October 1, 2009, Samson & Heather
On October 1st Samson asked me to marry him, and I joyfully said “Yes!”. We are planning a wedding in January… my heart is full to overflowing!
“I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 89:1
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At long last… I have found some time to post some pictures of Josiah and Melody’s wedding! Enjoy! 
Events before the wedding day…
My brothers trying on their suits before the wedding
My Aunt Kathy graciously did all the flowers for the wedding- they turned out lovely! Mom & Aunt Kathy
A delicate corsage
A taste of summer - one of the bridesmaids bouquet!
The Rehearsal…
Justin & Joseph waiting for the rehearsal to begin
Setting the stage...
The groomsmen waiting for the rehearsal to begin
Elijah (Melody's brother) and Timothy- ring bearers, Michaela and Hannah- flower girls
Practicing the ceremony
Rehearsing the vows
Stephen telling the ring-bears (grrr!) where to stand
The wedding day finally arrived… and what a beautiful day it was!
The happy groom, Josiah!
The groomsmen looking dapper
Josiah & Stephen, brothers... the groom and best-man
Traipsing back from picture taking
The beautiful bride- Melody!
Melody with her attendants
More pictures will be posted soon…
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Mom & Grandma at their birthday party
Both my dear Mother and her mother’s birthdays were this month. My mom was born four days after her mother’s birthday, so we usually try and celebrate their birthdays together. This year we celebrated with a special birthday dinner at our home. We had a wonderful time spending time and sharing delicious food together as a family.
I am so privileged to be the daughter of my mom. She has taught me what it means to be a woman who loves her role as a wife and mother. Her love for the Lord inspires me and her impact on my life is more than I will truly ever know. She home schooled me (and all my siblings) from pre-school through 12th grade and also has taught me many homemaking skills. Her love of learning and reading good books has been passed along to nearly all her children (some of us can’t read yet!). My mom has been a living example of sacrifice and service following in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She loves life and brings much joy and laughter to our home. Truly our home is a blessed place because of her profound influence and labors of love on our behalf! Happy birthday, Mom! I love you very much!! And happy birthday, Grandma! I love you!
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Lighting the Unity Candle
One week ago today, my brother Josiah and his wife Melody were wed! What a joyous and happy occasion! I had the privilege to be the maid of honor and witnessed them up-close pledge before God and man their vows of faithfulness to each other. Once they get back from their honeymoon I’ll post more pictures! 
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Lemon Ice Cream
Fresh Lemon Ice Cream
2 C. whipping cream or half & half (or a combination of both)
1 C. sugar
1 T. fresh grated lemon peel (or less)
1/3 C. fresh lemon juice
In a large bowl, combine cream and sugar: stir until sugar dissolves.
Blend in lemon peel and juice.
Pour mixture into a shallow pan (9×13).
Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
Serve in small dessert cups (or as I did, punch cups).
Garnish with fresh mint or strawberries if desired.
Makes about 6 ~ ½ cup servings.
If you make larger quantities, you can freeze it in a bucket. It will take longer than 4 hours to freeze then.
This recipe came from a good friend of ours, and we used it at Josiah and Melody’s Rehearsal Dinner. The ice cream was a delightfully refreshing treat at the end of a busy day! More pictures will be posted as time allows…
Josiah & Melody at the Rehearsal
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Friends, I have some exciting news to share! As of June 23rd a wonderful young man named Samson Dubina began courting me! My family has been getting to know Samson and his family for several months. Samson approached my dad in early May and began meeting with him and my family for an evaluation time, after which we officially began courting at the end of June. Samson is a God-fearing man, one who loves to share his faith with others. He desires to please God with his life and loves his family very much. He has played table tennis professionally and currently coaches and plays in some tournaments. He has worked as a paramedic in the past, and is trained as a firefighter/paramedic and is currently seeking a job in that field. Something I have grown to admire in Samson is his desire to please the Lord with his life and how he seeks to discover God’s will for his life in the Word of God. So many of our core convictions are the same, and it has been a delight for my family and I to get to know Samson!
Samson & I the night he asked to court me!
I recently went with Samson and his family to Canada for a week-long vacation. I appreciated the time to get to know his parents, grandparents, sisters and brother-in-law better during that week. We spent the week boating, fishing, talking, reading the Bible, portaging from one lake to another and playing games. I really got to know Samson better, and we had many opportunities to talk things over and understand each others values and standards. I also observed first-hand how kind and patient Samson and his family were with the grandparents, making sure they had at least one fishing trip a day and helping them in and out of boats despite weak or bad knees! Here are a few pictures from the trip. The Lord is good, and His faithfulness reaches to the skies!!
Morning sun rays
Sunset on the horizon
Mist in the morning
Samson, me & Marissa with our catch of the day!
Fire watch-tower some of us climbed
From the top of the fire watch-tower
Sunfish I caught
A bear at the town dump (the best place to find a bear!)
A beaver house- usually the best place to find minnows!
Samson with one of his grandmothers
A cute statue in front of someone's house
Getting the boat from one lake to the next (Samson did all the work!)
With our fish of the day
Fishing
Marissa (Samson's sister) dubbed this a Norman Rockwell picture!
Samson and Marissa portaging
Samson water skiing
Samson & Me (with flowers he picked for me!)
The boat dock
Marissa, Amanda (Samson's other sister) & Me
Packing up to leave... (Samson's Dad is on the right)
Posted in Special Occassions, Vacation | 11 Comments »
Josiah & Melody
In five days, Josiah and Melody will covenant before God and many witnesses their love for each other in marriage. In Proverbs it says: “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.” Proverbs 18:22. The Lord enabled Josiah to “find” Melody, and has blessed their courtship and engagement period with His favor. I am eager to witness them pledge themselves to each other by the grace and mercy of God. Pictures will be forth coming, after the big day!
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Reformation 500 Children's Parade
July 1st-4th found most of my family and I in Boston, MA, for Vision Forum’s Reformation 500 conference. The four days were packed with excellent speakers, wonderful music and scenic historical tours. Over the past eight years or so my family has been greatly impacted by Vision Forum Ministries and their desire to build up the Christian family. We have learned much from the teaching tapes, books and materials they have printed. We were so blessed to be able to attend the conference through the provision of a scholarship and several friends blessing us with the ability to stay at the hotel where the conference was held!
One aspect of the week that I came away with was the fact that although the reformation was over 500 years ago, the truths that the reformers fought for (and some gave their life blood) are to be carried on in my own life. My desire is that I would be enabled through the grace of God to pass on the truths of the reformation: The Five Solas- Scripture Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Christ Alone, To the Glory of God Alone to my own children, should the Lord bless me someday. I cannot ride on the coat-tails of others, I must make my Christian faith mine and be faithful to pass on that faith to my children and to others around me. I must rise above the status quo and stand firm in my beliefs.
We started our trip by spending a night with a family in western MA (thanks to the Kulberg’s for their kind hospitality!). We then toured the town of Stockbridge, traveled to Plymouth for a quick tour of the historic sites and drove on to Boston and unpacked our van by the busy hotel. I will post some pictures below.
The "crew" happy to leave for the trip!
Stockbridge Library
Gateway to a graveyard
My family (plus a little friend) in front of Jonathan Edward's monument
A church where Jonathan Edwards preached
Inside the church
A stitchery hanging in the church- I thought the saying was excellent!
A new friend, Gideon, and Joseph
Faith of our Father's Monument-Plymouth
Old City Hall (our first mini tour in Boston)
Paul Jehle, our tour guide
In front of the building where the Boston Massacre took place
The Balcony where the Declaration of Independence was read for many years
On the way to the harbor
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Sometimes I don’t realize the blessings I have until they are taken away, whether for a period of time or permanently. This past month I came down with a cold which quickly developed into laryngitis. I could barely talk for over a week! During this time as a family we had two music/singing performances, so I did my best to sing with no voice! As I have gotten better, I realized the blessing the Lord has given most people of the ability to express their thoughts to one another verbally. Truly the gift of speech is something I often take for granted. I’m reminded as well of the fact that when I speak, I want my words to be meaningful and life giving. How often I speak too quickly or without regard for the person I am talking with! These verses from Proverbs have helped me to keep my perspective in how I speak to others: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” Proverbs 18:21 and then, “Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.” Proverbs 21:23. May the Lord remind you today of the joy of speech, and may He enable you to speak a word in season to those around you.
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Although this birthday post is a bit late (his birthday was at the beginning of the month), I still wanted to wish Josiah a happy birthday on my blog. I am honored to be Josiah’s sister. He has matured so much in the past year, and I look forward to the years ahead and what the Lord has in store for his life. Josiah and I work together, which has been a great blessing! I have enjoyed being able to further his vision and help him in his work. His excitement and zeal for his work spurs me on and inspires me to do my very best for the Lord’s glory. I have been blessed to observe his courtship with Melody and how he has walked out the process in purity and godliness. The excitement is mounting here, with the wedding date only about two months away! I trust and pray that the Lord will shower Josiah and Melody with blessing and His favor as they start their life together. Happy birthday, Josiah! I love you.
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