A Life Well Lived

Not everyone is able to have that said about them after living 90 years on this earth, but my daddy--Andrew George Lampiris is definitely a candidate for that phrase. November 18th started the very first day of his 91st year. We have been partying since last Friday when my sister, dad, mom and I made a treck back to the roots of my father's birthplace in Chicago IL. The time was spent visiting brothers-two still living of five, my dad being the patriarch. They in turn brought cousins, neices and nephews with them to my Uncle Fred's home where we celebrated into the late night. They had every kind of food known to man there.!!!

Dad loved it all.

Saturday morning, we met dad's brother Eddie's daughter and listened to and told lots of fun memories over a very hearty breakfast. We arrived back in Muskegon about five and kept the party going on Sunday am with a huge cake to share with all the Calvary Cafe friends. Tuesday was dinner and dominoes at the Rudd Rough Inn--although the Inn has had quite a lovely upgrade, so we may have to change the name!!

More celebrations are planned for Thanksgiving and the day after. All of our children except Andy's family (his dear father-in-love, Garry is very ill with a cancer battle and they are needed there!) and three of Nan's children and their families will be coming to wind up the very incredible celebration.

My father was born to a Greek immigrant and a very young girl named Emma Lennon who had never been outside the city limits of Chicago. He has grown into one of finest, most wise men I have known. Is he perfect??--no, but he loves the Lord and he really loves his family. His family's welfare, and closeness to God mean more to him than anything on the this earth. He comes to life when the great grandchildren are around. I thank the Lord everyday for giving him to us for all these years--he has truly helped me know what is really important in life.

On the day after his birthday, I say Thank you for dear dad for
"A Life Well Lived!"

May the Lord give you many more healthy years!!

Very Refreshing People

Do you have any of these special people in your life? You know, the kind who are continually giving and never asking for anything out of you that you cannot give. Through 40 years of ministry, we have had so many of these precious servants of Jesus who are constantly ministering to us and their brothers and sisters in the body at Calvary. Jim and Barb Yates are some of the most seasoned and now they very much need our love and prayers. The first photo was taken in May when Barb was crowned 2008 Muskegon County Mother of the Year!!

Another lovely family is the Beals Family of Wolf Lake! Every year they bravely invite the whole pastoral staff with their families to a cookout that is incredibly, uniquely delicious!!! That is almost 30 people not including their own family of 6. This year was no exception---It was wonderful--thank you again so so much. I could go on and on about so many dear saints who are constantly thinking about the needs of others--maybe I will start to highlight a "servant of the week"???? :-)

The second group of photos are of the gorgeous place that we ate in--it was like the Garden of Eden.

The perfectly manicured lawn!!!

Twenty seven years ago in January, my dear husband rushed me to the doctor in Lansing from Perry MI, because I was having some very unusual problems. My "problem" it turned out was that I was pregnant at 35,~~~ five years after our third son Daniel and at a time that we would never have any more children!!! After laying flat in bed for three months, the pregnancy became more normal. But within those very pregnant months, we traveled from Perry MI to Huntington WV to candidate at a church there and then on to Iowa to perform the wedding of Marcia Frier and Eric Strattan on July 4th. Daniel was their "ring BEAR"--he thought.

We left Perry MI to go to that church on August 29th of 1981 and on this date, September 10th in 1981, our dear daughter Angela Joy was born. There were many funny stories surrounding the birth, but one of the funniest was to see Bill and the Doc (with a very country accent) standing beside my bed in the labor room in their suits and ties and the Doc slowly saying,

"one more push and we'll head to the delivery room" ---but one more push and Angela was here. I didn't believe them that she was a girl after having had three wonderful sons!! She has been a blessing to all of us thru these years. Thank you God and keep her walking close and relying on You ALWAYS!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Have a wonderful day my sweet daughter!!

Annual G and G Camp

The New Look at Treasure Island~~~
On a perfectly beautiful day, the ground was suddenly covered with marble sized hail. Bill nor I had ever seen any thing like it in our lifetime!
A small piece of ice hail

Emma 11--at their favorite place--the local hotel pool!!
Willow 7
Explorers

The mighty grand-daddy!
New Deck on the front!

Liam 9
Addison 7



Jaelyn 9
The CATFISH
Mackinaw Bay View






Great-great granfather Ed Rudd's two brothers:
Mike and Gordon Rudd


Workout after the ice cream!


Nightly Ice Cream Parlor!
Sloppy Ice Cream Gazebo

Up for the JUMP

THE JUMP
The Rock Dock Builders
Exploring



Finished Dock

Part of the Big Rock that has been newly found after many years.
Tough Paddle Boys
The New Look

Just one week ago we returned from our annual G and G Camp (granny and gramps) --- The weather was wonderful, the five oldest grandchildren were spectacular and God was so good and kind to us as always. Girls slept upstairs, boys in the bunk room--We studied Creation, Fall, Redemption Restoration for nightime and you can see what we did all day for three glorious days!!!

For Better or Worse........

Sixty-three years ago today Andrew George Lampiris and Marjorie Elizabeth Curtis were united in Holy Matrimony in front of the same parlor windows that Ethel Leona Pearce and Wilbert Curtis had exchanged their vows.
July 21, 1945--the Second World War was just about ending and Andy and Margie met in the USO in Sault Ste Marie, MI where Margie played the piano for the soldiers and sailors guarding the Soo Locks.
Andy, however was not guarding the Soo
Locks!! After serving five years in the Pacific in New Guinea and Australia, he was sent to Miami for two weeks of R&R. In February, after that short vacation, he was sent back to Chicago where he was placed in charge of prisoners of war from both Japan and Germany. They boarded these prisoners onto trucks and trains and took them up the Wisconsin coast to the Upper Penninsula of MI to a Prisoner of War Camp in Raco, MI. Almost noone in the area even realized that they were housing prisoners right down the road from their rural farms.
When Andy came into the Soo, and walked into the USO where Margie was serving cookies, she almost immediately whispered to her girlfriend,"He's the one --I'm going to marry that man." They were an unlikely pair--- They really came from different worlds--He was a Catholic from Chicago and she was a Presbyterian from Dafter, MI--a very small farming area outside of the Soo.
But they were very much in love and by July of that same year they were married. Margie finished her time working at the Soo Locks Tower and Andy was released from the Army after 6 years of service. They moved to Chicago and had to live with his parents for two years before they could find an apartment.

This is the house we bought when I was five years old. This is my brother Andy at age 5 1/2, I was almost 8 and my sister Nancy was born that year in October--1954.

My parents first Christmas in 1945---Chicago.
Every summer, my dear dad put my brother and sister, mom and myself on a train and we went to stay on the farm for about 6 weeks. He stayed back in the hot city and worked for us!!

I think this is about 10 years ago at their home in Florida. My sister Nan and myself.

They have not only been kind loving parents, but they have made choices to love each other till death do us part!!!

I love them both and thank the Lord for giving them to me!!!

Happy Anniversary to you.......................................................