Tennessee Times

Vacationers at the Cabin!

L-R: Billy, Ross, Travis, Justin, Matt, Steph, Bryce, Ryan, Jonathan, Mason, Abby, Sami, Parker, Jesse, and Gage 

"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!

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!

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.

Hiking Abram Falls

It took us awhile...but we finally made it! 

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.

BEARS!!! A mother and three cubs. 

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.

The girls at The Island - at the top of the Ferris wheel! 

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.

We got there and found Gage inside a casket!

Jesse and Gage came along with us on the Dollywood Express. It was a neat ride, taking us outside of the park and through the mountains. 

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.

The six parents at The Island after supper 

...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.

Matt chilling out in a rocker in Gatlinburg, smiling because he just finished eating ice cream. 

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.

Jesse, Parker, and Travis on the Firechaser Express! 

Gage and Jesse getting their shoes shined. 

The Massner clan at Dollywood

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.

Our honeymoon cabin brought back memories! 

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.

Jonathan made it a little farther than the rest of us. 

Dad was a trooper! 

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. 

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! 

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!

Working on the dog house

This is as far as they got on Monday! Steve and Corbin finished it after we left. 

They caught a fox in a trap Monday night before we went to bed! It had been killing a lot of their chickens. 

Tuesday was Boston day, as well as the busiest! Steve, Julie, and the family all got up early with us and we rode the metro into Boston, where we spent the day sightseeing on the Freedom Trail. We started out with a park ranger tour who took us around to a few historical American Revolution sites. From there, we kept walking the Trail and toured Paul Revere's house, an old cemetary, and the church where Paul Revere's famous lanterns were displayed many years ago.

Riding the T!

Downtown Boston - walking the Freedom Trail. That building in the middle is where the Boston Tea Party was planned.  

Paul Revere's Statue

Corbin and Matt at the Cemetery 

Sweet Suzanna :)

We had a picnic lunch and then walked 294 steps to the top of Bunker Hill Monument - we were very tired after that! The Freedom Trail ended at the USS Constitution, where we saw the ship and toured the museum. We also got to tour a Spanish Naval Sailing Ship that had just docked. It is used for training Spanish naval students, so it was really neat to see. The crew even spoke Spanish, so we got a little practice (ok - I guess since they are from Spain, we should really be more impressed that they spoke English)! We ate supper at a restaurant and then made the trek back home.

View from the top of the Bunker Hill Monument 

Corbin and Suzanna - looking down on the view after all those stairs! 

Monument in the background...

Construction on U.S.S. Constitution 

Suzanna and Matt on the Spanish Naval Sailing Ship 

Wednesday, Matt & I went on a trip of our own to Gillette castle in Southern Connecticut. We weren't really sure what we were getting into when we headed there, but it ended up being a relaxing day of touring the "castle" of William Gillette (the actor who played Sherlock Holmes) and hiking on trails in the park. We got back in time for supper, and they had a visitor (Jay) who brought pierogies for dinner - a special Polish food that was new to us! Church followed dinner with ice cream from McDonald's afterward.

In front of Gillette Castle

Everything inside was hand-carved wood, including the windows and latches. 

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. 

Hiking... 

...in a tunnel...

...found some eggs...

...saw some amazing beauty.

On Thursday, we went with Julie and the girls to Old Sturbridge Village, which is a village where the people are actors and dress and act as though they are living in the early 1800s. It was very interesting and there was so much to see and learn! There are even big gardens, farm animals, and all - the people aren't just acting, they spend their days working! That night, we went to Ben and Karla's (Steve's brother) for an enjoyable supper and evening with the Lanz family.

Lydia and Suzanna helped drive to the village! 

The girls practiced "sleeping" in an old-fashioned bed at Old Sturbridge Village. 

Then we tucked them in for the night and their mom couldn't find them! 

Friday was our last day with Julie and family. We went down to the coast and got a scenic boat ride from a brother from church. After the ride, we ate lunch on the beach and played in the sand for a bit before we said our goodbyes and headed toward home. We found a hotel for the night halfway through Pennsylvania.

Julie and kids - lunch on the beach!

Our sand fort

One last view of the kids before our departure! 

What a nice time it was to spend with Steve & Julie and the family! We don't get to see them often, and being new to the family, it was good to get to know each other a little better and have more one-on-one time with everyone! Thank you to Julie for all your hard work and planning, and to Steve and the kids for putting up with us all week!

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.

With Alyssa at church 

Aunt Judy and me before we left

A summary of the most special blessings from this trip includes:
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!

Another Year Older

How exciting, huh? We both turned another year older in June! Matt now has 27 full years of experience under his belt, and I've got a mere 21. Together, we've got as much wisdom as a 49 year old! Is that how it works? Or do we combine 20 of our years since we could probably consider 20 of those years very similar experiences of growing up? In the latter case, we would only know as much as a 28 year old. Or, perhaps when we combine forces we are BETTER than individuals and would instead have the value of 60 years of experience.

Matt planned his birthday party this year and decided to celebrate by inviting some of his family over for supper and to help him on his long list of projects around the house. Let me tell you, that was the best birthday present ever for him! However, his family probably thought it was the most non-party to ever exist since he kept them so busy.

Ahh... dessert was so delicious. Thanks to Kelli for supplying the strawberry shortcake! Corbin was visiting Iowa for a few weeks and got to come for the evening, and three of my brothers were here as well. My brothers were staying with us for the week while Mom and Dad went with Justin on his band trip to Florida.

A few weeks later was my birthday, and by then the month had calmed down enough for my family to celebrate both of our birthdays at once! I don't have any pictures of the event, so Mom must have taken them all with her camera. There were testimonies and baptisms on my birthday weekend, and Abby was here again for the baptisms so it was an exciting and wonderful birthday for me!