Monday, December 31, 2007

Perfect Way to End 2007

By making new friends!!!

We spent a lovely afternoon and evening making a new friendship with Mark, Laura, Robert & Daryl Fultz. Byron and Mark have been friends for awhile but tonight was the first time for us all to be together. We had alot of fun and really enjoyed ourselves. Thanks for the great evening Mark & Laura!!


Laura and the kids looking at Roberts rock collection.


The kids racing.


Mark the Chef!

So Ya Wanna Stay at that Hotel??

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Happy New Year from the Gurnee's!

Our prayer for our family & friends for the coming year:


“May God give you...For every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, for every sigh a sweet song and an answer for each prayer.”

ThinkExist.com Quotations. “Irish Blessings quotes”. ThinkExist.com Quotations Online 1 Nov. 2007. 30 Dec. 2007

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Appreciation

I just finished reading a blog in which a daughter posted that she felt her parents were under appreciated. It really hit home to me as I have been facing this very issue. As a pastors wife, it is something I battle allot. I get burnt out on doing things for the church and often feel that apparently it is just expected of me. Allot of what we do as pastor/pastor's wife no one even knows about. We don't expect recognition or praise but after pouring our hearts into our people and our church, humanly we need to know that we are appreciated. Allot of times I know lack of recognition is due to lack of awareness. However, we have learned to do what we do and if someone shows their thanks - we consider it a bonus. We know we are not working for a reward down here but will get our reward in Heaven.

Byron likes to publicly thank anyone who helps around the church. It is only right. It is an incentive for others to step up and help out also. We have so many dedicated people who work many hours each work around our church that we are truly thankful for all who help life our load.

My challenge to you, my faithful readers..... think about the people in your life who make your world a better place to be. Then thank them. Be creative. A thank you card, a phone call, an e-card, flowers, cookies, a meal. Whatever. Just get the point across that what they do means allot to you.

On that note..... here are some notes of appreciation from me.

Connie Rodgers: Connie, thank you so much for your hours and hours of work for the church finances. Your careful, flawless work is appreciated more than you know. We don't' thank you publicly very often and I'm fairly certain no one, other than Pastor, has personally thanked you for your work as treasurer. Your faithfulness to God and your loyalty to us is so very much appreciated.

Paul Klein: Paul, you amaze me. You faithfully show up each Thursday morning to clean the church. For nothing. We can't pay you but you still are faithful. Pastor thanks you publicly fairly often but I'm fairly certain that you haven't been overwhelmed by people personally showing appreciation for your service to our church. Thanks for stepping up to "the plate" and taking responsiblity for a job that no one else was willing to do. Thank you Paul. We love you!!

Rod & Christy Shumate: Rod & Christy, you are such a blessing to our church. Rod, thanks for plowing out the church anytime we need it done. Thank you for donating your time and equipment to the church. We really really appreciate it. Thank you for helping Pastor anytime he calls. Thank you for the fellowship. Christy, your creativity and work with the children is so very much appreciated. The Christmas program this year was like none other here at Keepville and it was largely because of your ideas and work. Thank you for lifting our load in such a huge way.

Peg Shauberger: Where do we start, Peg!!! You have been such an encouragement and blessing to Pastor & I. We handed you "the ball" and you didn't just run with it, you completely exceeded any/all expectations. Thank you for your willingness to not only help out your parsonage family but for being of service to God and your church - even when you didn't have the time or the energy. We DO appreciate your sacrifice and your faithfulness both to God and to us.

Ashley: Thanks Ashley for the hours you spent painting the beautiful Bible scenes on the Beginner class walls. The art work for the nativity scene in our church was great. What a wonderful addition to our church. Your faithful attendance is such an example and encouragement to us - especially with your schedule. We so appreciate your dedication.

George & Ilene: What a blessing it is to have such dedicated neighbors and church family as you both!! You both are "true blue". Your loyalty and dedication both to us and to our church is refreshing and so very much appreciated. Thank you for loving our kids. You mean so much to them.

Marge: Marge, you'll probably never see this blog but we want to go on record that we sure do appreciate you and your life. You are dependable and consistent and in a world where both those character traits are in low supply, we value that highly. Thank you for the many hours you've spent here at the parsonage helping me. You have no idea how you've brightened our lives and lifted our load.

Tom Mooney: Tom, I think this pastor's wife would have lost her mind this past summer if it had not been for you. Your tireless efforts to keep us supplied with water was more of a blessing than you will ever know. We probably didn't tell you enough how much it meant to us and how much it helped.Thank you for giving to the Lord - by way of the parsonage family.

Andy Crouch: Andy, thanks for renting the church's house. Thanks for being a neighbor we can trust. Thanks for spending many many hours working on the house. We appreciate you, your life and your help.

Friday, December 28, 2007

Thank the Lord for good neighbors!

George & Ilene Randall are our neighbors. They also attend our church. They are also our kids adopted grandparents. Our kids are blessed with quite a few adopted grandparents.

George & Ilene had us to their house for dinner tonight and it was delicious lasagna!!! We had such wonderful, relaxed fellowship all evening. It was a breath of fresh air.

While we were there they gave us their Christmas present to us. Ilene had made each of the kids and Byron & I a blanket/bedspread. One side is in Christmas fabric and the other side is camouflage for the boys, princesses for Kendra, teddy bears for Alyssa and flowers for Byron and I. They are so lovely and to know they were sewn with lots of love for us, means so very very much.

Thanks George & Ilene!! We love you very much!

Grandma "Lene" & Grandpa George



The blankets (minus ours and Vincents)


Alyssa really was being goofy.. Byron snapped this picture of her when she was supposed to be eating.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

A few of my favorite Christmas Pictures

Kendra and the doll Mama & Papa Wallace had special made just for her - with dark hair.


Brooklyn was NOT impressed with the gift we got her. Actually, she was having other issues at the time. I think she may actually really enjoy the playdough set.


Having our "Happy Birthday Jesus cake"


As you can imagine having 6 kids 7 and under in a house along with 6 adults, things can get quite disorderly. So, after we got the kids in their jammies for the night we gave them a challenge - along with a plastic bag. The challenge? Whoever filled their bag the fullest with toys and things that were NOT put away won a prize. Well, Vincent won. You can see some of the reactions to his win in this picture.



Vincent and Jennifer bonding over a book.


Alyssa and the doll Mama & Papa Wallace had special made just for her - with blonde hair.


Anxiously waiting!!


Do you think she liked her gift from Mama & Papa Gurnee?


Discussing the real meaning of Christmas


The Girls and their main gift from Mommy & Daddy (P.S... I got the guitar last year on clearance after Christmas for 2.00!!!!)

"Vincent-ism's"

Yesterday Vincent asked permission to do something. I told him no and he proceeded to keep asking. Finally I said, "Vincent! What part of 'no' don't you understand? The 'N' or the 'O'?" He got a very serious look on his face then about 5 seconds laters he said, "The 'N'!"

I'm so glad at least he understants the "O"!!!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Santa visits our kids

Disclaimer: The Gurnee children know without any doubt that Christmas is about Jesus birth. That is clearly the emphasis and priority.

That said.....

We have a friend who is the local Santa each year. This year, for the second time, he has come to our home and brought gifts (that we have given him before hand) to our kids. It is SO much fun. Santa brought them each new jammies and a game for the girls and a game for the boys.

This year, the kids stayed up late enough to even hear the sleigh and reindeer on the roof!!! Daddy did a great job of running around on the roof ringing the sleigh bells and saying "ho ho ho!!!" Then he got off the roof quickly and while we were excitedly looking out the back window he ran around the back yard with a red light (Rudolph's nose shining). The kids came just about unglued. They were SO excited. Their eyes were huge. They were squealing and just ecstatic. Even Kenton who rarely shows any excitement was just beside himself.

So, Christmas has arrived at the Gurnee home.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!!!!





Sunday, December 23, 2007

10 Tip for surviving the holidays with your inlaws

Let me preface this entire post but saying.... I truly have never had ANY of the issues in this article with my Byron's parents. We pretty much dispensed of any kind of awkward moments after the first 2 visits to their place when we were dating. The first happened on my first visit to their house when my father-in-law decided to take my blood pressure. I believe his exact words were, "I want to be sure my son is getting a healthy girl". This was our first date mind you, so he apparently has the gift of seeing into the future. Then, on my second trip to their house my dear mother in law fixed her son's favorite meal (since he only came home once in a while). This meal happened to be chicken stir fry with water chestnuts the size of apples in it. I'm thinking there may have been more water chestnuts in the dish than chicken, but that's neither here nor there. (It was very much there though). Anyways, I hadn't known Byron long enough to have let him in on the little piece of information that I don't like vegetables. So, as you all know, stir fry is 80% vegetables and 5% non vegetables and 15%soy sauce. So, I took a small portion and managed to digest it all. Then Byron asked for seconds and before I had time to stop him, he had filled my plate a 2nd time. *sigh* That was the beginning of the well.... rest of the story.

From there on, we pretty much decided that we'd all get along and its been a joy to be their daughter in law.

That said, however, I found this article to be incredibly amusing. I was going to edit it to remove anything that might be anti-all the things we believe in or against but decided that you could just read it and do the editing yourself. This was on my Yahoo homepage this evening...

10 Tips for Surviving the Holidays with Your In-Laws
By Dina Koutas Poch Special to Yahoo! Personals Updated: Dec 23, 2007

Holiday visits to in-laws, present or prospective, can test the strongest of bonds, even if you believe you could be hitting the in-law jackpot and winning a stellar extended family.

Here are 10 "in-law tips" to make a potentially bumpy sleigh ride much smoother.

1. Memorize In-law Names: Hey, Columbo, do your homework! It's easy if your in-laws are named Branford I, II and III. If this is your first time meeting the whole clan, learn who will be present ahead of time. You'll be poised to meet Great Aunt Stella's new, much younger boyfriend and not call him "boy toy" when his name is Ken.

2. Bear a special dish: The 8" by 10" baking pan is your token of gratitude -- it shows you appreciate your in-laws' hospitality. Aren't you a peach!
Also, you've guaranteed there's something digestible on the table and avoided the family specialty of "beef cups with pizza rice." Snap!

3. Embrace Your In-laws' Lifestyle: If only your in-laws posted a "House Rules" sign on their front door. At least you'd know that their thermostat never rises above 60 degrees, everyone eats dinner at 5:30 p.m., no one removes the plastic wrap from the TV remotes, and you only flush the toilet when it's number two. Imagine you're staying at an eccentric bed and breakfast. You didn't make the rules -- but you can survive them for a few days.

4. Throw Down a Secret Password: This is a sound (bird chirp), a word (sonar) or a dance number (the Worm) that advertises to your partner that you need a break when your in-laws are testing your limits "Hon, I just ordered a transducer for my sonar machine" means "let's take a little time-out from the part-ay."

5. "Kalimera!" You speak English. Unfortunately, your in-laws don't. Learn a few key phrases to help you be as culturally smooth as Bono. So your mispronunciation of their regional dialect means you called your grandma-in-law a lizard, it's cool; you tried. Besides, teaching you the most mundane phrases in Cantonese is more entertaining than Yahtzee.

6. Hello, Small Talk!: Does your partner's family gab ceaselessly or sit in utter silence? If you have chatty in-laws and you're too quiet, they'll be suspicious. Too much yammering, and you're uncivilized. Ease into your in-laws' conversation style. Just smile and nod until you figure out if you're there to listen to a three-hour story about cats, or tell one.

7. Mr. or Ms. Dietary Restriction: Just like the airplane, make your food needs known ahead of time. Although there are no promises that your mother-in-law understands that lactose-intolerant means that you can't eat every dish au gratin. If you're left with nothing but bread rolls and wine, think of the pounds you'll drop this holiday season as others are stuffing themselves.

8. Accept In-law Gifts with Grace: No, you can't immediately list the "bald eagle wall clock" you just received from them on eBay along with the used mattress pad you've been trying to unload. Your in-laws want to see their gift when they visit! Tell them you love it so much that you brought it to your office. What are the chances they'll see your office? They don't even know what you do for a living!

9. Silence Your Inner Cruise Director: Recommending novels, restaurants or movies during an in-law visit can be a bust. Inevitably, your rental choice of "The Holiday" bores them to tears, and the local fish restaurant (the one with the rave reviews) gives everyone the Norwalk virus.Sometimes it's best to be bland, boring and not opinionated -- for once!

10. Your Partner, The Spokesperson: If you and yours want to bow out of the family field trip to the HoneyBaked Ham store, let your partner drop the news. If you are constantly the bearer of broken plans, they'll assume it's always your idea. Face it; your partner is a much better front man, even if you have cute dimples.


Just remember, however stressful it is to share the holidays with your in-laws, it's just as hard on them. You worry about your outfit; they obsessively clean the den. It's only a few hours or days you spend with your true love's family and you want to secure the "Best Guest Ever!" Award so you can return next year, to defend your title. 364 days and counting...

2007 Annual Keepville Church Christmas Program

This morning we had our Christmas Program. The kids did incredibly well and the service was really nice. Here are some pictures of the service.



The Keepville Brass & Woodwind Ensemble



The Keepville version of the Bethlehem Manger Scene (the star is not showing in this picture but it was really a neat star that lit up as the wise men came)



One of the little girls who comes to our church happened to have the same Christmas dress as my girls. My girls were so excited!!



The Keepville Angels (these girls were exhausted. They sat there for most of the program then through a gazillion pictures afterward.)

Thursday, December 20, 2007



This Thursday I want to take time to be thankful for the friends God has sent into my life.

There's the friend from PA who is actually a "new" friend but she and I just kinda "clicked" and I feel like we've known each other forever. It helps that she and I have tons in common - the biggest of which is that our husbands share the same calling. I feel like I can be "me" when I am with her and that she's ok with that!! She is one of the few that I've felt totally "at home" with.

Then there is my friend from FL. She is one of my most loyal encouragers and prayer supporters. She challenges me by her life in so many many ways.

Then, there are my "Internet" friends. Some of you are probably gasping. I have some incredibly dear friends who I met on the Internet 7+ yrs ago. We've stuck together through thick and thin. Some of us have met in real life. Some I hope to meet soon!! But, we are all intertwined together by our passion for God and by our love for our family - AND, by our need for each other. I can bring any prayer request to these "girls" and I have no doubt in my mind that each one of them are praying for me/the need.

Then there are my 2 friends (part of the above group) who knew I have this serious addiction to "Just Born" marshmallow "peeps". So, they each sent me 10 boxes of marshmallow trees and snowmen. Thank you girls!!!! You have no idea how that made me smile.

Then there is my Alaska friend who never ceases to make me laugh. She always seems to know the right thing to say to my ponderings.

Thank the Lord for sending the women into my life who have made me a better wife, mother and pastor's wife. My life is so much better because of you all!!! It is my prayer that I will be the kind of friend that these ladies have been to me!!

Love ya lots girls!!!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007



This ad has been met with alot of negativity - and not only from liberals. I have seen/heard alot of negative comments from conservatives about it. Here is what Mr. Huckabee says about it. And I say, Amen Bro.!!

Overheard yesterday:

Vincent (as he was yelling at his siblings): "STOP IT!!! You're messing up my nerves!!"

Monday, December 17, 2007

From the Parsonage Family

When our first Christmas came along after we went into the pastorate, we immediately realized that we wanted to somehow show our appreciation and love to our people. Each year its been a challenge to find something we can give that we can afford. Each year the list gets bigger!! Thank the Lord for our growing circle of influence! This year we decided to do fudge plates. I found adorable little plastic plates at Dollar General and away I went. By this Sunday we will have given away almost 70 of these plates. This picture is just one batch. We are giving these to all our church people and our neighbors. I am also making them for Vincent's teacher, principal, school secretaries & bus drivers. Anyways, Byron wanted me to make this entry so that we'll remember it next year! LOL I've made 8 batches of fudge so far....... I think I am tired of fudge. :-)


This picture shows some fudge trays already completed and some that need wrapped yet.


Sunday, December 16, 2007

Getting Ready for Christmas with Mama & Papa Gurnee

Over the last week or so, the kids have been privileged to spend a couple days (at separate times) with Mama & Papa Gurnee. While they were there they got to go Christmas shopping for their siblings. Tonight we almost had a couple secrets slip but they are still managing to keep their secrets!! Here are some pictures of the fun they had.


Kendra & Alyssa helping decorate their tree.


Kendra getting help wrapping her presents.


Vincent helping Mama set up the Nativity set.


Vincent - proud of his work


Kenton showing off one of his projects that he completed while at Mama & Papa's house.

Mama & Papa Visit

This past week my parents came for a couple days. The kids loved having them - and so did we!! I only took a couple pictures while they were here unfortunately but we all had lots of fun baking cookies, playing games and catching up. Thanks for coming Mom & Dad!!




Thursday, December 13, 2007

Our New Calves Have Arrived

You will have to check out my husband's blog for more details. They are sure cute. One is named Dell (short for Delmonico) and one is named Porter (short for Porterhouse). I think my DH was feeling hungry when he named them. Then again the last bull Kenton raised Byron named T-Bone. That is not exactly a normal name either. Seems to me he can envision a couple of years into the future.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Hilarious Christmas Song

Cookies and Father in Laws

History: Last week my mother in law packed a HUGE and delicious lunch for Byron and Kenton while they were hunting. They didn't eat it all and on the way home Byron pulled out a bag of delicious sugar cookies. I ate one then commented that I'd eat more later. I fell asleep and when I woke up there were NO cookies left. So, in my next conversation with my Mother in Law I whined about only getting one of the yummy cookies. I think I may have been complaining to her about her son but anyways......

Fast forward to today.....

Father in Law came to pick up the girls and look what he brought me!!!!! More COOKIES!!!! YEAH!!!! I am so spoiled er.... I mean blessed!!! :-)

Sunday, December 9, 2007

This one is for my husband


For the history behind what I am about to post see http://keepvillechurch.blogspot.com/2007/12/this-one-is-for-my-wife.html

In light of that post... this is for my husband....

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindoor grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the begnning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. Female reindeer retain their antlers until after they give birth in the spring.


Therefore, according to EVERY historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, EVERY single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a girl.


We should have known...ONLY women would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

ISF 2007

It was our privilege to help serve at this years ISF (International Student Fellowship) last night. ISF is, in my opinion, the most far reaching mission field the Allegheny Conference has. For more information about its history see http://www.isfonline.org/ . Anyways, here are some pictures of the event last night.

March of the Flags


Vincent brings up the tail end of the March of the Flags


Our dear friends Mirsada and her Mother Enisa - from Bosnia

Friday, December 7, 2007





It's been awhile since I was able to do a "Thankful Thursday" post but I wanted to be sure to do one today.

I want to thank the Lord for my sister. My sister and I, admittedly, did not get along very well until I got married and left home. She and I are 5 yrs apart in age and for whatever reason, I felt she was "all that" when we were growing up. However, in the last 11 yrs or so we have become best friends. I not even sure how or when it happened but it did and I am so thankful.

Allow me to reminisce a bit.....

My first vivid memory's of my sister were when she was 4. She had emergency surgery to remove her appendix. She was the star of the "show" for months. I remember the church people brought her gifts for days and days and they weren't just any gifts mind you!! It was Christmas every day in her hospital room!!! I remember vividly praying that my appendix would need to be removed as well. Guess what? Didn't happen. I am 30 yrs old and still have a healthy appendix.

My sister and I fought (typically involved biting, pulling hair and nasty comments) allot. She had more healthy issues than I (I was never sick) so my mom would often say to me, "Julie! If your sister dies you're gonna wish you treated her nicer!!" At the time I would think, "ya right!" However, now, that thought just shakes me up a bit.

I remember vividly the time we went home to visit after I'd gotten married and she informed me that she was pretty sure she and Stephen were going to start dating. I remember immediately thinking, "this is it". Not sure why. Didn't really even know Stephen other than he had been a little boy in our church. However, he's been a great husband to her and a wonderful daddy to my nieces.

Shandra has given me 2 adorable nieces - cousins for my kids. She's a fantastic mom and her girls are testaments to that fact.

Shandra is so many things I wish I could be. She is super organized and creative. She outgoing and funny. She is my best friend. I am SO thankful God sent her into our lives.

So, Shandra - I love you SO much!!! And Stephen you're not so bad yourself!! You are so much fun to pick on though!!! LOL




Holiday Eating Tips

My friend sent me this and I felt it was my civic duty to make sure all my friends and family had these tips.

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet
table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots,
leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You can't
find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has
10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an
eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me.
Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy.
Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed
potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or
whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car
with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control
your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other
people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's.
You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the
time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table
while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like
frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself
near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the
center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave
them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if
you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have
three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory
celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some
standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or
get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips;
start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this
motto to live by:


"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out
and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Monday, December 3, 2007

Vincent helps Ms. T

Thursday Vincent came home and informed me that the kids at school had to make ornaments for Ms. T's tree in the cafeteria. He was very insistent. I questioned him fairly in depth then informed him that I would get stuff the next day for the project. Friday night when he came home he was all the more insistent. I checked his book bag to see if his teacher had sent anything home telling me about this project. Nothing. His teacher is very very good about letting us know about things like this in plenty of time. Vincent was telling me this was due Monday (Today). So, I figured it wouldn't hurt to let him do one. If the story was a figment of his own imagination, oh well. We'd have an extra ornament. Here is the note from his teacher regarding my email to her about it:

Julie,
They heard Miss T talking in the cafeteria and apparently several of them took it upon themselves to help her out. Yes, each class was asked to make ornaments for the cafeteria tree and we will make something here this week. Vincent and two others in my room took it to heart that she needed help. So, before I even discussed it in class, they thought it was their job to do! So--- the extra ornaments from home will be displayed along with all the others. I think that concern and care to help others should be encouraged but did not mean for it to be a problem for families to worry about. Thanks for helping him with the little tree. It is cute and he was so proud. He carefully told me his patterns on the red and green beads too. He showed all the ladies in the office and everyone he met in the hall!----Teacher (I edited a small bit out for matters of privacy)

Here is Vincent proudly working on his project.



The glue was still wet when we took this picture....

Sunday, December 2, 2007

2007 Annual Keepville Church Christmas Banquet is History

And what a GREAT night it was!!! I think it was my favorite so far. Peg Shauberger and her helpers (Rod & Christy, Sherrie, Austin, Christian, Tara, Ilene & Carly) did a FANTASTIC job of decorating. This is the first Christmas banquet in our ministry that I have not had to take care of everything. I delegated the job to Peg and she took it from there. Everything was beautiful and I was so very very pleased. We had 65 people in attendance. Here are some pictures of our evening.


The theme of the evening was "Angels" so each table had a couple of these.



Our faithful helpers


Is it time to eat yet?!!


FOOD!!! (Our ladies are the best cooks EVER!!!)


Christy and "Uncle Paul"


Matt & Carly enjoyed their first Christmas banquet as part of our church family.


Blaine, Dixie and Dixie's parents


George, Ilene & Cathy


Tom & Cindy Misch & Tom & Connie Rodgers


Byron presenting Roy Shumate with his door prize - a ceramic plate full of fudge (chocolate, mint, and peanut butter)


Austin, Rod & Christy Shumate, Sherrie & Roy Shumate & his Roys mother Rose Shumate, Tara Pellows