A year in review......

"You crown the year with Your goodness..,”Psalm 65:11

Looking back over 2006 we have been so blessed with the goodness of God in our lives!

January what wonderful news when Rebekah called and said we were to be grandparents in the fall! That started out our year on a joyful note!

February we celebrated Matt’s and Jason’s birthdays – even if it had to be from a distance.How we praise the Lord for our 3 wonderful sons-in-law! What a blessing they have been to our family.

March brought in Rebekah and Ben’s birthdays…Rebekah’s at the beginning (2nd) and Ben’s at the end (31st). How fun they both have their birthdays in the same month!

April was a busy month with our Missions Conference. Our missionary cousins, Dan and Corrie Linsz, along with their two boys were here a week with us. What a great time we had together!

May winds up our AWANA programs here at church, and we ended with a great Fairmont Fair! I also had the privilege of speaking at several Mother/Daughter Banquets. Jason and Elizabeth celebrated their 3rd anniversary on the 31st with a great trip to Florida.

June was the month for High School graduation, 25 open houses, and weddings! We also had a wonderful Vacation Bible School and Sunday School Picnic. But the highlight of the month for us was the IFCA Convention in Lexington, KY. I was privileged to be the Ladies Luncheon speaker - there were over 350 ladies there, and the theme was “Hats Pastor’s Wives Wear”. What a wonderful week we had!

July is our annual family GULL LAKE week! Our whole family (including Candice) was there together for 24 hours! We look forward to this week each year, and have been going for over 25 years now! July was also the anniversaries for Matt and Rachel (#4) and Rebekah and Ben (#3). Elizabeth and Rachel also celebrated their birthdays while we were at Gull Lake.

August began the trips to and from Grand Rapids and North Carolina for Daniel and Candice every three weeks. How wonderful it is to see this beautiful relationship unfold.

September was our 30th anniversary! I praise the Lord for these wonderful years we have been together and the children the Lord has given us! It was also the birth of our 1st grandson, Brock Benjamin Godfrey! Our anniversary trip was to South Carolina to help acquaint ourselves with the newest member of our family!

October was Pastor’s appreciation month – and even though I am married to the pastor, I DO appreciate everything he is and does! What a blessing he has been in my life!

November’s highlight was the announcement of Daniel and Candice’s engagement! A March 24th wedding is being planned!!! How fun it was to celebrate the birthdays of Daniel and Bob over Thanksgiving.

December was such a busy month with all the activities at church, but how wonderful it was to have so much of our family here over Christmas. Daniel, Elizabeth, Jason, Ben, Rebekah, Brock, my mother, Connie, Jerryand Mary. We had a full house and loved every minute of it!

The road we traveled this past year hasn’t always been easy, but the Lord has given us the strength and grace to go through the “valleys” that come into our lives. We’ve shed tears, and had laughter, but how wonderful to know that the “Lord is my rock and my stronghold, in HIM will I trust!”

Happy New Year to each of you!
We’re looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us in 2007 as we trust in Him!

God sends people into our lives for a REASON, a SEASON, or a LIFETIME!

God sends people into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

When God sends that special someone in your life for a reason, it is usually to meet a need you have. They come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with encouragement, guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They are there for the reason you need them to be.

God sends some people into our lives for a season. These friends usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy for a time, but due to circumstances, our lives move on, and our friendships aren't as close as they once were. But during this season of our lives, God knew that these friends were just what we needed!

Then God gives us those lifetime relationships - those solid, dependable, loving relationships that we have though the years. Sometimes we are close and get together often...other lifetime relationships are "long-distance" but still just as strong.

God knows just what we need in friendships...and when we need that special friend.
I'm so thankful for the wonderful friends I have - and for each and every one of them!

Here are three of my friends when we got together just before Christmas for our annual Christmas celebration. Two are from the Grand Rapids area, and Beckie lives right here in Manton!

Christmas and family......

Christmas and families are just like peanut butter and jelly....you can't have one without the other! What a wonderful Christmas we had with most of our family home!!

Jason and Elizabeth ready to read the Christmas story before we open gifts!

Great Nana with Connie, Jerry, and "Nanny and Papa"Ben and Rebekah with Brock on a beautiful sunny Christmas Eve day...Here is Uncle Jerry with Daniel and Ben....

It was so wonderful to all be together....,next year we'll be adding a new addition to our Chistmas and family...Candice!

Uncle Jason and Aunt Elizabeth

Friday afternoon, Jason and Elizabeth arrived! This was the first time Uncle Jason has been able to see baby Brock! What fun we are having at the Lanning home....wish you were here to enjoy it with us!

Morning Workout

Every morning, Mommy and Brock do their "workout" together....Mommy her sit-ups, and Brock his leg lifts! It's so fun to watch them together....maybe this Nanny can get into their routine and do a few exercises too! But at the moment, Nanny's arms are getting a wonderful workout - holding this beautiful baby! Ahhhh...what a joy that is!

TUMMY TIME

Brock loves "tummy time" on the floor! He kicks his legs, moves his arms, smiles and coos!
He has even rolled over several times....watch out - he'll be scooting before long!

A 7 am SMILE!

Brock is so happy when he wakes up in the morning! Here he is at 7am - smiling, cooing and enjoying the morning with his Mommy!
After being up for awhile...it's time for a nap.......ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Off to shopping and lunch

Ben and Rebekah and Brock were off to Traverse City to meet Ben's parents and Grandma for lunch! How fun that both families are close enough so they can "share" time with both of them!
What a great time we are having....Brock is so much fun, and he LOVES mornings! More to come.....

More pictures of Brock....

They're Here!!!!

Sunday afternoon, Ben, Rebekah and Brock arrived! What a beautiful grandson we have....so alert, happy, strong, adorable, and BIG! What a precious baby! This Nanny and Papa are so excited to have him here for a week. Last night we all went to church, and of course, Brock was the main attraction! What a wonderful Christmas this is...celebrating with our beautiful grandson! But how much more blessed we are that a the Son of God came as a baby that Christmas night so long ago - with the announcement by the choir of angels that "unto you is born this day... a SAVIOR."
More pictures will be coming all week ... stay tuned!

They'll be home for Christmas.....

Friday night, Ben, Rebekah and Brock started on their LONG journey from warm South
Carolina to cold Michigan! They will arrive here on Sunday night after stopping at several relatives and friends home along the way. We are sure excited to see Brock (and Ben and Rebekah too!) for a week! What fun this Nanny and Papa are going to have! Then on Friday, things really get exciting.....Elizabeth and Jason will arrive. On Saturday, Daniel, my Mother, and sister Connie and her husband Jerry will get here. We'll all be together for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. We just wish that Taiwan wasn't so far away...but Rachel and Matt will be going on a little vacation to Singapore for several days over their Christmas days off, and will celebrate with the Sawatzky's over New Years, as Matt's Mother and Father live not that far from them in Taiwan.

Our Sunday School Christmas Program.....

Here are a few pictures from our Sunday School Christmas program, "A Christmas Gathering". The story takes place in the town square, where citizens and children come for the annual tree-lighting ceremony. The drama was great, and the kids did a super job on the songs during the musical. If you want to see more pictures...Go to : http://www.geocities.com/rollinsawana/
then click on “our club webshots”

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas....

Well, here in northern lower Michigan...we're not dreaming anymore.....we WILL have a white Christmas! We received another 7" of snow last night on top of the 8-9" we already had! It's a beautiful white fluffy snow... and we really look like a winter wonderland! For those into "winter recreation" this is the place to be - skiing, snowmobiling, ice skating and winter picnics! Yes, winter picnics....we had our first winter picnic when we first came to Manton. After an afternoon of snowmobiling, we roasted hot dogs on an open fire, had s'mores and hot chocolate and ate all bundled up! What fun!
I will admit though, that I'm a "summer" person at heart, and love the warm temps, the beaches and summer sun. But since we have LONG winters here, I awake each morning saying the verse, "This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." Today we can rejoice in the beauty of the sparkling snow and the postcard picture view from my window!

Christmas festivities....

Saturday night we had our Ladies Christmas Dinner that begins our Christmas festivities here at church. We had a great time, wonderful food, and our speaker was used by God in what she shared from her heart.

Sunday night we had our Choir Christmas Cantata and Christmas Musical night. We sang, "O Come and Worship"...what beautiful songs were in that cantata! After the devotional, one man that we have been praying for at church asked the Lord to be his Savior! What an exciting night that was for all of us!

This coming Sunday night, is our Sunday School Christmas program...it's so fun to see all of our little kids with their "christmas outfits" saying their lines and singing their songs. Our teens wrap up the night with a great skit. This year they are doing "A Christmas Gathering."

Family night is always a fun night at church...that will be on the 17th. We have families or individuals that do special music, readings, skits, or whatever they come up with, and then a devotional by our youth pastor.

Just couldn't resist...

This 10-week picture of Brock just came through our email from Rebekah! He's getting more expressive and cute everyday! It's just 20 days until we see him......can't wait!

Countdown!!!!.

The Happy Engaged Couple......
Just 116 days to go until the March 24th wedding! The countdown has started!

Thanksgiving in Gerogia with the Godfrey's

Ben, Rebekah and Brock spent Thanksgiving Day with friends in Augusta, Georgia. What wonderful friends they have to include them in their family Thanksgiving when they can't make the journey home! This was Brock's FIRST Thanksgiving...and how thankful we are to the Lord for this precious gift he has given our family!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.......

One of the traditions in the Lanning family is cutting down our Christmas tree on Thanksgiving evening. We go to the Cochrane Tree Farm and pick a beautiful Fraiser Fur tree, bring it home and decorate it. The aroma of a fresh cut tree is beautiful! This was the first time Candice has been to a tree farm and cut a tree! How fun to have both Daniel and Candice here to help put it up!

Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving Day at the Lanning home was a wonderful day! Daniel and Candice were able to be here with us, along with several of our wonderful friends from church. We were all "stuffed" from the turkey dinner, but what a precious time of "sharing our blessings" we had with each other!

A NEW Daughter.....

Friday afternoon, Daniel made a "surprise" trip to North Carolina and proposed to Candice! They are now officially engaged!!!!!! A gorgeous diamond is on her left hand! We are so exctied for them, and praise the Lord for bringing such a wonderful girl into the life of Daniel. For 25 years we have prayed for Daniel and the girl he would one day marry, and the Lord has answered those prayers with a beautiful southern belle, who truly loves and serves the Lord, and loves Daniel with all her heart. They are the perfect compliment for each other. We are so thrilled to have another daughter - our family has grown to 4 boys, 4 girls (and one grandbaby!!!!). All the details will be coming.....just stayed tuned!

Tis the Deer Season....

November 15th is a holiday here in northern Michigan.....opening day for rifle deer hunting season. Schools are closed, and it's the one day our woods are FILLED with "orange"!

Jason and Elizabeth are coming up tonight so that Jason can go out hunting with Bob on Saturday. They hunt on the Abrahamson's land, a family from church.

Happy Hunting! The next blog may have a story of the hunt! :)

Eight weeks already!

Brock is 8 weeks today! He is growing so quickly, and changing so fast! Here are a few more pictures of our new grandson! He is always smiling as he sleeps.....and since this "Nanny" can't see him often, we love getting pictures....

Winter Wonderland

We're in the midst of a beautiful "winter wonderland" here in northern Michigan. Last night we started with rain, which turned to snow, and before we knew it, we had 4" on the ground in a short time! At 10pm, as we were talking to Elizabeth on the phone, our lights flickered 4 times, and then went out. We found our flashlights, got extra blankets, and went to sleep after praying that our power would be restored SOON! Praise the Lord, an hour later the lights came back on! Of course, we had forgotten we had some on when they went out, and our house "lit up" - but what a welcome sight that was! This morning, we heard that a lot of Manton was still without power, so we are so thankful that ours got on so quickly.















For those of you living in the "warmer" climates.....these pictures are for you!
Looking at this beautiful fresh snow, I am reminded that our sins are washed "whiter than snow"... what a wonderful Savior we have!

Take me out to the ball game.....

Just wanted to share a few more pictures of our Brock ....



















Our "little Slugger!"
















Brock at 6 1/2 weeks