Wedding Bells for JW and Danna

Spring has sprung and it is time for JW and Danna's Wedding.  Christmas brought us news of the engagement and the April 17 wedding date.  The wedding was held at Carrie and Ernie's house, in their beautiful backyard.  It was a truly wonderful wedding.  The day could not have been more beautiful.  The ceremony was a real tribute to their love for God and each other.  We had a great celebration, but it was a small event.  So in order to accommodate all their friends, we had a second wedding reception on May 7 at the church.  Another great celebration. 

Chistmas 2010

Christmas brought us a little snow.  It also interrupted our plans.  Because of the 5 inches of snow, Patrick, Pegeen and their families did not make it for Christmas Day to Mom and Dad Calpin's house.  That made for a quieter Christmas.  James and his clan did come down and John was already in town, but with everyone in the house over the age of 13, it made for a more orderly Christmas day.  But still loads of fun.  We opened presents and ate an awesome dinner. 

On Monday, Kathleen and I met up with Karen and the girls and enjoyed an incredible display of ice.  We went to the Gaylord Hotel and saw incredible ice sculptures of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and the Manger Scene.  The pictures do not do it justice.  It was awesome, but cold.  They keep it so cold in the place, they give you huge blue parkas to wear as you walk through the display.  What a Christmas treat.  Pegeen, Dave and the boys did make it up later in the week and we did enjoy visiting with them.

On New Years Eve, the Newton Clan met at our house to ring in the New Year and celebrate Christmas.  We also got to celebrate the fact that JW and Dana were now officially engaged.  What a joy to spend time together and celebrate new beginnings.

 





Thanksgiving 2010

What a year it's been.  What a great time to reflect and give thanks to our awesome God!  We celebrated with our usual clan, but in a new place.  Carrie and her family moved to a new house and we were excited to break it in.  It is on a beautiful creek, and has gorgeous views.  We had our normal incredible dinner and had a lot of fun catching up with the clan.  The rest of the weekend was filled with shopping, putting together the Christmas puzzle, playing Blokus, eating and napping.  A great Thanksgiving weekend.

 

Carrie's 50th Birthday Surprise Party

We really fooled her this time.  Carrie had no idea we were planning a party.  Well, actually she told everyone she wanted a party, she just didn't know any of the details.  She certainly didn't know how many people were so excited to celebrate her birthday.  It was awesome that her best pal, Erin, has a birthday close to Carrie's and they were both turning 50.  So Carrie's other best friend, Penny,  planned and schemed with all of us to put the party for the two of them together. 

It was an awesome celebration.  On top of the birthdays, we asked everyone to bring food for the food pantry and were able to bless them with a huge donation.  We danced, ate, and laughed until we couldn't go any longer.  What a great jubilee celebration.

Hunting 2010

We have had a great season this year.  I took my first crossbow deer on Oct 16.  It was a nice sized doe at about 30 yards at Provost in the new stand on the log road.

Keith took a nice 6 point buck with his muzzleloader on Nov 6 at Spring Hill in the stand near the powerline.  On Nov 27, Keith took a button buck with his .270 at his property in the low field.

December 18th was a great day in the snowy deer woods.  Mike and I each killed a deer walking to our stand first thing in the morning.  As we crested the knoll to go down the log road at Provost, Mike saw 2 deer at the edge of the field about 70 yards away.  Mike was very generous to let me have the first shot and my deer went straight down.  Mike had his sights on the other deer and his gun misfired.  He chambered another round and tried to shoot, but forgot to take the safety off.  When he was finally ready to shoot, the deer was still standing there and he made a great shot.  The rest of the day was filled with dogs running deer everywhere.  I shot at another deer and found blood, but tracked it until we were on the neighbor's property.  So I went to let them know we were looking for a deer and they said the deer ran by one of them and they shot it.  I'm just glad it was found.  One of the best days I've had in the woods.

Liberty Mill Farm Corn Maze

On October 9, our table group from church went to Liberty Mill Farm Maze in Orange County.  What a fun day in the country.  Kathleen was not able to come because she was in CA visiting her brother, but we had fun without her.  You could not believe how big and intricate the maze was.  It took about 45 minutes to make it through.  We had a blast.  We definitely need to make this an annual fall tradition.

WEAG Golf Tournament

On September 20 the team of Mark Davis, Wayne Glascock, Billy, and I played in the WEAG Golf Tournament at The Hollows Golf Club.  We were definitely not the best team, but we did finish second in our flight.  We hit just enough good shots to finish 4 under par (captain's choice format).  What a great day of golf, food, and fellowship.

Labor Day at the Lake 2010

I can't believe it is time to say goodbye to summer already. Our last time playing in the water and the boat for the year. Mom and Dad, Carrie and her gang, and us had one last summer weekend. We had a great time tubing, boat riding, and fishing. We even spent a few hours at Striper Island exploring and Ernie spent a lot of time catching catfish. He caught a 14, two 12s, a 10, and a bunch of 1 and 2 pounders. We had over 25 pounds of fillets after we finished cleaning them. A great time with our wonderful family.

Lake with the Gang

This years trip was incredible.  August 14th, the Gang descended on Buggs Island lake for a weekend of fun and excitement.  The Newtons, Kaufholds, Rands, and this year the Turners played at the lake until exhausted.  We tubed, swam, ate, and played.  It was a great weekend.  We are blessed with great friends and family. 

 

Bear Creek Lake August 7, 2010

We were invited to spend the day at Bear Creek Lake in Cumberland Va. The Davis, the Rands, and the Brighams spent a beautiful Saturday enjoying all the State Park had to offer. The Davis and Brighams camped Friday and Saturday night, while the Rands and us just came for the day to play. Everyone enjoyed swimming, canoeing, or just relaxing in the shade. Dinner was a special treat. The Brighams started with a cheese and cracker appetizer followed by pork tenderloin, asparagus, and mashed potatoes. Not your normal camping fare. Maura is definitely the Martha Stewart of camping. We did not plan on staying for dinner, so Dave insisted on sending us home with a doggy bag. I have to tell you, that may have been the best pork I have ever had. What a great day to spend with great friends.