Looking for Adventure...

A couple of weekends ago Steve and I took a motorcycle ride.

I guess you could say we were "looking for adventure!"

 

It was a beautiful day and after driving through

Palisades Park in Mount Vernon,

I suggest that we check out Stone City...so we headed that way!

It was there that we discovered "The General Store"

which is a really cool restaurant in one of the

historical stone buildings of Stone City.

It is reasons like this that I am thankful for my husband!

You see...Steve has an amazing sense of adventure

and if it were not for him, I probably would not have

seen or done all of the things that I have over the years.

Life is a journey and I am thankful to be "on this ride" with you, Steve!

Look for adventure and love the journey....

and thank God that if we put our trust in Him,

He will show us how to enjoy life!

 

"The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.

I came that they may have and enjoy life,

and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows.)"

John 10:10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



A Time for Love...

Last Thursday evening we celebrated our friends upcoming wedding.

 

Lori and Rob have been together for quite a few years

and now the are "making it official" by

planning to get married this September.

 

 

Lori is one of the biggest "reasons" why I am part of the Iowa Realty Family,

along with all of these other beautiful ladies!

 

 

Our "Office Mom" Miss Babs was so gracious to open

her beautiful home to host this event and she did a

fabulous job with making us feel right at home!

 

 

Babs is famous for decorating her table for dinner parties

with a specific theme or word in mind and the "words"

for this celebration were "time & love!"

 

 

The table was filled with quotes to remind us of the

importance of time and love....

...and it was also filled with lots of yummy appetizers too!

 

 

Time and Love....two very important "ingredients" for a beautiful marriage!

 

 

Babs also asked each guest to prepare a "written word of advice"

to share with the happy couple.

 

 

Since my word for the year is "Love" I felt it most

appropriate to share this bible verse with them...

 

 

...and Steve had his "funny version" of the meaning of

each word to share with them as well!

 

 

It was a wonderful evening filled with laughter, fellowship and fun!

 

 

What great reminders that "love is an action"

and that it is really worth the time!

 

 

When the vows are read and the rings are exchanged,

my hope is that God will help lead Lori and Rob to

the oneness He desires for their marriage.

 

 

Let the colors of "life" be a celebration in your hearts...

...and may time and love be a blessing in your lives!

 

 

Congratulations and God Bless you both...love and prayers...Sue

 

 

 

 

 



The Letter "B"...

 

Saturday our two great nieces, Lucy and Molly, stayed all night!

 

 

Our theme for the evening was, the letter "B"...

...which started with making bracelets with beads!

 

 

The girls did a beautiful job with creating the bracelets and we had a lot of FUN!

 

Then it was time to move onto making dinner...

 

 

Molly had fun "playing in the dough" making alphabet bread sticks!

We spelled both of their names...

...and a couple of "S & S's" for me and Steve too!

 

 

Then it was time to move onto assembling the "Pasta Bake" for dinner!

 

 

Layers of sauce...pasta and cheese....YUM!...

 

 

...and a team effort to get the meal prepared...

 

 

...with aprons and all we got the job DONE...

 

 

...and with LOTS of cheese our pasta bake was fabulous!

 

 

After dinner we did a little "cheering" with my old pom-poms!

 

 

After our "cheer session" it was time for bubble bath then bedtime!

 

 

The theme for our night was the letter "b" and beyond the bracelets,

pasta bake, bubble bath and bedtime was the most important "b"...

 

...the Blessing that these two little girls are in our lives!

 

 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who

has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual

blessing in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 1:3 

 

 

 



A Sunday Drive....

 

Our Sunday morning started a little different that most...

...we planned a "Sunday Drive" to West Burlington.

 

 

 We picked up a little "breakfast energy" for the drive...

...some YUMMY blended coffee drinks from Caribou Coffee!

 

 

The most important reason for our Sunday drive,

was so that we could attend service at The United Methodist Church

in West Burlington...this is where our nephew Tim, serves as pastor.

 

 

This is a photo of Tim with his sister, Erin, at our wedding September 1996. 

The shortest of the groomsmen (and shorter than his sister too!)

 

 

Tim has not only grown into a wonderful husband and father

but he has grown into a man of God that has a beautiful gift

of sharing The Gospel to friends, family and his congregation.

 

 

After service, we delivered an air hockey table and

this "monkey bike" below to Tim's home.

 

 

My great-nephew, Parker, was a natural at riding

the "monkey bike" and my great-niece, Macyn,

enjoyed checking it out too!

 

 

Tim has a beautiful family and his wife, Meredith,

is such a blessing as well.

 

 

Their youngest, Beckett, was enjoying the day too...what a smile!

 

 

Even though we don't get to see Tim and his family as often

as we would like to...it's a comfort to know that God is working

in their lives and that He has blessed Tim and Meredith

with three beautiful children....such a joy!

 

 

On our way out of town, Steve spotted the Sterzing's Potato Chip

factory and because Steve is such a huge fan...

 

 

...we had to stop so that he could get his photo taken by the factory.

 

 

Talk about someone that is dedicated to his chips...

 

 

...that's my Steve!  Love you, honey!!

 

 

It was a rainy Sunday drive, but I thought the clouds

looked so beautiful, I could not resist taking a photo of them.

 

 

We decided to find a place along the Mississippi River for lunch

and spotted "Big Muddy's"...it was pretty good!

 

After lunch, we took a walk along the river

and then we headed home.

 

 

Another reason for our Sunday drive, was to pick up this

9' church pew that Tim and Meredith had found for us.

 

It still needs some paint or stain, but I was eager to see what it

looked like in our home.  Lots of possibilities here....love it!

 

 

On our walk along the river in Burlington, we came across a gift shop

that had "Sterzing's" t-shirts for sale and of course Steve

was all over getting one of those....how funny!

 

 

A rainy, but beautiful Sunday drive filled with adventure and laughter....

 

 

...and an heart-filled service given by our nephew, Tim.

 

Peace and Hope in Him....God is GOOD!

 

 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 5:1-5