Good Friends


Mark, Laura, and Olivia Waltz

Yesterday we had a great day. Turns out our good friends from way, way, back, Mark Waltz, Pastor of Connections at Granger Community Church and his lovely and lively bride, Laura, were on a roat trip for Wired Churches. One of their stops was to Church @ The Springs in Ocala, FL, just 18 miles north of us.

We met for lunch and coffee and catching up. When I say, “good friends,” I really mean it. For 20 years we’ve had a connection that’s rare. Though after the first few years of our friendship, we have lived hundreds of miles from each other, every time we meet, it seems like we’ve been neighbors all along. So when we found out that Mark and Laura were going to be nearby, we knew we’d have to do whatever it took to see them. Fortunately, they had a four hour break in their schedule.

The visit could only have been improved by the presence of their beautiful, funny, and personable daughter, Olivia, who remained at home in Indiana. We missed you Liv. We love you Mark and Laura.

Great Friends



Jack and Cheryl



Robert and Carolyn

What a great day. We were in Pasadena for my nephew’s wedding yesterday, more on that when we download photos, so we decided to visit our friends Jack and Cheryl and Robert and Carolyn whom we met on our Mexican Riveria cruise last January. Jack barbecued ribs, tri tip, and chicken, and Cheryl fixed corn on the cob, shish-ka-bob, guacamole and clam dip. Carolyn added a wonderful chicken salad.

We all stuffed ourselves and had a great time catching up. These folks are so much fun that when we left, not only were our stomachs full but our sides were aching from laughing so much.

All in all, it was a great day with great friends. Too bad we live on opposite sides of the country.

Emily Faith Graves



Graves Family

Charlene and I were privileged to visit the Graves Family in Grand Prairie, TX, last week for the birth of their new, precious daughter, Emily Faith. At 9 lbs. 2 oz., she was ready to be born, and Kathy was ready to have her.

We’re happy to report that mother, baby, and family are all doing well. We were also surprised that Kathy’s mom, Linda Hurt, was able to be there as well. She was able to hitch a ride with Uncle George at the last minute. He was moving to Arizona and was happy to drop her by. She’s a fun lady.

What a wonderful visit we had. We love Scott and Kathy to death, and their kids are a joy to be around. They are well behaved, smart, and enjoy talking and “playing” with us. We had an engaging and satisfying visit.