Daddy's Birthday

Earlier this month, we celebrated Daddy’s birthday! To celebrate, we went out for dinner as a family. He had requested to go to a local catfish restaurant that also happens to have very good country-fried steak (one of his favorites.) We all piled into the car once he got home from work, and Mom and Josiah got back from Tae-Kwon-Do. (Actually, we had to walk to the car down our LONG driveway in the 95-degree heat because our gate doesn’t like to open once it gets that hot. :-P)

We pulled into an empty parking lot at the catfish restaurant. It turns out they are only open on the weekends in the summer time! This is the same restaurant that closes for 6 weeks around Christmas time. You just never know if a restaurant around here will be open or not. People are not afraid to take time off when they want to!

So we substituted and went to a local Mexican restaurant. Dad and Roma had been there on a Daddy-Daughter Date Night, but the rest of us hadn’t been yet.

Josiah and Mommy waiting to place their order.

Photo Credit: Roma.

The birthday boy and me. J I love my Daddy!

Photo Credit: Betsy.

The food was really good! I had shrimp in a garlic sauce, served over cooked cabbage with fresh avocado slices, Spanish rice, and salad.

When we got home, Daddy opened his gifts. We gave him a gift card to Taco Cabana (his favorite fast food place) and some cologne. A few days before, he had gone out with Ben to pick out a new weight bench and equipment to go with it.

We also gave him a metal sign with Philippians 4:13 on it to hang in his workshop (it had a picture of an iron worker in the background.)

Someone was sitting just a bit close. J I love my brother too! What you don’t see is the picture taken just a few seconds after this. My face is contorted in pain as his 5 o’clock shadow was pressed a bit too hard into my face. J

Photo Credit: Roma.

Then we had birthday cake! Keeping with tradition, Daddy chose Mom’s triple chocolate cake. It was delicious as always!

I’m so grateful for my Daddy and all the years we’ve been blessed by him. Here’s to many more!

Our Mother!!

~Posted by Mark (Tribute written to share at the funeral)

Mom, what can I say? You must have really wanted to be with dad. We certainly did not expect to be sitting here today. But we all know that God’s timing is supreme and with divine purpose.

One of your key gifts was encouragement. I can remember many long conversations with you either after school or after work. Even after I moved out, I could remember conversations with you every week on the phone. You were always supportive of my efforts. You were always willing to listen to me. You would also encourage those at your church. I will miss my mother’s wisdom and advice.

Your 57 years of marriage was an encouragement to many. You stood by dad and showed him tremendous love. Even as both of you struggled with your health, you would still sit in the nursing home holding hands and before dad left the two of you embraced and kissed.

I have so many great memories. I remember some great fun playing basketball with you. That was no easy task as you were a state champion in basketball. Growing up on a farm also made you more of a tomboy. I can recall one time trying to scare you with a garter snake; however, that was hard as it became evident that I was more afraid of the snake than you were.

Mom, I love and will miss you until one day we meet up together in heaven.

Goodbye for now!

Your loving son, Mark

My Dad

~Posted by Mark (Tribute written to share at the funeral)

 

My Dad!

 

Dad, when I look back, there are so many memories that I could share. I look back at what was really important and that would be how you shaped the character of your children. You showed me what a godly man looked like. Your strength came from the Lord. You were loving, compassionate, slow to anger, wise, humble.

 

Over the years, it was an encouragement to see you daily read your Bible. I know you also prayed for your family, our spouses, and our kids. You were a loving husband to mom. You showed her your love daily. You provided a great model for a marriage. God blessed you and mom for 57 years! You were a humble man who lacked nothing.

 

It was hard the last half year to see you struggle with your breathing. I know now you are in a place where you breathe freely and once again sing praises to the Lord!! Even as you were in the valley of darkness, you relied on the Lord. As you were reading your Bible daily, I know you often were comforted by the 23^rd Psalm. I know the Lord was your comfort and you are now dwelling in His house.

 

Dad, I thank you for all the great memories: the model railroad, the high adventure canoe trips with the Boy Scouts (including when the black bear attacked your pack), the time working on home projects together, the time you spent loving on my children, the times of advice and comfort, and so many more.

 

Dad you have run the good race and have finished well. I can only imagine God saying to you, “Job well done good and faithful servant.” Dad you will be missed, but I look forward to being with you in heaven one day and rejoicing again!!

 

Dad, I love you. Mom, I love you. You were the best parents one could hope to have.

 

Blogger Challenge Day 4: Your Parents

I am blessed with two of the greatest parents in the world! (I’m sure everyone says that, but it’s true in my case! J) They have been married for almost 24 years now and together for almost 28. They have been a great example to my siblings and me of what a God-honoring marriage looks like.

For a long time, we couldn’t really decide if I took after one or the other more. With all my other siblings, it was very easy to determine which one they were most like in looks and personality.

But I was always different. I didn’t look a whole lot like one or the other. My personality was a bit of a mix as well. As I’ve gotten older, it’s gotten a bit easier to determine who I take after in certain ways, but it’s definitely mixed!

My Italian looks and coloring come from my Mom, but I obviously got my straight hair from Dad. Some of my facial features (thick eyebrows, my nose) take after Dad. My height was pretty much split between them. Mom is 5 feet tall, Dad is 6’3” and I am 5’6.”

Over the years my personality has become more like Dad. We both tend to be pretty mild-mannered. We also like to talk. J Between the two of us, we’re almost always the last ones to leave church or a gathering with friends. We often think of the same things at the same time. We both tend to annoy the rest of the family by being techno-savvy. Other family members will complain about something not working right, and when my Dad or I walk in the room they just start working! We also share a lot of common interests like flying, running, and being food snobs together. J

But there are also a lot of ways I’m like my Mom. We both love writing, and she has done a good job of helping me hone my writing skills. We both like to experiment with new recipes in the kitchen, especially when we are having guests over. When it comes to my favorite subjects in school, I tend to be like my Mom and prefer things like English and writing, history, and other fine arts rather than the math and science that Dad loves.

I am so grateful for both of my parents and I love the fact that I am like both of them!

Updated: "About Our Family" Page

In honor of the New Year, we have updated our “About Our Family” page with all new pictures and updated bios. We hope you enjoy!

 

This is the patriarch and matriarch of our family. Mark and Betsy met each other in college in Ohio. They have now been happily married for 23 years! Mark enjoys cars, trains, flying planes, Boy Scouts, missions, reformed theology, Creation science, teaching at church, and being the Daddy of our family! Betsy enjoys writing, reading, cross-stitching, homemaking, gardening, extending hospitality, supporting Mark’s interests, and homeschooling their five children. Both Mark and Betsy are enjoying their new life in the countryside of Texas.

Bianca is the oldest of five siblings and is in High School. By request of her Daddy, and with his oversight, she designed, built, and also maintains this blog as a homeschool project. When she is not busy with school she enjoys reading, working in her organic vegetable garden, reading (and writing!) blogs, experimenting in the kitchen, learning about Biblical daughterhood and preparing to be a help-meet one day, babysitting, running (especially long distance), organizing and simplifying our home, writing her monthly newsletter, listening to music, playing the piano, and being the errand girl in the family! J She feels called to the foreign missions field and is working to build an orphanage in Haiti (see the “Orphanage Project” page for more details.) She has a very outgoing personality and loves to be around people.

Benjamin is next in the family line-up. He is in High School, and is the “Knight in Training!” He stays busy with school and working around the house. When he has free time he loves landscaping, working in the yard, running with Bianca, cooking (without a recipe!), reading anything and everything about history, playing the drums, learning about Biblical manhood, and playing football, basketball, and baseball. Ben has a big servant’s heart and loves to serve his family.

Rubia and Roma are twins, but Ruby is older by a few minutes! Ruby is in Junior High and is becoming a young lady. She loves anything related to animals (especially horses and dogs) and therefore loves walking our dog, admiring the neighbor’s horses, and playing with the pets. She loves writing, reading, cooking and helping in the kitchen, playing her guitar, babysitting, shooting with pistols, and much more! Ruby is great with little children!

Roma helps our family stay sane! J She too is becoming quite the young lady along with her twin sister. Roma enjoys playing piano, babysitting, photography (especially nature pictures), taking videos, graphic design, playing with and loving on her “baby” Zack (one of our cats), making the rest of us laugh, climbing trees, baking, and drawing. She is very outgoing and funny! Little children are very drawn to Roma!

 

Josiah is the youngest of our family. He is in elementary school and loves to learn! In his free time he enjoys playing, building things, drawing pictures, spending time outside, playing any sport that uses a ball, reading and writing, helping in the kitchen, reading devotions with Mom, taking videos and pictures with our digital camera, and fiddling around on the piano and drums. He hopes to shoot a rattlesnake with one of his guns someday. J Josiah is very outgoing and loves to talk and explain things!

 

Court of Honor

*Sorry the blog post is late! I completely forgot about it during the busy weekend we had this week!*

 

Last Monday Ben’s Boy Scout troop had a court of honor. It was a bit sad for Dad and Ben as this is most likely their last court of honor with this troop. But the evening went well and was enjoyed by all!

 

Back in June, Dad led a canoe trek with several of the boys. During the Court of Honor, he gave a short speech on some of the funny things that happened on the trek. J This brought on some laughs and blushes from the boys! (Sorry for the poor quality of these pictures; they were taken with my Dad’s phone since we forgot to bring a camera.)

Ben and Dad received their award for completing the trek during the Court of Honor as well.

After the ceremony, they had an All-American picnic with hot dogs, chips, desserts, and lemonade. While the boys will really miss the troop here, they look forward to finding a new troop in Texas and starting work on Ben’s Eagle Scout project!

 

"Hazardous Journeys" Mountain Rendezvous, continued

~ posted by Ben

 

Day 2

 

We woke up around 7 this morning, packed up and had breakfast at a local café. Then we drove to the “Georgetown loop” railroad station. We had bought tickets for this train tour through Georgetown. We saw some breathtaking views!



The train station.

The beautiful Colorado Mountains.

Going across a bridge.

The train made a stop at a goldmine visitor’s center; we got off the train since we had purchased tickets for an extended gold mine tour.

 

An abandoned gold mine on the verge of collapsing. Not going in there!

The inside of the mine.

“Dragons blood.”

The tour was really neat and educational! One thing I found particularly interesting was the story behind “Tommy knockers.” Have you ever wondered why in history books, you only see pictures of 19^th century miners right outside the entrance to a mine but never inside of it? It was not uncommon for miners to die while working in a mine. The superstitious miners believed that when a miner died, his spirit lived on in the mine. They called these spirits “Tommy knockers.” They believed that the Tommy knockers watched over them and kept them safe while they mined. But they also believed that it was a curse to upset these spirits, so there were a few things they never did. One was taking pictures. In the old days a camera was a large and complicated setup that made a small explosion when you took the pictures. The explosion echoed, making a large rumble throughout the mines. We now know that this was from the picture, but the miners thought that this rumble was the wrath of the Tommy knockers who apparently did not like their picture being taken!

 

After the train returned to the station we drove to the “Crooked Creek Ranch”, a Young Life Christian camp near Fraser, Colorado. This was where the Father/Son retreat was going to be held. We checked in and settled into our dorms. I then did some rock climbing that I signed up for earlier that afternoon.

 

The welcome sign.

Our cabin.

Our dorm room.

The view of the pool from the front of our cabin.

Looking the other direction.

Me climbing the rock wall.

That evening we had the official opening of the conference with a delicious dinner. The dinner, along with all the meals at the conference, was served by wives and daughters of the staff running the event. These gracious women did it on a completely voluntary basis, for no pay at all. We were very grateful!

 

That evening, Doug Phillips (Founder and CEO of Vision Forum ministries) gave an inspiring sermon on manhood. He is an incredibly enthusiastic, engaging and inspiring speaker!

 

Sorry for the blur, but this is Mr. Doug Phillips, Founder and CEO of Vision Forum Ministries.

After the opening service, my Dad and I enjoyed a late night Ice cream at the camp café and then had a good night’s sleep. We are excited for the day tomorrow!

 

To learn more about Vision Forum and the Hazardous Journey’s Society visit http://www.hazardousjourneys.org/

 

To be continued. . .

 

Father and Son

For many years up until Josiah was born, Ben was Dad’s only son. They’ve always had a special bond as father and son, and still do today. When he was younger, we once showed Ben a picture of Dad when he was about the same age. Ben believed us when we told him the boy in the picture (Dad) was actually him (Ben!) As he has grown older, he still resembles Dad in many ways and they love building their relationship together, whether it be through Boy Scouts, flying planes, camping, or doing Bible Studies together.

Dad and Ben have always shared a love of planes.

Ben really enjoyed having Dad as his Cub-Master for a couple of years.

Ben and Dad before Ben’s Rite of Passage Ceremony.

Dad and Ben at Ben’s graduation from Boy Scout Leadership Training Camp.

Dad's Birthday

Earlier this month we celebrated Daddy’s birthday!

Dad requested that we go to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner.

Sorry for the blur on the side of this photo. The waiters at this restaurant are really fast! J

We all enjoyed a delicious meal and even brought some leftovers home.

Photo Credit: Roma.

When we came home, we had birthday cake. Daddy requested homemade Triple Chocolate Cake. I think it’s one of his favorites as it has made an appearance at several of his birthday celebrations!

We all sang to him before digging into the cake and ice cream.

We gave Daddy our gifts after that. We had a great time celebrating as a family and we’re so thankful for the many wonderful years we’ve had with Daddy. Here’s to many more!

Father

This Father’s Day, we wish to honor three men whose faithfulness as fathers has shaped not only their children, but many generations to come. They understood their calling as family patriarchs, and they fulfilled it unflinchingly, with courage and commitment. We love you all, Daddy, Bio, and Grandpa! May the following poem by Douglas Phillips express our gratitude to you, now and for always. 

The Patriarch

“More noble than the valiant deeds of shining knights of yore,
More powerful than earthly plights that make the rich man poor,
More kingly than a royal throne or a lion with his pride,
Is he whose babes sleep well at night sure Daddy will provide.

There is a spirit in this land and Jezebel’s her name.
She’s calling you to leave your home for power, fun, and fame.
She wants your wife, your children too — she’ll never compromise,
Until your house is torn in two by listening to her lies.

But though a hundred thousand million men may fall prey to her lures,
And wives en masse leave home in search of “more fulfilling” chores,
Though preachers praise, and friends embrace, her pagan plan of death,
Stand strong and quit you like a man with every blessed breath.

Stand strong and rise, O man of God, to meet this noble call,
The battle is not new, you see, it’s been here since the Fall.

Your wife is your helpmeet, my friend, and not another man’s,
So care for her and keep her far from Mistress Jezi’s plans.
Protect, provide, and give to her your undivided life,
This is the dear one of your youth, your precious bride, your wife.

And rally to those tiny ones who trust you for their care —
A lifetime spent discipling them’s a lifetime pure and rare.
For when they put their hand in yours and know a Daddy’s love,
You’re showing them a picture of the Father from above.

Look not toward worldly goal or gain, or for your liberty,
Look only into their sweet eyes to find your ministry.
Devote your heart and sacrifice and make your manly mark —
There is none so great as he who finds his call as patriarch.”

 ~ posted by Betsy

Court of Honor

Last week, Ben had his final Boy Scout Court of Honor for the year.

This court of honor was special because Ben advanced from the rank of Star to the rank of Life, which comes right before the final rank of Eagle Scout.

Here, he puts his Life pin on Mom’s scouting ribbon. She’s quite proud of his hard work!

Ben also received a medal for participating in two hikes on the Chief Pontiac Trail. He did a winter hike, and a spring backpacking trek. He will be going on his 3^rd and final trek later to complete his award this summer. This upcoming trek involves canoeing and backpacking.

Daddy also received a medal for participating in the two CPT treks.

After the Court of Honor, all the scouts and their families had an ice cream social. We’re really proud of both Ben and Dad for their accomplishments in Scouts this year!

Flying with Dad

(Posted by Rubia)

My Daddy loves airplanes. He loves to fly the Cessna that he shares with his flying club. He hadn’t been flying in a long time, so a few weeks ago he went up to the airport to get some practice. Then last week, he decided to go back and take a flying exam.

At the last minute, Mom asked me if I wanted to go with Dad. I hadn’t been flying with him in a long time, so without hesitation, I agreed. And Daddy said I could go!

But on the way there, he warned me that he would need to do some scary things as part of the test. He knew that I didn’t really like it when he would fly up and down, and up and down. It didn’t make my stomach feel good. He also warned me about the blindfolding test, which I will explain later.

I got all that out of my mind as we talked and talked on the way to the airport. Finally we arrived, and Dad parked the car in front of his hangar. He said that it wouldn’t be just us flying, but a friend of his, Mr. D, was going to lead him through his test. I didn’t mind—I actually felt relieved that Daddy wasn’t going to do the test alone.

I pushed the green button that opened the door of the hangar. Dad checked the plane over and pushed it out. Then we walked across the parking lot to the main building, so that we could use the restroom before taking off.

Outside the building were two men sitting at a picnic table. Dad said that one of them was a pilot in an air show! He had brought his little dog, Brady, with him, who I fell in love with right away! I cuddled with the dog until Daddy’s instructor arrived.

About 10 minutes later, I was in the back seat of Dad’s plane, putting on headsets, and making sure my seatbelt was fastened tight. Mr. D, Dad’s instructor, didn’t notice me until he climbed into the seat next to Daddy.

“Is she going to be okay with all this?” He looked at Dad.

“I think she’ll do fine,” he replied.

I felt a little nervous once again as the plane sped faster and faster down the runway.

“It really isn’t so bad,” I convinced myself the whole time. “It’s just like a regular flight. Just have fun.”

Even so, I kept praying. I thought it was almost silly that I was so nervous…but I prayed anyway.

As the plane rose higher in the sky, I gazed out the window. I kept looking out, until I couldn’t see Brady, the little dog, anymore.

Now it was time to start the test. For my sake, Daddy began with slow flight. In this test, he had to fly as slow as he possibly could. But not too slow, or the plane would stall.

I remembered a comforting verse in the Bible, about how not one sparrow falls without God knowing it. I felt better. This was relaxing.

But then when Mr. D. would say, “Nose down,” I knew that my stomach was about to drop. “Nose down” meant that Daddy had to point the front of the plane (the nose) downward toward earth. And then the instructor would say, “Nose up” and the front of the plane would tilt a little upward. I didn’t want to do this. I let out two hollers, so they stopped.

After all that, Daddy did the blindfolding test. No, he didn’t really have to fly blindfolded, but he wore some special glasses, and he wasn’t supposed to look out the window; just downward at his instruments.

I wasn’t scared anymore. So I took a few photos, and enjoyed the flight. As I looked out the window at all the tiny buildings and farms, I was reminded of how small we really are, and how BIG God is!

My ears were popping, so I kept chewing and chewing my gum. We flew for about an hour, and then it was time for Daddy to finish his test. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to handle the rest of it, because now he had to fly up-and-down and side-to-side.

“Dad,” I said through my headset. “I have to go to the bathroom!”

“How bad?”

“Pretty bad!”

“Oh, come on,” coaxed Mr. D. “Flying is fun! You can handle the rest of the test.”

“I think we’ll just fly her back to the hangar anyway,” said Dad to Mr. D.

I wondered if he was talking about me, the plane, or both. I hoped he meant me!

“She can wait in the office while I finish this.”

Now I knew he was talking about me. J

But just then, both men saw what had happened to the airspeed indicator.

“Huh? It says zero!” said Dad.

“A bug must have gotten in there,” said Mr. D. “We’ll just fly your daughter back to the airport, then figure out what happened.”

Well, it ended up that they never took the plane back up, because when we were landing, the indicator said 120. It was definitely acting weird.

By the time we got back to the hangar, it was dark. Dad left a note to let everyone else in his club know NOT to take the plane up. Then we drove home.

The good news is, we’re safe, and a mechanic can fix the plane soon. I really had fun flying, even though I’m not much for the “up-and-down” kind of flying. But I like to be with Dad! I hope to fly again soon, after the plane is fixed!