Ernesto? Never heard of him, there's no Ernesto here.

Well, we survived the storm that really wasnt. After we put shutters up, dismantled the hot tub canopy, brought in patio furniture, our grill, and other yard items. and sure enough, no hurricane. Not even gusty winds, no thunder, not even the yard debris we cut down last week moved from it's neatly-stacked pile.



But I should expect that, now that we are ready for a storm with our generator, batteries, water, etc. I'm constantly amazed at how seriously everyone takes these storms now that we've been hit a few times. Gas lines were outta control, if you could even find gas, and the non-stop storm coverage started on our TV stations early Monday night. BORING! I had to work half day on Tuesday and sure enough we're back to work today, even with lingering 40 mpg gusts... guess it's all a sign that life goes on.

Trust me, we're well aware of the hurricane coming

Thanks to everyone who has called and emailed, but trust me, we are WELL AWARE of the hurricane that now appears to be making its way up the center of South Florida some time Tues/Weds. We're seasoned veterans at this, and while we did expect it to go to the West coast, once we saw news reports this morning Tim and I made a short task list of stuff to do and we're all set to ride out another one some time this week.

The tub will be washed tonight and filled once it becomes a warning/eminent strike so we have water to flush with. Jugs of drinking water are filled, we have about 35 gallons of gas in our backyard ready for the generator and all we need now is to fill the cars, top off our supply of canned goods, maybe get an extra fill of propane for cooking, and fill the ice chest if it becomes necessary... ah, good times. Told ya we were old pros!

Weekend update (with photos)

Hi everyone. Weekends always seem to go by so fast lately. We ended our hectic week and headed up to join our dog at Tim's parents' place to hang out and meet our new nephews. Cooper had gone up earlier in the week and I'm sure he wasn't missing us a bit since he had a swimming pool to swim in as much as he pleased.

It was great to meet Jacob and Tyler, and start a lifetime of getting to know them. How small and adorable they are! And it's great fun watching Dusty and Aimee settle into their new roles as parents. Sure they are tired, but when you see how wonderful and happy each of the boys are you see their efforts are so worth it.


Tim also got quite a surprise gift -- the guitar his parents promised for college graduation- and the six years he waited made it even more special to have it now. Did I mention he will have to use his headphones when wailing on the new toy! But I don't need to ramble on.. just see for yourself...

Some more nifty pics

Our dining room redefined





There is still more work to do with the artwork in the back (either darken the wood frame or replace altogether.)

And Cooper after a long night of studying with Tim.

It's the beginning of the most stressful time of the year

Hard to even vocalize this, but it's Christmas in August -- yes, that's right, we officially started rehearsals and auditions for the 23rd annual Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant. I spent Friday night and about 4 hours on Saturday starting to learn our choir music for the show. We're only doing, oh, 11 songs... no stress, right? Yeah, sure. In all seriousness, this is an amazing show, and a great privilege. I always feel closer to the Lord when pageant starts and the people (all 1,000 of them) become like family because we see each other so much. Sure, we have tiffs like family too, but overall it's a great experience. This will be my third year doing the show.

After that part of my weekend was over I finished up the design for the birth announcement for our new nephews. Very excited that I can print and assemble them throughout the week and mail them out before the weekend.

And, lastly, we bought a new dining set yesterday. We've needed one that could sit 6 and expand like a real grown up set ;) Here is what we purchased, and... TIM put it together almost entirely on his own. I was just there to unwrap pieces and hand them to him (and if you know how these things usually go you know this is a rareity!)



Can't wait to entertain and show it off. The chairs are SO COMFY!

Finally photos

It's not like our family to delay photos this long but I have adorable photos of the boys that I have to share (hope their mom and dad don't mind)...

New nephews!

What a joyful weekend.... Dustin and Aimee (Tim's brother and wife) are new parents. Please share in our joy as we announce additions to our family:

Jacob Randall born Sunday, 8/13 at 11:10 a.m. weighing 4 lb 10 oz. 18 inches long

Tyler Daniel born Sunday, 8/13 at 11:12 a.m. weighing 5 lb 4 oz. 18 inches long

No photos yet (we're waiting for them to be sent to us! Hint hint!).

We're looking forward to visiting them as soon as they settle in and are ready for visitors. We understand the overwhelming nature of having a baby, imagine that times two and you can see why we're giving them some space to adjust to their new life. But we are so thrilled for them!

Photos from our trip to James' wedding

In random order, with full wedding trip wrap up later, but let's face it -- all you care about is pics anyways!

James and Kristina Winschel

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Cake

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Us

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And lastly, the Sausage Races at the Brewers Game on Sat... winner... Bratwurst!