Guess Who (With What) Pulled Into Pleasant Chapel??

....my dear friend John Wallace.....in his new car.....a 99 Corvette......

....cruisin in from Akron....to visit his Buick buddy!

"You're in Time Out, Grandpa...and You Can't Talk!

........that was my punishment for spilling my coffee on the front of me! Hailey relegated me to the corner chair and I couldn't talk all day.....and to make sure....she sealed my mouth up with.........

.............STICKERS.......

.............DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS FOR ME NOT TO TALK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hailey's Antics....

.......responding to Grandma's directive to "roll your eyes.."

We have a grocery cash register that the kids love to play with. It actually scans the food off the shelf and "tells you" its price. here she scans the items at check out......and then........

......calls over the loud speaker for ...."CLEAN UP ON AISLE 3!"

Another Sun Rise Over Pleasant Chapel...

....it's neat to be alerted by your wife to get outside ASAP....."you won't want to miss this one!"

.......again......SHE WAS RIGHT!

Guess Who's Home....

Megan and David are here! .....TO PURCHASE A PIECE OF LICKING COUNTY REAL ESTATE!
Here they are contemplating their home of the future. They are buying the house and land David lived on when they met..... It's so neat to see them planning their lives together for the future (which of course means at some point having the Grandkids within 10 miles!!) It also causes Pat and I to reminisce about the days we contemplated purchasing the "estate" here at Pleasant Chapel.....$21,500 seemed insurmountable at the time with our dedication to Pat being a stay at home mom and me with a college dept! I remember how anxious we were to have a place that was ours....to fix up and decorate as we pleased. Since it was a "stalk house plan" approved by Farmers Home Administration...... we had very little input into the construction. I do remember coming out while the bathroom was being plumbed and asked if they could raise the showerhead on the wall since I was 6'5" tall....... They did!.... And here we are 35 years later ....glad we are still together and enjoying our kids, grandkids and friends right hear on Pleasant Chapel Rd SE.....


SPEAKING OF GRANDKIDS.....

More shots to come.........

Back In The Saddle Again....Back Where A Friend Is A Friend..

For the first time in 11 years I'm back teaching at Toboso! I'm leading 360 kids on tours through Black Hand Gorge State Nature Preserve over 6 half days. This is important suff.....It is passing on the passion and information about one of God's most beautifully created spots here in Licking County. It is teaching kids to be teachers and guides through a place of very rich history and beautiful nature.... And who was in the first 1/2 day trip I lead...none other than 5th grade Toboso student Granddaughter, Zoe.....

......and in the afternoon group....4th grade Toboso student Granddaughter, Addy.....

.........at the end of the day I was exhausted....remembering how draining hiking and teaching can be....BUT I LOVED IT....and so did eveyone else I think ....except the kid backrow right!

Girl's Dorm Product

Many years ago.....in a previous life.....Pat and I were church Youth Leaders. At summer camp she would be "Dorm Mom" to the teenage girls and I would be "Dorm Dad" for the guys. Sonja was from Springfield Ohio and met her boyfriend Chris from Fork, Maryland. Now they are married, have a daughter Jessica, a Sophamore at Newark High and a son, Travis, leaving tomorrow for duty in the Air National guard. Time flies when.......

....Sonja's Dad, Rodger, enjoyed the relaxation chair on the back porch.......while.......

......her Mom describes the beauties of South Carolina to Pat.

"Old" Friends Pay A Visit

Bill's Botanical continues to be a magnet for friends both old and new. Sonja Lindner brought her Mom and Dad over for an afternoon of "catching up" laughter and relishing life.......especially since Rodger contracted cancer and was given only 5 years to live....
15 YEARS AGO!!

Kayla's Big Night Out

Since we don't have any kids at home now we have taken to adopting other people's kids! Kevin Bergenthun's daughter, Kayla, is one and this is her and her Homecoming buddies several of whom attend our church.......

.....she's a cutie...but doesn't like to be in the limelight so much but said as the picture below was taken......

...."This corsage just screams, LOOK AT ME!!!"

....her sister Kenna (the cute red head on the left) is a favorite too!
............Pat............wasn't it just yesterday that we were "parenting" the two kids on the right??!!

Kid City

Autumn Williams doing the fancy art work for our new children's theme at church called Kid City. The children's hall will look like a city street with awnings at the doors and the different rooms looking like pet shop, candy store etc.

Jess Lindner, Kenna Bergenthun, Kayla Bergenthun and Emily were four of the teens that showed up to help paint the walls.