"Adore and Tremble" Is Released

Friday, January 18th was the official release date for Daniel's new CD, "Adore and Tremble." Family came from Huntsville, AL; Charlotte, NC; Clearwater, FL; and Lynchburg, VA; not to mention the friends from Liberty and the folks all over the Raleigh area. The concert packed out the Delta Lake Center at Providence Baptist Church and what a thrill it was to see what God has done. Around 600 folks came to the concert and about that many CD's were sold! May God continue to multiply and bless this ministry. Anyone interested in buying "Adore and Tremble" can go to danielrenstrom.com for information.

A shout-out to Grandma and Papa Ward - Daniel told the crowd, "They're a great part of the reason this family loves the Lord."

Now we know where Daniel gets his strumming ways! Anybody for a little dueling strings?

Saturday morning at the hotel we celebrated Adam's 26th birthday. Natalie gave him a kayaking trip at the Whitewater Rafting Center. Guess he'll have to wait for the ice on the river to break first. Greta Jean got to hang out with Grandma Jean for a little while Saturday morning.

We also enjoyed a trip to the new Orchid Conservatory at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. This morning, January 21, Mom, Dad, and I took a ride down to the new exhibit. How beautiful! It's amazing to see how many varieties of orchids there are - all enclosed in this tropical paradise. Guess what! Because they are card-carrying members of the Huntsville Botanical Gardens, they got in free. Sandra, we all owe you an apology!

Of course, when the ballgames are on, we make time for that. Sunday afternoon we took in the game and again Sunday night after church.

Christmas Is Family, Friends and Fun

Because Adam and Nat were going to be in AK for Christmas, Scott and I went up in early December to have "Christmas" with them. We enjoyed attending Providence Baptist Church's Christmas program on Friday night. That has become one of our favorite Christmas activities. Daniel sang a beautiful solo at the beginning of the program and Adam and Nat were part of a "commercial" that was inserted in the video footage of the program. Adam was at the drive-through at Caribou Coffee and Nat played the part of the lady named "Larry" who took his order - his usual "boo."

Scott and I are here with Bennett and Greta. Greta is hanging on to Poppy's hoodie string because she doesn't want him to leave (either that or she liked sucking on it.) We had a little time with all the kids on Saturday morning before heading back to Charlotte.

Mom and Dad came in for a few days in early December. They love to get together with the "Village People" for breakfast on Saturday mornings. Here's a shot of the gang all gathered around - the men sit on one end (they call themselves The Liar's Club) and the ladies all sit together on the other end. They've been doing this for so long that the waitress knows everyone's order.
Another tradition - for years Mom and Jean Raborn have had a Christmas party for their Sunday School class on a Saturday afternoon in December. This year it was my joy to host their party. About 15 ladies gathered for lunch, gift exchanges, and lots of laughs and fun. These ladies have such a special relationship of loving and caring for each other. It was a privilege to have them in our home. Merry Christmas, Joy Class!

Christmas 2007

Just a few pictures to post of our Christmas this year. Adam and Natalie and little Greta were in Alaska with her family, so they're missing in these pictures. Our pictures mostly show Bennett enjoying her gifts on Christmas morning. She's 15 months and so much fun. We loved watching her open presents and enjoy each one.

Mama and Pap Ward sent this cute knit cap with some money tucked inside. Bennett's already a good Tide fan.

One of the gifts Scott and I gave Bennett was a drum with rhythm instruments inside. It's a wonderful gift for her to take home and play with - one of those noisy ones!Daniel and Danielle left yesterday (Friday, 12/28) to go back to Raleigh. We had a wonderful week with them here.
A special treat - Wednesday afternoon we had a visit from Carol Wray Moore and her husband Byron, their son Byron, Jr., their new baby (1 week old) Bryson, Carol's mom from Cleveland and her twin brother Carl from Baltimore. Carol and her husband live here in Charlotte. Carl and Carol were students at Cedar Hill Christian when I taught there. They attended for about 5 years and were in my plays and music classes. We had so much fun remembering people and songs and programs. They are such a wonderful family, and I feel so honored that they would want to stay in touch. Having them come by for a visit was a highlight of my Christmas!

He Has Made Everything Beautiful in Its Time

As I drove in the driveway this afternoon I couldn't help but notice the beautiful colors in our yard. Because of the drought, it had seemed as if we wouldn't see those vibrant colors fall usually brings to the Carolinas. But today they were there! God's goodness is all around.
"He has made everything beautiful in its time." Ecclesiastes 3:11

The red maples stand out against the other colors.
All year long we watch the squirrels playing in these oak trees. The acorns are everywhere, crunching under the leaves as we walk across the yard.
The sweet potato vine (right) that I planted last spring has almost taken over the fence. I think it's trying to make a break for the woods!

A Weekend with the Kids

The girls and their parents were in for the weekend. Greta and Bennett are just starting to interact with each other.



Greta is modeling a little cap that her mommy made for her. Love those blue eyes!

"No more s' mores!"

Bennett enjoyed the slide and Greta enjoyed the swing. Saturday was such a beautiful day that both girls were able to be outside and play in the yard. (We didn't let them stay out too long by themselves, though.) Greta had her first time on the swing and she loved feeling the air on her tongue. She gave us a big smile and laugh when her daddy pushed her. Bennett learned to come down the slide on her tummy and enjoyed landing in the pile of leaves at the bottom.

Fall Festival with Pumpkin & Tootsie

It was fun to attend the Fall Festival at Providence with the kids on Halloween night. Bennett and Greta were dressed as the cutest pumpkin and a tootsie roll! There were games, ponies and a big slide that the kids could enjoy. Bennett rode a pony and went down the slide with her daddy. But she, like Greta, mostly enjoyed watching all the other kids in their costumes.

Happy Birthday, Daniel

Daniel turned 28 last Friday, October 12. How we remember the night he was born. We were living in Nashville, and Scott was a youth pastor. About ten teenagers were in our home that Thursday evening. When I realized that our baby might be soon to arrive, I started hinting that it might be time for everyone to go home. Soon after they left, we too left for Baptist Hospital. In the early morning hours, around 6 a.m., Dr. Levine delivered Daniel. He was our firstborn and how thrilled we were to be his parents!

In looking through some pictures of Daniel when he was a baby, I came across the one I've posted here. It occurs to me that this might explain some things. Those of you who know Daniel well know that he doesn't like getting dressed up. Well, maybe it's my fault. I miust have scarred him with outfits like this!

On his birthday last Friday we all met in Greensboro and had dinner together. Adam came with Daniel, Danielle and Bennett, but we missed having Greta and Natalie there. (Hope you two are having fun in Idaho with Nat's family. We miss you but are glad you're getting to spend time there. Hurry home. We hear Greta is starting to turn over!) Leigh Anna drove down from Lynchburg and Megan Lewis, her best friend, came along too. Megan is just like a member of the family, so it was fun to have her there. After dinnner at Outback we went to a nearby Starbucks, then we all headed home in our separate directions. It was so fun being together, though. We'll take the opportunity every chance we get!

Scary Times in Missouri

We had a few hours to look around in Farmington on Saturday before Matt and Maggie's wedding. It's a neat little town with lots of shops in the downtown area. Right next to our motel a garden center was having a fall celebration with lots of things to do and see. We enjoyed hanging out with Lorraine; she's a good sport and really not a witch. She doesn't even play one on TV, but she was willing to pose beside this tombstone. Natalie, do they have pumpkins this big in Alaska?

Matt and Maggie's Wedding

What a wonderful weekend we had in Farmington, MO as we celebrated with Bruce's family at Matt and Maggie's wedding. They were married at Twin Oaks Vineyard, a beautiful setting, right among the grape vines. The weather was splendid, if a bit hot, especially for October. But as the sun went down the evening was especially nice under the tent with lots of laughter (who will ever forget Brian's toast to his brother?), wonderful food, and lots of dancing. Maggie was a radiant bride. I hope these pictures give you a chance to see her dress, the setting, the cake and just a few of the special touches. I love fall weddings!