Buying a House

Today is a dream come true for my husband and me! Our sweet little Beck granddaughters will be close by! We love hearing their cheerful greeting when they see us..."Gumpa, and Grandma!!" Our daughter and husband closed on a house in Chattanooga after 5 years of living in Annapolis and Hyattsville, Maryland. The wait is over...they move in this weekend! Our Father in Heaven, the great shepherd of His sheep has provided them with an awesome house just blocks from University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. We celebrated our granddaughter, Frances' two year old birthday and didn't have to leave the next day to drive hundreds of miles home! Now it will only be a 20 minute drive to get a hug and we are very grateful to God for sending them back south to Tennessee! Now I finally know how happy we made Henry's mother, giving her the fun of being Granny B to our 4 children when we moved from St. Paul, Minnesota to Chattanooga 33 years ago.

Welcome Back Beck Family

It's with joy we welcomed the Becks back to Chattanooga! They are in the process of buying a house near the University. We are very thankful to have Tacy and Stephen in the same city after 5 years of making multiple trips to Maryland. We can't complain, Annapolis was a BEAUTIFUL spot to visit! But we are THRILLED to have Molly,4, Frances,2 and Madeleine, 4 months close by so we can watch them grow up. Her new blog is picturing the skyline, which has some great photos and recipes that you may enjoy!

Sweet Girls All Around

Sweet, little Girls love Grandpa. My husband, Henry grew up with 4 sisters. Then he married me and gained 4 more sister-in-laws! Now he has 4 granddaughters. I told him that God knew he was good with women, so He blessed Henry with lots of women in his life! And he proved that to be true when we had our vacation last month down at the river with his two daughters and sweet granddaughters. Frances re-named Grandpa. Now he comes with a smile when she calls for "GumpPa"!!!He played his mandolin and we all sang. He read stories,rocked the baby, gave boat rides and grilled several delicious dinners. What a wonderful guy!

Julianna and Ryland's Wedding

One of the highlights of our year was the wedding of our dear friends, the Rainsfords' son, Ryland to Julianna. It was a special blessing to witness their covenant vows to each other in a field near Rock Creek Fellowship. The friends and family arrived from many states and countries, the parents and brother and sisters travelled from Kenya. What a wonderful time of rejoicing and celebrating God's rich blessings together!

Shall We Gather at the River

July 1, 2012 was the first time our 4 granddaughters all gathered under one roof! The wonderful occasion was our summer vacation at our cottage, Kalmia on the Tennessee River.  Kira and her daughter, one year old Ivey flew in from Seattle.  She joined her 3 cousins, Molly, Frances and Madeleine and Aunt Tacy who drove in from Hyattsville, MD.  Husbands Peter and Stephen were unable to take the time off to join us on this Williams family reunion, but Stephen did make a short appearance at the end of the gathering.
Brothers Evan and Eric took their turn on the dock, the boat and sleeping on the couch some nights.
They both entertained their little nieces with music and games.

The moms even had time off to do some kayaking on the river, but were careful to not cross in front of the barge, (seen in the background) and Gumpa waterskiied on one ski.  He still has the knack!

Welcome to the Family

May 7, 2012 is a very special day for us! Madeleine Esther Beck arrived into the world at 1:00 p.m.
As the grandparents, we could not be more pleased to have a healthy, pretty new granddaughter!!
What a great blessing it is to be able to travel to Maryland.  Henry and I were so excited to meet this special, little girl!  And we loved having time to take her big sisters, Molly and Frances on several fun outings... a concert for kids, play in the park and a nature walk down to the river.  Henry brought his mandolin, so we had several family sing- a-longs with xylophone and shakers and lots of enthusiasm, even using bells to accompany a loud rendition of Jingle Bells!

Thank you, Heavenly Father for the marvelous blessing of a new grandchild sent from heaven into our arms.  We humbly bow before You in joyful thanksgiving for Your kindness to us.

Daughters, Granddaughters and Goddaughters

When you face various trials, it is always good to stop and count your bountiful blessings! I have two daughters, three Goddaughters and soon to be four granddaughters.
This week, one of my Goddaughters and I shared the same day to celebrate our co-birthdays.
My niece, Jennifer graced my life by having the good sense to arrive in this world on my 19th birthday.
Last week, I met my younger daughter, Tacy, in the Highlands of Southern Virginia for a mother-daughter retreat to celebrate our spring birthdays. Time away in the beautiful mountains bedecked in white and pink dogwoods and red and yellow tulips was enchanting. We hiked, napped, talked while soaking in a hot tub and even lunched in a charming tea room.
I was blessed with photos of the three granddaughters and felt the 4th one kicking in her mother's belly. Her Grandpa and Grandma eagerly await the moment we can greet her gleefully with a "welcome to the world" kiss.
Thank you, Heavenly Father for blessing us over and over!