MICHIGAN
A wonderful trip to Ypsilanti, MI. to celebrate the American Thanks-giving with Duane, Karen, Tiffany, Chelsea, Lily and Jack. We flew from Vancouver to Toronto to Detroit, and a 1/2 hr. drive to the Derksen home. A beautiful rural setting, with open spaces, to a warm and exciting welcome from the grand-kids. The weather was chilly, no snow, although there was a dusting of snow one night. The next morning at breakfast, Jack said in his "grace", please God, send more snow so we can make a snowman! Love children's prayers. So innocent, and sweet. It was wonderful to see the grand-kids at play and interacting. We enjoyed numerous activities from" The Henry Ford museum, and The Rouge. Thanks-giving dinner, so wonderful and special to spend this special celebration with family, and each one sharing a " I am thankful for..." We all shared in this special tradition....love "Traditions"
To another traditional event: Cut your own Christmas tree! A beautiful blue-bird day located a short distance from the Derksen home. So, off we went, along with Duke, the family dog, a sweet-heart. We were enthralled with the surroundings: The tree farm is, Braun's tree farm. They supply you with a wagon to transport your tree, and a saw! ( good thing) If one is hungry, there was a Hot dog stand! If one wanted a wreath, a wonderful selection of fresh smelling pine. I might add, Karen stated that this was a highlight for her, she was so excited. I think I was too! Of course I had camera in hand to record these special moments. The tree farm was located close to a popular rail line, so managed to capture a photo, plus other sights, such as the old oak tree sitting in a harvested corn field, which I noticed on our walks through. It was fun to "hunt for a Frazer fir tree to grace the Derksen home for the Christmas."
Some other highlights were: The tradition of " The elf on the shelf" A cute children's tale. Playing games, mostly Sequence! Interesting to watch Duane in the Kitchen making spaghetti from scratch! including the sauce!
Of course did the old shopping....Black Friday deals! One evening we went with Lily to her dance studio to watch her dance, this particular eve. was the Hip Hop. Lily loves her dance, and to sing. Jack is a typical boy who loves his Lego, and his Papa who spent countless hours playing air hockey, Lego etc. Tiffany had the holidays off from College in Missouri, as did Chelsea who goes to College in Michigan taking Education.
As some of you know, Karen's Mother has breast cancer, and needed a second surgery on the day before we left, so Duane/Karen left to go to St. Louis to be with her Mother. Her surgery went well, and the doctors removed any remaining cancerous cells. Mary will now start chemo therapy in January. This has been a challenging time for the family and they appreciate the prayers.
The outpouring of Love, happiness and Joy is special in families...God Bless you all. Enjoy my journal of photos....in next post...
Some other highlights were: The tradition of " The elf on the shelf" A cute children's tale. Playing games, mostly Sequence! Interesting to watch Duane in the Kitchen making spaghetti from scratch! including the sauce!
Of course did the old shopping....Black Friday deals! One evening we went with Lily to her dance studio to watch her dance, this particular eve. was the Hip Hop. Lily loves her dance, and to sing. Jack is a typical boy who loves his Lego, and his Papa who spent countless hours playing air hockey, Lego etc. Tiffany had the holidays off from College in Missouri, as did Chelsea who goes to College in Michigan taking Education.
As some of you know, Karen's Mother has breast cancer, and needed a second surgery on the day before we left, so Duane/Karen left to go to St. Louis to be with her Mother. Her surgery went well, and the doctors removed any remaining cancerous cells. Mary will now start chemo therapy in January. This has been a challenging time for the family and they appreciate the prayers.
The outpouring of Love, happiness and Joy is special in families...God Bless you all. Enjoy my journal of photos....in next post...
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