Author Archives: Ellen

Air Show Surprise…

I mentioned before and shared that when we were in Southern California for Levi and Kristin’s wedding we made a morning trip on the day of the wedding to the Riverside National Cemetery to find Dear’s dad’s grave. While we were there visiting all the amazing memorials and monuments we were treated to the Patriot’s Jet Team who were performing at the nearby March Air Force Base. What a special treat this was…

We were standing here and looking up at the Patriots and Laura said “Now all they need to do is form a heart for Levi and Kristin since it’s their wedding day” and sure enough just after she said that this is what we saw!

We were quite impressed that they could hear Laura’s request from so high up in the sky.

This was a wonderful family time and we appreciated everything we experienced together this day. We missed Dan and Andrew this time but we will have other special times with them. We trust the Lord for that…

This is going to be a short week at home for us. Here we are in the last week of May already! Yikes! How are things going where you are?

A Time to Remember…

Memorial Day is a time to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice of their lives in service to insure our freedom. Dear’s father Rex served in the army during WWII. He was not among the countless number who lost their lives during service but we are very grateful to all who gave the ultimate sacrifice.  Our son in law Andrew is serving as a Marine and our appreciation grows daily for the all of the men and women who serve our country in the military. As we speak Andrew is involved in Fleet Week in New York. We hope our military are treated well on the streets of New York. I’m adding this link from Pat at Mille Fiori that she posted from Fleet Week and she captured two great shots of the ship our son-in-law Andrew is on, the U.S.S. Wasp. Semper Fi! And for the record from what we’ve heard from Andrew, New York has been very welcoming to our boys!

Dear’s father Rex’s service in 1985 was under a pavilion at the Riverside National Cemetery and we had never had a chance to visit his actual graveside. When we were at our nephew’s wedding last weekend we had a chance to visit the cemetery and find Rex’s graveside. We do not have a family tradition to spend time at gravesides as we hope in the fact that our loved ones are not here but with the Lord. It was still a good experience to finally see Rex’s gravestone.

The cemetery has a kiosk where you type in your loved ones name and they print out a site map on where you can find the graveside. We were impressed with how easy it was to find Rex’s buriel site. Here is a link to a post on the moving memorials featured at the Riverside National Cemetery.

Even though we know our loved one who is identified with Christ is not in this grave, it’s still gratifying to see what a peaceful setting his gravestone is situated in.

The whole time we were at the cemetery we kept looking up because there was an airshow at March Air Force Base which donated land for the Riverside National Cemetery and is adjacent to the cemetery.

After a hike and some good scouting by Dear and our daughter Katie we found Rex’s gravestone.

It really was good to finally see where Rex was buried. I was 7+ months pregnant with Katie for Rex’s funeral and a lot of this time was sketchy for me.

This was a very nice family time for us all in between all the fun celebration time with our extended family for our nephew’s/cousin’s wedding. While we were at the cemetery we had the wonderful experience to enjoy some amazing aerial views from an airshow at March Air Force Base.

From the cemetery we met up with extended family for lunch at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse in Moreno Valley. What a great weekend it was to connect with family and get a special weekend time with Katie from North Carolina.

I’m joining in with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. Hope all of you in the U.S.A. have had a moment to stop and consider and appreciate the memory of those who have laid down their lives for us…

A very meaningful Memorial Day to all of you!

The Patriot’s Prayer ~ Fanny Crosby

For my Memorial Weekend Hymn I chose the The Patriot’s Prayer by Fanny Crosby. When we were viewing the list of all the names on the Medal of Honor monument at Riverside National Cemetery we saw this inscription several times…” Unknown But to God”. God knows all who have fallen but were not identified.

The Patriot’s Prayer

God of our sires that joyful sang,
While forest shades triumphant rang,
When on the wild New England shore,
Their sails were furled, their voyage o’er.
O Lord, defend Thy children yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget;
O Lord, defend Thy children yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget.

God of the brave that sought Thy aid,
And in Thy robe of strength arrayed,
They won for us beneath Thy care,
The flag we prize, the peace we share,
O Lord, defend our nation yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget;
O Lord, defend our nation yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget.

And when the call to arms again
Was heard afar o’er hill and plain,
Thy mighty hand upheld the right,
Thy love restored Thy banner bright,
O Lord, defend our nation yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget;
O Lord, defend our nation yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget.

God of our land, Thy gift so free,
O hear the prayer we breathe to Thee;
Let union’s bond our souls entwine,
And guard alike the palm and pine.
O Lord, defend our nation yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget;
O Lord, defend our nation yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget.

Words: Fanny Crosby, 1905.

Riverside National Cemetery

When we were in Southern California for our nephews wedding we made a special trip to Riverside National Cemetery where Dear’s father was buried in October of 1985 just a couple months before our Katie was born. I’ll post more photos of our search for Rex’s grave on Monday. Today I’m sharing some very dramatic memorials from the cemetery for this Memorial Day Weekend.

Riverside National Cemetery is the third-largest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administration, and since 2000 has been the most active in the system based on the number of interments. It was established in 1976 through the transfer of 740 acres from March Air Force Base, which during World War II was called the U.S. Army’s Camp William G. Haan. The cemetery was dedicated and opened for burials Nov. 11, 1978. An additional 181 acres was transferred by the Air Force in 2003.

The dramatic, meandering landscape features a central boulevard with memorial circles, lakes, indigenous-styled committal shelters, and a memorial amphitheater.

Riverside National cemetery is home of the Medal of Honor Memorial and one of four sites recognized as a National Medal of Honor Memorial Site. The Medal of Honor Memorial, whose walls feature the names of all medal recipients, is located at the third traffic circle in the cemetery. It was dedicated in 1999.

Walking up to the Medal of Honor Memorial you see each of the seals of the branches of service. Of course we have our favorite…

Several Medal Honor Recipients are buried at this cemetery.

The Fallen Soldier/Veterans’ Memorial, erected in 2000, is dedicated to all service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The dramatic bronze structure topped by a lifeless soldier is located near the lake at the entrance to the cemetery.

This and the POW/MIA Memorial were very moving…

The Prisoner of War/Missing in Action National Memorial was designated as a national memorial by the U.S. Congress in 2004 through Public Law 108-454. The memorial was dedicated on September 16, 2005. Vietnam veteran Lewis Lee Millett, Jr., sculpted the bronze statue which depicts an American serviceman on his knees with hands bound by his captors. The statue is surrounded by black marble pillars that evoke imprisonment.

While we were at the cemetery we had an unexpected treat. See everyone looking up? March Air Force Base was hosting an air show this weekend and we got a wonderful view of the Patriots Jet Team.

I’ll be sharing a lot more photos of the Patriots later next week.

On Monday I’ll share more from our time at the cemetery.

We are going to go on a little adventure on Saturday morning before we hunker down to do some work around this old house. Hope your weekend is going well.

Family Joining Together…

Psalm 1 (ESV)

Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

 This was the passage that Levi and Kristin chose for their wedding. My brother Steve used this Psalm for his wedding charge to them.

My sister in laws family

The Bride’s family

I couldn’t end my wedding posts without showing you the fancy shmancy porta potties that were on site. They are called Royal Restrooms. You can see I was impressed as I took a photo of the outside and inside. There even was a carpet inside…

Today is my Father’s 89th birthday. Happy Birthday Pops! Psalm 1 is something you have modeled for your family! Thank you for choosing righteousness.

Levi and Kristin…

…and the love of birds.

2nd and 3rd lady from the right are the bride’s sisters. Furthest from the right is the groom’s sister in law our niece by marriage.

The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th attendants are Levi’s brothers (my nephews) Tim, Caleb and Joseph.

My brother Steve who is performing the ceremony is Levi’s dad.

These were their wedding favors. A little bag that says Don’t forget to feed the birds…with a heart shaped bird seed feeder inside.

The candles were in mason jars filled with bird seed.

Fish got to swim and birds got to fly
I got to love one man till I die,
Can’t help lovin’ dat man of mine.
Oscar Hammerstein II
From musical Showboat.

Everything came together so nicely for the wedding under the hay barns. My sister in law Kelly made the really long muslin curtains you see behind Levi and Kristin, fresh herbs in the bouquets and on the tables, galvanized tubs and mason jars for containers for the flowers and candles. The wooden benches (40 of them) were all made by the groom with lots of help from his friends, father, and uncle. The 180 heart shaped bird seed feeders were made by Kelly and the bride. I’m guessing they might have had other help, too. The setting and the decor all suited them and this rural/farming community my nephew grew up in.

All my regular weekly obligations are done until the fall. Now it’s time to get some big projects done, starting with cleaning out the attic of all the roofing debris that fell in there when the new roof was put on. Then we have a trip to Chicago for a conference Dear has to attend.  What’s on your agenda for the last month of Spring?

Two Pros, One Apprentice…

The calm relaxed Pros checking out the burlap aisle runner…

The Apprentice getting a feel for the aisle runner…

The Flower Girl Pro getting some last minute adjustments…

The Flower Girl Pro and Apprentice enjoying some time with cousin Katie before their assignment…

The time has arrived and instead of dropping rose petals they are dropping bird feathers and the Ring Bearer Barrel is holding a nest with the rings eggs. The Bride and Groom are quite fond of birds and bird watching.

The Apprentice performed quite well although she made it to the altar with all her feathers in the bucket!

Isn’t it great how these Pros and little Apprentice got the whole crowd smiling?!

They stopped to give the photographer a big smile.

Their job complete, they took a seat.

The Pros made their exit on cue but the Apprentice had other things in mind.

Next time this little Apprentice will be the Pro…

Happy Birthday to the Ring Barrel and Apprentice’s Nana, my sister Kathy!

Since we are starting a new round of Alphabe-Thursday with teacher Jenny which means we are at the letter A I’m linking up this post about our little Apprentice.

Baba and Dzeda

It was such a blessing for all that my folks were able to attend Levi and Kristin’s wedding. My mom got released from the hospital on Saturday, went home and got ready for the wedding. Here are the photos of them enjoying the wedding.

My dad blessing Levi and Kristin along with Levi’s maternal grandparents and Kristin’s grandmother.

The handsome groom and beautiful bride with my parents.

Baba with Jack (great grandson), Hope (youngest granddaughter) and Avery (great granddaughter).

My parents with all their grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. There are 9 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren missing.

Thank you to all of you who prayed for my mom. We appreciate your prayers and concern. She is so thankful that she could attend the wedding and her pain has subsided.

More photos of the wedding are forthcoming. Two of our bloggy friends are having daughters get married in May, too. Looking forward to Pondside’s photos and Mille Fiore photos.  And then in the summer Rosella’s daughter. Fun times are afoot!

We had such a rain storm yesterday. It really gave our new roof and patio covers a good workout.

No Need to Rehearse…

…a wonderful meal!

After the wedding ceremony rehearsal we were treated to a wonderful evening of good food and fellowship. Our nephew Levi married Kristin this past weekend in Nuevo, California. Nuevo is a rural community located east of Los Angeles and Lake Perris in Riverside County. It’s a rocky, hilly area with low lying valleys. But enough geography lets get back to the main event…

My sister in law Kelly is such a creative patient soul. She put together great decor and food presentation to honor the personalities of her son and new daughter in law. Steve worked hard leading up to the event with outdoor improvements on the yard. There were many trips to Home Depot this past month or so…

The main event happened in their backyard but the inside was beautifully coordinated with the theme of country casual.

It can be a little windy in the valley so Kelly anchored down the bandana hanky table cloths with books. The bride is a published poet so a lot of the books were poetry collections. Kelly and Steve have both fostered the love of books, reading, and learning with their 4 boys and so this was another great creative touch to the decor. Kelly sewed the tablecloths.

Country touches with galvanized buckets to hold the drinks. Kelly used mason jars for a lot of the decor and food presentation. She filled mason jars with ice and lemonade and put the lids on them. They were put in the bucket filled with ice to keep them cold along with other drinks for the evening. Straws were available for all the drinks, too.

They lined the bucket with plastic…

The menu was Middle Eastern with Falafel, Humus, Tabuli, Pita, and Shepherds salad.

Part of the dessert was baked and served in mason jars, too. An assortment of mason jar pies and cheesecake and brownies.

The evening ended with Levi and Kristin acknowledging each of their wedding party and the impact they have had on their lives and also a thank you to each of their parents for all they have done for them.

We returned home from Southern California on Sunday night full of all the experiences we had over the weekend. I’ll share more as the week goes on. It was so good to see our daughter Katie. We had a special family time on Saturday morning before the wedding with Josh, Laura, Katie, Dear and I. I’ll be sharing that experience soon, too. We were sorry Dan and Andrew couldn’t attend the events of the weekend but duty calls!

My mother is doing so much better than she had been for months. She is so pleased with the results she has gotten from her cortisone shot in her hip. She has mobility that she hasn’t had for quite a while and the relaxed smile on her face says it all.