Christmas in Virginia 2011

Keith's final day of school for this calendar year was December 16.  Immediately after school, we drove to the airport for our flight to Baltimore, MD.  When we arrived in Baltimore, we then took Amtrak into Union Station, Washington, D.C., where Jess and Andy picked us up.  We then headed to their apartment building where they settled us into our very lovely guest apartment. 

We opened the door and this is what we saw!

This is a one bedroom, one bath fully furnished apartment complete with a washer and dryer, dishes, pots and pans and linens, etc.  The only thing we know we'll need next time would be hangers and washcloths.  We were located on the second floor (2 floors from Andy and Jess).  It sure saved much running back and forth from a hotel, etc. 

On Saturday, we went to their apartment, and Jess and I baked several different Christmas cookies.  While we were busy with the cookies, Keith and Andy went out shopping for a new television.  We were successful in our baking endeavor as they were also successful in their shopping!

Successful shopping trip = Happy Andy!

In the middle of all the baking!

The nicely decorated sugar cookies in the top of this photo were decorated with helpers Julianna,
Sebastian, Katie and Jessica at our cousin's house.  Jess brought the cookies and they had all the pretty/fun decorations to put on the cookies.  We had a fun time baking together.  I even got a chance to use her new Kitchen Aid Mixer.  So nice!!! 

While we were there, we also exchanged gifts.

This sweet little tree was a gift to Andy and Jess from Katie and Emin and family.  It's a real tree in a pot and decorated with various owl ornaments and a string of lights including an owl on top.  What a thoughtful gift!  

 

Andy organizing his new tools.

Very yummy hot chocolate and Christmas kitchen towels

Cheese bar board with little dipping bowls

Cologne!

A hand-blown glass ornament from the WAR Chest

iTunes card!

Thanks Pinterest!  I found out Jess "liked" these, so I made some for her! 

Sunday evening, they took us into DC to see the National Christmas Tree.  The tree is located in "President's Park."

Yes, there was a Nativity located next to Santa's place.

This is a park-like setting with a Christmas tree decorated for all 50 states.

The Eisenhower Building

Washington Monument in the background

The White House

The National Christmas Tree (48 feet tall)

On Monday, Jess and Keith made a shopping trip to an outlet mall and to Trader Joe's to pick up some baking items.  When they got back, we finished up the cookies and started some dinner for Andy and Jess to eat when Jess got home from taking us to the airport in Baltimore later that evening.  Andy happened to arrive home before she got back from taking us. 




Even though it was just a short weekend, we sure had a great time together!  We were so thankful to spend some Christmas time with them, as they would be in Pennsylvania for Christmas celebrating with Andy's family. 

Thankful for...

 Table all set.  Thanks to Jess for her help.

  Thankful for our food that God has provided us.

 Thankful for Andy and Jess to be able to join us for the week.

 Thankful for our family:  Mom and Dad, Andy and Jess

 Thankful for a godly husband.  Thankful for a godly mother.

 Thankful for wonderful grandparents for Jess

My parents and Jess and Andy joined us for our traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It's always a joy to have them here together.  As with Keith and I, Mom and Dad hadn't seen Jess and Andy since the wedding and were able to visit and love on them while they were here.   {We missed having Rich, Lori and their family as well as Mark and Denise.}

 At the end of the evening, Andy and Jess took the wishbone and made their wish.

It was very close, but looks like Jess' wish will be granted.  Ha!

PSALM 100

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

On a personal note, I would like to give my thanks to the Lord for allowing me to attend church this past Sunday.  Most of you know, I struggle with the symptoms of Crohn's disease and have not been able to get to church on a Sunday morning in at least a year.  It was so great to be able to worship with Keith at the service last Sunday.  Praying I'll be able to continue.  The hymn (a very favorite of mine) that ended the service was very appropriate and such a blessing:

 

Getting on with Real Life...

Jess and Andy have returned from their honeymoon vacation in Hawaii, where they had a wonderful restful time.  They have both returned to the reality living real life and working their jobs.  

Along with life comes putting away wedding gifts and settling into their apartment and exchanging wedding gifts and making other needed purchases.  This week, on her way home from work, Jess stopped and did some shopping.  She picked up some items at Macy's and Bed Bath and Beyond.  You must first realize, however, when you take public transportation, i.e. the Metro bus, it can be a bit difficult to bring your purchases to their final destination, home.

Pictured here are Jess' purchases along with her work laptop bag and purse.  

Yes!  That is a full-size ironing board!

Just trying to picture this in my mind, makes me smile.  Maybe it would remind you of a comedy on television, where you see this housewife carrying all these packages including an ironing board and then trying to board the bus for her journey home.   I wish I could have been a passenger on the bus when she boarded.  I mean, really, do people this day and age really know an ironing board is?!?  

I have to say, I am proud of you, Jess, that you do iron your clothes and do take pride in the way you and your husband's clothes look when you leave your home. 

So, way to go, Jess!  I'm glad you made it home safe and sound without incident with your brand new

ironing board in tow as well.  Thank you, Jess,so much for allowing me to share this snippet of your life with our family and friends.  {Smile.} 

To Have and To Hold, From This Day Forward....

This is the day for which Keith and I have prayed for from the time Jessica was a little baby.  We have prayed that she would grow up to love the Lord her God with all her heart and love others.  The Lord has certainly blessed and answered several of our prayers.  He has provided a husband for Jess that loves the Lord and has a desire to serve Him along side Jess.  There is no doubt in our minds that he loves Jessica dearly.

Keith and I always have felt so blessed from the time we were dating/engaged until after being married for many years, our parents have always been dear friends.  From the first time Keith mentioned me to his mom, she said she already loved me.  For me, that was a hard concept to understand.  How could someone love me without even meeting me first?!?  Their love was a genuine love for me ever since that time.  What a blessing it was that our parents got along so well with each other.  That is hardly the case these days with all the in-law jokes and split marriages, etc. 

However, it does happen this day and age.  From before Jess and Andy were even officially engaged, we have been either emailing, making phone calls and now even Skyping with Jim and Barbara, Andy's parents.  What a sweet family!  Little did we know what a wonderful gift of new friends with each others parents our kids would give us!  We are all so blessed and feel so thankful that Jessica will also experience the same love from her in-laws that I did with mine.  We have become friends through the last year.

With all this said, hence the marriage of Jessica to Andy commenced.

 

 Floral arrangement in memory of Carl and Vivian Wittebols and Virginia Walton Baird

Wedding photographs of parents and grandparents

 Who gives this woman...."Her Mother and I.."

 To have and to hold, from this day forward...

 Exchanging rings

 Lighting the Unity Candle

 Prayer

  It is my pleasure to introduce to you, 

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Baird Rogers.

Two families uniting their children

 Jessica now has siblings!  What a wonderful family!

The Reception ~ at the Top of the B.O.B., downtown Grand Rapids

Welcome sign made by Veronica Rogers, new sister-in-law

 Dad and Mom (Jess' grandparents) Allen and Wilma

 Denise and Mark (Jess' Aunt and Uncle)

 Aunt Dianne and Uncle Bill (Jess' great aunt and uncle)

 Cheryl and Dianne

 Emmett and Jen

 Chad and Courtney

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew B. Rogers arrive at the reception.

Keith ~ Welcome and Prayer

Mother and Son dance

High School friends all married now

 Picture display above the gift table

 Jess' Uncle Mark all ready to chauffeur them to their 

destination, J.W. Marriott, after a drive around town

AWAY THEY GO!!!!  Hawaii bound, Honeymooners!

*I just want to make a note, these pictures are a preview of the wedding pictures.  Thanks to Lori, Jennifer, and Barbara for sharing them with me.  In looking back, I sure wish I would have taken more pictures, but as would happen, I forgot to recharge my camera battery on Friday and it was not going to last me through the wedding and reception.  Therefore, I was not able to get pictures that I would have liked to have.  So, if you don't see someone's picture in here that should be here, that is why!  :(   Frustrating!