Category Archives: Family

To My Dad

This is my Dad.  He’s the World’s Best Dad.

I have a lot of memories of my Dad over the years.   He’s also a great Grandpa.

I remember my Dad sleeping with each one of my kids laying on his chest shortly after they were born.

I think I inherited the sleeping with your mouth open thing…just like that too!

I remember him loving to hold them.

I also remember those early 90’s huge glasses he wore! And those two boys?  He now wrestles with them…

My parents have always been caring, loving grandparents.  They took my kids to the petting zoo, the dairy farm, swimming, and yes, my Dad even braved the cold to pull them around on a sled in Michigan in the winter.

He builds great campfires and makes the best browned and golden marshmallows for S’Mores you ever saw!

It was so interesting to go through these pictures and see all the styles and colors of hair I had…and how I seemed to be pregnant forever!

So today, I want to wish my Dad a Happy Father’s Day!  Thanks for being the quality Dad and Grandpa all these years Dad.

We love you!

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The Gift of Mr. Wonderful

The ladies over at the RHOK are doing McLinky Monday again..this time the question is….

How did you meet your husband?

Well, I know it was a God thing so first I must tell you about that.

Our pastor was teaching on a series about “praying for specifics” and expecting more than you can even imagine to be blessed with.  One day, he specifically mentioned something about “You single ladies, make a list and present it to God, and be specific, don’t settle for less”.

I went home that day and thought, “Well, so far I haven’t done a great job of finding Mr. Right by myself, so maybe I’ll try this list thing”.

SO, I made this list, with many qualities, and right up at the top I put:

#1 MUST attend my church.

I love my church and I was pretty certain that there wasn’t a guy there that I was interested in, so this was really testing my faith bigtime.

Two weeks later, I was on the treadmill at my gym. My girlfriend Kim was on the next treadmill.  In walked this guy, who was drop-dead gorgeous and dressed in a Lucky t-shirt with the best bulging biceps and triceps I’d seen in awhile.

Kim and I were talking to Carl, a sometimes preacher friend of ours.  Carl looked up and saw the guy and said “HEY, have you met Katie? She goes to your church!”

I didn’t think I had a shot at this guy..he was out of my league.

But Kim asked Glen, one of the trainers to discreetly ask the guy if he was married. Apparently, Glen had gone to etiquette school with Carl because he hollered across the room “HEY, are you married or straight or what?”

I don’t know how I recovered from that one, but slowly over the next couple of weeks, we began to work out together.  Working out together was “safe” and we weren’t really dating so we met each day after work and lingered for hours talking and getting to know each other.

After months of this (or else it seemed like months), Carl finally walked up to us as we stood on the gym stairs holding our gym bags and talking…and talking…and talking.And in his usual “tactful” way, he hollered as he strode by, “HEY, why don’t you two just get on with it and go out to dinner or something?”

So we looked at each other and headed off to Subway where we stayed until they closed, and then moved out to the patio table and talked until 2 a.m.

We continued to go eat after workouts, for another month or two.  I think we were both scared to death to admit that we were officially “dating” again.  “Dating” is a very awkward term when you are in your close-to-forty and are out of practice, if you know what I mean.  The great thing about this was, that we truly became friends and got to know each other, which was what we both needed at that time in our lives.

And the other great thing was, that God had provided for me not just Mr. Right, but Mr. Wonderful.

What a great gift.

Hey, I think that list idea really worked.

And I thank Him every day 🙂

Want to read more great stories of how ladies met their husbands? Head on over to the RHOK by clicking below.

The RHOK

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Kayla in India

I love that Brettley has been posting more pictures of the team in India.  I think the team has been totally captivated by the AIDS/HIV orphanage…

I love the pictures of the children praying…and being prayed over.

Cady with a child

I can only imagine what the team feels like seeing these children over and over…I know Kayla wrote how attached she is becoming to one in particular…

From Kayla – Mom, Today was our last day at the HIV/AIDS orphanage.  And it was really hard.  I told Madhavi, the girl I basically held onto the whole time I was there every time, that I loved her today.  And I’ve only been there four times.

My daughter Kayla praying over a child

The team is starting to look they belong in Hyderabad, wearing the clothing, that is so beautiful.

They have also adjusted to the food I think.  This is a shot of …breakfast?

And here, I guess is their version of a rooftop swimming pool during some of their free time in the 115º heat.

Joel, John, Josh and Will

My daughter is experiencing some radical changes in thinking about life working with these kids.

And all of them are learning so much about greatfulness and thanks for God’s mercy and love.

Will, Brooke, Brettley and John

They are giving of themselves in a world that needs a lot of giving.

Brettley, Josh and Joel

And I love that my daughter is experiencing this.  And I’m sure these children are as well.

Kayla praying with an older child

Again, thanks to Brettley Ruggles for the awesome photography she is posting so I can share with you what the team is doing.

This picture reminds of that song I sang when I was little…”red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the World.”

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A Quick Update

by katie

You may have noticed my lack of posts this weekend.  I am moving Dishes to a new location which requires some down time on my part to get it going.  The new site will be up and running soon!

When I wasn’t banging my head on my computer keyboard while waiting for support calls, I was doing this…

We watched our grandbaby Saturday and Sunday and sometimes, you just have to stay away from the blog and play.

And sometimes, you just have to splash a little.

And sometimes you just have to stop and smell the flowers….and pick them.

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Under Construction…Bring a Hard Hat

Some exciting news is coming by way of the Dishes site soon.  Here’s a hint…

Please bear with me while I put on my hard hat and move Dishin to a new home..a self-hosted one.

This is partly due to …well, I’ve just needed to do it for awhile.  There are features available to me that aren’t available through WordPress by doing so.

The process so far hasn’t been bad…I’ve only developed a mild migraine…

Please send Ibuprofen.

Thank you for your kindness and please…

Speak softly…

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