Spent the weekend with Faith Covenant Church in Farmington Hills, MI, just north of Detroit. This church has become almost a second home to me! I do guest worship there every year, and this fall I’m doing a women’s retreat for the region of the Evangelical Covenant denomination up here and guess who’s hosting – yep, Faith Covenant, Farmington Hills. 🙂 I have to say “Farmington Hills” because my home church is Faith Covenant, Columbus. Kind of fun.

Had a great time with them even though it was 100+ degrees and the air conditioning in my car broke on the way up (darn electrical problem!). Really looking forward to spending time with some of these women in September!

Nathan and Toby start the demolition

The original porch, junk and all.

Lost the walls and screens

Trying to keep the roof from falling

Studs going in

Starting to take shape

We have a door!

Drywalling

Our new entryway, almost done.

Our new office, ready for desks and African art.

Okay, so I know most people never really think about where a music ministry lives, but mine lives, ahem, in my dining room. Or what was a dining room. It has been covered with paper and printers and computers and office paraphernalia for oh, about, six years. My son has never seen the table top. Last year, my husband took a new job (his main client is Sesame Street, how cool is that?) and it’s remote, so he works at home. In the dining room. Here with me.

I love my husband. We get along really well, actually. But it’s getting harder and harder to run away from each other with our laptops in hand whenever we’re both on the phone at the same time, and it’s hard on our phone calling and our kids that we don’t have doors on this dining room. So we decided it’s time to remodel the porch and make an actual office with a new entry way while we’re at it. Crazy.

Been working on it all spring. The plan was to get in there before the kids got out of school for the summer, but alas, with the book project and everything going on, it didn’t happen. But hey, it will be done eventually, and it will be fabulous! We’re going to decorate it with the art we brought back from Africa. Thought you’d enjoy some pictures. 🙂

First Baptist, Kingsville, OH

Singing for the 75th anniversary at Sacandaga Bible Camp

Adorable Pine Lodge where Nathan and I stayed at Sacandaga

Rainbow at Niagara Falls

Horseshoe Falls at Niagara - the roar of the water was so loud, we couldn't talk

Our cute b&b in London, Ontario

We had a crazy travel weekend this weekend with some great ministry concerts. I sang in Kingsville, OH on Friday night, and then in Broadalbin, NY on Saturday night – all the way across upstate NY. It was also our anniversary, so my husband decided to go with me, and we had the kids spend a couple of days with their grandparents in MI.

First we drove due north just across the border in MI and met Nathan’s parents who drove down and they took the kids the rest of the way. Then we drove back down and across Ohio around the lake to get to Kingsville, totaling about 6 or so hours. Had a wonderful concert in Kingsville and dinner with Pastor Dave and his family – I have so loved knowing this family over the years, and they have been extremely supportive of my ministry, great people with a wonderful ministry of their own! – then Nathan and I drove another hour or so to Erie, PA to spend the night. We found a cute little b&b and our room was decorated like Kenya – turned out the hosts had been there and we had a fun conversation with them.

Headed out that morning and drove up into NY and all the way across to Broadalbin, just north of Albany, another six and a half hours. We went to Sacandaga Bible Camp which was celebrating its seventy fifth anniversary. They had a huge celebration weekend, and my concert was part of it. It’s a very interesting camp – they have all the residential and day camp stuff, but they also have people who come and camp with their families by the lake and others who have built cottages there and live there for the summer. The people loved the Lord, the staff were so helpful, and we had a great time. We even got to stay in a very cool log lodge. 🙂

The next day we got up and headed out. Our mission was to get close enough to the kids in MI that we could pick them up the next day and get home in time for fireworks on the fourth together. We drove back across NY, but headed through Canada this time entering through Buffalo so we could come out by Detroit and save going around the lake. We decided to see Niagara Falls since neither of us had been there in years, and we even took the Maid in the Mist – the boat the goes right up to them. I’d never done it, and if you can’t have fun with 800 strangers in matching ponchos on a boat with your sweetie, well, that’s a problem. 🙂 It was both Canada Day weekend and Fourth of July weekend, though, so it didn’t matter which side we were on, it was packed! Took forever to get on the boat, but it was worth it.

Then we drove to London, Ontario, stopping in Hamilton for the best Indian food I’ve ever had bar none. Just a little family place with four tables but wow! Amazing. We stayed at another really nice b&b with such a sweet hostess, total driving for the day another seven hours.

Got up the next morning, headed back through Detroit and picked up our kiddos at Nathan’s brother’s in Flint where his parents were meeting us again. They had an amazing time tubing and swimming at the lake, and we all headed home. Another six and a half hours of driving. I usually love driving with Nathan because it’s great talking time, but this weekend was a bit much, even for me! Got home in time to take the kids to fireworks and all fall in bed. Great weekend, but it felt like a week!