "won" when he gets there first OR he bursts out crying that I am "too fast"). Cadence does usually win his little races (especially because most of them are agaist Eli, who is a great sport for always losing to his brother)... we are trying to prepare him for the fact that he will lose with other kids at some point. He will have none of that. He thinks he's the fastest. Oh, but he does often boast that daddy is the fastest and strongest daddy in the world - that he is sure of.