Easter Memories

No time to blog today, but we would love to share a very brief slideshow with you! These are photos taken throughout Holy Week...once again, we were blessed, many beautiful memories made with our family! (Remember, if you right-click in the middle of the box, it will direct you to the actual photo album!) Trust you also had a wonderful Easter with those you love and we look forward to posting again, soon!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2011

OUR HOLIDAY PHOTO ALBUM IS READY AT LAST-----MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE SHARED CAMERAS, PICTURES, ETC. WITH US DURING THE PAST MOST WONDERFUL OF MONTHS!!!

The pictures tell the story below and with a BIG thank you, to my Mother, Greg's Mom, Ronda and Courtney, for their technical contributions...(Lord knows where we would be without them)...we now leave the rest of our holiday story for your viewing pleasure! ENJOY!!!
May you always have walls for the winds, a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you, and all your heart might desire! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOURS!!!

Fallen Right into Fall 2011

Much water has gone under the bridge since our last posts of State Fair and Labor Day happenings!

To name a few, Aly began homeschooling this Fall and is doing a splendid job thus far, we enjoyed taking her to NQC 2011 for her first "Field Trip"...the music was, as expected, wonderful and we saw many friends and laughed ourselves almost breathless! We went to Greg's parents home for our annual "BD" trip...when Aly and Whitley are able to celebrate their October birthdays, together and this year Tanner joined in on the celebration! A triple party it was! The entire Indiana side of our family gathered together for a day of country fun "down at the Farm" and thanks to "Aunt" Nodi, we had a most relaxing and filling day! Of course, we have just come through the biggest event of all...Aly's 4th Birthday!!! "AN EVENING WITH PRINCESS BELLE" went very smoothly, the girls had a ball having "Tea" together and once again our family enjoyed a delicious meal, a specially made cake for the occasion and many stories and laughs!

Rather than going into too much detail and boring you, I'll allow the slide shows I've created to tell the story of how we have quite literally, "Fallen Right into Fall 2011"! ENJOY........

Labor Day Weekend 2011...PLUS!

We had yet another great weekend filled with fun and family! Needless to say, as usual we were completely awesomized by our time together!(You just had to be there to get that one!)The food & fellowship were equally life-changing, heart-skipping & chill bump-giving, as Harry Bunch & Larry Breeze would say!(Again, you just had to be there to get that one!)A good laugh & times with those you love dearly, are the best cures in any book & with that being said..... we'll not bore you with the details instead, we will allow the photos to speak for themselves! "To us, family means putting your arms around each other & being there." {Barbara Bush}

Labor Day Weekend 2001

BACK TO SCHOOL PHOTOS BELOW :

Back to School 2011-12

Scenes of Christmas 2010

WINTER 2010

(MORE PHOTOS BELOW)

I wish that I could wrap up all the love and Holiday cheer that comes along with Christmas and with New Year's every year, pack it in a pretty box and put it on my shelf and pull it down again each year and give it to myself.

I wish that I could tie up all my favorite carols with twine, wind around some ribbon, too, and for twelve months call them mine until the next Yuletide came when the sounds again could be unfurled and untie every single one then give them to the world.

Each year though wiser and older am I, still thoughts of Santa cause such excitement... and a simple reading of the Christmas Story brings such tears of joy to my eyes. So, like many Christmas's before, you see there really is no difference, it's just "your height in the door" and in the innocence of a child, I take this moment, to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! {Adapted}

Christmas at Our Home

Christmas Time Feelings Are in The Air

WINTER 2010

WOW! After many months, we are blogging once again, with the hopes of doing better in the coming months! Trust all of our Penn Palz are doing well this fine December and pray you will each have a beautiful Christmas Season... filled with all the love you can hold!

We enjoyed a busy end to our Summer and a very nice Autumn, as well! This Winter looks to be just a little hectic, but that's what the Holidays are all about, right? Shopping, food, company, fun, parties, fellowship, etc.

Let us remember, the person or persons who has not Christmas in their heart, will never find it under a tree and the very best... of all the gifts, around any Christmas tree, is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other! ENJOY!!! Merry Christmas from our home........

Summer 2010 (thus far, anyway!)

SO much has happened since our last post on June 1st! Too many things to try and list them ALL, suffice it to say, we're having an incredible time, thus far!!!
We truly enjoyed our 'first' family vacation...10 days away from home, together! Aly experienced her first hotel-stay (other than the ones when she was still a baby!), her first time to go 'swimming' with her Daddy (in a BIG pool!), her first visit to Six Flags Over Mid-America, etc.
Then, we ended the vacation by spending time with Greg's family... Wesley was in the process of preparing to leave for his 2-year USAF stint to South Korea (on July 3rd) and it was fun before his departure date, to all be together, again! Mawmaw and Pawpaw even let Greg and I go out on a "date" while we were there and Aly had a ball making crafts with them, at the same time!
Aly's favorite moments of vacation, were without a doubt, the "BIG" kid rides at Six Flags, the "BIG" hotel pool (of course!) and the "Splashing Hole" (also at Six Flags!)....... Can you tell that she's in love with water and having a good time all the time???
We have also attended some great restaurants, concerts, revivals, birthday parties, etc. back at home, in Indy! Mimi and Papaw have joined us for several really fun excursions this Summer, as well... Aly always LOVES any second she can spend with them and the more, the merrier! We really enjoyed spending the 4th of July together... the Princess thinks we should have a 'fireworks show' every night, now! Aly's favorite weekly activity would have to either be Summer School or going to the Mall, Park, etc. with her Papaw!!!
Whitley and her friend, Katie came to town for a few days and we enjoyed taking them downtown, shopping at Circle Center, supper with Mimi and Papaw on Monument Circle, Incredible Pizza Co., Ritter's Frozen Custard, etc. Aly thought she was a teenager while they were here, too!!!
The Children's Department, at church, began a new program for the Summer and it's really fun... full of media, music, etc. and lots of work for Greg and I, but the kids are loving it and that makes it worth it all!
We are excited about our 6th Anniversary coming up, on July 24th, a special dinner-out is being planned; a trip to Port Clinton (and probably Cedar Point) coming up at the beginning of August; Greg's parents will also be here for a visit, over his Birthday weekend, in the middle of August; etc.
So, as you can see... our Summer has been and continues to be FULL UP with many fun activities, great company, neat destinations, good food, etc.!!! Trust you and yours are enjoying a great one, as well.......
P.S.~ We hope to add pictures to this (pitiful quality, once again a BLACKBERRY) Photo Album right away or possibly create a new one, so keep your eyes open for more pictures soon!

Summer 2010 BLACKBERRY Album

HAPPY JUNE!!!

Spring 2010 BLACKBERRY Album

HAPPY TUESDAY! Dirty hands and feet, almost frozen-iced sweet tea, garden fragrances thick in the air and an ocean of color before me, who could ask for more? Only 20 days til it's officially Summer!

Due to the technical problems of late, we will not even attempt to play 'catch up' with blogging today, other than to say, we have been exceptionally busy since our last post... Concerts with The Pfeifers, The Perry's ~ and more, fun field trips ~ to places like The Indy Zoo, Chuck E. Cheese, The Children's Museum, etc., Memorial Day trip ~ to Ohio and much, much more!

Recently, we are grateful to have been given a handful of photos (from other people), which we will post soon, along with as many new ones of our own, as possible! (We have also added a very small photo album to this post... however, please excuse the quality, as they were taken on Greg's BlackBerry and are quite blurry.)

Easter Fun & Spring Happenings (2010)

We will not bore you with the "story" of the past weeks, since our last post, but we would like to add a slide show. This will give you a 'taste' of our Easter weekend of fun and MORE!!! (Click on the center of the slide to be taken directly to the photo album. BUT, NOT ON THE ARROW, because that will only begin the slide show.)
On a personal note, I would like to add, how happy we were to have a portion of the Louisiana family with us over the weekend! Our only regret, was that they were not ALL able to be here, but for those that were, thank you, we love you and we can't wait to see y'all again!

March Winds...April Showers & May Flowers Not Far Behind

WOW!!! Is it really already the first week of MARCH??? Simply crazy! April showers and May flowers really are almost in sight, now! We're less than two weeks away from St. Patrick's Day, too!

Where do I begin??? Soon after my last blog post, Greg and I took Aly to Incredible Pizza Co. for supper one night, as a surprise for being extra special good that day and as usual, she had the time of her life! I'VE ADDED A PICTURE ABOVE... A COMPUTER-GENERATED PIECE OF ART THAT ALY 'DREW' HERSELF, THAT EVENING.
The weekend following Valentine's Day, we packed up and hit the road for a very short-lived 3-day, 2-night family get-away. We drove to Greg's parents home and enjoyed time with them and with Whitley, as well! While there, Mom Penn and I began a decorating project, which gave me the opportunity to do a little shopping on the Square and find a few really good 'deals'! This little project is going to take some time, with the miles that lie between us, but it is such fun! Speaking of which, I've since taken Aly on a couple of visits to Hobby Lobby, Old Time Pottery, etc. I must say she's taking to this early 'training' very well and already loves matching colors and things. Think I might just have a fellow-decorator, a kindred spirit so to speak, in her!

My L.N.O. group held their 2nd Annual Spa Night, on February 26th, at the home of friend, Paula Romans, and let me tell you what... This is the kind of event I could get used to! Lots of pampering, delicious food, many laughs and all with great friends!!! On the same note, while I was being attended to and relaxing with my friends, Greg and Aly headed out for supper at Chuck E. Cheese. They had quite a time themselves, with Aaron Bragg (our Spa Tech for the evening, America's, husband), and needless to say Aly thought she had the world by the tail, with those two tagging along behind her! I'VE ADDED A PICTURE OF ALY AND GREG AT CHUCK E.'S ABOVE. As you can tell, it was Daddy's hair night... He in a hat and she with quite an interesting 'doo', to boot! Good thing I didn't see them BEFORE they left the house!!!
Greg and I joined a Faith Builders group at Church and we had our first 'meet' on February 27th. It was a strategy meeting to set goals and decide what we wanted to see happen in the future, as a group and for starters, we chose Denny's as our late-supper choice, that night. LOL A fun evening with a 'new set' of friends and we look forward to our next event!

I'VE ADDED A PICTURE ABOVE OF GREG, ALY AND I, AS A ST. PATTY'S DAY 'GREETING' TO YOU ALL. Greg's mother, Sandy, just came through surgery with flying colors, on Monday and we are so proud of her! She seems to be doing fine, only a little pain, weak and sore, but that is to be expected. We are excited to see what her "new" future has in store for her... Way to go, Mom P.! We've been praying for you and will continue to do so! We've been sending many prayers up for other family members lately, as well. Those who are under entirely too much right now and need God to undertake! Our family also lost a close dear friend, Carol Jeanette, this week and though we'll miss her and her way of making us laugh, we know Heaven gained a very "SPECIAL" angel, when she arrived at the Pearly Gates! Look out, Papaw Smith, she's something else!!!
Trust everyone in Blogging-Land will have an exceptional week... Get out there and enjoy this beautiful sunshine and rest assured that Spring is about to show it's face FOR GOOD!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The song, "Auld Lang Syne," is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the New Year. It is a Scottish poem, thought to be composed by Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns in 1788. It is sung to the traditional folk tune Roud 6294. First published in 1796 after Burns' death. Early variations of the song were sung prior to 1700 and inspired Burns to produce the modern rendition. An old Scottish tune, "Auld Lang Syne" literally means "old long ago," or simply, "the good old days."

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?
We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we've wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till night ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.
And there's a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o' thine !
And we'll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

Trust everyone had a blessed Christmas season, with those you love and knowing God will bless us ALL in the upcoming year of 2010... We will 'load' photos from our new camera SOON! We are still learning the 'newbie-tricks', so the pix may not be of the best quality, but you will be able to view them in a few days! HAPPY NEW YEAR to each and everyone!!!

Thank You Lord for Your Blessings…

As the world looks upon me (us), as I (we) struggle along...
They say I (we) have nothing, but they are so wrong.
In my (our) heart(‘s) I'm (we’re) rejoicing, how I (we) wish they could see.
Thank you Lord, for Your blessings on me (us).

Now, I (we) know I'm (we’re) not wealthy and these clothes they're not new...
I (we) don't have much money, but Lord I (we) have You.
And to me (us) that's all that matters, though the world cannot see.
Thank You Lord, for your blessings on me (us).

There's a roof up above me (us)
I've (we’ve) a good place to sleep.
There's food on my (our) table
And shoes on my feet.
You gave me (us) Your Love, Lord
And a fine family.
Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me (us).

Happy Thanksgiving One and ALL!!!

Life Can Be Quite the Trip…

WOW! Our lives can certainly agree to this post title! After a hectic few days last week, we were finally packed, loaded and westward bound on Friday evening! Being as we were off to a very late start, we didn’t arrive much before 11PM, Missouri time (12AM in Indiana)! Of course, we stayed up entirely too late chatting with everyone! Needless to say, we were already exhausted beyond words, even before we ever left Indy. However, we were determined to make the best of the few hours we had to spend with the family, though! Wouldn’t you know, I woke up Saturday morning very ill!?!?! All signs of a massive sinus infection along with flu-like symptoms, to boot! Aches, pains, low-grade fever… YOU NAME IT! Well, it was severe enough to put me “down” for the rest of the weekend. It is now Tuesday night, we’ve been home since late Sunday night, but I am still ‘bed-ridden’, with this case of old fashioned, “Yankeefied Droops”! The only light I see at the end of this tunnel, would have to be the strong medicines my doctor prescribed for me, yesterday! They are working… just extremely slowly! On top of it all, I’ve actually had a few side effects from them! NOT good!!!
The really bad news of the week? The fact, we never took one single picture on our trip! I was entirely too ill to care and Greg was too busy having fun (as usual, when we’re out there), to pick up the camera and do anything about it! LOL We hope to retrieve a picture or two taken with Mom and Dad P.’s camera that day, though! The kids “tripple” party sounded as if they were having a ball at the time and I heard that Aly really showed herself… especially when it came time to blow out the candles! One thing is for certain, I am DONE with being sick!!! Picture-taking and party-going would’ve been much more ‘my speed‘! Here is a cute little poem I found a couple of days ago, online.
"I am sick, I'm about to snap. My nose is leaking, I just want to nap. Been drinking juices & blowing my nose. My body screams, aches from my head down 2 my toes. I hate being sick, my mind doesn't work. Wish I was healthy, back to my normal self!” (M. Messineo)

GREG AT A RECENT PHOTO SHOOT FOR WORK

I would like to post one new photo this week. One of my one and only, personal, private, ‘In-House Doctor’, but please note, he is NOT up for hire elsewhere! Thanks, Sweetheart! You’ve done everything in your power to make my world a whole lot easier over the past few days and I can never thank you enough! Please know that I have been praying, that these ’bugs’ will stay very far away from you! I seriously don’t know how Aly and I would function... not with you stuck in the bed like this, sick as a puppy! I’m also very thankful, that Aly still has a dose or two left of HER antibiotics, because I in no way want to see her have a relapse! Again Greg, thanks for being so wonderful… I LOVE YOU!!!

An Easter We'll Never Forget

http://picasaweb.google.com/thepennfamily2007/HappyEaster2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCIb9087knbDiDw&feat=directlink Click Here! to view our Family Easter 2009 Photo Album

The pictures pretty much tell the story... we had a very busy week leading up to our annual Easter Egg Hunt at church. Greg and I were in charge of this event, so you can imagine the behind-the-scene work that had to be done beforehand. We had a wonderful turn out... close to 3,000 eggs were filled, hidden and ready for the kids to 'hunt' when they arrived. There were 7 large prizes given away, in addition to several hundred 'prize eggs', which were hidden with the filled eggs. Aly had a ball hunting eggs and even more fun on her first visit with the Easter Bunny!

The Sunday Morning service was absolutely incredible! The Cantata went exceptionally well and it seemed the Holy Spirit was there from the moment we set our feet in the building. During the Finale, 'Jesus' returned from the grave as the Choir sang, "We Shall See Jesus"... you could feel electricity filling the air, as people began to shout and praise the Lord! Hallelujah, He is risen! He has risen indeed! We are so thankful to be able to raise Aly in services where the presence of Jesus is evident enough one feels as if they can almost touch Him in a physical sense.

We also enjoyed a lovely Sunday afternoon with family. The meal was as delicious as ever and the fellowship was great fun, as well! We are so blessed!!! The kids had a BALL with their Easter Baskets and probably received entirely too much candy!

We trust you all had an incredible Holiday surrounded by those you love, as well...

Only 31 Days Before the First Day of Spring 09!

Finally, we're only about a month away from the best Season of the year... SPRING! It's been a long time a coming, but we're ready for it, that's for sure! We've had a very busy week since last Tuesday, with the Church Children's Valentine Party, a Family Valentine Party, our Valentine Dinner, etc. (Including a little Valentine shopping throughout the week, of course!) I've always loved Valentine's Day and this year it seemed we celebrated all week long, which made it even more special!
For a brief overview of our week,
CLICK HERE:
http://picasaweb.google.com/thepennfamily2007/ValentineSDayWeekend2009?feat=directlink
We are certainly looking forward to Spring this year, I believe Aly will enjoy being outdoors again, even more than she did last year! It's so much fun to watch the world "wake up" from her looonnnngggg Winter's nap and realize the beauty that God Himself created for just us, His children!
Please help us pray for the family of a dear girlfriend of mine, who just passed away, after returning to the States as a Missionary to China. She had backslidden in recent years and turned from God, she was entirely too young to die and her death seems very unnecessary. I HAVE WONDERFUL NEWS! TWO DAYS AFTER POSTING THIS PRAYER REQUEST, I WAS INFORMED THAT SHE DID INDEED FIND PEACE WITH GOD BEFORE HER UNTIMELY DEATH! TO GOD BE ALL THE PRAISE! However, let us continue to pray for her family during these trying times. She left a husband and son behind and many other family members, as well. Thank you for your prayers, care and concern for 'another' of God's family.
Until next time...

The Final Week Has Begun...

To begin, I'd like to say we had an exceptionally nice Thanksgiving week with Greg's family in Missouri... Uncle Tom and Aunt Janie hosted a yummy Thanksgiving Dinner, which we all ate too much of and we were able to see many family members we hadn't seen in a very long time!
We arrived at Greg's parents on Tuesday in the late afternoon... We truly enjoyed our time together although, it flew by way too fast, as always!
'Mom P.' chose to babysit Aly, while we all hit the Mall on "Black Friday" afternoon, I believe they had a good time playing together and we certainly all had a grand time shopping! In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, with our Starbucks 'in-hand', no amount of traffic was going to stop us! LOL
Personally, I'll be glad when I get over my "new mommy-ness" and decide once and for all, not to stress out over large family get-together's, major events, etc. and learn to take things as they come... maybe if and when that takes place, I'll begin relaxing a bit more! LOL (On a side note, I did de-stress long enough to take 3 or 4 pictures during this trip and I'll share them with you at the bottom of this post!)
Well, I'm about 75% unpacked and hope to finish out tomorrow, BEFORE the Christmas decorating gets done, which is only about 50% complete at this moment!!! As busy as we are these days, it looks as if we'll have to keep our decorations up through the first or second week of January, otherwise we'll not have time to even enjoy them!
Aly is loving all the lights, trees, snowmen, stockings, reindeer, etc. She especially loves her OWN tree with all it's sparkles and she can't get over the freshly fallen snow outside!!!
THE FINAL WEEK HAS BEGUN... We have exactly TWO practices left before our Children's Program at Church! Only TWO? Where has the time gone? Heaven help us all! We certainly have MUCH to do between now and Sunday, that's for sure!

http://picasaweb.google.com/thepennfamily2007/ThanksgivingInMissiouri2008#
~ Happy Holidays

A Breath of 'Southern Sunshine' on A Cool Fall Weekend

Here are a handful of pictures of Aly's Play-Day today...
http://picasaweb.google.com/thepennfamily2007/AlySPlayDayNov102008# Last week was pretty uneventful, except that we were busy getting ready for the upcoming weekend.
It was an AWESOME weekend, too... Some of our Louisiana family were able to come up for a visit and as ALWAYS we had a BALL!!!
We began on Friday evening with an all-Italian homemade meal at Mamaw S's. Spicy Chicken Spaghetti, an assortment of yummy Herb Breads and Breadsticks, Salads and the whole nine yards! YUUMMM... Following the meal, everyone came over to "Penn Place" for a Fall-Themed 'Dessert Bar'. Pecan Pie, Sugar Cream Pie & Apple Fritter Bread. With a choice of French Vanilla, Caramel Praline or Butter Pecan, (and Bunny-Tracks for the kids) Ice Cream. We had an assortment of iced drinks (including Vernors, of course!) and Coffee, too. My personal favorite items of the evening were the Coffee Creamers: Vanilla Chai Spice and Cinnamon Vanilla Cre'me!
On Saturday, we had lunch together at Steak-N-Shake... an Indiana favorite for our Southern family, before the ladies and gents split up for an afternoon of fun! The ladies found ourselves at 'Old Time Pottery' and for 3 entire HOURS, too! The men made their way to Gander Mountain and Dick's Sporting Goods for a couple of hours. Later that evening, we all headed back to Mamaw S's. for a COLD Cook-Out of Pork Steaks and all the trimmings! Thanks, to the guys who cooked out in that weather! It was well worth it, that's for sure!!!
We had a great Sunday, not only at Church, but a relaxing day with family, as well! Another delicious meal only made the day better! Roast, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Sugared Green Beans with Bacon, Cornbread, etc., etc. (I'll not even go into all the desserts we had available!!!) Why is it when humans have a 'get-together', we think food is one of the necessary items, in order to have more fun? In reality, though fun, food really only adds more and more pounds to one's body and what is fun about THAT? LOL
Today~ Aly and I were having a 'Play-Day', a kind of a normal day for us, of "School" and playing together, so we decided to take 4 or 5 pictures while we were at it! (I posted a link above.) This due much to the fact, that we didn't get ONE picture taken during the busy weekend... funny thing is no one had a camera all weekend! (Not even Ronda or Aunt Diane!!!)
Oh well! As you can tell, we had an excellent weekend, with our without a camera and only wished they could've stayed for a month or two!!! The time flew by, but they may make another trip North during the Holidays?!?!? (We certainly hope so!) Hey, ya'll... it really was a "Breath of Southern Sunshine" to have you with us! We are sorry it was so cold while you were here, though! That's all just a part of being in the 'Northland', I guess! We look forward to your next visit and PRAY that we'll be able to make a trip South again, SOON!!!

It's Back to Business... With a Few Pix from Our 100th Celebration Service!

Here's a Photo Album link for you:)
http://picasaweb.google.com/thepennfamily2007/The100thNazareneCelebration#

Well, my dear and wonderful husband was able to figure out our silly computer and get it up and running again! Thank you Greg, once again you saved my life and the life of our computer!!! (BTW! Vonnie, the picture posted below, was obviously not of our computer, if it had've been Greg would have had an even BIGGER job saving THAT one!!!!! LOL)
We had a wonderful day together on Sunday... the International General Church of the Nazarene celebrated their 100th 'Birthday' and our local Church went all out for the occasion!
Along with many of the Church congregation, our family dressed in 'period' clothes from the 1908 era and had a ball doing so! Even little Alyson Dawn had an adorable smocked-dress with beautiful trim... she looked like an absolute doll!
On our stage, we had a modified replica of the original "Camp Meeting Tent" (along with the old-time 'Camp Meeting Fans'), which took place in Pilot Point, TX in 1908. At this Camp Meeting, the official beginning of the Church of the Nazarene, as a national denomination had a little over 200 churches and 10,500 members scattered across the U.S. The Church of the Nazarene, now as an international denomination and 100 years later, includes congregations in about 150 countries of the world. The 13,500 Nazarene churches around the world now have a total membership of about 1.5 million.
During our Morning service, the Choir performed several songs in honor of the era, Pastor Bailey took in several new members, preached a wonderful sermon on 'Heartfelt Holiness' and the congregation shared Communion together.
Following the service, we had an ALL-Church Balloon Launch with 'tagged' balloons commemorating this very special Event. Then, the NEW Church members, a few friends, family and the Church Staff enjoyed a delicious meal together!
That evening, a Concert by "Forgiven", was the perfect ending to a perfect day... We praise the Lord for His goodness, to our local Church family and for placing the desire in the hearts of our forefathers so long ago, to begin a denomination founded in true HEARTFELT HOLINESS!
As you can see, we're still experiencing trouble with our photos, but we trust ya'll enjoyed taking a peek into our 100th Celebration...

Our Weekend in Missiouri...

Well, the trip went very well and we had a TON of fun in the 'Show Me State'! We packed up on Thursday evening and arrived at Greg's parents around 11 pm.
On Friday, we relaxed, played games, ate together, made last minute party plans for Saturday, etc. Aly sure enjoyed being out of that car seat and able to 'roam about'!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/thepennfamily2007/MissiouriBirthdayTrip#

(The 'link' above will direct you to our Photo Album, "Missiouri Birthday Trip".)

Around lunch time on Saturday, we had our BIG combined-Birthday Party with a ton of pizza and two... yes, I said 2 Ice Cream Cakes! One for each, being as this was such a big year for both, Wes (18) and Whit (16)!!!

That evening, Greg, Dad P., Aly and I drove to Columbia to see the Collingsworth's in concert and had a fine time! It was fun to finally get to introduce Aly to Phil, Kim and the kids... just sad that it has taken almost a year to do so!!!
Sunday, we went to Church with the family and were able to meet their new Pastor and his wife, had a yummy meal and another enjoyable day with the In-Laws and kids!
Monday found us back on the road toward home, arriving around 10 p.m. all worn out, but very happy to have had such a wonderful weekend together!

Labor Day '08 Party, Pool-Time and Piles of FUN!

Here's the long and short of our Labor Day '08 weekend...
On Friday night, we headed to 'Rascal's Fun Zone' for Cuz Corey's Birthday party and had more fun than the law should allow! Alyson loved the Ice Cream and couldn't seem to get enough!
Saturday, we were able to attend yet another Birthday party, of a friend from Church and the meal was 'to-die-for'!!! Aly loved being at a new place and checking out all their stuff... she especially loved the 'Princess Tea-Pot' set, that "Unkey" Jeff and "Aunt" Rhonda let her play with! (The only thing missing was the fact, that Memaw and Papaw left for a vacation in TN. earlier that morning!)
Sunday, found us at Church, as usual. The Holy Spirit came in a special way and the service was indeed a good one! We spent the afternoon at Mamaw 'Who's', with the rest of the family and enjoyed a fabulous meal and more great fun! Sunday night, following another wonderful service at Church, 'Unkey' Mark, Aunt Nita and Cuz Nate came over and hung out with us... we grilled 'Dogs', with the works.
Monday, Labor Day, the family were supposed to have gotten together for a family picnic, but we all chose instead, to eat a late late lunch at a local 'Taco' joint... quite a good idea if you ask me... no cooking to do, no dishes to clean up, etc.!!! Afterwards, we all headed back to Mamaw 'Who's' for Games, Snacks and a little 'Pool Time' for Aly. Following all that fun and food, most of us crashed, to watch a bit of "Narnia".
We wanted to take just a second to thank all of our 'E' friends, that read our BLOGS on a regular basis and send us replies VIA 'Yahoo'! We consider ya'll to be just another part of our Blogger-Family and love keeping up with you, as well!
Needless to say, we had an extremely busy weekend but it was filled with so much fun and excitement, we're certainly not soon to forget it, that's for sure...
(FYI: If you 'click' on the video above, you'll be taken to the actual Album W/ captions!) Trust all of you had an incredible weekend, as well and we'd love to hear all about it!