Postcard

Hey! We are back in Canada and are having a wonderful time visiting Josh's cousin and family in Elmira, ON. It's a little town with lots of old order Mennonites so you see lots of horses and buggies driving around. Yesterday we attended church with the family and we drove by one of the Mennonite churches in the town and had to just hold our bellies as we hooted at the sight of all the horses and carts parked in perfect order in the lot outside the church. It was hilarious - I'm not sure why but it was. Wish I had my camera.

We are staying with the in-laws who own a beautiful old house that's been renovated and has many lovely rooms. Josh and I and Amy are staying in the attic - it is so cozy and lovely and has an air conditioner so it's nice and cool. My favorite part of the house is the window seat which I thoroughly enjoyed using this morning as I had my coffee and read my book. Ahhhhh....this is the life! As of today, the in-laws have left for holidays and we have the house all to ourselves and are pretending it's ours and everybody is just loving it. Yesterday was a bit tense and had it's moments of stress - our oldest daughter, who will officially be a teenager next month, had one fight after another with each member of the family at one time or another and just wouldn't give it a rest. Thankfully, today has been the exact opposite and everything's been very relaxed and stress free. Praise the Lord for days like this! And for the strength to survive days like yesterday!

So we are using this house as our "bed and breakfast". During the days we are at Josh's cousin's place which is just around the corner and is a really fun place. They have an amazing back yard with a nice sized pool and a trampoline and a bit of a play structure and a huge deck and lots of lounging area. There are big, beautiful, old trees all around so they've hung hammocks and swings on them and so there are lots of options for lounging and relaxing. The best part is catching up and talking with the family, though. We have gotten quite close over the years and used to see each other at the annual pastor's retreat (the one we just came from). Unfortunately, Josh's cousin S. is no longer pastoring in the denomination as they are taking a much-needed break. So since we couldn't see them at the retreat, we are glad to have some time with them here.

So we are here til Wednesday and then will be off to another town in Ontario to visit some close friends for a few days. I know the days will go by fast but I am really relishing this holiday time. Thanks, God!

Well, I am hoping you all are doing well and are enjoying the summer so far. Unfortunately, all the computers I have access to are dial up and are super slow so I am not able to visit any sites right now. Hopefully the next family will have high speed.

God bless you all.
H


Postcard from Thursday, June 29:

Hey! Having a great time in New Jersey. Kids are doing awesome - we barely even see them - they have made great friends and are hanging out with them 24/7. We are enjoying hot (even if very humid) weather and are getting fed really well - both physically and spiritually. Pastor's conference will be over tomorrow and then we head back to Ontario to visit friends over the next week. Since I got to swipe one of the other pastor's laptops, I thought I'd send y'all a quick hey there message. Hope I'll get to a computer more often in the next week.

Hope all is well with y'all - now you KNOW I'm in the U.S.!!!

Take care, H