Summer 2010: Part 2

The other trip that Josh and I were able to take this summer was for a family Reunion near the Mammoth Caves in Kentucky.  Mike road with us for the trip.  We stayed at a Jellystone campground that Josh's mom's side of the family had arranged.  Thankfully they arranged for cabins because it was HOT!!! It was really great to spend time with Marilyn's family for the week.  We enjoyed time at the pool, water slide and putt putt course on the campground.

Of course we took a tour of the Mammoth Caves.  It was really spectacular.  I had never been in a cave before.  Josh was a bit too tall for some areas and there was one small spot where all of use had to dug and then jig jog our way through a small spot.  We got to see a cave cricket, which the park ranger told us was rare to see while were were in the caves.  They turned all the lights off at one point so that we could really tell how dark it is in a cave.  Hannah and Madi did great with this and weren't even scared...great job girls! At the end of our tour, the we all got a picture with the park Ranger who gave us our tour. 

We truly enjoyed our time with the Fraizer family.  It was nice to spend time with the cousins and their children in our cabin and we had a nice evening one night around the campfire.  We were able to get some great pictures of each family and the whole family that will be cherished by all.

Summer 2010: Part 1

This past summer we were excited for our move to the Milwaukee area and for Josh to start his schooling at Concordia University in late August.  We were pretty busy at work helping finish some small and large projects at the seminary before we moved.  Thankfully Josh and I were able to enjoy a couple of trips this summer before his busy schedule with school.

We visited my family in MI in June.  Mom and Dad took us to a lookout on the bluffs of Lake MI that we I had never been to.  It was GORGEOUS and a rain storm came through while we were up there. It was incredible to see the storm clouds move closer and closer to shore as the waves picked up and following the intensity.  At one point we were just watching the rain heading up the coastline towards us.  We were lucky and only got hit by a few rain drops.  Then the sun started peeking through the clouds on it's way down for sunset and we saw a DOUBLE rainbow. We could see both full rainbows and it was remarkable!  I got some great pictures.  God's creation is so beautiful!

While in Traverse City we also enjoyed some sports and time with other family members.  We played a round of golf with my dad and mom joined us for the ride. We played a round of Frisbee golf with my brother Jon, his girlfriend Tara and my niece and nephew, Alyssa and Jacob. We also had the chance to watch Alyssa play softball. 



Spring 2010

Josh and I enjoyed the spring time in the house at the seminary.  It was such a nice large house where we were blessed to have each of our families visit for Thanksgiving and Christmas last year (who know if we'll ever have a house again that can fit our whole family).  A lot of beautiful flowers popped up around the outside of the house, including two peony plants! These were my favorite.  One of the most exciting things that happened for us in the spring was Josh's acceptance to a Physical Therapy program in WI.  So we greatly looked forward to that opportunity for him later in the summer.

I had the privilege of helping my sister-in-law Melissa take the kids to Ohio to visit Josh's parents.  Eric, Melissa's husband couldn't make the trip because of school and Josh could only go for one night to attend a golf outing with his dad.  So I made the trip with Melissa and the kids and it was quite the trip!  Three small children on a 6 hour car ride would have almost been impossible for Melissa to do on her own.  One of them got car sick, the baby needed to be fed when we would stop, crying for toys that were dropped on the floor while driving and most anything else you can expect on this kind of car ride. It sure made me appreciate Melissa and mom's everywhere who work REALLY hard for their children and families.  I even think I experience mommy brain at one point.  I was trying to buckle the girls in their seats and each one wanted their bears and blankets, while grabbing at toys and I was also trying to give them a snack. I was looking for toys while trying to help and remind the girls to get in their seats and begin buckling (they could do most of it by themselves).  Finally, they were all buckled up with bears, blankets, toys, snacks and I couldn't find the lid to the Pringles container. I was sure that I had just set it down next to me.  Sure enough after searching the whole back of the van it was in my other hand.  I also proceeded to wake up the first couple mornings after returning home with children's songs in my head. Just a glimpse of mommy brain:)

We enjoyed the time at the Moore's.  We went to a beautiful children's garden and the girls enjoyed big bubbles with Uncle Josh.  We celebrated Melissa's birthday and the girls helped grandma decorate a
butterfly cake for their mom.  It was a fun and crazy weekend...but I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

The butterfly cake that Hannah and Madi decorated for Melissa!

Charlie and his first hat...what a cutie!



Uncle Josh helping the girls make big bubbles.

The children's garden in Dayton.

The Pickard's visit Chicago

My family came to visit between Christmas and New Year's. We had a lot of fun having them here for the week. My parents traveled through some snow weather to get here. My grandma was able to ride with them, which was great because we needed her help for the popcorn puzzle (she ended up taking it home to enjoy!) Alyssa and Jacob rode with all fo them too and seemed to really enjoy their time with cousins and family. Jon wasn't able to make it but I talked to him on New Year's and he had a chance to go to Traverse City's first ever Cherry Drop for New Year's (Yes, a giant cherry was dropped). Justin, Julie, Bailey and Braden braved the cold weather and flew up from Dallas.

We played a lot games and had a lot of laughs watching eahc other try games on the Wii fit board. My favorites were Braden sword fighting, Justin flying like a bird and Josh figure skating, Alyssa hip checking the bubbles and Jacob skateboarding:) The girls went into the city to go to the American Girl Store. I had to laugh when I saw the hospital for the dolls, but the whole place was cute. We spent an evening at an arcade and played laser tag. We walked through this tunnel with a bridge where the tunnel spun around us in the dark. It felt like we were going to flip upside down. Some of us went to the zoo on the free day and we were some of few people there in 9 degree weather.

I'm so glad they could all come. We made fun memories, at ymmy food at home and out to eat. Thanks for the good times.

Merry Christmas!

Dear Family and Friends,

We hope you have had a wonderful year and that you are enjoying the Christmas season. We are so thankful for God's provision and faithfulness through this past year. As the 2009 year began Josh and I were dealing with uncertainties and health concerns. At the time there were a lot of changes happening at our work and we really weren't sure what might happen next.

As we look back on the year it is so great to see the growth that was a result of the difficult circumstances we were facing. We sought God's guidance even when we didn't understand what was going on with our health, jobs, and schooling. The Lord made it evidently clear that his plan and timing is perfect. It reminds me of a verse I memorized in high school, "But these things will not happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! The will not be overdue a single day. " Habakkuk 2:3

We have experienced God's blessings in every area of our lives. My surgery was successful and there have been no further complications and Josh's health has been better the second half of the year. Josh received a promotion as the Associate Director of Maintenance and I am now an Executive Assistant and Human Resources Director. We had the opportunity to move into a house on campus this summer and we have enjoyed having extra space to host events and have family visit. Josh had the opportunity to coach our church softball team and I have stepped up in my leadership with the junior high youth ministry.

This year was a great reminder for us that no matter what we are going through we can trust in God and depend on his Word. We enjoyed spending time with family over Thanksgiving and we are looking forward to spending more time with family during the Christmas season. We encourage you to remember Christ in this season and the true gift of life. May the Lord bless you and make his presence known to you in the coming year.

You're in our thoughts and prayers. Merry Christmas!


J & J Moore

Ginger Bread House

Our Christmas tradition is to make a gingerbread (we use graham crackers) house each year. We try to do something new and be more creative each year. Josh's little car with Santa driving is my favorite part this year. Of course we start out saying that we will not eat any of the candy while making the house. But that rule gets thrown out after about 30 minutes of hard work:)

Thanksgiving and Christmas Tree Farm

Josh and I hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year.

Josh's side of the family, including his cousin Lydia stayed with us for a few days. A friend from the seminary also joined us for Thanksgiving dinner. We enjoyed our time together. Everyone helped out with the big Thanksgiving meal, which worked our wonderfully. I cooked my first turkey and it was successful. Marilyn showed me how to cook the turkey in a bag. It was a breeze! I'll do it that way every time. We went into Chicago one of the days and we had some good laughs playing Cranium Pop 5. We completed a Steelers puzzle just in time to put it back in the box. Madi and Hannah had a lot of fun playing with everyone and Charlie was just cute and quiet as usual.

The following Saturday we went to a Christmas tree farm with Eric, Melissa, the kids and Mike. This was the best Christmas tree farm I've ever been to (well I haven't been to many, but this was great). There was a small lake on the farm and several different fields that you could walk through to find your tree. Josh and I searched for quite a while until we were ready to just pick one and go. That was when we spotted the one that we loved. In fact we liked it so much we didn't even measure it and just cut it down. This resulted in Josh cutting off about a foot and a half from the bottom in order for the tree to fit in our living room. It is beautiful and we really enjoyed the hunting adventure.