Our family enjoyed a special vacation in June when very fun friends, the Reyeses, invited us to their lovely summer home in Puerto Rico. Their hospitality was incredibly thoughtful, loving and generous. They took us to all the best parts of the beautiful island, including hidden treasures unseen by most tourists. We splashed in turquoise waters, relaxed on gorgeous beaches, hiked through the rain forest, swam in bioluminescent bays at night, walked up a mountain to a lighthouse and breath-taking cliffs, journeyed through caves with bats to see amazing views through natural windows, toured picturesque Old San Juan, worshipped at church on Sunday, ate authentic Puerto Rican delicacies and learned so much about the culture of the islanders. Truly our friends’ invitation to join them  gave us lifelong memories. ♥ Our traditional vacation to Camp of The Woods was so refreshing as we enjoyed each other and the company of good friends. We were blessed to spend a week at the shore in Ocean City NJ and stayed in the wonderfully-welcoming home of friends we hold dear. Treasured friends spent a few days with us in OC, which made it perfect. COTW and OC NJ are two of our favorite places on earth! We also enjoyed a trip to Boston in March when Gabrielle danced in the Irish Dance Worlds Competition! And we visited the most magical place on earth – Disney World – in the spring when we visited Jim’s parents (Pop Pop and Nana) who now spend winters/early spring in Celebration, Florida. In June, we were delighted to host a party for Jim’s parents’ 50^th Wedding Anniversary! In August we celebrated my mom’s 80^th Birthday with an Eight-Tea celebration. We are thankful for the many blessings of 2013!

El Yunque Rain Forest in Puerto Rico – June 2013

Jim~ We are ever-grateful that Jim is steadfastly dedicated to God and family. During this career transition time, he has incorporated a disciplined schedule, beginning each morning with generous time in God’s Word and prayer. He closes each day with Joshua and Gabrielle studying through the Bible (currently reading through the Gospel of John). He is taking courses and diligently seeking a new position. He continues to lead a Junior High Ministry LJ3 group of boys and pours God’s truth into them. Jim coaches basketball for our church league and was honored to assist our dear friend Wade in the middle school’s skills and drills practices. A Wednesday morning men’s Bible study group is a great blessing of accountability and growth for Jim. Jim intrinsically seeks every moment to look for ways to serve God by serving us and all those he loves. We are truly humbled and blessed to have him as the head of our home. We are looking forward to seeing God’s plans unfold for Jim and our family .

Jim at base of waterfall at El Yunque

Sharon~ Serving my family as wife and mom is my greatest and most humbling blessing. These roles keep me on my knees before God for wisdom and grace. Spending as much time with my mom as I can, caring for her and enjoying her company, is a priority, especially as her health declines. ♥ I accomplished an item from my bucket list this summer – I hiked through a tropical rainforest (while we were in  in Puerto Rico). It was beautiful and, yes, it even rained!! Thankful! I attend and soak in Bible studies because, while I delight in God’s Word, I am not always delightful {smile} and I need His truth consistently to sustain and mold my heart. With Jim’s blessing, I wrote and published my book “SerenDIPity ~ Celebrating Dips, Faith & Friendships” to share this unique hospitality idea and the Biblical command of hospitality! My favorite part of writing SerenDIPity was blending in God’s Word throughout the book. I pray in some small way this book honors the Lord. So thankful for the enthusiasm of many loving family members and pure-hearted friends! www.serendipitydipsbook.com

Jim and me – both got a hole in one in the same hole!

Camp of The Woods – July 2013

Joshua– An 8^th grader now, Joshua is growing in stature and character. He has well surpassed me in height and Jim in shoe size! Basketball is his favorite sport to play, with football being a close second. He is even considering playing baseball in the spring. Joshua and Jim served the Lord together again this summer in North Philly through Mission Philly 2013 with our junior high youth group. We are very thankful they could serve the Lord in this way shoulder to shoulder. Joshua participated in Raise the Praise week again this summer and was asked to serve in the youth group worship team doing vocals. Joshua is not a spotlight kind of person, so being on stage stretches him out of his comfort zone. Still, he remains very excited and thankful for this opportunity to serve. His favorite thing to do with any free moments is shoot hoops. While doing very well in school, his first loves are anything to do with a ball or with music. Joshua is innately thoughtful and helpful, and we are proud of our young man.

Gabrielle  – Our gal is enjoying 6^th grade and all of its responsibilities and perks. She loves attending LJ3 Youth Group at church. Gabrielle is a diligent student and sets personal and academic goals. She has such a heart for orphans and for those who have not heard the Gospel. Her resolve and love encourage and challenge us in the best of ways. Gymnastics is Gabrielle’s favorite activity, and she takes it twice a week. She is still kicking up her heels in Irish dance, and she earned and had the great honor of dancing as part of a team in the World Irish Dance Competition in March 2013 where hundreds of dancers from around the world gathered in Boston (go figure…it is usually in Ireland!). Gabrielle also completed a Babysitting course with the American Red Cross. At school, she enjoys taking liturgical dance and playing the flute in the regular band and the 6^th grade jazz band. She serves the Lord through song by serving His children with the Children’s Ministry Worship Team. She loves making videos on her iPad and spending time with girlfriends. We love our Brie!