Perry Family Reunion 2008

Penny scramble for all the kids 4 and under

Ed Nordine and niece Candace Nordine playing in the "golf tourney."

Quick family minus Kristopher Cobb and his fiance', Ashley, Joe, Jessica and Abigail Cobb, and Jessica Wittebols could not make it. Sad.

The Perry Family --July 26, 2008

July 26, 2008, the Perry family met at the Ludington State Park, in Ludington, Michigan for a family reunion. We gathered at the park pavillion for dinner, games and fellowship. Josh and Cheryl Snyder had various games such as a penny scramble for kids 4 and under, a flipflop toss, a water balloon toss for the grown-ups and a "golf tournament." We had an abundance of food, as usual, and sweet fellowship together. Weather-wise, we couldn't have asked for a better day. It was a beautiful sunny day in the high 70's to low 80's.

Family news: Mark Quick and Denise Wier are engaged to be married. Kris Cobb and Ashley Forehand are engaged to be married next July. Jennifer Cobb and Jessica Wittebols graduated from college in May and have new "real" jobs. Abigail was born to Joe and Jessica Cobb last March. Upcoming birthdays were Ale and Audrey Buritica's daughter, Abigail, Lee and Candace's daughter, Isabel, Ed Nordine, Dianne Perry. They all celebrated with a birthday song and a birthday cake. Other family that couldn't be with us was Wendy Nordine and Ale Buritica. We also had two of Emin Toro's cousins from Albania visiting. This was their first time in the United States.

It was a wonderful day together.

Thanking the Lord for a Nice Weekend...

Keith and I decided it was such a beautiful day, that we would take a drive over to Grand Haven. We drove over and found a nice parking place on very close to the waterfront. We decided we would walk out to the pier. We started on the opposite end of the pier and walked the boardwalk to the lighthouse.
As we were walking the boardwalk toward the pier, I heard someone say our names. I looked over and who would I see but my cousins, Dennis and Melody Nordine, who are missionaries in the Philippines and are home on furlough! So, we greeted them and sat and had a nice visit with them. They had been in a church in Grand Haven in the morning and decided to stop and spend some time walking out to the lighthouse. Come to find out, the pastor of the church they were at is Rev. Ray Paget. He's a board member at Freedom Baptist Schools.
We finally made it out to the lighthouse! It's the first time I had ever walked waaay out to the lighthouse in Grand Haven. Keith had walked out there before with Jessica, but I hadn't.

Sunday was a really nice day as we left Grand Rapids. However, as soon as we got to Grand Haven, the sky turned overcast and chilly. We did our walk to the pier and returned back to the boardwalk/marina area. We got to where the little shops are and we just HAD to have some ice cream. So, Keith went to an ice cream place and got a turtle sundae. It was a delicious sundae, and we had such a nice afternoon just enjoying the beautiful day and surroundings.

Saturday evening, we took another little trip. This time it was to the grocery store! Now, for most of you, I'm sure that doesn't sound very exciting. However, for Keith and myself, it was pretty exciting. Normally, I don't do the grocery shopping, as I would always get in line and then have to look up a restroom, which would be very frustrating for me. Anyway, we did our shopping together and drove back home without incident. Awesome! :)

We sure thanked the Lord for working in my life so that I was healthy enough to make these outings. Right now, we are making baby steps for each little thing.

Thank you so much Lord for the strength you gave me to do these things.

Update on Jessica's New Life...

The girls in front of the White House
From the time that Jess set foot in Virginia, she has been off and running! After settling into her new townhouse, and beginning her new job, she has had various opportunities to go into Washington, D.C. She was invited to The Kennedy Center for the 2008 Presidential Scholars Awards in which various students performed various instruments. She said they put her to "shame." haha...

During the first week of work, her group did some volunteering at a Day Care, which they had a great time doing. Everyone really enjoyed the day.

The 4th of July, she and 5 other girls from Taylor went to D.C. for the fireworks. They went to dinner and viewed the fireworks that night. Above, is a picture from that night.

Jessica has also been attending a church in Reston. Right from the beginning, she wanted to get involved in the young professional group there. She has also been asked if she would like to take part in the worship band there as well, which she was very excited about. All of you know just how much she enjoys her music! :) The group also meets on Tuesday nights for a Bible study time and a worship time, which she has really enjoyed.

Jessica will be flying to Chicago on Saturday for two weeks for more training at the home office. Pray for safety and for her to keep her focus on all the learning she will need to do during this time.

4th of July Weekend Away

The beautiful Ludington beach and a view of the lighthouse and pier

Over the 4th of July, Keith and I were able to take a quick trip up to Ludington, where my parents live. It was nice to get away from the Grand Rapids area for a few days.

On Thursday afternoon, my mom's stove broke, so they decided instead of trying to fix it, they would replace it. Since there is only one appliance store in the town, Saturday, they ended up driving up to Manistee to shop for a new stove. Mom was able to get the one she wanted, with what she wanted on it.

Friday, there was a 4th of July parade, which my dad and Keith ended up going to. There was also some fireworks at night, which Mom and Dad went to. Keith and I stayed home and watched some fireworks on television that was being broadcast from Washington, D.C.

Saturday, after Keith and Mom and Dad had gone to Manistee to shop for a stove, we had a cookout on their patio in the backyard. It was just a nice relaxing time together.

Sunday, we left as early as we could to return to Grand Rapids to get a head start on beating the all the traffic going back home. Since there were about 40,000 people at a music festival in Rothbury, we didn't want to get caught in all that when we returned home. Thankfully, we were able to leave at a decent time before any of that traffic was leaving Rothbury.

All in all, it was just a really nice weekend and time away.