tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302607542024-03-14T05:22:12.122-04:00Mom2TwinsEricahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-45647565648520224772010-02-17T20:14:00.002-05:002010-02-17T20:24:37.116-05:00Catchin' up!Sorry about the long absence. I feel terrible to those of you who do not have <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">facebook</span> and cannot keep up with me on there. Life has been crazy since I last posted. Obviously, a lot has happened...it's been like three months! Oh my goodness! So sorry.<br /><br />The beginning of the year brought lots of changes. Jon started his Masters of Divinity program and was gone for a week to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">IWU</span>. During that week, Jon's Pa passed away and it was a blessing that Jon was able to drive home and see him during his last few hours here on earth. I was in an accident and totaled the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">camry</span>. It had been a great car for ten years but we then had to go car shopping...something that Jon and I both loathed! Sydney started ballet classes and loved it so much she convinced her sister to join as well. So, both the girls are taking ballet and loving it! I started to lead a Beth Moore bible study on Thursday nights. This is not my first Beth Moore study, but it is my first time leading one. It is a great group of ladies and I'm looking forward to what God will do in each of our lives during the study.<br /><br />Right now just sitting back and enjoying the Olympics. I want to promise that I will not have any more long absences from blogging...but I decline from making such a promise. Life is good but crazy and if something has to go, it will be blogging! Hope you all are doing well.Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-25872631804615238682009-11-24T20:46:00.002-05:002009-11-24T20:52:51.462-05:00Sorry for the long absence. I'm going to blame it on busy-ness! Our lives have been crazy, but it's all good stuff. I think it's that mentality that keeps me busy though. I'm wrestling with the idea of not blogging anymore. I think it's just one more thing for me to do and one more thing to make me feel guilty if I don't do it. I really started blogging in Virginia so that people like my family and Jon's family could keep up with the girls and all their changes. I've never been fond of blogging or writing in general. So...I will let you know. In the meantime, hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving and enjoy a day of thankful reminders!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-71620784656676058262009-10-16T23:14:00.000-04:002009-10-16T23:17:00.503-04:00Turkeyville!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbviuFdtpapMVbvb4enAp2vyoVhDU9dR8P59fco0JAwQYdz-dXrGb4_li03CkHxvfUrdNGN_n5WXsQ31HD1-J-8rDtQ1RfB-mLVUXLVQjFH0xMgfvRPimZvCqv-MCPZZidvAz/s1600-h/100_5832.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393402420480957906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbviuFdtpapMVbvb4enAp2vyoVhDU9dR8P59fco0JAwQYdz-dXrGb4_li03CkHxvfUrdNGN_n5WXsQ31HD1-J-8rDtQ1RfB-mLVUXLVQjFH0xMgfvRPimZvCqv-MCPZZidvAz/s200/100_5832.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14WPSx4zJU4orliSuPRLubUEWOzLGI-dd94toUxINye9AIKaNqOuakc33xVUShrSYX7bju5ctlLVtRPkf-qX1ibau1pNETWoSVg8wpMF0WJLKST8-oie6Z4Q3rcRtQ9vFC0IB/s1600-h/100_5829.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393402407953604194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14WPSx4zJU4orliSuPRLubUEWOzLGI-dd94toUxINye9AIKaNqOuakc33xVUShrSYX7bju5ctlLVtRPkf-qX1ibau1pNETWoSVg8wpMF0WJLKST8-oie6Z4Q3rcRtQ9vFC0IB/s200/100_5829.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQ5BNz4c6cCluHWh2BbsbydVOJEIx7IIBlEeglQdFVaT5KrlPInkS9KnIzqiIbUQP7Mrf010E2IrkwKdbJuEAnJ0kMIgkX8Gx9ilsWXhKysZqTqybvnN1uzVEjTrr_d-uTDmu/s1600-h/100_5828.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393402400154305186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQ5BNz4c6cCluHWh2BbsbydVOJEIx7IIBlEeglQdFVaT5KrlPInkS9KnIzqiIbUQP7Mrf010E2IrkwKdbJuEAnJ0kMIgkX8Gx9ilsWXhKysZqTqybvnN1uzVEjTrr_d-uTDmu/s200/100_5828.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgW6U8nupGYOPqlXQS1O-J9M-lzJsYKocYJ_oys8F5x-mnVdWBcDsIkzOveqwlDlm_H2yKrmJm7w6SkAIZzh1Ieo9zS1tPbP4oiUa_p96EAYWoMQWix41VoJ-6s2BuskNk-wov/s1600-h/100_5819.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393402389911605522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgW6U8nupGYOPqlXQS1O-J9M-lzJsYKocYJ_oys8F5x-mnVdWBcDsIkzOveqwlDlm_H2yKrmJm7w6SkAIZzh1Ieo9zS1tPbP4oiUa_p96EAYWoMQWix41VoJ-6s2BuskNk-wov/s200/100_5819.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>A great fall day birthday celebration at Turkeyville, for Pa's 86th!</div></div></div></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-31948826841587702252009-10-16T23:05:00.002-04:002009-10-16T23:10:52.591-04:00Fridays.....When the girls are in school, the week flies by! Before you know it, it's Friday! And I remember now why we used to always live for Fridays when we were all in school...fun, late nights, sleeping in...even just for a couple days before we have to get back to the grind. Tonight, we had some friends over for taco night and playing cards. We always have a great time with them and their daughter plays so well with our girls. Unfortunately, just when we were getting ready to sit down and eat dinner, Makenzie said her tummy hurt and she wanted to go to bed and not eat. So she was in bed and asleep by about 7pm. I hope she's not coming down with a bug. Please pray for her! Hope you all enjoy your Friday before Monday comes back way too quickly!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-28638574474329215562009-09-30T22:37:00.004-04:002009-09-30T22:50:33.941-04:00And the girls turn 5!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUH6w7sOmz96mAsc3_Ph1jzxNZEfm963wIaWZ_rd3vwmB1f3bX73KF4VYqkD23vze43XPXWP87h67nl73LzsOuKBlgw2wpsDYb-V69FgUkvX6GlYhyvCKHqLEHclHTbTX9Cc4O/s1600-h/100_5798.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387456979798030770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUH6w7sOmz96mAsc3_Ph1jzxNZEfm963wIaWZ_rd3vwmB1f3bX73KF4VYqkD23vze43XPXWP87h67nl73LzsOuKBlgw2wpsDYb-V69FgUkvX6GlYhyvCKHqLEHclHTbTX9Cc4O/s400/100_5798.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5og6LtLSJY8oDShji1wrOHagFF_VqHGgZg9fqr5SjqaTTj1RohELl6yuEe6A0cRlYVGPKXnWFW1uDuQISxaY52lHZLY-9em0U0IyVAPwA0KCvc68NOZYvfgh5cWhD_uzilZ3f/s1600-h/100_5796.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387456972762286914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5og6LtLSJY8oDShji1wrOHagFF_VqHGgZg9fqr5SjqaTTj1RohELl6yuEe6A0cRlYVGPKXnWFW1uDuQISxaY52lHZLY-9em0U0IyVAPwA0KCvc68NOZYvfgh5cWhD_uzilZ3f/s400/100_5796.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWoop5ITo5jHypEZJoAS4WrlBSF7iP42odI3xi971lU7Exs8K9GLxXPWkEjfY-_EqA3G69qNwhui2gR5Yv2pNAx8wdp2CoNYSsfTn2q0Xm-Ms_UMQu3_Tpwnl6QU5iLUs3q6d/s1600-h/100_5778.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387456961611817490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWoop5ITo5jHypEZJoAS4WrlBSF7iP42odI3xi971lU7Exs8K9GLxXPWkEjfY-_EqA3G69qNwhui2gR5Yv2pNAx8wdp2CoNYSsfTn2q0Xm-Ms_UMQu3_Tpwnl6QU5iLUs3q6d/s400/100_5778.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-orWgW1Fu8nAe9n-l7uqDnaxx4cqhOrQi93wKuYy3IvSX32PGmoBoECsPEC86FciAU1yvUf-Zu2AiORUs0PS7rKISlNYZrSEVdKrsE7MFCRPA8Y3SFbL8LzPwwWKeM3Ab8zRT/s1600-h/100_5777.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387456960506390402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-orWgW1Fu8nAe9n-l7uqDnaxx4cqhOrQi93wKuYy3IvSX32PGmoBoECsPEC86FciAU1yvUf-Zu2AiORUs0PS7rKISlNYZrSEVdKrsE7MFCRPA8Y3SFbL8LzPwwWKeM3Ab8zRT/s400/100_5777.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmFcSZNuVrLyYZXTGbyT6aQuzyELFZja4MUzNrPLpB0mRQL1ijcyKDgVbC6qt24oM5n4P54GVstT_qs3vZs43ZV8gq7P8uv36MkY5ckdV5LuIMlRxuKRvCuKgBOonHMwBH3nP/s1600-h/100_5762.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387456949942602226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmFcSZNuVrLyYZXTGbyT6aQuzyELFZja4MUzNrPLpB0mRQL1ijcyKDgVbC6qt24oM5n4P54GVstT_qs3vZs43ZV8gq7P8uv36MkY5ckdV5LuIMlRxuKRvCuKgBOonHMwBH3nP/s400/100_5762.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>We had a huge birthday party for the girls' 5<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> birthday. We had 25 kids and parents at the Bounce Party in Grand Rapids, where there are huge bounce houses, slides, mazes. The kids AND the adults had a great time! And Nana knocked it out of the park once again with the Wizard of Oz themed cupcakes...she is amazing, we keep telling her to use her talent to make tons of cash! I think Jon and I are still in shock on how quickly time has flown by, five years feels like two. It just feels like yesterday that we brought them home from the hospital and looked at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">each other</span> and said, "When are these babies parents coming to pick them up?" Life felt so strange then, now we couldn't imagine life without them.</div></div></div></div></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-257814736851130922009-09-16T20:45:00.003-04:002009-09-16T20:53:53.855-04:00First Day of School...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpP3Wd4PE6MsilKo0mKpvvXlTGLoYKQ_gB96pHDYHOk2nmAzfwCkIYHwSNUrT69LltwTP7_TAk7bVXILc1KvQFJYxZ-VbQKYsd85hxsv9B8bNC8SxpNcn9LA3O3rQLoympp4r/s1600-h/100_5706.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382232872474974866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpP3Wd4PE6MsilKo0mKpvvXlTGLoYKQ_gB96pHDYHOk2nmAzfwCkIYHwSNUrT69LltwTP7_TAk7bVXILc1KvQFJYxZ-VbQKYsd85hxsv9B8bNC8SxpNcn9LA3O3rQLoympp4r/s400/100_5706.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBPMCx1pIMBeSf0BssM-P6jBHSiwP2xaqdBzn3kGTcuEmc_Es6GycDZT9MuWOlq-ZjwTt0elyj_XnWPlbnjzavgx0ELkmtZVyo3wnC9KQSmfF8glvEI2MEud_8aHCHBBVA-4a/s1600-h/100_5696.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382232863751412562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBPMCx1pIMBeSf0BssM-P6jBHSiwP2xaqdBzn3kGTcuEmc_Es6GycDZT9MuWOlq-ZjwTt0elyj_XnWPlbnjzavgx0ELkmtZVyo3wnC9KQSmfF8glvEI2MEud_8aHCHBBVA-4a/s400/100_5696.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxQlM-RUTnbOxs2GJikH0viXBlU1yiJSQy2H0341NkOnOlfGjgB621vC6fxNi1Jt0oXTVCHuRMY0EdMXI_JvWJuledsWtEsvUd2jZxJYzFcDgua0i29OitQcXvT3zm3L8Zamj/s1600-h/100_5690.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382232852883224034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxQlM-RUTnbOxs2GJikH0viXBlU1yiJSQy2H0341NkOnOlfGjgB621vC6fxNi1Jt0oXTVCHuRMY0EdMXI_JvWJuledsWtEsvUd2jZxJYzFcDgua0i29OitQcXvT3zm3L8Zamj/s400/100_5690.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GWN-3PZMHZZhi94bM0CPdRZs2-SD1gj27Qk35afWYdkXCCfjHvX5XzeeTOtL_1MWw0__XGNEQGiv3f4RdNR_gPd-YYXDmQKSi5C3zPak0uZM0xjYp-A-sT_g7y7IjKcmh3r9/s1600-h/100_5694.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382232845865653010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GWN-3PZMHZZhi94bM0CPdRZs2-SD1gj27Qk35afWYdkXCCfjHvX5XzeeTOtL_1MWw0__XGNEQGiv3f4RdNR_gPd-YYXDmQKSi5C3zPak0uZM0xjYp-A-sT_g7y7IjKcmh3r9/s400/100_5694.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjbWNdE7Bo4-0LqDF-_uM8ZpXmC_zIDpA_H8871eJQW5izskWdIxno33XrhHpfZ4Yr1ULdslH5KgJjQvxKM5Gej_s1AiP-FuJIrbsfSbMVBn4RUIXOUDZ6nnnnbfLf9eER0Rc/s1600-h/100_5686.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382232838030740178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjbWNdE7Bo4-0LqDF-_uM8ZpXmC_zIDpA_H8871eJQW5izskWdIxno33XrhHpfZ4Yr1ULdslH5KgJjQvxKM5Gej_s1AiP-FuJIrbsfSbMVBn4RUIXOUDZ6nnnnbfLf9eER0Rc/s400/100_5686.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>Sorry these are so late, the girls' first day of Young 5's was last Thursday, and I'm finally just getting these pictures downloaded to my computer! I thought things would slow down and get into a rhythm when the girls started school, but it really just feels like life is moving quicker. Enjoy the pics! They will be 5 tomorrow! Hard to believe that 5 years has gone by since they joined our family. I can't really remember much about life before they were here except that I had more time and more money! But they are...priceless.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-18088122719500006022009-08-22T09:02:00.002-04:002009-08-22T09:07:34.143-04:00Going to the lake...Going to the lake this week with Ali's fam and Nana & Papaw! We rented two cabins at Long Lake in Hasting and will be spending the week there. The cabins are about ten steps from the beach/lake, so lots of beach time! Taking about four books to read...I may be thinking way too positively as far as that goes since we will still have all the kids around! Like a friend of mine once said, "it's a trip if you take the kids, but it's a vacation if you have no kids." Well, this is definitely a trip, but I think it will be a really fun one! Will update you with photos on the flipside. Have a great week!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-17988144399707223742009-08-11T12:20:00.002-04:002009-08-11T12:39:01.007-04:00Last night, some of my girlfriends took me out for ice cream and then to see the movie Julie & Julia. It was a birthday surprise planned by my hubby and my good friend Sherry. I was picked up by Lori and then driven to Maggie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Moo's</span> where 6 other friends were sitting there waiting for us. Friends, ice cream, popcorn, good movie...what more could I have asked for on the day after my birthday? The movie is a definite recommendation, I give it an A. It was a great movie about the support and love of the men behind two women and how they couldn't have succeeded without them. Julia Child's hubby called her "the butter for my bread and the breath of my life". Too sweet! A very touching moment when she, Julia, found out that her sister was pregnant (Julia was unable to have children) and she cried into her hubby's shirt and then said (as she was bawling), "I really am so happy for her". I knew exactly how she felt and started bawling too. It brought back some very intense memories for me. I remember the exact spot where I was sitting in our home in Virginia when Allison told me on the phone that she was pregnant. I bawled but was also so happy for her too. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Weird</span>, conflicting emotions. But I do believe "all things work together for good" and I now am able to be empathetic towards those who are going through the same thing in their life.Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-83166928394892625252009-08-02T23:25:00.004-04:002009-08-02T23:40:11.659-04:00Riding without training wheels!Tonight after dinner, we went outside to help the girls learn how to ride their bikes without training wheels. Within one hour, they got it! It was so amazing! All the neighbors were out and cheering them on. They got so much help and encouragement...they loved being in the limelight. I know it inspired them! Then Landon got home from his birthday party at his grandparents and everyone had cake all around. As we were walking down the hall towards bed, Kenzie was skipping and said, "Mommy, it was a GREAT night!" Sydney wanted to be sure that she could get up first thing in the morning and ride again.<br /><br /><p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxXFj9lZVH_-k9EEJ8R9OczIiMs8NL7LoGMoouoUXU_iBtZyIygzGnMTZyq5JdzjTUVCx4CQaAz1A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p> </p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxU-5UroFCot_vxypzkYiWLFSuVSjamnCxRWguDOpdKH0VZVLrzeCrFecmFXe0O231hskisJn1Gna8' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-37417470132682213722009-07-28T11:48:00.002-04:002009-07-28T11:54:41.036-04:00Reminiscing...I was just looking back at some of my blogs from three years ago when I first started blogging...and wow! The girls have changed so much. They are actually little girls now and it just feels like yesterday that they were babies. I was reading a blog from Dec. 18<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span>, 2006 when I was potty training and one of the girls had colored on the dresser, it seemed like those days would never end. But here we are now, 3 years later, they ask to go out and play with their neighbor <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">friends</span>, they cross the street on their own and knock on their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">door</span>, they play <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">outside</span> all day...and I'm just an afterthought! But I am getting lots of laundry done! Looking at those pics and reminiscing really puts life in perspective. Lord, help me cherish each day!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-32853140945175507902009-07-20T10:59:00.005-04:002009-07-20T11:20:34.065-04:00Spontaneous Hotel Stay!<div align="center">Our Hotel Stay at the Ft. Wayne Hilton...thanks to Priceline!</div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeN69Gb-_NQzRUtUgEtxS2qzlw2rp8Za32BedHdgLVY9otejy9QjA377CaPx9J_MlV7PxnCGjXjlDNv5cVosQ6MZLrK0Q7iwnkxFDmTU8ac5Iw1M68zD3SWYYKL_7vyp8FI-3/s1600-h/100_5355.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360561494072592642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeN69Gb-_NQzRUtUgEtxS2qzlw2rp8Za32BedHdgLVY9otejy9QjA377CaPx9J_MlV7PxnCGjXjlDNv5cVosQ6MZLrK0Q7iwnkxFDmTU8ac5Iw1M68zD3SWYYKL_7vyp8FI-3/s320/100_5355.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgT6mAYEoNn7OrZfuFkpCZvAXv16hsGJxn_ImtjszSAQsWHBC_nM0NFsWLJKg491B0XxUUrrox1pNBRl_cdAXCvaoLY4gzxjCoqXI9faY0Yc3Do_udtlgIc5Afrmt7juwd8acP/s1600-h/100_5344.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360561493560770050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgT6mAYEoNn7OrZfuFkpCZvAXv16hsGJxn_ImtjszSAQsWHBC_nM0NFsWLJKg491B0XxUUrrox1pNBRl_cdAXCvaoLY4gzxjCoqXI9faY0Yc3Do_udtlgIc5Afrmt7juwd8acP/s320/100_5344.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip5gvPFK5KL-OXnGqBFVwMEF98WkadIPqvVa5Fv7qIaNqdobqYbGI7ZGAO9P-RuJ2-3G-VV3R-yCQexhKSnTf6AUmSX5x0h_ZSylAFhYi9CGj55D_lcTWlke5SunAfzcTC4Bj8/s1600-h/100_5341.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360561483067121266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip5gvPFK5KL-OXnGqBFVwMEF98WkadIPqvVa5Fv7qIaNqdobqYbGI7ZGAO9P-RuJ2-3G-VV3R-yCQexhKSnTf6AUmSX5x0h_ZSylAFhYi9CGj55D_lcTWlke5SunAfzcTC4Bj8/s320/100_5341.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>We took a chance last Friday and got on Priceline to see if we could get a hotel room to stay in while we went to Indiana for my family reunion. Amazingly, we got a four star hotel, the Fort Wayne Hilton for only $50! We drove down Friday, got there about 8:30pm. Went down to the pool and swam for about an hour and then also got up in the morning and went swimming after Jon went out to McD's and brought us back some breakfast. We made some great memories and we were so glad that we just stole the moment and did something spontaneous!<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxcbA-vG_7ccMdRKQ6dmOnpjq_tw5EYTFUX9eS6_R95LsW58hIDbTcTRp3zfh1uZzKmqn1xvITtLB4' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p>The girls swimming for the first time without their swimmies on...it's like they finally just got it!<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxxka2cngD1ogWwqdPtMScUqADGq_isih_2ehO-3XVlCR6dTbiaZYO-xoxuHHkSsgD9RioF2oTCMec' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><p></p></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-31859155031960273352009-07-11T23:23:00.002-04:002009-07-11T23:32:24.302-04:00I'm bringing home by baby bumblebee...<p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx9lHbnGU4ki-W43JWWXak_IaGPPCRurwmY_Ga5FHXSE_c1LddAOMRLV4bsASB08lKgojVhJC6Rj58' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p>Kenzie has such a great voice! At least she sings while she works! I'm pretty sure she didn't learn that from me!</p>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-25109330974782665522009-06-27T22:10:00.002-04:002009-06-27T22:25:41.105-04:00Where have I been...Sorry it has been so long! I've gotten hooked to Facebook (even though I swore that I never would) and when I get online, I normally check my email and then check fb then try to get off without spending (or wasting) ridiculous amounts of time on the computer! Anyway, lately I've gotten into bad habits of staying up way too late...my body is getting into a bad cycle. I vow to stop it tonight!...after I finish this blog! Wow, I've got it bad!<br /><br />Quick update...summer vacation, but busy, busy. I'm volunteering on T/Th mornings at a deaf camp for the next 3 weeks. The girls go with me and they are exposed to kids who are deaf and sign language, so it's good for them. In two weeks, I will start teaching a sign language class at an area church who has some kids who are deaf and their leaders want to learn basic sign. Last week, I started co-leading a JourneyMoms Lifegroup that meets Wed. mornings at the park. Great group of ladies, I think it will be super fun. Working some Fridays and Mondays, so it seems that everyday of the week has something going on...but August is free and open and I am going to be intentional about keeping it that way!<br /><br />I've been struggling with what my role will be this year at Journey Church. I've been asked to pray about being the Coordinator for our Tiny Travelers age group (ages 3-5). The description fits my gifts, but just not sure. If Journey was larger, I would probably not work in kids at all...but I know that's where the biggest need is right now, but I also don't want to dread going to church either! I know God will give me clarity and wisdom...He said He would if I ask Him!<br /><br />Now....off to bed, off to bed!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-75569973670145499112009-06-02T15:11:00.002-04:002009-06-02T15:17:07.784-04:00Two Years Ago...Two years ago today, we packed up our house where we had lived for seven years in a town where we had lived for ten years and headed to Michigan to do something that was so foreign and scary to us that we thought our lives were over! We packed up on our 11th wedding anniversary, went to a going away party at the Corey's house, went to church on Sunday where we cried more than ever before, and then went to our last Sunday lunch at El Rodeo where we cried even more than we had before. What a scary, exciting, exhilarating time we were living in! We knew we were making the right decision but that didn't make it any easier or any less scary. But, church planting has been the ride of a lifetime and we wouldn't trade our decision for the world! It's been an awesome two years!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-48863903855451083002009-05-13T21:51:00.002-04:002009-05-13T22:04:38.891-04:00Celebrate Moms!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsL2atxCe5ByGlZY6i_ok8ImC8XASLGSJ8A55MHxQ-BNR1xxwncAT7rWEktmGrb240uOn12ApZkDV0AOVZZm7i2L-fAhS4vHhqh2tq9ffuC5xrHKzQzmY5goDsLWl_1WgxLat/s1600-h/100_5150.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335491814784603682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsL2atxCe5ByGlZY6i_ok8ImC8XASLGSJ8A55MHxQ-BNR1xxwncAT7rWEktmGrb240uOn12ApZkDV0AOVZZm7i2L-fAhS4vHhqh2tq9ffuC5xrHKzQzmY5goDsLWl_1WgxLat/s320/100_5150.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBXTSDx7kpxdQIIMheSqd8Ki9Q3Qqsto9SJ4Lo5-fB00OTArUomysdboFcfkDK7KUjVMkuiFZNJCUhjfsrqhPTngMNRrXrcZHyCkDmJyJlP_Ks5gaJyw1VTv6M-WmOUJY10E_/s1600-h/100_5148.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335491809018633650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBXTSDx7kpxdQIIMheSqd8Ki9Q3Qqsto9SJ4Lo5-fB00OTArUomysdboFcfkDK7KUjVMkuiFZNJCUhjfsrqhPTngMNRrXrcZHyCkDmJyJlP_Ks5gaJyw1VTv6M-WmOUJY10E_/s320/100_5148.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Celebrate Moms! That's what the banner said that the girls made for their Mother's Day party. They did so well planning their very first party. They greeted everyone at the door and let their friends go first in the lunch line. I was so proud of them! And they understood the whole point of it too...after everyone had left, Kenzie told Nana that it was a party for her to learn how to throw a party! Obviously, this mom is raising them to be party animals!<br /></div><div></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-69671693815619362442009-05-07T20:11:00.002-04:002009-05-07T20:20:59.528-04:00Life has been extremely crazy! Lots of jobs, meetings, laundry, and just life in general! But this weekend is going to be just fun. The girls are throwing a Mother's Day party this Saturday for just moms and daughters. So mom and Allison are both staying overnight Friday and Jon has said he would watch baby Emma so we could all go to the movies. Then the girls' party should be loads of fun...they have planned it all, from the invitations to the menu items. Dad says I just like to have parties and don't need an excuse. I think I have to agree with him! Then, of course, Sundays are always fun and even more so when it's Mother's Day! It'll be a fun weekend...Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-44962576478826678452009-04-30T14:28:00.004-04:002009-04-30T14:43:07.022-04:00BraggingI have to brag a bit about myself! I told you all about the awesome opportunity I had to interpret for BD Wong. Well, there was an article in the Kalamazoo newspaper and here's what was said:<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">Also engaging was Erica Allen, the sign language interpreter for the event. She sat onstage during Wong's presentation, tirelessly transcribing it in the air for the hearing impaired, admirably matching him emotion for emotion. Near the end of his speech, Wong used Allen to demonstrate that while diversity is a word that people tend to use all the time, they often don't think about what it really means. "What we realize just in this particular instance is that it doesn't matter if there's a hearing-impaired person in the audience," Wong said, gesturing to Allen. "What matters is that any hearing-impaired person in this immediate area has the freedom and the ability to walk into a presentation like this and know that they will be able to appreciate it like everyone else." (written by Simon Thalmann).<br /></span><br />I've been meaning to put this on here for awhile, but life has been crazy! Although there are some days that I feel quite a sense of accomplishment for how far I've come in my interpreting career, there are other times when I feel like I still have so much to learn and improve. That's just a disclaimer so you all don't think I'm being too prideful! ha!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-48558628196468583442009-04-16T21:15:00.003-04:002009-04-16T21:34:09.963-04:00A few Easter pics...<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOa3seYozJKohG0AHnHrAb3RQpP25upK-m6g86IcEAwhckFl7jHYXo0BghDc_cQLkwxBpS79kGJEmeC2mLJujgHX4pPYT8i06VaApVC2GhoDoSHqWwZQAsrx3-0dJAh4dX-Ta/s1600-h/100_5002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325463719807844050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOa3seYozJKohG0AHnHrAb3RQpP25upK-m6g86IcEAwhckFl7jHYXo0BghDc_cQLkwxBpS79kGJEmeC2mLJujgHX4pPYT8i06VaApVC2GhoDoSHqWwZQAsrx3-0dJAh4dX-Ta/s400/100_5002.jpg" border="0" /></a> Sydney loved her new watch in her Easter basket. Kenzie, on the other hand, said "I don't want a new watch, why are you not getting me things I don't want?" Perfect timing to have a little lesson in appreciation!</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1U92RTMXldq0V54QH6L8M_L4FJ7d1yK0V-XYq7418byAKaAqhIHnwXOilDxfTBW8x-i0SB7RBIrPzirKBzcOHrDfDbd_OA8SZ7lBLKvwiMsilsofQKhBFZE7_iVNbWWJdY9-/s1600-h/100_5025.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325463715217347170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1U92RTMXldq0V54QH6L8M_L4FJ7d1yK0V-XYq7418byAKaAqhIHnwXOilDxfTBW8x-i0SB7RBIrPzirKBzcOHrDfDbd_OA8SZ7lBLKvwiMsilsofQKhBFZE7_iVNbWWJdY9-/s400/100_5025.jpg" border="0" /></a>Daddy's girl!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84XnnVNRcptvnp1A53p4dMCgRVO85yTwvBdn2I4Eo0iZk9PKb9GFlRrfLejn3Lh7TMIx7xBKzp6uc8RnQUuFUa7uK5NlTluWYOfVWXC8L59UoKXbbzyLevZHzDF-E1VpdfAZ7/s1600-h/100_5018.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325463716745349394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84XnnVNRcptvnp1A53p4dMCgRVO85yTwvBdn2I4Eo0iZk9PKb9GFlRrfLejn3Lh7TMIx7xBKzp6uc8RnQUuFUa7uK5NlTluWYOfVWXC8L59UoKXbbzyLevZHzDF-E1VpdfAZ7/s400/100_5018.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Cousins....who usually act like siblings!<br />Fighting and then loving eachother.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMgFIdmTspyy14oXaHXGC-YkmayfbbKYItZTPeKubtE_DdiXHcOi-4pTIX-uVL5jMyPl2h67ZDP_bUj_lUR3vF9B7lNvoN9pT2fsLRqxeX1l1dza1lwr0KwJgy9qTI7PesO8m/s1600-h/100_5015.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325463712688162162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMgFIdmTspyy14oXaHXGC-YkmayfbbKYItZTPeKubtE_DdiXHcOi-4pTIX-uVL5jMyPl2h67ZDP_bUj_lUR3vF9B7lNvoN9pT2fsLRqxeX1l1dza1lwr0KwJgy9qTI7PesO8m/s400/100_5015.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />She would have found more eggs, but she stopped to look in each egg when she picked it up. She didn't want to get stuck with an egg she didn't want. My goodness, do I see a pattern here? Are my girls picky or something? I hope not!<br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaVx9-07QkDiAEBXY7czRqOIJuPekCpazlsbUBRH-JHRnk2wpJl1Kqxx4Jb5XMiowT7QPnbQUJbcv6h-thV_gQkf6ZQGb2GVujz0Ve7lzGWXBSn2GImp0GP8iSZGqBn6gZ4at/s1600-h/100_5004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325463705458300322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaVx9-07QkDiAEBXY7czRqOIJuPekCpazlsbUBRH-JHRnk2wpJl1Kqxx4Jb5XMiowT7QPnbQUJbcv6h-thV_gQkf6ZQGb2GVujz0Ve7lzGWXBSn2GImp0GP8iSZGqBn6gZ4at/s400/100_5004.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Grandma getting some baby love and Sydney love! We were so proud of Allison, she actually dressed her first baby girl in a dress for her first Easter, even a barrette in her hair...the day was full of surprises!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-78682681407703015642009-04-14T13:08:00.003-04:002009-04-14T13:14:56.032-04:00Easter Reflections...God is good! Seven people accepted Christ at Journey Church on Sunday! Praise the Lord for lives changed for eternity! I feel honored and humbled that God wants us to be a part of his Kingdom work.<br />I was able to work in kid's and then had to go home with Kenzie who had a headache so bad that she was in tears. Brought her home, put her to bed, started dinner, then had 21 people here for dinner! Good times! Good food, great friends and family, nice enough weather for outdoor egg hunt, Sunday naps on the sofa. I told my sis that what I love about Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas is grazing at the food all day. Of course, there are other things I love more than that, but that's one of the highlights!<br />Hope you all had a great day celebrating our risen Savior!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-50874700737752577362009-04-04T20:07:00.005-04:002009-04-04T20:20:47.064-04:00Mini VacationWe took a much needed overnight vacation last night with the girls to a local Holiday Inn. It had an indoor water park and the girls were in 7th heaven! We had so much fun together as a family and just enjoyed relaxing (and even sleeping in a bit). Jon turned off his phone and we were able to just not think about anything but enjoying our girls. We decided now it's something we will have to do more often...probably not the same hotel though, it was expensive! But worth it!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHbnym7bcMjdCHsC4bLlcPZM4yTPcRO4UztsHm-sCdmWCgT7IFjg1cQdFq66fum9d6_g8TH9fzaanHnMr89W3kdR0nnlFMjJLt9coEmpBjiHD2nJi_6etXrDE-r7PfaQVCQ2G/s1600-h/100_4986.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320994638239392690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHbnym7bcMjdCHsC4bLlcPZM4yTPcRO4UztsHm-sCdmWCgT7IFjg1cQdFq66fum9d6_g8TH9fzaanHnMr89W3kdR0nnlFMjJLt9coEmpBjiHD2nJi_6etXrDE-r7PfaQVCQ2G/s400/100_4986.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMcTNbbMHrSaF-SBYbflvjVqlPme4blkdGg5hpAgbi0jdXsRUc3yStnhZl5DmGhTWyFeKUcUzcYUA6zxHWCixVi6ejqMnygx0XRK_0pG5w7H2-j8KmXcwIcAWL_HmEniCNb2o/s1600-h/100_4999.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320994632839869074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMcTNbbMHrSaF-SBYbflvjVqlPme4blkdGg5hpAgbi0jdXsRUc3yStnhZl5DmGhTWyFeKUcUzcYUA6zxHWCixVi6ejqMnygx0XRK_0pG5w7H2-j8KmXcwIcAWL_HmEniCNb2o/s400/100_4999.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlo_nLpXC-fKWbCmBzwABBZOd1oCZqPwQ93hVybmEpiu277jMXwncZIS_1pugI37Dti8NBgq6B_aeHlCP28fgpuk-VN59EfpEOiM1ctIuwGcniEgEQBPTfRZ7Sfz-tLlIhML8t/s1600-h/100_4963.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320994633016935906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlo_nLpXC-fKWbCmBzwABBZOd1oCZqPwQ93hVybmEpiu277jMXwncZIS_1pugI37Dti8NBgq6B_aeHlCP28fgpuk-VN59EfpEOiM1ctIuwGcniEgEQBPTfRZ7Sfz-tLlIhML8t/s400/100_4963.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6D-v9PERKn59iOo1jf7vaUc29oaRIEcHYMjNZTfNU_8Hcs1Fstd4A5vDWKho9CaYy_hH9OWd-rTjZFco_ye84QiSrAMz_1H3LNoZR-5k5KXkYjqbLjzVLLvGse4vdVQ-Q5u6f/s1600-h/100_4974.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320993737632451618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6D-v9PERKn59iOo1jf7vaUc29oaRIEcHYMjNZTfNU_8Hcs1Fstd4A5vDWKho9CaYy_hH9OWd-rTjZFco_ye84QiSrAMz_1H3LNoZR-5k5KXkYjqbLjzVLLvGse4vdVQ-Q5u6f/s400/100_4974.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmSmisF2je5sKA-zOE8rnxsAF2n1eiTUs0EiOaiDWDo_Lg8UKFMF5ZAWMm1ZETFITkdWjThsaI5uOe35l9LbP36ELEQRRB0yxkmbDo-xTi9-ztMaAPkur_983KiDMIfeR_5vO/s1600-h/100_4992.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320993729865340514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmSmisF2je5sKA-zOE8rnxsAF2n1eiTUs0EiOaiDWDo_Lg8UKFMF5ZAWMm1ZETFITkdWjThsaI5uOe35l9LbP36ELEQRRB0yxkmbDo-xTi9-ztMaAPkur_983KiDMIfeR_5vO/s400/100_4992.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid5ieD1yaVZTkRxAhQDHIESMavziw5xO_U3ENLmd1x9r7yM2QJIq9H0utpqxBbRNGMrO9n2dhUiJMEDLYgaeVAHsE9nGjS2VQMevex8aRxS65jOHQ_2obCmAupvUmp3IdxFJUV/s1600-h/100_4988.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320993726732028258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid5ieD1yaVZTkRxAhQDHIESMavziw5xO_U3ENLmd1x9r7yM2QJIq9H0utpqxBbRNGMrO9n2dhUiJMEDLYgaeVAHsE9nGjS2VQMevex8aRxS65jOHQ_2obCmAupvUmp3IdxFJUV/s400/100_4988.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2AQePSI1rWxpiV2vlTXG0yPiQmODmG-Pbuu481JN7kMfwsl1tJKy_vOYi6J8ZLhJ4xmjKIf_019NK0oo56fcucOTKXtf81NfGL_4cWbciqz0p-g9ITPKf_52RAV926htCmGq/s1600-h/100_4985.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320993729299726946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2AQePSI1rWxpiV2vlTXG0yPiQmODmG-Pbuu481JN7kMfwsl1tJKy_vOYi6J8ZLhJ4xmjKIf_019NK0oo56fcucOTKXtf81NfGL_4cWbciqz0p-g9ITPKf_52RAV926htCmGq/s400/100_4985.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JoxQEvUoosxVpir5HfJGOLt7ez5L8SJ3D0Ja0CazY50SFjQ1kk5oJuiObZY7plImct2ExsoRUIccYaYFZWgCjvW8PuZsnl5kyrs7xn_nHcTkVh93EscIveu9Bu3KVX4MkoAh/s1600-h/100_4970.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320993724658522610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JoxQEvUoosxVpir5HfJGOLt7ez5L8SJ3D0Ja0CazY50SFjQ1kk5oJuiObZY7plImct2ExsoRUIccYaYFZWgCjvW8PuZsnl5kyrs7xn_nHcTkVh93EscIveu9Bu3KVX4MkoAh/s400/100_4970.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-79268789467475913962009-04-02T22:49:00.004-04:002009-04-02T22:59:56.578-04:00Praisin' the Lord!Praising the Lord with singing and dancing...<br /><br /><br /><p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxcF_6JTCk5smRBYRL6YhjTy-4-nyXkxGbeiuIiJyIRbcnz2tyT2aGRbklZiFeiPnesJKepZr7qoJ8' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p> </p><p>He's my...rock, my sword, my shield,<br />He's the wheel in the middle of the wheel,<br />the lily of the valley,<br />the bright and morning star,<br />makes no difference what you say,<br />I'm gonna get on my knees and pray,<br />I'm gonna sing until the day that Jesus comes!!!</p><p> </p>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-85717623529667182742009-03-31T22:20:00.003-04:002009-03-31T22:35:26.023-04:00Celebrity Sighting...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Gk7KWK_yJFwBIaa9fA0F1SfAGf9A9-8wHYRzsLOD6_nw22huWUe1q0NBFsAqZBRUsLMeEs9I4zizdGNz3zhccQABSj7IqK5SZmo3-lXj1ME9mt3cT7JpHw806Cs73R3vPK_J/s1600-h/Wong.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319543525525013234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 223px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Gk7KWK_yJFwBIaa9fA0F1SfAGf9A9-8wHYRzsLOD6_nw22huWUe1q0NBFsAqZBRUsLMeEs9I4zizdGNz3zhccQABSj7IqK5SZmo3-lXj1ME9mt3cT7JpHw806Cs73R3vPK_J/s320/Wong.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Today, I got my first opportunity to interpret for a "celebrity"! I interpreted for B.D. Wong from Law & Order: SVU at a Diversity presentation in Kalamazoo. I have to say I haven't met too many stars, and I was tongue tied, star struck, whatever! But it was a good time. He decided to have a little fun with me during his presentation and made me sign "Erica Allen is the most beautiful woman in the whole world"! I know my face was red as a tomato, I was so embarrassed! And even though he was there to talk about his experiences with Asian-American diversity issues, he really talked more about being gay. Which I find interesting considering Kalamazoo is going through a huge debate right now about adding gay/lesbian community to the hate crime laws that are being put on the books...hhmmm? A little strategy going on there? Anyway, no matter the subject, I LOVE my job! And today it was lots of fun!</div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-48525975943642964982009-03-29T22:39:00.003-04:002009-03-30T21:15:40.274-04:00Journey UpdateWhat a great Sunday at Journey Church! Jon's been doing a series called Hostage about the things that keep us from living a life of freedom. Today we celebrated giving up what holds us for what gives us life...ending the service with I Am Free! What a great way to walk out of church and start the week! Not only that, but this month's average numbers have been an all time high and consistent for 4 weeks. We also had at least five first time families, I pray that they were welcomed, encouraged, and loved like no other church. I had invited a deaf friend to come this Sunday and was kinda disappointed that she didn't show, but maybe another week. Hope you all also had an awesome Sunday worshipping the one and only great God!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-61948609560504242022009-03-23T21:13:00.005-04:002009-03-23T22:38:39.840-04:00Stars on Ice!We have a wonderful lady in our church who gets tickets yearly to the Stars on Ice show. My parents and I got to take Sydney to the show while Jon stayed home with Kenzie (who we had to take to Urgent Care due to an ear infection). We were so disappointed that Kenzie couldn't go because she loved the show so much last year, so I got some of the numbers on video so she could watch them on the computer. Here's a sampling for you all to enjoy as well!<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Nc80eO7KvxuIkVFwW0tE-YPHXbT5wubq6gP2gn26h4NLFeoNPbEGC34jHroAMIENG3N4RCAA0xhe7ZegXtLxSDqaBZAP0rQZJJdFuqv6SySrOm5-10ttqCr2ODpF51ZbbOLi/s1600-h/100_4944.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316556754173277858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Nc80eO7KvxuIkVFwW0tE-YPHXbT5wubq6gP2gn26h4NLFeoNPbEGC34jHroAMIENG3N4RCAA0xhe7ZegXtLxSDqaBZAP0rQZJJdFuqv6SySrOm5-10ttqCr2ODpF51ZbbOLi/s320/100_4944.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center">Ready for the show!</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttH9Px8G84nShvcXuylmL7o8a9z4sBifaw0CsmctZhS5aCJvT7zl5bFd9CDbgOJc7PmTlKDuLmm4EKKL2V2FVl0E-i0udoENg-PKYBDxYCZ6RG3Zflg6YrotrQxB__QieGt6o/s1600-h/100_4943.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316556747789976866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttH9Px8G84nShvcXuylmL7o8a9z4sBifaw0CsmctZhS5aCJvT7zl5bFd9CDbgOJc7PmTlKDuLmm4EKKL2V2FVl0E-i0udoENg-PKYBDxYCZ6RG3Zflg6YrotrQxB__QieGt6o/s320/100_4943.jpg" border="0" /></a>Sydney and Nana<br /></div><p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyg7lb-fgjtbDh-X7lujuEJVceN8_anB7-7RI7Pn4STG-1OdP9cdCpsP1g8zmDxJfP_S_idUHYWjWo' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p>I don't know about you all, but I'm completely amazed by ice skating...it is a sport that takes so much strength, agility, and talent. Sydney claimed to want to become an ice skater and wear pink skates. She also asked why the guys pants didn't fall off while they were skating! The things they ask at this age! Keeps me laughing!<br /></p><p>I ask for you all to be praying for Kenzie as well. We just found out that she probably has an allergy to milk and wheat...that may be the reason for all her sickness. We were quite overwhelmed by this news, but we are trusting God to heal her and if we have to help her eat better in the process then we will do whatever it takes to make her feel better. Let me know if you have any good wheat free and milk free recipes!</p>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30260754.post-21590513477460491722009-03-14T23:52:00.002-04:002009-03-15T00:24:26.825-04:00What a week...What a week! Kenzie has been and is still fighting off some kind of bug this week. High fevers every night, and stomach aches after she eats. Took her to the doctor and they found nothing...they say it must be just a virus and it will run its course. Well, I think a week and two days is long enough to run its course. And on top of that, Kenz is totally clingy and whiny when she's sick, it has been almost unbearable.<br /><br />Jon also had the flu on Monday night, and was unable to keep anything down until Wednesday. He was supposed to go away this week and have a three day study time and he lost that opportunity. Luckily, he had a productive day today and was able to get a lot done.<br /><br />Now that you are caught up on our week, I will go ahead and complain! I had to sleep on the sofa two nights in a row, cut a breakfast with a friend short to go pick up Kenz at school when she had a fever, call off an interpreting job and miss bible study. It was the ultimate mom sacrifice week! I'm not being prideful at all, I actually struggled with not being selfish this week. And then, of course, I feel guilty for not being<em> more</em> selfless. It's awful to see your children sick and it's easy to place so much blame on myself for how they are feeling...could I have prevented it? Being a mom is difficult every second! It's so true that no one can prepare you for parenthood. Which is a great movie, by the way. Parenthood with Steve Martin. Maybe I should watch that to have a good laugh after this week!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12655579837872058311noreply@blogger.com3