Šťastný Nový Rok -- Happy New Year!!

Happy 2014 to everyone reading our blog!  I didn't figure I'd add any posts until we return to Slovakia, since the title is, after all, "Slovakia Service Stories"!  But the overview indicates people are checking it, and we've gotten a few emails from Slovakia inquiring about our time back in the U.S.A., so I decided to just add at least a short post.  Thanks for reading!!  

The first Sunday we were home, we attended Paul and Alana's church in Ames, then went to the Café for lunch afterwards - one of our favorite places!!  It was COLD!!!    

Alana made some Christmas goodies -- divinity and Oreo balls -- so delicious!!    :-)   

Beth and Jon also made many delicious favorites - WOW - a lot of scrumptiousness!!  

The finished cookie tray with everyone's favorites!!  After Beth's amazing pies for Thanksgiving, and now her prolific cookie-baking (along with help from Alana and Jon), it's clear that I have been replaced in the baking department!!  Let the new generation roll!  

Our Christmas gift from all the kids was a family photo session at Target on Christmas Eve morning.  What an awesome idea!!  Our last formal family photos were four years ago at Paul and Alana's wedding!!  

This is the picture we used for our family photo in our holiday letters.  (I think!)  

And this is my favorite photo of the bunch - great smiles from all the kids!!   :-)

The traditional family Christmas breakfast at Judith's was amazing, as always.  The table settings with Gram J's apple dishes were so beautiful, and the fruit cups, homemade waffles and sausages were all delicious.  

It was such a blessing to all be together with extended family to carry on the tradition!  Paul, Beth, and Lute are in charge of the worship service and carol singing after breakfast, and they did a great job of sharing the message or our Savior's birth and the salvation we have received through His sacrifice and grace.  

We are so grateful to have been born into this family of faith, and we have been charged to share the message of the Gospel with all the world!!  

I can't believe there were no pictures taken on our trip to Oklahoma to visit Beth in her new location.  Sorry!!  But we had a wonderful time spending a weekend at her new apartment in McAlester.  The weather was warm, so we went hiking at a nearby state park, then threw around a frisbee and a football next to the lake, relaxing and playing in the sunshine!  Oh, and we had a blast cheering on the Packers to a big play-off win!!  There were some hot games of "500" around the kitchen table too.  It was an 8-hour drive each way, but even the car journey was fun as we shared in conversation as we watched the scenery go by.

We renewed our New Year's Eve lunch tradition with Joe and Linda Crawford!  It is always great catching up with them every year in Ankeny, and occasionally in Florida!  

There were several other get-togethers with friends and family here in Ankeny too --- where was my camera????  UGH!  No pictures, but wonderful memories of good times with special people.  

One day we spent a long time at the kitchen table addressing envelopes and writing on our annual holiday letters.  Tim noticed some new residents under our shed out in the garden.  First, one little guy peeked out…….

When he exited, we could see how big our raccoon was!! 

And there was another one too!!  TWO big fat raccoons entertained us in our back yard! 

Can you see both raccoons up in the tree eating berries???  One on the right and one on the left!  It was so fun watching them all afternoon!  

Peekaboo, I see you!!   

This afternoon Paul and Alana are here, and we're playing board games after watching the Iowa State men win their first conference game.  GO CLONES!!  Tomorrow the four of us will be driving to Waterloo for Lute's church service, then visiting more friends there too.  And Monday, we are praying for good weather and safe/on time flights back to Slovakia!!