Over the River and Through the Woods...and out on the Ice and Snow!

We've gone over the river and through the woods two weekends in a row now: the first time to visit Matt's cousin Wendy and her husband Tim in Bradford, and another to Peoria for my Dad's family Christmas at my cousin Andi's house. And, well, the ice and snow are somewhat of a given!

Two weekends ago, we went out to Bradford with Jason and Kelsey to spend a relaxing evening with Tim and Wendy. We had such a good weekend with both couples, and it was fun to see Tim & Wendy's home and get to know the newest Schulz in-law a bit! 

The three couples...as good of a picture that my self-timer could get!

Last Monday and Tuesday evenings were spent dealing with vehicle issues, namely the Impala that had a couple minor maintenance issues that required a trip over to the auto shop in Lockridge. Nate S. came over and helped Matt clear snow off the pond for the upcoming ice hockey game on Thursday. It got a little sketchy in my eyes when they took the Gator out there (which we just bought a week before) to make the plowing go faster, but they assured me the ice was plenty thick enough, so I just stayed inside and thought about other things until they were done.

Thursday evening, about fourteen boys and men were out on the pond playing hockey, along with two spouses and two siblings who figure skated on the side. The ice was a little rough, but that didn't seem to slow anyone down!

The hockey boys (minus a few who left before the photo)

We spent Friday evening getting things caught up inside the home (namely, the dishes) and finishing up one last pan of bars for church serving on Sunday before calling it a night.

Saturday was my dad's family Christmas, so we arrived in Peoria in time for lunch. Aside from the cousins in Phoenix who understandably were not able to make it, there was only one other person missing! To be more specific, there were 27 of us. It was nice to spend some time with everyone, as it has been awhile since we've been together.

The only picture I got of the event was Charlie enjoying his new gift - a Micky Mouse potty training seat! I'm not sure if he knew at this point what exactly he had opened...or that he was posing for the camera on a toilet.  

We served lunch for the first time on Sunday, and it went smoothly. :) It is certainly not nearly as overwhelming in such a small church, which is probably a good thing since we will be doing it again in four months! I was able to get rid of most of my leftover goodies last night at the church potluck, so now I don't have to worry about eating them myself!

Now we are into another week of seeing what the Lord has in store for us! Even when the calendar seems empty, something is bound to fill in that time...