Vacation

Sunset on Silver Lake
My dad and stepmom

My brother Paul, sister-in-law Heather, Pavianna and Jacob

Ken and Betty with dad and Val

Lighthouse on Lake Michigan

Riding the dunes in dad's Jeep

Sunset on Silver Lake

Hangin' at the campsite

Randy, Dave and Paul

Me and my brother Matt giving his "I'm sad to leave my big sis" face!

Beautiful Heather

Matt on the knee board

Pavi

Jake and Uncle Randy

Dinner with Jim and Lana

I've been trying to get caught up on life since we got back from vacation so I'm behind in getting these pics out. We had a fantastic time with my family in beautiful Michigan. The first couple of days were flat out COLD and the last few were chilly but sunny. I really should have packed more sweatshirts but it gave me an excuse to buy a new, super cute one at Silver Lake. :)

We enjoyed some time on my brother Paul's boat and watching him and my brother Matt use the knee board to ski. They said the water was actually pretty warm but the air sure wasn't. We also hit the dunes in my dad's Jeep and his buddy Ken's H3 Hummer. It was kinda funny....whenever we had the Hummer on the dunes, people would stop to watch and see how it did on the gi-normous hills. It did fine, thank you very much!

There is nothing like eating outdoors and sitting around a campfire! We always have a fire at the end of the day and make treats and just talk the night away. We had church Sunday morning at the campsite with some worship choruses sang acappella and our friend Dave bringing the message.

I was so frustrated to not only get several calls about work but my phone reception was terrible. But one cool thing was that whenever I got a call from the Florida church, I had NO problem with reception and was able to interview without service interruptions! Hum....is that a sign?

One of the best parts of vacation was spending time with my niece Pavianna and nephew Jacob. What GREAT kids they are! Pavi is going to be a 6th grader and Jake a 3rd grader. They were so much fun and even though Jake didn't remember us from last time we were there we really connected.

My brother Matt is an absolute nut. I think there is definitely a family gene shared by Matt and Keaton! Matt was only with us one day and then caught a ferry that took him across Lake Michigan back to Milwaukee where he lives with his girl, Christine. They are talking marriage and I reminded him his big sister is a pastor....hint, hint!

I'm so incredibly thankful for my dad. I didn't get to grow up with him but I know he is probably one huge reason that I am a Christ follower today. He got saved right after he and my mom divorced and he prayed for me even though he didn't have contact with me for many years. After we were reacquainted when I was 16, he would send me letters with scriptures and testimonies of Christ's love and forgiveness. He planted seeds that were watered and harvested by others. He and I had a private conversation about the past and feels so much regret over how we were separated for so many years. But I'm just thankful we have each other now and I know that it all "worked together for the good." (Romans 8:28) He blessed me so much with some words of encouragement and he told me how proud he is of me. Thanks Lord!

The night before we left, we had dinner with some of our best friends, Jim and Lana. Their anniversary is two days after ours so we celebrated together.