Silver Celebration

With overwhelming thanks to the Lord, Ron and I, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, have been married 25 years today.   Today, looking back at 'the' original Valentine card that was the catalyst for our eventual union, many other cards I have kept over the years and a diary of our honeymoon we reminisced with fond nostalgia for the many experiences we have shared together. 

In 1987 we didn't have the benefit of digital photography.  However in daylight, the digital photos I took of our wedding photos came out fairly reasonable. 

                               Phew, I made it up the aisle.

      

Notice Eric's rapt attention to the exchange of the rings!

            A continuation of the nuptial kiss.

         

My lovely sisters Esther and Sandra outside our family home in Wainuiomata and Jenny.     

                              

                                   Flanked by parents and parents-in-law, a smiling quintet.

Our flower girl, adorable Jenny de Reus nee Snoek, our niece, only two years old at the time, who is now married with two children of her own.

One wonders what the dialogue is here.

It's so hard to get good staff around here. 

A shame about the red skin tone on the photo but one of the few close-ups we have of the wedding.

I dedicate this poem T S Eliot wrote for his wife to Ron although it may be a little earthy for some:

To whom I owe the leaping delight

That quickens my senses in our waking time

And the rhythm that governs the repose of our sleeping time

The breathing in unison

Of lovers whose bodies smell of each other

Who think the same thoughts without need of speech

And babble the same speech without need of meaning

No peevish winter wind shall chill

No sullen tropic sun shall wither

The roses in the rose garden which is ours and ours only.

Weather contrasts

A couple of weeks ago Ron was in Bangkok on business for a global sales conference.  Getting from his hotel to the conference even though it was relatively close was quite an ordeal since he had to make his way there on crutches in the sizzling heat and humidity.  So much for taking a shower beforehand!  The day he was due to fly back into New Jersey (where Troy and I picked him up from) was our second major snowfall of the season.  The trip itself was no picnic; 7 hrs to Japan and then 18 hrs to Newark airport in NJ.  En route apparently a little Asian flight attendant while trying to stuff baggage into the overhead bins had been 'jumping up and down' on Ron's ankle.  Well that's his story and he's going to stick to it. 

Meantime, back in CT, Troy and I are busy clearing the driveway of snow, and sweeping the 5 or 6 inches off the car in preparation for the long slow trip to airport, when to our delight, Zac from across the road comes over with their new snowblower and in about 5 minutes has taken care of everything. 

I've never coveted one of these machines until I saw how fast the job got done.  They apparently are subject to breaking down fairly often from what we have heard.  Mmmm... perhaps we will stick with the manual method for now but I daresay if this hadn't been such a mild winter thus far, I could be tempted..






Speaking of mild, and weather contrasts, we have been having spring like weather for the last couple of weeks.  I wouldn't be surprised if the daffodils start to pop their heads.  Today it was at least 12C.  We have been painting and staining some interior walls and trim that our neighbour has been working on.  I was able to open windows to let the fumes escape. 

I don't recall a single February that we have had no snow on the lawn.  I took this photo today in the late afternoon and it's what the yard has looked like for the last several weeks.  Ben and Franci Hoyt from Christchurch who are currently living in NYC, and who we have got together with a few times asked me last time if this was a typical winter.  Absolutely not, not, not.  We're enjoying it though. 

Unwelcome guest in the porch

I have a backlog of photos and after being chided many times by someone who will remain nameless, have decided to process the pics from my photo file to my blog.  This past summer when Ron was on a business trip (the unwanted guest knew) and Oma a.k.a Marijke/Mum/Mrs de Vries was with us, she shrieked when she encountered a black snake in our porch.  To her credit, she remained cool, calm and collected, and helped to sweep the snake out with our largest broom after we were unsuccessful in trying to shoo it out with another long handled tool.  I originally assumed that it was a garter snake, very common around here and pretty harmless.  However, when Ron matched my photo with one on the internet, he discovered that it was a black rat snake.  No wonder Tammy yelped when I sent her after it! 

Meadowbrook Rd Home School has closed

It's the end of an era - close to a decade - for our family and household.  No more spelling, no more books (school ones that is), no more teacher's dirty looks (a.k.a mum).  Troy is attending Christian Life Academy about five minutes drive away, a small Christian school.  While we can't endorse the statement of faith - it's an Assembly of God church school - we highly respect Troy's teacher who was also Eliot's 8th grade teacher hence our decision to place Troy back in school at this stage in the middle of his 7th grade year.  He will also have the same teacher for his 8th grade year, Lord Willing. 

 Troy is picked up each morning by bus no. 21 right at the end of our driveway as is typical for most pupils in this country.  Each afternoon Troy is dropped off, again, outside our house; a fantastic service.  Some of you who have visited have seen the big lumbering yellow school buses but for those who haven't, the stop sign on the side swings out along with a big red barrier when the bus stops to let students on and off the bus.  Traffic on both sides of the road must stop or risk a fine. 

On a Thursday I have a student from down the street that gets off the bus at my house for a music lesson straight from school but because she is only a 1st grader she needs to be received by an adult.  Since I have a few extra music pupils my schedule is a little tighter and this past Thursday I was absorbed teaching another student - and had gone over time as usual - when almost simultaneously I heard and then saw in my peripheral vision the big yellow bus stopping outside our big living room window.  Initially, for some unknown reason we didn't have a very majestic start with Magesta the driver, so I jumped up from my chair faster than the speed of light and bounded down the front steps as if I had been standing there all the time.  My poor piano pupil - not the one coming off the bus - must have wondered where the piano teacher had disappeared to!  

Here's Troy just getting home from school.  His official report is that he is enjoying it aside from the homework.  It is a very small class.  He was the third student, but since then a fourth student has joined the class.  A new subject for him is Spanish, although because he has been learning Latin he has not found it difficult.  Furthermore, his home school grammar course was fairly rigorous. The first week Troy was up until 11 pm some nights doing homework around the basketball schedule.  Now that he is a couple of weeks into school, and knows the routine, and what is expected of him, he is managing his time much better.  Fortunately he doesn't need a lot of sleep and is not the sort of guy that wakes up grumpy.

I am on the substitute list on the days I don't teach music so it's possible I may end up teaching Troy's class now and then.   I may just send him to the Headmaster's office for the most trivial offence!  Not Troy Alexander.
If anyone is like his Opa Spikey (not wanting to break the law) it's our Troy. 

Happy Anniversary for the 22nd January 2011

A year ago today we were in New Zealand celebrating the joyous occasion of the wedding of Mikey and Laura.  We are so thankful to the Lord for having brought them together and for the year that He has given them to continue to grow in their relationship together.  We love having Mikey as part of our family but have been waiting in vain for an Ebbett New York to be established.  We'd get rid of the Ford in a heartbeat.  May the Lord continue to bless you both abundantly with love and joy for His service.

Twin posteriors

This is one of the ways Eliot is spending his time at home from university during his Christmas break; pouring over a particularly difficult math problem that has Ron stumped.  Talking of stumps, you can see the discolouration of Ron's left foot which has caused him several weeks of unhappiness after he damaged it playing football on Thanksgiving Day in November.  An MRI showed a small fracture, partial Achilles tendon tear and partial ligament tearing.  Yesterday he had his first physical therapy session which was very encouraging, both for the realization that he should be able to gain full use of his ankle again and finally that he is able to make some progress toward recovery.  He is very capable at getting around on crutches and the public are incredibly considerate towards him but it's very slow getting around with one good ankle.

Back to the math problem.  Most people read mysteries, historical novels, sci-fi, etc for pleasure but Ron reads math books.  We all try our best to look as enthralled as we know he feels by the latest theorem he has read.  Alas, our glazed expressions betray us after some point in time.      

A solitary December post

Today is the last day of 2011; a mementous occasion indeed.  In lieu of fireworks to bring in the New Year I have a short clip of my favorite Christmas tree in the adjacent town which from a short distance away gives the effect of snow.  Each town typically puts up some lights along their main street a couple of weeks before Christmas.  Many towns will also have an official tree lighting ceremony where the public is invited.  The bigger the town the more elaborate the ceremony - for eg. groups may be singing carols, hot chocolate is served, etc.   New Year's Eve on the other hand is in the Big Apple.   To watch the ball drop in Times Square is the thing to do.  That's provided you don't suffer from claustrophobia because of the crush of people, don't mind the freezing temperatures, and get very excited by the effect of gravity.  Oops, I think Eliot is there right now.

Ron and I were very amused to read on the BBC news page that Samoa and Tokelau had decided to be the first to see in 2012, rather than last, by skipping Saturday.  Pity all the folk that had their birthdays on Saturday who missed out on celebrating and presents.  Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind staying the same age for an additional year now that I'm no spring chicken. 

May the Lord guide, sustain, encourage and bless you in the New Year, and may He refresh your delight in Him.