Kevin&Stephanie

We were so happy to have Dad, Mom and Derek come to visit us in California (their 2nd time). We kept a busy schedule, and had lots of fun. They arrived on Tuesday night. Wednesday we went to Joshua Tree National Park. Derek and Dad enjoyed climbing lots of big rocks! The scenic outlook was VERY windy and cool. Lots of neat rock formations to go under, through, and on. Thursday we drove up to Big Bear to hike and enjoy the scenery. We hiked up to castle rock, where Dad and Derek did more climbing on rocks. Castle Rock Ein amazed us with his rock-climbing skills. He appeared to enjoy himself! Friday we went to Sea World in San Diego. We were mesmerized by Shamu's "Believe" show The ever-hilarious Seamore and Clyde show was a special Halloween edition Friday night we stayed in the Bahia Resort Hotel in Mission Bay, San Diego. We drove up to La Jollla on Saturday. The main activity in La Jolla was kayaking in the ocean. We saw sharks, seals, sea lions, a sea turtle, ...

October 18 was Becca Triemstra's baby shower. We are looking forward to seeing that baby! Our friends Jeff and Carmen Mercer got a Weimeraner (I hope I spelled that right). We had a good time making applesauce together and playing with the dog.

Happy Birthday Mom! We love you, and we can't wait to see you soon!

October 1-2 was the Pomona, CA Friesian keuring. As usual, I (Stephanie) came to watch and help, but this time I was mainly at a booth with Feathered Horse Merchandise, trying to help my aunt and Grandma. The top picture is of Minne (a Mintse son) doing his IBOP driving test. He did well on the test and made ster stallion, but was not considered good enough for a breeding stallion. Here I am at my little "booth" with Beth Sneller. I enjoyed seeing Dan and Beth (they're from Michigan). I did not really enjoy being at this booth. October 1 was so miserably hot that everyone, including my dog, felt miserable. Thankfully, the second day was much better. Thank goodness for the canopied chairs that the Mellot farm people let me use! Ein was a great mascot for the duration of the show.

I (Stephanie) am currently reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. As with the other Francine Rivers books I've read, I like it a lot. I love how it's both a great story, and it helps me grow in my faith. I'd highly recommend it. For my ladies small group, we just finished reading Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. This is a wonderful and unique marriage book that really helps you focus on God's purpose for marriage. The essential question of the book is, what if marriage is meant to make you holier instead of happier? The author proposes that marriage is a wonderful way to become more like Christ, as it places us in a situation of continual accountability and practice of Godly love. He also emphasizes a focus on other instead of self. Male or female, good marriage or bad, I'd strongly recommend this book to married couples. It's guaranteed to change your perspective on marriage. I think we need to fight against our culture to redeem the sacredne...

Yes, the long awaited, much anticipated, update from the Anderson household has finally come! Oh there shall be much dancing, singing and rejoicing in the streets tonight! Anyway. Last weekend I (Kevin) went to my parents house at Camp Pendelton. Unfortunatly Steph was working so could not attend. There were a few reasons this was significant. First, this was the last time I will spend the weekend with my parents in Oceanside. My dad is retiring from the Navy and on Monday will begin moving to Erie Penn. where he will take up a job as Chaplain at the VA hospital there. The visit itself was fairly uneventful. Saturday we just watched a lot of football (a very dissapointing day in that regard), and then that night we went to the base theatre and saw Batman: The Dark Knight. I have of course already seen the movie, but my parents had not. Sunday my Dad preached at the base chapel (I wonder if I will ever hear him preach again?), where he gave a sort of farewell sermon. After the service t...

The Terrorists Are Losing By Quin Hillyer Published 9/11/2008 12:08:33 AM Seven years. Zero attacks. And almost zero credit. President George W. Bush deserves better. Seven years ago today, evil men killed 2,998 innocent people in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. They did so in service of an evil ideology. And they were directed by evil, small-souled creatures protected by a rogue state halfway across the world. The creatures called their murderous organization Al-Qaeda, which means "The Base" -- a name appropriate for an organization that serves man's base instincts, for base motives, to achieve base results. At the time, there was every reason to believe that Al-Qaeda would strike again on American soil. There was every reason to believe that even if the free world could track down Base leader Osama bin Laden and pulverize him, the cost in the meantime would be the endurance of more terror -- mechanical, chemical, biological, maybe even nuclear. President Bush said...