Spring Getaway

June 2nd, 2011

Where to, you ask?

To see the new baby, of course! And while we were there, we thought we might as well say hi to Jonathan’s parents and siblings… :)

I think we chose one the hottest days of the year to go to Virginia and see family, but other than the heat and heavy traffic on the way up, our trip was perfect! Mommy and baby are doing very well – baby is never without a pair of loving arms to hold him. It would be the same for you too if you were the youngest of 9 children and had several adoring aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends waiting their turn! Trust me.

As always, pictures can tell a story better than I can, so browse through them and enjoy!

Family is one of the greatest gifts God gives us, and I’m so thankful for mine. Have a blessed day!

~Kasie

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A Birthday Bonanza

October 24th, 2008

Last weekend we were once more in Virginia visiting family, and to attend a new special occasion – a “birthday bonanza”  for my nieces and nephews!

My brother and his wife have 7 children, all of who’s birthdays are scattered throughout the year. For this time around they decided to celebrate all their birthdays in one day, invite lots of friends, bring lots of food and host a rolled-into-one birthday bash.

The experiment was a success! It was well received, well attended, and everyone had a blast! The party happened on the coldest day we’ve had in the season thus far, but we kept ourselves warm playing football, volleyball, frisbe, and other brisk activities. :-) We stayed the night on Saturday, went to church on Sunday, and returned home that afternoon. It was wonderful to spend time with family and see friends again!

Here are some pictures from our trip:

Have a jolly weekend!

-Kasie

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A Whirlwind of a Weekend!

July 31st, 2008

Ah – such a splendid nine days these last have been with Joy and Katelyn! As promised, posts and pictures are on the way for you all to see. But first, our weekend:

Last Thursday 7 of us packed a few suitcases, overnight bags and games into Homer, and were off to Virginia to visit Jason and the gang – Dad was to join us on the following day. We stayed for three nights, leaving in the afternoon on Sunday, and let me assure you that our weekend was filled with lots of activities, relaxation, games (of course!), conversation and sweet fellowship!

Angie and I had much to anticipate for Friday since our dear friend Emily was to sleepover that night and remain with us until the following afternoon (upon which she went with Jason and Karlyn to a wedding). We had an absolute blast! After a half viewing of the Princess Bride (no time for the rest!) and a few rounds of “Apples to Apples”, Nate joined the three of us downstairs before we went to bed, and there we played many games of Catch Phrase, laughed ourselves silly, and in the end were a very hyper group indeed! (but perhaps I should only speak for Nate and myself:-) Us girls talked late into the night before we finally went to sleep at about 2 A.M. It was great!

Karlyn and I share the same birthday, so we held a double celebration on Saturday evening – cakes, ice cream and all! It’s been many years since we’ve been together to enjoy our special day together, so it was lots of fun.

There were of course, a variety of many games going on during the weekend. At the request of our nieces and nephews we brought along with us “Settlers of Catan” and “Killer Bunnies,” and played rounds and hands of Hearts, Spades and O’heck. We love card games! (just in case you haven’t noticed yet)

On Sunday we all joined Jason and Karlyn at their church and enjoyed a lovely morning of worship and teaching, as well as catching up with friends we had made during our stay in Virginia. It was great to see them again! And after a lunch and many goodbyes and hugs, we traveled back home in time for dinner, and a warm bonfire that night. We had a simply splendid time!

-Kasie

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What’s So Appealing about VMI?

March 14th, 2008

Hello everyone! I decided that instead of writing something out today, that I would do a podcast instead – so here goes!

My First Podcast!

Now, (ahem), I am having some trouble getting Flash, LAME (mp3 encoder), and wordpress plugins working together harmoniously here, so there’s not going to be any fancy mp3 player for you.

Soooo…. To listen to the podcast, click the link above! If you have quicktime installed on your computer, the mp3 will start playing right away. If you don’t have it installed, the mp3 will download to your computer (don’t worry, it’s not a huge file), and you can listen to it at your leisure!

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Posted in God, Odds and Ends | 9 Comments »

A Day in Lexington

February 27th, 2008

The Willi are indeed moving to Tennessee, but we cannot leave our temporary home in Virginia without seeing some of the state’s prominent and historic sights! We have planned and scheduled many a field trip for the next few weeks, and our first stop? Lexington!

I don’t know about you, but I’m fascinated with history, even though half the time I cannot remember dates and names (I try folks…I try), so a day spent in Lexington with my family is not only an opportune learning experience, but fun!

So…

…yesterday morning, after all morning preparations were made, all six of us piled into our beloved mini van ‘Homer’ and set out on a little adventure.

Unfortunately, it rained the entire afternoon, but we were armed with windbreakers or hats, so a little water didn’t stop us from enjoying ourselves. :-)

Let me see, we learned about the earlier life of Stonewall Jackson and toured his house, saw General Lee’s grave, Washing and Lee University, the VMI, a George Marshall museum and…well, take a look at the pictures; they pretty much tell the story!

Did you know that Thomas Jackson was very concerned with his health and took great cares as to what foods he consumed? Perhaps he’s a fellow vegetarian/vegan! So we’re not the only ones with a strange diet after all. :-)

-Kasie

P.S. Sorry about the non-existing thumbnails. We’re ‘experiencing technical difficulties’ with that currently. For the moment, click on the first picture and scroll through the rest by clicking the ‘next’ arrow.

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A Vote is Cast

February 12th, 2008

Well, after months of watching the candidates and reading articles, I have cast my first ever vote! The polling process is different down here in VA than in NY. The system is computerized, and you are allowed to vote for any candidate you want (Republicans or Democrats), regardless of your registered party. That is definitely interesting!

Who did I vote for? Mike Huckabee

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Trips to Tennessee

January 26th, 2008

I’ve been meaning for a long time now to chronicle a basic example of our trips to Tennessee, but I keep forgetting to take pictures! (I tend to be somewhat of a forgetful person I’m afraid) Well, I’m happy to say that this week I’ve been a faithful photographer, or family journalist or whatever you wish to call it, as you will soon see from the many pictures I snapped.

On this particular trip to Tennessee, our main focus was going back a second time to the properties that stood out the most to us. We prayed that morning that God would narrow down our possibilities, and shut or close doors for us so our list of decisions/choices wouldn’t be so broad. Well, He did just that for us, in ways that I never imagined! It always seems to happen that way, doesn’t it?

There’s one piece of land in particular that we’ve taken a liking to; a six acre section of pasture land on __________ Road. No final decision has been made at this point; it remains a possibility. Though I can’t help but wonder, will this be our home, or will this be where we live? It’s all in God’s hands: He knows our future!

As usual, we had fun in the car with Mr. Dan, and even got to talk a little with him about spiritual matters; a very light conversation, but it’s a beginning nonetheless. On our return journey to Virginia we got stuck in traffic for two hours! (Apparently there was a tractor trailer accident on Route 81) The police blocked off the interstate for five miles – it was so strange to see 81 completely dark and empty! That was an adventure too. :-)

Enough talk for now however – take a look at the pictures!

Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted in Moving | 12 Comments »

Over a Month in Virginia

January 5th, 2008

It was November 17th 2007 when we left home set out for the south. We’ve been here now for eight weeks! Over a month, going on two. Wow.

You know something? I honestly can’t figure out if time has passed by slower or faster than it really is. It seems like ages since I’ve seen our dear friends and family in New York – how I miss them! Yet on the other hand, I’m happy and keeping myself quite busy at my temporary home in Virginia. Sometimes the weeks fly by so fast!

Time has its own way of passing here in Virginia, same as it had its own way in New York. Though both worlds are completely different, I’ve adjusted to the change and find that I like it. I’m going to love living down here!

I have been enjoying eight weeks of fellowship with family, fun, and many adventuring trips to Tennessee – it’s great! For the most part, it’s been very restful; a time to catch up things I never had the chance to do before. Not to say that I haven’t been busy, for indeed, I have been!

“So, what do you do all day?” some have asked.

Believe me, there is plenty to do! There’s the obvious ‘school’ as part of the answer. (that’s one of neatest things about homeschooling: you can take school with you wherever you go!) I take turns cooking meals for our families, doing chores around the house; I care for or play with the kids, sew, help Karlyn with a various odds and ends, house hunting with Mom and Dad, reading books, playing music, watching movies or playing games with my family, writing (letters, emails or blog posts), and so much more!

Don’t worry – I’m never idle!

Has it really been eight weeks? Yes indeed; I checked it twice on the calendar. I think now that Time has neither flown by, or dragged by. Though on some days it may seem too slow or fast, I think ‘ole Time’s going just right, the way it should be.

Hmm…I wonder what’s in store for us during the next eight weeks! Who knows? Life truly is and adventure!

kc.jpg

~a dorky picture of me in my newsboy cap

-Kasie

P.S. My apologies for the lack of posts around here lately. I’ll be sure to fix that! We’ll also try to get some more pictures up. Oh, and what do y’all think of the new banner? Any problems viewing it?

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Posted in Family News | 19 Comments »