After we returned from Greece and Turkey, we hit the ground running as the annual Reformation Boise Conference was the following week. Dr. Geoff Thomas and Dr. JV Fesko gave five messages on the Holy Spirit. The bookstore was again a popular draw, selling about $14,000 of solid Reformed literature. We purchased inexpensive tickets to fly Seth and Lydia home for the conference; Seth played the piano for the worship sessions.
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| So fun to have them home for a quick weekend in September. |
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| Question and answer session. |
Russ again attended the Dordt Board of Trustees meetings in October during Defender Days, and this year, I joined him not only to see Seth, Lydia, Nicolas, and Josie but also to meet our new grandson, Myles Antoni, who was born on October 20.
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| Meeting Uncle Seth for the first time... |
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| ...and Aunt Lydia |
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| Grandma Laura |
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| Grandpa Russ |
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| Great-Grandma Bleeker |
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| Great-Grandpa Bleeker |
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| One month |
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| Wrapped cozy in the blanket Grandma made for him. |
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| Two months! |
While in Iowa we fit in a substate volleyball game (niece Romee) and a trip to Glidden to see Russ' parents. Carol was still recovering from pneumonia in the nursing home while arrangements were being made for her to return home with hospice care. Russ and I were able to assist around the house and yard--Russ picking apples and I did some cleaning.
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| Defender Days on Dordt's campus |
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| Peeling apples to place in the dryer. |
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| We don't have cardinals in Idaho, so seeing the brilliant red in the landscape is always stunning. |
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| Cora hosted the sisters and their husbands, as well as Mom and Dad, for breakfast one morning while we were out visiting. |
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| Seth voted for the first time! |
Anna made a cute car for the GEMS and Cadet's pinewood derby car races. Russ found one of Nicolas' old cars, cleaned it up, raced it, and won first place in the open division.
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| The lamp actually lights up! |
We contemplated traveling to Denver for Thanksgiving, but the expense and timing just did not work out for Russ and me. So, we did the next best thing and purchased inexpensive tickets for Seth and Lydia to join Caleb and Mikaela in Denver for the holiday. We loved that they had such a great time together and relished every photo they sent. Nicolas and Anna both spent the holiday with their in-laws. Russ and I helped host a Thanksgiving dinner at church for anyone who wanted to join us. We had about 20 people who spent the afternoon with us fixing puzzles, visiting, and eating lots of great food!
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