Welcome to Jess' House....All Decorated for Christmas....

Welcome to Jess' home!
Her housemate loves to decorate.

The gas fireplace at night all lit up. Pretty.

More pretty decorations in the living room.

Beautiful Christmas tree!

*For all the midwesterners, look out the window....NO SNOW! That made us very happy!

Oh the Joys of Traveling during the Holidays...

This is what our house and yard looked like when we left town late morning of December 23.

Since we saved literally hundreds of dollars by booking our flight out of Lansing

we ended up having to drive in some inclement weather.

After we arrived at Capital City Airport in Lansing, in order to park our car in the long-termparking lot, Keith had to shovel the parking space in order to park the car in the space! Just in case you are wondering if he's smiling or not, he is smiling about leaving the snowy weather for a few days. :)

After we checked our luggage in, we sat down and a few minutes later saw Jim Emery walking toward the check-in desk. They were also waiting for their flight out to Dallas via Chicago. Well, with the weather being the way it was, there ended up being over 400 flights cancelled in Chicago. We ended up spending quite a few hours with Jim and Marge. Fun times! Yes, we had a few laughs, even though we were all wondering if we would ever reach our destinations.

Our flight to Detroit was also cancelled, and we ended up leaving out of Lansing at about 6:30 p.m. They never did get out on the 23rd, but ended returning to Grand Rapids and flying out the next day with a different airline. They made it to Dallas the next evening, thankfully!

When we finally arrived in Detroit, we had missed our connecting flight to Dulles, so didn't end up leaving Detroit until after 11:00 PM. We didn't get into Dulles until around 1:15 a.m. Christmas Eve morning. We had been in contact with Jessica all day to keep her informed of our flight status. She was there to pick us up after we picked up our luggage. It was GREAT to finally get there, after a long day sitting in the airports. Thankful we were able to get there when we did.

White As Snow....

The month of December has arrived along with alot of snow! With snow, brings cold weather, hot chocolate/lattes, shoveling the driveway, and cleaning off the cars. For me, I prefer a nice sandy beach, warm temperatures, and sunshine! One can always dream, right?!? Don't get me wrong, I do think a picture of freshly fallen fluffy snow on the trees, etc. is beautiful. It makes me think of the song, "White As Snow," and how Jesus washes our sins away and makes us white as snow. With Christmas coming, I can't help but reflect on being white as snow.

Carol Ann Quick -- 1946-2008

It's been awhile since I have made an update on here.

Today, I would like to pay tribute to my Aunt Carol Quick. Carol was my dad's sister, who had Downs Syndrome. Carol had such a tender loving heart. She was a happy go-lucky girl who loved music and to dance. She also loved jewelry and beads. Dad said at home where they lived on the farm, she loved to play with the chickens. Carol had a really rough life, as she had been institutionalized and hospitalized at two different times. She attended the Fountain Trainable Center for some years and loved every minute of it. I believe that was when they were just starting to be able to educate the mentally impaired. Carol never had the mental capacity of more than a four or five year old. After her mother could not care for her anymore, Carol lived in a foster home up in Frankfort, Michigan where she spent the remainder of her life. There is so much to learn from the people with Downs Syndrome. They all have such a big heart. They also trust anyone and have an unconditional love for others. They also don't judge others; they are trusting. Carol has obtained perfection in her new Home in Glory. One day we will see her again!

Jessica came home for a short visit...

Jess came home to attend the wedding of a friend from high school on Saturday, Sept. 13. She flew into Capital City Airport in Lansing late Friday night, the 12th. Keith went to pick her up and when she arrived at the house, she was surprised to find her Grandma Wittebols here for the weekend, too! She was so happy to see her! We didn't tell her she was going to be with us for a few extra days following her Grandma's week at Senior's Week at Maranatha Bible Conference in Muskegon. I had gone to pick her up Friday early afternoon and brought her back to stay so she could see Jess, as she doesn't get the chance to see her much. We figured we would keep it quiet, so Jess would be surprised. She was VERY surprised! :)

Saturday morning, she ran some errands and then came home and got ready for the wedding, which was at 2:00 PM. Then after the wedding, she came home and then went downtown and met a couple friends for dinner. She also spent the night at her girlfriend's house Saturday night. Sunday morning she attended church, then came home, ate a homecooked dinner with us and then spent the rest of the afternoon with us before packing up for her return ride to Lansing airport.

We decided, since we had to make a trip to Lansing anyway, that we would arrange for Keith's brother and sister-in-law, Ken and Judy, to meet us at the airport, so they could pick up Mom Wittebols to drive her back home. It worked out great. We were also greeted at the airport by my brother's fiance', Denise. We had a short visit with everyone and then said our good-byes to Jessica and headed back to Grand Rapids in the pouring down rain. The only negative thing about the weekend was all the rain. It rained almost non-stop from Friday noon until we arrived back to Grand Rapids from Lansing.

It was sure great seeing our daughter, even if it was just a short time. May the Lord continue to watch over her and bless her in a special way. God bless you, Jessica! You are missed!

Denise and Jess

Aunt Judy and Uncle Ken with Jess

Finally!....

Ok...so the house has been finished for a couple weeks now! We are pleased with the outcome of it. I just haven't taken the time to update the blog. I'm going to have to bring you up to date. This post will just show our new look on our house. :)

Out with the old....In with the new....look that is!!

Before any work was done...
Garage before
New roof put on garage
Shutters removed...house powerwashed to prepare for paint job
Paint job completed with doors painted dark blue...shutters (are ordered),

lights, mailbox, and numbers to be added yet.

We thank the Lord for providing the money for us to be able to do this. We also are thankful for our painter, Dylan, who did all the painting. He was so attentive to detail and wanted to do a good job. :) When we get the full new look totally finished, I'll have to post a picture of it as well. It shouldn't be too long.