A Friend's Wedding

Last Wednesday we attended the wedding of Priscilla Lefever to Caleb Carroll at Glen Eyrie Castle.

I think this was the most romantic moment, after the six bridesmaids had descended and been escorted up to the front of the terrace by the groomsmen, when Priscilla came out of the arched doorway and down the staircase, on her father's arm.

Man in dark suit just ahead is Ken Ganger, with my friend Joy Ganger in the right front corner, (sorry this is from behind them!) and Janet McVey seen between them getting her own photo of this moment. My sister Iva is over there to the left with her children. Kenn was an usher.

 

A picture of the wedding party is out of order down several pictures later below.

Below is the Lefever extended clan. I just tried to snap a few pictures alongside, as there was a professional photographer.

Priscilla's family: L to R--Lorraine, Robert (father),Priscilla, Caleb, Fern (mother), Audrey, Eric

Caleb's extended family

Behind Priscilla is Caleb's grandfather, who quoted a large portion of Romans 12 during the ceremony. I loved how he ad libbed some of the time, putting it into his own words. He seemed like such a dear, sweet man. He said that this wedding day was his birthday, and he thought it quite a birthday gift to get a full grown granddaughter!

Jonathan and I enjoyed getting acquainted with him after the wedding. 

One of those illustrious moments that weren't meant to be captured--but my camera was operating slowly about trying for a shot of just the two of them, and caught this scene.

They are going to ask me for this photo--you just wait and see! 

I loved the simple, 3-tiered cake with the verse, "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes...etc." from I Corinthians 13. 

After the wedding, the many cousins and children raced and rolled and played on the beautiful carpet of green grass just down from the terrace.

We got a kick out of the professional photographer stopping to get a snap of us just as Crystal was getting one, too! Yes, he finally caught on to who the real bride and groom were here!  :) :)

Just another pose, wanting the sunlit red rocks in the background, but they don't show up much there in the center of the background. 

Ken Lefever giving Priscilla, his neice, a hug. The lovely young lady whose back is turned toward us is Kiara, Rob and Carolyn Mattern's daughter, Ken's neice. She and Erica Lefever, the guest book attendants, were dressed almost alike and looked so lovely. Carol Lefever had sewed their dresses.

I loved the wedding favors--three honey sticks tied with brown string, a bit of flower and Caleb and Priscilla's name. I just love creative choices at weddings. 

Here is the wedding party from our side of the castle veranda. All the groomsmen and groom and minister had to stand with the sun beating down on them. Caleb had to shade his eyes to see his bride coming down the castle stairs! Unexpected events usually do happen at outdoor weddings. At Jonathan's sister Barbara's outdoor wedding, the wind gave us a merry time.

Bro. Derald Hunt performed the wedding, and Bro. Donald Lefever, Priscilla's grandpa, prayed the wedding prayer.

Below, Robert, the father, is waiting to give the bride away.

Even beautiful castle weddings must come to an end.

The reality of life continues, with all the crumbs on the terrace wall, dirty dishes, and shoes and socks to find the owners for!

As we were heading out, we got caught in the nearly last part of the wedding ceremony--throwing aspen leaves upon the bride and groom instead of birdseed as they headed across the castle bridge to their decorated car. Too bad Jonathan had taken the camera already and was gone.  I thought it was a very charming touch--but then I am a country girl at heart and think leaves more charming than rice any day.  I loved how Cary Finney, Caleb's uncle, dragged the big garbage bag of aspen leaves over to the bridge, gasping that "we had to go gather these!" Everyone got a handful or more and tossed them as the bride and groom came through the line. I got to stand next to Mardella Ganger, and across from Joanna and Jessica Sturtevant as we showered the leaves.

 

And now, we must go gather these--all the socks and shoes discarded by country boys and girls who want to know what such soft, wonderful green grass feels like on bare feet.

Danny's Seventh Birthday

Delight all over his face!

Yippee! Money!

God giveth us richly all things to enjoy. Thanks, Grandma and pa!

 

Oops, back to a formal photo.

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to them that ask Him!



 

Danny's Train Cake

We got the idea for this cake from a magazine, but put our own ideas into it, such as the train car with pretzel logs! The children enjoyed spending two hours all helping make it.

Every big accomplishment is made up of little steps. Starting the cake!   We baked the cake in three or four bread pans so it would already be narrow. Then we cut those in half or quarters to build the engine and cars.

 

We made cream cheese frosting and separated it into several little bowls to color it.

Sometimes it takes getting down on your knees to clean up messes--including food coloring that accidentally spilled!

 On our knees, we remember that this is not the end of the world, but just a kink in the works, just a lesson to be learned, just another chance to humble ourselves so that He may lift us up.

 

And then there are those people who like to watch on the sidelines--just so they can lick the bowl!

But as long as you don't care who gets the credit, or who gets to lick the bowls, you can keep making that cake. With pretzel car hitches, Oreo cookies for wheels, and peppermints for eyes (Oh, please don't notice how the eyes are sliding down its face!) you can accomplish quite a feat!

Hope to put a picture on with Danny behind his cake later!

Late Summer Blessings

Lesson from a child:

If you can't climb a mountain, climb a ladder--

and eat watermelon at the top!

 

And if you can't climb the ladder (because you are lame or because someone else is on it)

eat your watermelon on the porch steps.

Either way--enjoy your watermelon!

Also, if you cannot go fishing, enjoy the tadpoles your little boys find in the little pond in the pasture. 

What a blessing to have rain often the last couple months of this summer! It changed our concrete back yard to a carpet of green (and yellow) and the brown pasture into greenery that was almost like Pennsylvania. The Lord must have seen that this Pennsylvania girl was getting famished for green!

It's true a lot of the green was weeds rather than grass, and SUCH weeds, too! Nasty ones out there now, but the children don't worry about it. They just have a ball collecting little treasures from the field.

We were delighted with a hummingbird moth that visited our barrel of flowers on the deck several times recently. Jonathan had bought me these flowers for Mother's Day, and planted them in barrels with the children's help. Three days later, between chickens and goats, the flowers were no more, and it took at least two months for any to bloom again.

A few weeks ago, I was able to buy several hanging flower baskets on clearance at a garden market for just $2.50 or $5 each, which have so brightened our front porch and back deck. 

Sam spent the day digging under a house before a footer can be poured. This is what he looked like when he came home!

Since then came much rain, filling that spot with a couple feet of water. Floods inundated large areas of Colorado northeast of us. Yesterday Sam went back to the same place because Jonathan's guys were begging for Sam's help to dig out mud now before they can pour the footer.

 

Below is a sunrise that Rose took a picture of.

Carrie brings in an armful of beautiful home-grown beets!

The gifts we got for Crystal, Sam and Carrie upon their baptisms. I was so tickled to have found these appropriately themed gift bags at a Christian book store. It's true they were in the Easter clearance section, but I thought a cross, and the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (spoken by John the Baptist upon Jesus coming to be baptized) were very appropriate for a baptism. 

We got each a daily calendar, and gave the girls pretty journals, and a book for Sam--about how to grow in the graces of being a gentleman.

(Please don't look for any particular miracle to occur.)



Fellowship after Baptism

After the baptismal service, the Albertson clan, Bookmans, Grandma and pa and we enjoyed fellowshipping together at our home.  We had luscious home grown cucumbers and tomatoes from Grandma's garden, and carrots from Albertson's garden, and lots of fruits, chips and dip for snack. Then we were favored with music: piano arrangements of the hymns "Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart" and "How Firm a Foundation" played by Crystal...

 

and "In Christ Alone," played by Emily on the violin, with everyone singing along.

The Albertson family then sang "The Lord Is Our Shield," with such beautiful words that seemed meant just for some of us who were facing difficult times.

Beautiful Day for Baptisms

Last Sunday was a very special day for our family as our three oldest children, along with six others, took the step of baptism in their walk with the Lord.

Our friends the Albertsons from Johnstown, CO, joined our church folk for this lovely event because Joy Albertson had never been baptized and desired to be.

It was such a PERFECT day for baptisms--very warm and sunny, yet breezy enough to keep the mosquitos at bay! A few found shade under umbrellas. This little lake is not far from our home, owned by the former landlord of Rostislav and Alla Sinitsa, friends from Ukraine. Our church has conducted three baptisms here now. This lake is also one that was used by helicopters to dip water out of for the Black Forest Fire.

 



Jonathan took over our travel trailer in which folks could change wet clothes after being baptized.

The girls and I had made up a bouquet for each candidate out of white carnations, baby's breath and ferns. It had always been a tradition in Ukraine to present flowers to baptismal candidates, and I thought it a lovely tradition. Carrie thought it a lovely tradition to hide her face with the flowers!

Here the group of nine candidates gather on the shore. It was so special to us to have not only three of our children baptised, but also their grandparents, whose former old church did not practice baptism. It was very brave of several older folks in our church to participate in this sacrament of obedience and humility.

Bro. French tested the water--and the mud--and got stuck! It took both Pastor Mosley and Bro. Gault pulling hard to get Bro. French unstuck! They decided to baptize in a little different spot.

Pastor Mosley called for "the three Lucas children" to come out first.

It seemed almost surreal to me as our oldest son strode boldly out into the water, followed by 14-year-old Carrie, and 17-year-old Crystal.





It happened so fast, one after the other.

"Did you see Sam's face when he came up out of the water?" Jonathan asked me later. "It was shining!"

 



I said I must have been too busy watching Carrie get ready for her dunking!

Crystal's turn! Our dear friend, Bro. Ward French assisted in most of the baptisms by immersions. 

Randy Albertson helped baptize his wife, Joy. This dear couple has just begun pastoring the Immanuel Missionary Church at Federal Heights in Denver. 

Our dear friend Bro. Donald Lefever was so very brave to go in for the real thing!

"Would you like to give us your testimony?" Bro. Mosley asked.

"No!" Bro. Lefever gasped. "Just get me out of here!"

So--DUNK!--they got it over with fast!

Sis. Katherine Gafford was another brave soul who decided to be immersed as well. 

Timmy may as well have been baptised, too. This is where he stood to watch!

I figured there must have been little tykes like this playing in the water, too, when Jesus taught from the boat in the gospel times and when John the Baptist baptised.

There was nothing scary about this baptism--Danny told us yesterday that he wanted to be baptized!

"It looked like fun!" he explained.

The funnest--or perhaps funniest--part was after the baptism ceremony when the guys were trying to get out of the mud they were stuck in!

Bro. Gault really got stuck fast! Pastor Mosley and Randy both help him out this time.

Day of Grace and Humility

After the baptisms by immersions, three candidates were baptized by pouring.

Pastor Mosley promised he would get the cleanest water possible in the pitcher!

It was a privilege to witness the baptism of Jonathan's father.

"John Lucas, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost."

 

Helen Lucas, Jonathan's mother

Dear Sis. Audrey Lefever, whose life exemplifies graciousness, beauty and dignity,

submits to the obedience and humility of baptism. 

Our three oldest children, wet and windblown but triumphant, with the bouquets of white carnations presented to them after baptism.

Mom, with full heart, hugs her children. It seems so unreal.

It was just a gift  from God, to someone so undeserving, to witness her three oldest children express their faith publicly in the sacrament of baptism. 

Jonathan has such warm arms for hugs! (I know it from experience!) 



Katherine Gafford and Joy Albertson beam their joy, sure they must look an interesting sight!

Donald and Audrey Lefever