Jasen at Ball Game

Early April - The Carpenters took Jasen to one of Micah's baseball games. He had so much fun. Here he is with Mackenzie!

Feeding needy families

April 4 - We had the privilege of providing several bags food to over 200 families, ensuring they would have some nice meals over the Easter Weekend. With over 10,000 pounds of food, 36 volunteers unloaded the truck, and setting up an assembly line we divided the pallets of food into four bags for each family. We had cars lined up for several hours collecting the food. The invites had gone out to Fowler Drive Elementary, Coile and Burney Harris middles schools. These are the most needy schools in Athens. It is our desire at Compass to Serve the City!

"Whoever is kind to the needy honors God."

Proverbs 14:31b

Worship Team Together

March 25 - Deron & Prestin were on the stage at Compass playing on the worship team together. And so were Micah and Maclean, Jim & Lisa Carpenter's boys.

Jim doing welcome 

Back into the worship. Prestin is on the far right playing acoustic guitar, Deron playing bass just off center to the right, Micah on drums in the center and Maclean on the far left player electric guitar. Georgie and Marcus leading.

 Josh playing violin and Kristen playing flute! Josh is Prestin's violin teacher and Kristen co-leads with Shellie a college girls connection group. And by the way, Josh & Kristen are married!

Wedding at ABBA

March 24 - Yep, Steve sure cleans finely! He had the awesome opportunity of officiating Andy & Ashley's wedding. Andy trains at ABBA (American Black Belt Academy) with Steve and the boys. This was Steve's second wedding ceremony, with the previous one some 25 years ago for Matt & Debbie Goeglein! 

 Andy & Steve displaying their ABBA t-shirts!

 Then Andy submitted Steve with a rear naked choke!

 Andy with Dwayne, his dad (and best man)!

 Waiting for the bride... It was at this moment that Steve began to wonder if there was going to be sound!?

 Waiting & watching...

 And here she comes, escorted by her father, Ricky

 "Now who is it that gives this woman to this man?"

 Welcome everybody! Steve told them he was pumped to be there!

 Parents vows!

 Vows

Off they go, husband & wife! 

 Matt & Luna

 Matt & Deron

 The guys from ABBA sure do clean up well!

 As do the the ladies of ABBA!

 Deron, Steve & Shellie enjoying the reception!

 Melody & Ryan

 Shellie & Melody (from Compass)

 ABBA folk

We had to make a quick departure because we received a call from Prestin saying Grandma was trying to escape. She had packed up her pillow case with precious things, dressed back into her clothes and somehow got out of the house. But Prestin was alerted to her escape by suspicious sounds! He found her heading down the driveway in total darkness and confusion.

Biltmore - Asheville, NC

March 16 - We got to spend nearly a day exploring the Biltmore estate, our summer cottage. Actually it is the largest house in the USA and we only saw a fraction of the estate!

Steve in the green house, just sorta like our garden in Queensland! 

 Out in the garden!

 Just cool!

 Taking a break from our walking (and we did a lot of walking)!

 Shellie in the garden!

 Jasen, so serious! But you gotta check out his beard!

 Yep!

 Shellie & Steve under the blooming cherry tree!

 Looking over the castle wall. Probably fifty feet down!

 Just another angle of our small holiday house!

 Deron hiding in a hedge!

 Checking out the huge fish! Just wondering, would they be tasty?

 The guys in front of our home!

 No the gazebo won't protect us from the coming storm!

 In Antler village before having lunch at Cedric's Tavern.

 Time to head home!!!

A few days in North Carolina

March 12-16 -  It has been an intense few months! With Spring break everything converged allowing us to get away for a few days. Prestin & Deron  had a week off from college (though not the homework!), grandma was able to stay with Ken & Pam (thanks K&P), and Steve could get away from Compass. So up to a North Carolina cabin we went. Lots of sleep, amazingly great eats and a very slow pace!!!

 Brekkie and checkers

 Siesta

 The cabin was on a hill, in the mountains.

 We even had time to finish a puzzle that had been started two years earlier!

 Deron reading, and reading and... enjoying the sun!

 Prestin relaxing!

 Out for a hike up the gravel roads that lead up to the cabins.Very steep!

Like I said, steep! How would you like this for your driveway? This was the end of the road! 

 And I did say we had some amazingly yummy food. Here is just one of the gourmet meals we enjoyed. An apple wood smoked burger with lots of tasty bits. We are definitely fans of delicious flavors!

 Shellie with her tasty masterpiece!

 Then siesta time!

 And back to reading...

 And back to the puzzle...

 Puzzling indeed!

 A puzzling family affair!

Prestin making origami things...

 ...on the wall!

 And the puzzle continued!

 Finally we finished it before we had to go (in the wee hours of the morning), and could you believe it, there was one piece missing!?

 One piece!!!

 Sunrise from the cabin deck the morning we had to return to the "real" world!