It's official !!!

Well, it's official. Stephen has asked Courtney to marry him. They have been dating for a little over a year and he really felt that she is the one that God has called to be his partner in life. So last weekend on a trip to see her grandma in NC, he popped the question. We of course, couldn't be happier. She is so full of life and brings some southern charm into the Jansen tree, too. Courtney said yes to Stephen with only one stipulation...She will finish school first. I think this will test the devotion they have for each other, as well as help them grow closer together. In addition, this gives us time to save up for our 3rd and final wedding.


So start planning to pack your bags and spend some time in HHI 'cause they're planning a wedding in 2010, sometime between May and October. That narrowed t down, right? Keep watching for updates.

Almost Two weeks old

After a great Friday night, Saturday was busy cleaning the house and then over to the church to do the same. Denise and I have taken over the care of the church building as a ministry to the church, as the Jansen brothers did for the Washington, D.C. CRC years ago. Now with all the work done we decided that we both needed a Kylee fix. So after cleaning the house, church and ourselves we dropped by Sean and Jenny's place to see them.
When I began posting today I soon realized that it's been almost two weeks since we commented on our grand daughter. We can't say enough about how this little girl has affected our lives both in our relationships with our family, but also our Creator. It is such a pleasure to watch our kids experience being parents for the first time. Knowing they will struggle, and sometimes fail, we stand ready to offer our love and advice. All in all Kylee's parents are doing great!
Kylee is also doing quite well, too.

Crabs, Maryland Style

We were approached by John Ring (Seans F-I-L) to see if, maybe, just maybe, we might be interested in doing a crab feast with a few friends. Without thinking we said sure. So John proceeded to shape up the guest list and then he said "Oh yea, we'll have it at your place okay?" Again we said sure. As it turns out, we had about 14 people, some expert and some novice crab pickers. The weather was perfect, a little chill in the air which of course kept the bugs down to a minimum bother. Citronella candles and tiki lanterns soon proved no match for the ankle biters, which helped us get back to the business at hand. Unlike Maryland we were able to find two bushels (about 14 dozen) of male crabs for the amazing price of $75.00 WOW! We sat on the porch chatting and picking until we could pick no more. A great time was enjoyed by all. As with all friendly gatherings, there were so many side dishes that the guests brought, no one went hungry. Thanks again to all who brought food! We also enjoyed the guest appearance from Kylee and her parents.

Another great Maryland tradition shared, Crabs and Old Bay. The pic attached is all that remains of our crab feast, a pile of claws.

Claw pile

Crab cakes coming up!