Apparently, I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping the blog up to date lately. Well, more than just lately. In fact, we hadn't really written anything about our lives since February, except about the ducks and Matt's studies.
I wrote a few blog posts to catch everyone up. Either scroll down to see the new posts, or click on the links below.
He Passed!
Springtime!
Congrats, Graduates!
Another Year Older
Connecticut & Beyond
Fourth of July
Firecracker Set to Explode
Tennessee Times
Meanwhile...Life Around the Home
You may want to spread out your reading, as there are no guarantees that you'll be seeing more posts in the very near future! :) 'Tis always my goal to keep more on top of it, though!
Monday, August 24
Meanwhile...Life Around the Home
What else is new? Not a whole lot, just the ordinary wildlife and work around the home. We found a turtle with eggs buried in our yard. We've also had a couple more litters of ducks hatch, though every time the ducks end up dying off once by one. Matt decided an animal must be getting them. Our latest litter showed up a couple weeks ago and we are down to one baby duck.
In bigger pond news, we had the biggest catch in our pond since the beginning of the Schulz residence! A 12.5 pound catfish, caught by a Minnesotan fisherman who came over with his cousins.
Matt decided the wildflowers growing in our yard were too pretty to mow over (he wanted me to point out that he HAS since mowed them).
The Steiner boys came over and helped bale our pasture.
We finally replaced our microwave two months after the old one died.
Matt restained the deck and docks.
Canning season is upon us, but I have been lacking energy and motivation on account of pregnancy. Fortunately, we have enough to get us by for another year. Plus, there is a reason grocery stores exist. Since Matt loves peaches almost as much as he loves his wife, I had to try to keep my higher ranking by doing enough peaches for him this year. I got peaches in Kalona for canning after our peach trees didn't produce enough to put up, and managed to get twenty-four quarts of peaches, a few quarts of juice, and a few half-pints of peach honey canned last Friday. Perhaps I will try to do some applesauce later if I can work up the motivation. Our berries are also producing now, and the grapes should be ready for juice in a couple more weeks! As far as the garden goes... I pretty much haven't even looked at it since the beginning of June and have given up for this year. Sorry.
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| These are all of the peaches we got from our own peach tree this year...probably a total of about fifty. |
Other random everyday happenings this summer included several weddings: Erika & Cameron, Risa & Jaydon, and Brigette & Brian; several dinners and events: Sunday school picnic, mystery supper, potluck, showers, singings, meetings, and birthday celebrations.
Oh, BIG NEWS: I only have one more week left of work at Federal Mogul/Champion! I am done at the end of the month, and am so excited to see how life proceeds afterward with more flexibility. I do have a position as a substitute para-educator at the Mediapolis School, so I can sub at the school to fill up a couple days a week if I'm not keeping busy at home. And, of course, maybe the work around the house will actually get caught up for once and maybe Matt will start getting supper on a regular basis again! We're going to see how it works to be a stay-at-home wife...and soon, hopefully a stay-at-home mom!
Tennessee Times
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Vacationers at the Cabin!
L-R: Billy, Ross, Travis, Justin, Matt, Steph, Bryce, Ryan, Jonathan, Mason, Abby, Sami, Parker, Jesse, and Gage
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"Mountains, Music, and Memories" was our vacation theme this year! We once again headed out on vacation with my family, Uncle Tony & Aunt Peggy's family, and Uncle Bruce and Aunt Penny's family at the end of July. It made for a total of twenty-one people!
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| The van ride got a little more fun once the cousins could ride together! |
Our Iowa group left Friday after work and made it to Indianapolis, where we met the Minnesotans + Billy and stayed in a hotel overnight. Saturday morning, we headed to the Smoky Mountains, where we found our cabin outside of Pigeon Forge. The house had four small stories and slept all of us, and we had an amazing mountain view out the back!
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| View out the back of our cabin...God's beautiful creation! |
Upon our arrival, the parents and I drove to Walmart (traffic was quite slow and it took about thirty minutes to drive five miles) to do our grocery shopping for the week. While we were shopping, Uncle Tony got some tires replaced at Walmart's tire shop. Several delays led to an 8:00 dinner back at the house, where the rest of the group had gotten settled in and found several forms of entertainment for the week.
The next day, we drove through Cade's Cove and hiked Abram Falls. The hike was tiring, but a good workout after all the traveling we had done.
We saw some wildlife along the road, but no bears until we were almost back to our cabin and we founds a few digging through someone's trash! From last year's experience, we all knew you don't pass up any opportunity to see a bear, so we stopped right there on the street and took lots of pictures. Nevermind that the pictures weren't very picturesque considering they involved trash scattered all over the street and bears in the middle of it all.
When we got back to the house, we had "church" and sang on the porch for awhile. Afterward, people swam, played games, and did their own things at the house to end the evening. Abby, Sami, and I went into town and visited The Island, where we walked through its various shops and rode the Ferris wheel for a great view of the city and mountains.
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| Hiking Abram Falls |
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| It took us awhile...but we finally made it! |
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| BEARS!!! A mother and three cubs. |
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| The girls at The Island - at the top of the Ferris wheel! |
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| Sami even got to try her hand at cooking with Paula Deen at the kitchen store! :) |
Monday was our first day at Dollywood's theme park. On account of my pregnant condition, Matt and I went on the less-thrilling rides with Gage and Jesse in the morning. After a picnic lunch in the parking lot, Matt went with the older boys to ride the roller coasters during the afternoon. There were also several shows at the park that I watched in the afternoon in lieu of coasters.
When people started getting tired and hungry, we left the park and went to eat at Mellow Mushroom, a pizza place at The Island. Since everyone was so exhausted, we headed back to the house immediately following our pizza and ice cream.
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We got there and found Gage inside a casket!
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| The six parents at The Island after supper |
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| ...and all the rest! |
Tuesday was supposed to be Gatlinburg day, and the boys wanted to go mini golfing, so we compromised. The girls and Matt walked through the shops in Gatlinburg while the boys and uncles did mini golf and the mothers stayed back at the house. That evening, we attended the Smith Family Dinner Show in Pigeon Forge. The highlight for Matt was when I (along with three others in our group and four not with us) had to go up on stage and hula-hoop. Fortunately, there were only about fifty people watching the show, and the average age of the other viewers was about sixty-five. We did enjoy the show following the hula-hoop episode.
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| Matt chilling out in a rocker in Gatlinburg, smiling because he just finished eating ice cream. |
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| The kids outside the Smith Family theater. |
Wednesday was Dollywood's waterpark day. We went on a few slides and enjoyed the lazy river and wave pool in the morning, ate a picnic lunch, and then Matt went with the boys again while I took a nap on my chair in the shade. I did get to meet the nice older gentleman sitting next to me and we had a nice chat while his grandchildren were out swimming. When everyone else was ready to go, we headed out and had supper back at the cabin.
Thursday we went back to the Dollywood theme park, and the day looked much the same as Monday, except I spent more time watching shows than walking around. Bruce and Penny left for home after lunch, so we said our goodbyes to them. When we left Dollywood for the day, we stopped at Burger King for supper and had ice cream from the creamery next door to complete the meal.
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| Jesse, Parker, and Travis on the Firechaser Express! |
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| Gage and Jesse getting their shoes shined. |
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| The Massner clan at Dollywood |
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| The Schulz clan at Dollywood :) |
Matt and I woke up early Friday morning for a little date. We first drove up to the cabin we stayed at on our honeymoon, just for old memories' sake. Then we went for breakfast at Flapjack's Pancake Cabin before going back to the cabin to find that nobody else was even awake yet.
Once people were up and moving, the Massner clan minus Mom went hiking up Chimney Tops, which was more strenuous than our previous hike, but very worth it at the top! The boys weren't very excited about the hike until they got to the end and realized they had to climb a rock wall to get to the top. That was pretty thrilling for them! Jonathan took the extra challenge and walked out across a narrow ridge to get to a better view. Dad decided it was probably a good thing Mom didn't come, because she would have been too worried about the boys. We made it back to the house just in time for the boys to make it to their free indoor mini golf session (they had gotten coupons at Burger King). The parents spent the evening in Gatlinburg and we ordered in pizza.
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| Our honeymoon cabin brought back memories! |
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| Jonathan made it a little farther than the rest of us. |
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| Dad was a trooper! |
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| This is the same place we took our picture on our honeymoon and used for a Christmas picture two years ago! It was a bit colder last time, but the view was still magnificent. |
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| The rest of our hot and sweaty hiking team |
The remaining Minnesotans + Billy left around 4am Saturday morning for home, and the Iowans left at a more reasonable time after getting all packed up. We drove to Champaign, IL and stopped at a hotel for the night. The plan was to go to church in Champaign on Sunday, but when Aunt Nancy heard we were so close, she told us we had to come to Bloomington, so we ended up there! After church, we went to Uncle Jim and Aunt Nancy's house to swim in their pool and eat supper. It was good to spend some time with them, as well as Brant & Kyli's family and Chris! We drove the last three hours home after supper, and thus ended the family vacation.
We had a very nice week with the family - making memories in the mountains once again!
We had a very nice week with the family - making memories in the mountains once again!
Firecracker Set to Explode
A little extra news came along around Independence Day...
Yep, we are hoping to be parents to a little one in a few short months! We are so thankful for God's provision and are blessed beyond measure.
To answer a few common questions, our due date is February 3rd. We do not know the gender and probably will not find out. As far as how pregnancy is treating me, I felt rather nauseous throughout the first trimester, but I was told that morning sickness is a sign of a healthy pregnancy so I am trying to count it all joy! God is so good!
Fourth of July
As tradition would have it, the Steffen family came over from Princeville for the Fourth of July weekend to visit my family! I got the privilege of keeping a few of the girls over here, and the rest of the family stayed at Mom and Dad's.
Friday night we attended the Sperry Fireworks...a beautiful event!
Saturday morning we brought the girls to the Northfield parade since the rest of the crew wasn't going to make it to the Morning Sun parade later in the afternoon. It was our first-ever Northfield parade experience! The perfect parade, if you ask me...twelve entries, and then it was over! No sweating, no getting bored, and plenty of candy per capita!
For lunch, Matt and I broke away from the group to attend a Schulz gathering/reunion at Perkins Park in Burlington. It was a good opportunity for me to meet a few of his extended relatives that I had not met yet.
When we got back home after lunch, all of the kids were swimming in our pond. After cleaning up, we drove over to Mt. Pleasant to sing for a 99-year-old man who was on his death bed. It puts a whole new depth to the hymns when you are singing for someone who is so close to eternity! He passed away about a week later, and we were very thankful for the opportunity and blessing for both us and his family.
After supper, we attended fireworks in Morning Sun. Another amazing show! After church and a delicious supper on Sunday, the Steffens headed home. We had a great weekend making plenty of new memories!
Connecticut & Beyond
An eighteen-hour road trip to visit Matt's sister Julie and her family in Connecticut constituted the major highlights of our summer.
We left dark and early on the second Friday in June for a marathon day of driving and a 1am arrival Saturday morning. Julie's son Corbin had been visiting Iowa for a few weeks, so we got to be his ride back home. All went well, and somehow Matt managed to do all the driving!
Saturday was the Rockville Sunday School Picnic. We arrived in time for lunch at a park, and stayed until around suppertime. There were all sorts of activities available for the kids, including a popular swimming pond, baseball, volleyball, tennis, and playground equipment. I had never been out there before, so this was my first opportunity to meet a few people from church.
Sunday we went to church with Steve and Julie, and got to meet all sorts of Grandpa Lanz's relatives that I never knew about! It was a blessing to be surrounded by the same love we know in our congregation back home, only from people I had never met before. After church, Julie had invited a few young couples over for supper and we enjoyed getting to know them too.
Monday was a rainy day that Matt & Corbin spent working on his doghouse. The girls took a trip to the library and we played on the exciting playground equipment after picking out books inside. It was a relaxing day after a long trip and busy weekend!
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| Working on the dog house |
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| This is as far as they got on Monday! Steve and Corbin finished it after we left. |
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| They caught a fox in a trap Monday night before we went to bed! It had been killing a lot of their chickens. |
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| Riding the T! |
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| Downtown Boston - walking the Freedom Trail. That building in the middle is where the Boston Tea Party was planned. |
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| Paul Revere's Statue |
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| Corbin and Matt at the Cemetery |
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| Sweet Suzanna :) |
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| View from the top of the Bunker Hill Monument |
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| Corbin and Suzanna - looking down on the view after all those stairs! |
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| Monument in the background... |
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| Construction on U.S.S. Constitution |
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| Suzanna and Matt on the Spanish Naval Sailing Ship |
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| In front of Gillette Castle |
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| Everything inside was hand-carved wood, including the windows and latches. |
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| The living room looks like it did in this picture. I'm not sure why we didn't take a picture of the actual room. |
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| Hiking... |
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| ...in a tunnel... |
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| ...found some eggs... |
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| ...saw some amazing beauty. |
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| Lydia and Suzanna helped drive to the village! |
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| The girls practiced "sleeping" in an old-fashioned bed at Old Sturbridge Village. |
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| Then we tucked them in for the night and their mom couldn't find them! |
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| Julie and kids - lunch on the beach! |
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| Our sand fort |
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| One last view of the kids before our departure! |
Saturday morning, we woke up and drove to Leo, IN, where we stopped to visit my cousin Alyssa and my great aunt Judy, who both live there. We got there in late-afternoon with enough time for Alyssa to give us a tour of Gateway Woods, where she works as an assistant houseparent. Matt & I had never been to the campus before, so it was interesting to see and hear about everything. After the tour, we picked up Aunt Judy and went to supper at a Mexican restaurant in Fort Wayne, and then spent the evening at Alyssa's place and overnight at Aunt Judy's. It was great to catch up with both of them!
Sunday we went to church in Leo, another place we hadn't been before. Once again, it was a blessing to feel the love of the church while away from home. It seems that Gateway Woods has drawn most of the people to the Leo congregation, whether it be families or singles who moved to be houseparents, children who have been adopted or are in foster care, or current residents at Gateway Woods. We enjoyed our time in Leo, and said our goodbyes to Alyssa and Aunt Judy after church before heading toward home once again. We arrived home just in time to unpack a bit and go to sleep.
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| With Alyssa at church |
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| Aunt Judy and me before we left |
1. Spending time together away from the duties of work and home,
2. Being with Steve & Julie's family and getting to know the world they live in,
3. Spending an evening with Alyssa and Aunt Judy,
4. Meeting other loving church family and friends, and
5. Seeing God's handiwork everywhere we went.
We are also so thankful for safe travels and the many new experiences we had on our trip!
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