Retreats are such a treat

We had the privilege of attending the quad-classis retreat in Muskoka, which is a few hours north of where we live. We drove up with Trevor and Erin, some friends of ours who live in a nearby town. We had some great chats on the way up, stopped for delicious burgers and ice-cream (that's a tradition we're planning on keeping), and gazed out at the beautiful scenery. We arrived, checked in, and joined the group of about 40 other pastors and spouses in the Hub. It was a joy to meet all of these new friends. There was this insta-connection with them knowing we are all in the same boat. It was so encouraging and insightful to meet together and hear others' stories, gain wisdom, and share laughter. Our worship sessions together were awesome! There's nothing like hearing a group belt out praise and worship songs together. We were blessed to have a speaker, Dr. Tim Brown, from Holland, MI, who was incredible to listen to. On our last morning he recited the entire Sermon on the Mount to us in a way that made the Scripture come alive- it was inspiring!
Here are some shots of the beauty of the setting.




There was a shuffle board court which definitely was well used while we were there. It is such a fun game! It gets me excited for retirement age when I can play all day long.

The first morning we had the option of taking part in flower arranging or canoe racing. We, with our competitive nature, chose the canoe racing. Our team won our first heat (wahoo!) but then lost it in the finals because Zach and I accidentally sat on the wrong ends of the canoe, which, we learned, makes a big difference! Once we realized our mistake we turned our canoe around and paddled to the finish backwards. It was a hoot. We ended up with the bronze and earned the award for "the most comedic and original canoe team." Below is a picture of Ingrid and me, ready for the race.

Of course, a couple of canoes capsized- Brrrrrr!!!!

We had a lot of free time at the retreat. We spent it playing putt putt, tennis, volleyball, soccer, reading, and soaking in the beautiful weather. Below is a picture of Zach next to Goliath during putt putt. Every hole was themed around a Bible verse. I personally got my booty kicked by the Goliath hole. It took me five strokes just to get my ball through that little hole beneath Goliath's toe- Grrrrrr.

Our last night we played Survivor all together. There were a bunch of relay races and challenges to find out who could Outlast, Outwit and Outplay the competition. Below Zach is racing to help his team win.

The last challenge was one where you had to get untangled the fastest. Zach's group didn't uh...well...have a look for yourself.

What a treat to enjoy this time and meet new friends. We are very thankful that this is an annual retreat and we have it to look forward to every year. By the end we felt refreshed, re-energized, and ready to return home.

Blake's Baptism

We were excited to make a trip to Grand Rapids for our nephew, Blake's, baptism. We made the most of our time and spent it visiting family...always a treat. Friday we hung out at Mom and Dad Mallekoote's house. We celebrated Mom, Dad, Justin, and Zach's birthdays. There is never a dull moment with the four grandkids running around.
Blake is getting so big!

Three boys on a couch.

Uncle Dave and Daniel playing together...

Saturday Hannah had a soccer game. It was freezing outside so we bundled up to watch Hannah in action.

Look'n Good Zach :-)


Zach and Dad Olson spent some time in the garage fixing our brakes. Cal put a nut on Zach's head and called him a "Nut Head." Oh how I love his humor.

Thanks for a fun visit everyone!

Cookie Cravings...

We are rolling into the last month of the school year. Aaron has a large stack of sight words he has been working on. I told him that if he learned them all, he could earn a reward of his choice, within reason. Since I couldn't take him to Canada's Wonderland (his first choice), what's the next best thing?... making cookies of course! Apparently that was a great incentive for him. He learned all his sight words at break-neck speed to earn his reward. He was soooooo excited; it was super cute.
Stirring the pot....

Licking the spoon...

Monster Cookie!!

And he even got to play some Lego Star Wars with Pastor Zach while the cookies were cooling- Score!

Minute to Win It

Zach had a great year with his 12th grade catechism kids. We had a lot of fun getting to know them and having them over for dinners and game nights throughout the year. For the last meeting we invited them over for a cookout. Here is the gang.

Zach enjoyed grilling for everyone. He has been spending a lot of quality time with Webster since the weather has warmed up. Their bond is really heating up.

After the burgers were eaten, (man, can high schoolers eat a lot!) we announced we were going to play our own version of .....drum roll please.....A Minute to Win It! It is a game show where you use household items to make challenges and compete.

Below is a picture of Brad taking on the game, "Face the Cookie," where a player must move a cookie from their forehead to their mouth by scrunching and moving their face muscles.

Here are two videos of the other games, "Nose Dive" and "Candy Elevator."

Since we couldn't give out a million dollar cash prize, the winners of the game earned, in addition to the joy of winning, the first piece of dessert!

House Guests!

Dad, Tracy, Calvin and Hannah came to visit for the weekend (yeah!). Hannah and Cal were very excited for Zach to get home so they could play tickle monster and video games.



For Zach's birthday, the fam got us a new flag for our backyard.

On Saturday the girls had a "spa day." We painted nails and even did nail art designs. Hannah enjoyed her R&R.

Zach has been craving Olive Garden for a few months now, so we decided that was the destination for his birthday dinner. The closest Olive Garden is in Buffalo, NY so.....road trip! After an hour and a half drive to Buffalo, an hour wait for a table, and many trivia/word games to pass the time, we made it! Those bread sticks never tasted so good.


Thanks so much for coming guys. We had a great time and miss you already!

I can't find the Cook kids!

A few months ago I started tutoring two boys. They are from a family of seven so there are many little Cook kiddos running around. Generally, when I arrive, the younger kids will be hiding so we play a quick game of Hide and Seek. I absolutley love this game so I get into my seek mode and hunt them out. Last week I couldn't find the two youngest kids for the life of me. I was searching all around when I heard some giggles coming from the t.v. area. I opened two cupboards and look what I found!
Here is a picture of me with the two boys I tutor.

Any teacher knows, you have to do a silly picture after the nice one. :-)

Wedding Fairies, Sun Poisoning, and Grits...

I headed down to Florida with my mom and Aunt Linda for my cousin, Lindsey's, wedding. Linds and I grew up together so I was really excited to support her on her big day. When we arrived we found that she had several "last minute" tasks she needed help with. We were glad to help, and help we did! We ended up staying up until after midnight every night working to prepare for the big day. We put together gift bags, labeled name tents, assembled favor boxes, set up the rehearsal ...etc. We ran many errands, and given our poor sense of direction, we got lost many, many times. We became known as the "Wedding Fairies."



After the rehearsal we ate dinner on a catamaran sunset cruise.



The beautiful bride, Mrs. Ryan Read!


I got out in the sun one afternoon fully sun-screened up, and somehow got sun poisoning. I had itchy bumps on my arms, feet and stomach... (I'll spare you the pictures.)
We went out for breakfast after the big day and talked and laughed about the week. I ate grits for the first time and loved them. I think I feel a Southern twang coming on y'all.

GR visit

We headed to GR for a quick visit to see family and friends (and change our oil). Zach and Hannah had a great tickle battle- Hannah was fearless!
The next morning we went out for a family breakfast and then hung out together for a while.
It was super fun to see all the kids interacting..there's never a dull moment.
Jayne was in the center of all the action.




Basket rides!!