The Triumphant Return of Belinda!

With hearty fanfare, Belinda has returned to Charles and the remaining weeks in Sidney! Belinda has been with her mother in San Angelo, Texas for most of the past two weeks (helping her move into a new home, to see the fruit of their labors, take a peak at Mo's blog). Charles greeted Belinda at the Denver airport with a dozen yellow roses, Belinda's favorite flower.

We just had to stop at a Cracker Barrel for a nosh and a break from the rigors of travel! On the way home, we also made a quick stop at Johnson's Corner, a famous truck stop renowned for their cinnamon rolls, trust us, one is enough for a small family!

Now we are home again and a well-earned rest for Belinda before the next round of activity in the parish. For more on that part of our life, see the First UMC blog.

On the way to Denver, Charles spotted a prairie dog village and had to stop for a quick picture, the prairie dogs raised the alarm so Charles didn't stick around to ask for directions or for a spot of tea!

Charles goes Golfing!

Charles took advantage of the break between the recent rain and the upcoming heat to play a round of golf with Jerald Raines, who attends the church here in Sidney.

With perfect weather to play in, it would be nice to say that the scores matched the weather, sadly, this was not the case. Still, it was a great afternoon to be outdoors!

Springtime at the parsonage

After a long day at the office, Charles tended to the parsonage lawn this afternoon between bouts of rain. The beauty of our surroundings is always a treat and this year the growth has been richer due to the extra rainfal we've had this spring.

 

A treat for Charles this afternoon while mowing the lawn was a sighting of Greg the Bunny, the resident rabbit of our neighborhood. Greg was first spotted near the lavender bushes in the back, he then crossed the side of the parsonage toward the mailbox (surrounded by bushes/tree) before heading home to watch Bunny Idol.

Another treat this evening was having a bite to eat with Courtney at Oya's Mexican.

The Alkula's weekend

Belinda has been hard at work in San Angelo, TX helping her mother move into her new patio home at Rio Concho West. Belinda reports a lot of activity has transpired during the last week and she and Mo are tired, but satisfied that everything has been done to make the final phase of the move a success!

Charles had the joy yesterday of conducting a marriage service at the church. 2LT Ryan Hurt and Ja Vay Erb were wed and will be returning to Camp Lejeune, NC (where Charles was stationed at the base hospital) to make their new home.

We've had some rain this weekend here in Sidney and Belinda has also enjoyed some rain in west Texas!

Happy Memorial Day weekend to one and all!

Wednesday in Sidney

Life in Sidney is quiet this week with early heat keeping all but the most committed people indoors.

John Eastman came by the parsonage on Tuesday to adjust the sprinkler system, thanks John!

This afternoon, Charles cleaned up around Nick the Cat's marker, placing new paving stones and mulch to make our Nick's resting place looking nice. Neighborhood cats have been making regular stops to enjoy the catnip bush we placed in tribute to Nick.

Charles goes to the zoo!

What a busy day for Belinda and Charles!

We headed for Denver early this morning so Belinda could catch a flight to San Angelo, TX where Belinda will be helping her mother move into new home. Along the way, we stopped for a tasty breakfast in Sterling, CO at TJ Bummers, and a tasty stop it was!

After dropping Belinda off at the airport, Charles went to the Cokesbury store located on the campus of Illiff School of Theology (a UMC seminary). Charles was there to make use of a gift from his mother for his 50th birthday. Charles is now the happy owner of a brand-new "Wesley Study Bible."

Afterwards, Charles went to the Denver Zoo and had a wonderful time with the creatures, large and small!

Pie Making in the Church Kitchen!

Yesterday the church kitchen was the place to be!

Deloris Barnhart, along with Belinda Alkula and Marilee Rowan, took part in a frenzy of pie baking!

Our church secretary, Karen Larsen, took part for a bit, and Emily and Kristina stopped by to share in the bounty of fresh baked goodies!

What a treat to fill the Lord's house with the aroma of fresh baked pies and laughter on a Thursday afternoon!!!

Beautiful spring day in Sidney!

A picture perfect day here in Sidney with a gentle breeze, clear sky, it seems that just maybe winter is behind us!

Charles took communion to the residents of one of Sidney's care center this morning, and Belinda took advantage of the weather to mow the parsonage lawn.

Friends Hanging Out at the Church!

Belinda, Donna, Rilla, & Marilee

 Friends visiting at church... enjoying hanging out together!

Yesterday in Sidney

(Charles celebrating Communion)

(Sharing with Arlene Christensen, Pam Arrington & Belinda)

Yesterday was a busy day for us here in Sidney. We began the morning with the pleasure of a light drizzle (the second Sunday in a row with rain) and the work of the local church. There were two worship services, attending church school for Belinda and leading the confirmation class for Charles.

After worship, we went to "Grandma Jo's" (a local eatery) to break bread with four members of the parish. Great food at Grandma Jo's!

 

In the afternoon, after resting for a spell, Charles had supper with the youth group and then a meeting to hear about the upcoming Annual Conference session.

Parsonage Connection Retreat 2009!

God be praised for a WONDERFUL retreat over the weekend of 24-25 April 2009! The Parsonage Connection (PC) met at Camp Comeca for an amazingly relaxing and supportive and FUN PC retreat that Friday night and Saturday morning!

The PC is a group of men and women married to United Methodist clergy, currently appointed, on leave or retired. Our retreat focus was understanding the grief journey. We all experience grief throughout our lives. This year, our presentation was about how to heal from grief by understanding the grief journey. Our presenter was Jacque Amweg, a clinical social worker who has worked at Great Plains Hospice in North Platte for nine years as a bereavement coordinator and social worker. She coordinates bereavement services for the hospice program and facilitates grief support groups and classes.

The information Jacque shared with us was so very illuminating! And, of course, the fellowship was awesome!

Belinda's Collection of Pitchers



Here is a picture of Belinda's collection of pitchers that she has collected during her travels around the USA and Europe.

One of Charles' hobbies is button collecting!

One of Charles' hobbies is pin-back button/badge collecting. Periodically he updates his inventory and then notifies friends and family about who made it in the top ten button donors list! He has been doing this since he was in high school.

 

Belinda asked him one time, "hey, when will you have enough buttons?" Charles answered, "I have a button to answer that question!" The button has the following writing on it: "There are never enough buttons, only too little surface area!" Oi vey!

Where we live now

Here is our current home: the parsonage of the First United Methodist Church in Sidney, Nebraska.

Welcome to our new blog!

Welcome to our new blog! We invite you to join us on the journey! Praise be to God for ALL the blessings of each and every day!!!

Our home in England: 2004-2007

Charles served as the U.S. Navy chaplain assigned to serve the Joint Military Facility (JMF) near Newquay, Cornwall, UK, in the southwestern corner of England. This is a picture of our home which is about six blocks from the ocean.

FYI: Our Old Blog Address ...

This is our NEW blog address!

If you want to see older blog account, suggest you go to our old address:
http://www.seaservicefaith.blogspot.com/ .