The Wedding of Joseph and Hannah

By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea. Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm is located in Goleta just north of Santa Barbara. It is a venue that can be rented for many different types of gatherings and it turned out perfect for a wedding.

Our nephew Joseph married Hannah last Saturday the 14th of January. Joseph is the youngest of four brothers. My brother Steve and SIL Kelly are his parents.

The majority of the guests rode a shuttle bus to the venue from a nearby elementary school. The walk to the wedding ceremony site was about a quarter mile from the reception area. After several days of rain and clouds in southern California Saturday’s weather was clear and warm with beautiful blue skies.

Our Washington Family really enjoyed soaking up the sunshine since we left Seattle in 20 degree weather. Dan and Jamie’s home in eastern Washington varied from 8 below to 15 degrees before they flew south.

Our dear old pop was so happy he could manage the trip and the time spent at the wedding. He got a special ride to the ceremony stage.

Before the Processional there was a reading of “The Marriage” by Rumi.

May these vows and this marriage be blessed.
May it be sweet milk,
this marriage, like wine and halvah.
May this marriage offer fruit and shade
like the date palm.
May this marriage be full of laughter,
our every day a day in paradise.
May this marriage be a sign of compassion,
a seal of happiness here and hereafter.
May this marriage have a fair face and a good name,
an omen as welcomes the moon in a clear blue sky.
I am out of words to describe
how spirit mingles in this marriage.

The procession began with Joseph walking to his parents and on to the platform.

Now the attendants (all 28 of them) two by two made their way to the platform.

Joe’s three brothers and their wives were part of the wedding party. Levi and Timothy with their wives in the upper photos and Caleb in the lower right photo. Caleb’s wife is in the lower left photo. Caleb was one of the best men so he is walking with one of the maid’s of honor. Two of Hannah’s sisters shared the maid of honor roll. Caleb and Joe’s best friend growing up shared the Best Man role.

It was now time for the cutest flower girl there ever was! Eleanor is Joe’s first niece and belongs to Tim and Jessica. She is our grandniece.

Here Comes the Bride! Hannah was escorted by her mother and father. When Hannah and Joe were hand in hand the families declared their support and the Officient asked everyone to refrain from taking photos. The Officient, Jim Wright led a semester in Istanbul from Westmont college that Joe was a part of as a student first and later as a leader. I’ll write more about that in my post about the reception. A Prayer began the ceremony, O Come, Oh Come Emmanuel and For the Beauty of the Earth were the unique songs that were sung and scripture readings from Numbers 13. That’s not a typo for those of you who are familiar with the book of Numbers in the Old Testament. The personal Homily, vows, and exchanging of rings and declaration of marriage wrapped things up!

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Bagdanov were introduced and the recessional signaled the time I could turn my camera on again.

My brother’s family.

Dzeda Bagdanov with Joe and Hannah.

I didn’t take this photo and I’m not sure who to give credit to but it is a gorgeous shot!

I’ll be sharing the reception photos soon and all the unique details that Joseph and Hannah chose and why.

Congratulations Joseph and Hannah! Your wedding was a joy to attend and one that will not be forgotten!

Dear is home now and I’m still in California for another week. I’m staying with my sister Vera. She’s getting a new internet company on Friday with speedier connections so it should be easier for me to post. This post has taken me a very long time. Besides the beautiful wedding that will take another post or two my nieces had a baby shower for Jamie on Sunday which was so much fun. Our Addy was showered with love and gifts and delicious food. I have the beach house and beach time to share and now I’m getting in sister time and more time with my dear old pop. On Monday I’ll be attending a memorial service for a friend’s mother from the Russian Baptist church we were part of in the 60’s and 70’s. Dear says it’s raining in the Seattle area.

Good, Very Good, Glorious!

There is so much to share from this good, very good, and glorious weekend we are experiencing. This photo is of our nephew Joe and his new bride Hannah with our dear old 93 year old Pop (94 in May). Glorious and Glory to God! More to come so stay tuned!

Jesus Bids Us Shine ~ Hymn

Jesus Bids Us Shine

Jesus bids us shine with a clear, pure light,
Like a little candle burning in the night;
In this world of darkness, we must shine,
You in your small corner, and I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine, first of all for Him;
Well He sees and knows it if our light is dim;
He looks down from heaven, sees us shine,
You in your small corner, and I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine, then, for all around
Many kinds of darkness in this world abound:
Sin, and want, and sorrow—we must shine,
You in your small corner, and I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine, as we work for Him,
Bringing those that wander from the paths of sin;
He will ever help us, if we shine,
You in your small corner, and I in mine.

Words: Susan B. Warner, pub.1864
v. 4 by Anonymous/Unknown, pub.1899

Christine from Christine and Her Camera referenced this Children’s Hymn on my post about letting your light shine. I had never heard or sung this hymn and was happy to look it up and to share it today for my Sunday Hymn. Thank you Christine!

Keep Looking Up…

A little postcard from me to you. Hope for my snowbound friends this adds a little light to your day. Today is wedding day for my brother’s youngest son. Fun times are afoot!

Off the Grid

These new areas in our stairwell that head up to our Master Suite warm my mom heart and I can focus on them as I walk up or down the stairs.

I’ll be counting my blessings throughout the weekend and into next week.

We are going to be spending lots of time with all our kids and our extended family over the next several days so I’ll be far off my normal grid.

Hope you all have a good Friday and weekend. Here in the U.S.A. we have an extended weekend since Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Our banks, post offices and schools will have Monday off. I hope to catch up with you all next week.

Let Your Light Shine…

“Det ljusnar en smula för den som tänder ljus för andra “

The literal translation from google is:

“It brightens slightly for those who light candles for others”

I’m hoping that a Scandinavian blogger might be able to correct this translation if it’s off or wrong.

This came down to us from Dear’s mother’s people who are all Swedish. I’m sorry to say I don’t know which relative or friend painted it and who it was painted for. It has the year 1950 painted on the back. I enjoy seeing it on the wall and I appreciate the sentiment on it, too.

I did my own little word study on light from the Bible. Here are some of the verses I found from the English Standard Version of the Bible.

For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness. Psalm 18:28

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Psalm 43:3

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”John 8: 12

I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. John 12:46

It was a good exercise to look up these references about light on a dark winter’s day. Good to remember the source of my light and my salvation.

A, the Finale…

ABC Wednesday is starting their farewell tour. This will be the last trip through the alphabet with Mrs. Nesbitt and her team. On this farewell tour I will be looking back with a mix of old and new for each letter. Click on ABC Wednesday to see what others are sharing.

Amish, animals the Amish use and Architecture are my choices for A. All these photos are from our trip to Amish Country in Indiana and Ohio the end of September (2016) with the Mennonite Girls Can Cook.

The architecture photos are from the village of Millersburg in Holmes County, Ohio. I haven’t shared these photos on my blog before. Millersburg is in the heart of the largest Amish settlement. This is the Courthouse at the county seat.

We found the downtown to be charming with many interesting shops and original architecture.

Millersburg was incorporated February 17, 1835.

Hotel Millersburg built in 1847 is on the left. The Hotel, which has been placed on the US Department of Interior’s National Register of Historic Places, is located in the center of the Millersburg National Historic district.

Now to the present…how’s January 2017 shaping up? Things are busy here and I’ll have a lot to share later. We are still cold and icy but nothing to compare with other parts of the country.

Twice in December

Twice in December we drove north to the town of La Conner to enjoy a meal and a stroll.

We enjoy the farm scenes that we pass along the way.

At the end of December we celebrated Katie’s birthday at Anelia’s which features some good Polish fare and other light dishes.

At the beginning of December we ate at the Oyster and Thistle for our anniversary.

I’m linking up to Mosaic Monday with Maggie at Normandy Life.

I’m also linking up for The Barn Collective with Tom The Backroads Traveler.

We had a cold quiet weekend mostly with small projects accomplished and started. I lasted just a very short while outside starting the Apple Tree Pruning. It didn’t take long for my hands to complain from the cold. I’ll be doing that project in short shifts. The Pear tree needs pruning also. January is full of events for us at this Old House.

Today at the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog I posted a French Onion Soup for two recipe. I was inspired by the soup I had at the Oyster and Thistle in La Conner in the mosaic above. Happy Monday!

Shine Upon Us Lord~ Hymn

Shine Thou Upon Us Lord

Shine Thou upon us, Lord, true Light of men, today,
And through the written Word Thy very self display,
That so from hearts which burn with gazing on Thy face
Thy little ones may learn the wonders of Thy grace.

Breathe Thou upon us, Lord, Thy Spirit’s living flame,
That so with one accord our lips may tell Thy Name.
Give Thou the hearing ear, fix Thou the wandering thought,
That those we teach may hear the great things Thou hast wrought.

Speak Thou for us, O Lord, in all we say of Thee;
According to Thy Word let all our teaching be,
That so Thy lambs may know their own true Shepherd’s voice,
Where’er He leads them go, and in His love rejoice.

Live Thou within us, Lord, Thy mind and will be ours;
Be Thou beloved, adored, and served with all our powers,
That so our lives may teach Thy children what Thou art,
And plead, by more than speech, for Thee with every heart.

words by John Ellerton, 1889

First Five…

My first Five on Friday, Friday’s Fave Five, and Foodie Friday and Everything Else for 2017.

I saw and bought this delightful looking book because of it’s cover. Who could resist the inviting illustrations?

I bought it for just over $2.00 at Goodwill.

Part One: Childhood, Part Two: Country Life, Part Three: Pepperidge Farm, Part Four: Cooking From Antique Cookbooks, Part Five: Ireland.

There are great stories, recipes and illustrations throughout the book. Dear has been reading segments to me that he has found to be interesting and entertaining about the history of Pepperidge Farms. Here’s a quote from the end of the Foreword, “Few things are more rewarding to a woman than that happy feeling she has when she knows that the food she has prepared with love and interest brings pleasure to her family, served in a setting more important than any glamorous restaurant-dinner at home!”

This last photo I’m sharing is of my youngest sister with my dear old Pop on Christmas Eve. My mom would be pleased he thought to put a red shirt on. His shirt pocket has envelopes filled with a little cash for his kids, grandkids, and great grands. He’s not interested in having any money left in his accounts when he heads to heaven!

It’s safe to say my Pop has no treasures stored up on this earth but his Bible, the chair he loves and his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Thank you to Amy, Susanne and Michael Lee for hosting these Friday memes.

My Dear hooked up our new equipment from Xfinity to replace our old slow equipment and I’m so happy that everything is working great and all went smoothly. Hooray! You all know the tension when the good ole internet does not function properly for bloggers! Happy weekend to all of you.

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage