Dinner with the boys

Jared, Jason, Matthew, and Ryan (four of our friends who share an apartment) invited us to their apartment for dinner. Matthew cooked pork, brunswick stew, and grilled corn. He also made some homemade bbq sauce (and bought some Sticky Fingers Tennessee Whiskey sauce). Margaret made baked beans and potato salad. We had a great time together with the boys. Here are some pictures.

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Bonfire at the Miller's house

We went to our friends', the Miller's, house last night with the Henry's for a bonfire. We cooked our food in aluminum foil on the fire. After dinner, we roasted marshmallowes and made smores. (Or, to use it as a verb, we smored.)

There is a picture of Jeremy without his braces in this album!

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Camping with the church

Last weekend we went camping with the church. Here are some pictures:

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Snow!

It finally snowed! Our first winter in NC (2002-2003), we had three good snows. There hasn't been much since. But, overnight we received alot of snow (for this area). Here are some pictures:

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Photo Tag

I've been tagged at James at "idle musings of a bookseller" in a post called "Photo tag". Since I don't post photos on my blog "The Assembling of the Church", I thought I would respond to the tag here.

Here are the rules:

• Go to the 4th folder in your computer where you store your pictures.
• Pick the 4th picture in that folder.
• Explain the picture.
• Tag 4 people to do the same.

This is my friend Josh. In this picture from December 2008, he is getting ready to sing Christmas carols in a government assisted housing development. There are a few things you should know about Josh: 1) He has three brothers. 2) He's a great artist. He's drawn pictures for me and several other people. 3) He loves and serves people more than many adults. Many times he'll do things for people without being asked.

So, that's my photo. Now... who should I tag... I tag Miranda, Maël, Lew, and Meagan. (If I didn't tag you, but you want to do this, then consider yourself tagged.)

WaFoCoCo with David Rogers

David Rogers, our friend from Memphis, is in town taking classes at the seminary. He came over to our house tonight for dinner. Yes, Margaret is out of town, and yes, I (Alan) cooked. We had hamburger steaks with onions, broccoli, and sweet potatoes.

After dinner, and after talking for a while, we decided to go to Wake Forest Coffee Company. Jeremy and Miranda went with us, along with our friend and neighbor Torrence. When we got there, there was a jazz trio playing and the place was packed, but we were able to find a table in the back. One of my Greek students (Daniel) was our barista.

We had a great evening. I hope you enjoy these pictures:

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Day at the beach

We're enjoying our vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida. Much of the time, the weather has been overcast, but warm - in the 60's and 70's. But, a couple of days have been sunny. One morning, we spent some time at the beach. Even though the water was very cold, Miranda still ventured out into the gulf. Enjoy the pictures!

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Drive to Panama City Beach, FL

This morning, we drove from Alexander City, AL to Panama City Beach, FL. Here are some pictures from our drive and from our room where we're staying:

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Family Pictures

Last November, our friend Melissa (from tesorophotography) took pictures of our family. We think the pictures turned out great! Thank you, Melissa! If you are in the Raleigh area, you should definitely get Melissa to do your family photos!

Here are some of the pictures:

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Dinner with Friends - 12/19/2008

On our trip from Youngsville, NC to Alexander City, AL (about a 12-hour trip including stops), we stopped in Braselton, GA to have dinner with some good friends: Lew and Kati, and Brandon and Heather and their girls.

We've known Lew and Kati for a few years. I (Alan) worked with Lew until they moved to Georgia about 9 months ago. I met Brandon and Heather through blogging. We met them in person for the first time last April.

It was good to spend some time (but not enough time) with these friends. Here are some pictures:

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Wake Forest Christmas Parade

Last Saturday, we were in the Wake Forest, NC Christmas Parade on the Franklin County Humane Society float. Jeremy wore a dog costume and did a great job waving to the crowd. The kids really loved him. Jeremy, Margaret, and I rode in the back of the truck that pulled the float. Miranda rode on the float with some other people and several real dogs. Here are some pictures:

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Also, I wore a very interesting Christmas hat. I had alot of fun with it. For some reason, Margaret, Jeremy, and Miranda all wanted me to upload this video:

Caroling with the Disseaus

Tonight we went Christmas caroling with the Disseaus around their neighborhood. Here are some pictures:

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Caroling with Friends

Since last Summer, our family and some friends have been spending time getting to know the residents who live in a government assisted housing development in our area. Earlier tonight, we went Christmas caroling in that neighborhood. Besides being too warm (almost 70!) to carol, we had a great time. I think the neighbors enjoyed the singing too! Here are some pictures:

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Youngsville Christmas Parade 2008

This morning, our family rode in the Youngsville Christmas Parade. We rode in the float for the Franklin County Humane Society. The other family that rode with us was the family that fostered Lucy before we adopted her. It was nice to meet them again. Miranda dressed as a cat, and did a good job waving and acting like a cat! Here are some pictures of the parade from the vantage point of our float:

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Miranda made a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving

This afternoon, we started preparing Thanksgiving dinner for tomorrow. Well, actually, Margaret and Miranda started most of the preparing, although I did have to do some auxiliary activities like getting the mixer out of the pantry and washing the turkey.

Miranda wanted to help Margaret. So, Margaret asked her to make the pumpkin pie. Miranda mixed the crust using fresh ground wheat. She also rolled the crust and shaped it in the pan. Then she mixed and added the pumpkin filling.

We think Miranda's pumpkin pie looks delicious, and we can't wait to try it tomorrow! Here are a few pictures:

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Snow in North Carolina in November

We woke up Friday morning (Nov 21) to snow on the ground. Apparently it has only snowed in this area of the state during November three times over the last thirty years. And, we had snow twice this WEEK! But, there was no accumulation the first time. Unfortunately, they didn't cancel classes or close the office for either snow!

Here are some pics of the snow:

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Finding a home for Toby

We've had Toby, our second foster puppy, for almost two weeks. He is very popular! We've had almost twenty applications for him. We started taking him on home visits last night, and hope to take him to meet another family on Saturday. Here are a few new pictures of Toby:

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Raking Leaves With Friends For Friends

Today, after our weekly church meeting, we went to a local government assisted housing project with some friends to rake leaves for the neighbors who live there. Many of the residents are elderly, have health problems, or are single moms. So, we decided to help them by raking their leaves. Here are some pictures of the work and fun! (Unfortunately, our camera battery died while we were raking leaves at the first two housing units and before all of our friends arrived. We actually raked leaves at six housing units.)

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Friends and Family on Saturdays

On Saturday mornings, our family and some friends have been spending time in a government assisted housing development. Cathy, a friend of ours, lives in that neighborhood, and she began to introduce us to some of her neighbors. Back in the summer, we would stop by a local produce stand and pick up some vegetables and fruit for the neighbors. But, now that the produce stand is closed, we simple spend time with the people in the neighborhood. Here are some pictures from this morning.

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Rastafarian and an 80's Homecoming Queen

Earlier this evening, Jeremy and Miranda went to a friend's house for a costume party. Jeremy dressed as a Rastafarian, and Miranda dressed as an 80's Homecoming Queen. Jeremy was chosen as having the best costume. Here are some of the pictures:

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