CFC Reunion!

This summer I had the privilege of attending a very special reunion. I grew up in The Church of the Bible Covenant and have so many wonderful memories. As an infant, I was there when the denomination came into existence, and was also there when the big split took place. As I grew up, I always dreamed of attending our denominational college. After I graduated from high school, I attended Covenant Foundation College for 2 years. I made so many friends, and will always cherish the memories I made in this time. As the denomination folded, the college had to come to an end. I will never forget the pit in my stomach, the tears, the whys I asked God. As I look back, I realize that God uses everything in our life to bring out the best in us if we allow him to do that. The students left and went in all directions; I waited a year and went to G.B.S. Even though I went on with my life, I still missed the people I grew up with and wondered about them a lot. I was so excited to learn that a CFC reunion was being planned for this summer. It was a weekend that I will never forget. We came together as a potpourri of believers and had the time of our lives. Tears, laughter, and stories were heard from all corners of the campus.


The campus is out in the country--so beautiful.

This is a group of us after the Saturday night concert. Different people came on different nights, so I am not sure how many actually attended the reunion.

Rebecca, Johnna, Susan, and I share a laugh.

While I was in a business meeting, Doyle took the kids out in the boat. As you can see, they were having a good time.

Greg Patterson, Kenny Johansen, and Nathan Hann sing in a trio.

Mark Going, Nathan Hann, Johnny Dodrill, and Danny Dubbeld sing in a quartet that brought back a lot of memories.

Rebecca (Patterson) Hoard, Lorraine(Kennedy)Johansen, and I sang in a trio 22 years ago. I have seen both of them through the years, but the 3 of us had not been together since 1986. We had such a good time singing and reminiscing. We even remembered our parts on the songs we sang. We had a blast.

Dr. Ray Easley gave the message Sunday morning. It was so good to hear him speak again. The truth was so practical as he challenged us to go forward for Christ. I left so encouraged.

Ronda gets a hug from Amos Hann.

David and Elva Hann and their kids.

Bro. and Sis. Hann-Precious people.

Milton and Donna Schaper and 2 of their 3 kids.

Teresa and Sharon---They sang with Shirley in a trio when I was a little girl.

When we were in school, we wrote a song for a Valentine's Banquet. We dressed up as sailors and sang "Ship a Boy." We had to sing this one for our husbands.

Rebecca's girl, Emma, had become friends with our girls when they visited us in Florida. They were very glad to see each other again.

The Patterson clan-minus 1.

Here we are with "our catch".

Julianna, Lydia, and Kaitlyn Johansen-another good friend.

We hated to say "good-bye".

I had to put my feet in the water before I left.

Fun on the pond.

Dr. and Mrs. H.C. Emmert made the trip from Oklahoma to be there. It was so good to see them.

Ronda England came over to see me while I was there. It was good to see her again.

Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Hann.

We went ice-skating downtown Indianapolis---it seemed a little strange in August.

There will be another reunion in 3 years. Until then, I look forward to keeping in touch with my friends. I left the reunion feeling like I had healed so much emotionally. A big thanks to all of those that made this special week-end happen.

"More Memories"

Here are a few more pictures from our trip up north this summer. We made so many wonderful memories being together with those we love.

This is my brother and his wife, Kerry and Karen, and their kids, Kaleesha and Kaleb. We had a nice time with them on our way back home. I wish we could see them more often.

Julianna is really enjoying learning more about photography. This is a treasure she found in a tree. I think she did a nice job.

The kids lured two dogs into the yard. They named the canines, fed them table scraps, and loved the life out of them. I have a feeling that my mom might get a few more visit from these pooches. I am sure they had good homes, but as they took a walk around the neighborhood, 4 kids considered them homeless.

Lydia makes sure he does not go anywhere.

We also spent some time fishing at a friend's pond. The kids really enjoyed this time out in the quiet of nature.

Julianna takes her turn at catching a fish.

Doyle and Lydia traipse through the weeds.

Joseph waiting for a fish to bite. No, he does not have a pole through his head. This drainage system got in the way of my camera moments.

Lydia and Samuel-quiet for a moment.

We also had a cookout-marshmallows anyone?

Julianna noticed several butterflies on the flowers where we went to pick blueberries. Of course, we had to get several shots.

Dave found a baby rabbit while mowing. The kids thought it was so cute and soft.

Here is our bunch by the beautiful wildflowers.

I hope I never get over the wonder of nature.

I got a little carried away with the butterfly pictures.

While we were picking blueberries, an annual tradition, I noticed several apples on the ground from a previous storm. I have fond memories of picking apples every September with my family while growing up. I always miss this time since I am back home in Florida in September. I asked the owner if I could buy some of the apples on the ground. She insisted that I take them. I took a couple of handfuls to make a pie.

This apple pie was especially good with home-made ice cream. Did I mention that you are not suppossed to diet on vacations?

Another shot of the wildflowers. I love flowers and look forward to every November when hurricane season is over and I can decorate my yard with the beauty of God's creation.

Joseph does a little taste testing.

I had to get a close-up.

Lydia stops to try a blueberry. They are so yummy straight off the tree.

Julianna enjoys filling her bucket.

Samuel and Joseph doing their part. With 8 people picking blueberries, it did not take long for us to have several pounds. I think they charged us $1.00 a pound.

Lydia and Joseph pause to play in the mud puddle.

Doyle keeps an eye open for exotic bikes. He likes to use them for summer band camp. Since he rides a unicyle, and has several other different bikes, he was immediately drawn to this collector trike. He bought 2 kids' (the last 2 they had) and several adult bikes. He got a great deal on them and has done a lot of research about the availability of these models. He got them from a close-out store and is selling them for $229. They sell for $300 on the internet. He brought one home to show if anyone is interested in buying one. We have the rest stored in Indiana and will bring them to Florida as people want them. Now, I have made my husband's sales pitch.

Samuel clowns around like he has seen his father do.

Joseph loves this bike-it is very durable and has some nice features.

My man and me--so happy together.

My cool boys...

...my sweet girls.

Well, that will have to do for now. I have one more post from our trip, my school reunion.