A Summer Party

Well... I had my DSLR camera back for a few hours yesterday to snap a few pictures of the big summer birthday party before it was sent off to the Canon Repair Center again for the THIRD time to be fixed. *Sigh* Hopefully one of these days they will actually fix it so I don't have to edit out those little black dots you'll notice in some of my pictures. Obviously I am tired of editing them out and so I just left them this time. 

Anyways, enough of my frustration about that. Last night we were able to have us all together including my aunt, uncle, cousin, grandma, nephews, brothers, the whole gang to celebrate my brother, Asa's, 23rd birthday (which was August 1st) and my nephew, Landon's, 5th birthday (which was July 11th, while I was still in China with my mom and Kiah). We had gorgeous weather and it was so wonderful to have everyone together for an evening of celebration. 

A summer evening at the Johnson's would not be complete without a little baseball. Obviously Micah loved it.

As did Landon!

The birthday boys: Asa and Landon. 

Landon decided to be a little ham for the camera, which I didn't mind.

Our neighbors who farm the fields next to our house, decided to do some work last evening. Tage and Landon were so cute sitting out on the grass, watching the tractor. I'm sure I'll have a separate post with all the cute pictures I snapped of the two of them.

Grandma or "bama" and Micah. I asked Micah, "can you look at the camera for Aunt Anneli?"

His response? "No." So there you have it. It's still a cute picture, even if he's not looking.

Present time!

And of course a birthday party is not complete without one of Grandma Rich's famous cakes.

The evening came to an end while sitting out by our new fire pit that Tage built. Having campfires is one of the things I have been looking forward to all summer. Nothing quite like a chilly, summer evening in western NY, sitting by a camp fire, roasting s'mores. Unfortunately I was too full from the pizza, chicken wing dip, veggies, and cake to eat any s'mores. I guess we'll have to do it again sometime soon. 

Landon has been anticipating this party ever since we arrived home from China. He already had a party on his actual birthday, but we wanted to do something when all of us were home. I hope it was worth the wait!

Happy Birthday Asa!

My brothers (especially this one) LOVE when I "embarrass" them and birthdays give me the perfect opportunity too! Of course, I really don't embarrass them. Believe me, I could definitely share some dirt! ;-) But I won't because I'm a nice sister. 

Today, my "3rd brother" turns 22 (!). How in the world did that happen?!?! Oh wait... he was born in 1991 so I guess that would make him... 22. 

Asa is an incredible young man. A young man who loves Jesus, family, Jesus, baseball, Jesus, friends, and well... Jesus. It has been such a blessing for this big sister to watch her 6'2" "little" brother grow in his faith and to make it his own. To trust Jesus with his whole life and to seek to bring honor and glory to Him. He is a witness to everyone he meets. 

My two nephews absolutely adore him, especially 4 year old Landon. 

Asa is also a very talented athlete. He has been spending the summer playing baseball in Alaska with Athletes in Action which is a branch of CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ). He will be flying back to NY on Monday after being away 2 months. What an incredible experience he has had! He gets to play baseball and learn more about Christ through Bible studies, outreach, witnessing to the teams they play, etc.

So proud of you, Asa, and the young man you have become. Miss you and wish I could be there to celebrate with you. Eat an extra piece of cake for me. :-)

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

The Final Season

As I have mentioned before, one of the hardest things about living overseas is missing out. Missing out on holidays, parties, and especially in my family, sporting events. I am the 2nd oldest of 7 children, 5 of which are boys. I grew up in a sport loving family! We all were swimmers, and my brothers have all played baseball and most of them have also played football. Me? I was not gifted in the "hand eye coordination" area. Even Kiah is an excellent swimmer and started playing softball this year.

Due to technology, I have been able to keep up with how my siblings are doing. I remember last June when our high school baseball team made it to the state tournament (this would involve Thad and Tage), I woke up at 5 a.m. in order to "listen online" to the game. It was wonderful actually. I remember drinking coffee, eating pancakes, and watching the sun rise as I enjoyed listening to a ball game. Doesn't get much better than that! Swimming is easy to keep up with. Times are times and I know swimming. Baseball? Yeah, I know the game but the stats are hard for me to "visualize it." I am able to look up the games online to see who won and lost but other than that, not much of it makes sense. I miss going to games. I had my fair share of games when I was home this spring though. I LOVED it!

I just realized the other day what I'll be missing this fall. Football. Now, I am not a huge fan of football (shhh, don't tell my brothers that!). Honestly, the game bores me. But I DO love going to a game on a Friday night, sitting under the lights with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, staying warm underneath a blanket, sitting with my Mom and sister, just enjoying being together. I realized that I won't JUST be missing a season, I'll be missing the LAST SEASON of football in our family. Tage is the youngest boy and he will be a senior (!) this fall. And I will miss it.

*Sigh* Just missing home today.

Will You Help?

 I have a pretty awesome brother.

Okay, actually I am blessed with FIVE pretty awesome brothers.

Each amazing and gifted in their own way.

But they do all have one thing in common.

They ALL love to tease me.

Ok, but that is not the point of this blog post.

Meet my brother, Asa. He is the "middle child" and just finished up his junior year of college.
Asa has such a love for Jesus and a desire to share Him with others.
He also loves baseball.

He has an amazing opportunity this summer to not just play baseball but also to do local outreach and discipleship.

Where you might ask?

In ALASKA!

Asa will be playing with Athletes in Action, which is ministry branch of Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ).

AIA (Athletes in Action) is part of of the sports ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Through baseball, clinics, and local outreach, the AIA team will be sharing the message of hope through Jesus Christ in the Anchorage, Alaska area this summer. 

 Want to get to know Asa a little bit?

You can check out his blog here.

Just like me, Asa needs to raise all of his own support for the 2 months he will spend in Alaska.

Thankfully he needs a lot less than me!

Alaska is a place of depression, poverty, and in need of Jesus Christ and the hope He offers.

Are you interested in being a part of an amazing ministry opportunity?

You can give here.

I know it would mean the world to him!
Thank you!

Sunday Snapshot: Love of the Game

 Since growing up with 5 brothers and watching them all play ball, it does my heart good to see my nephew also falling in love with the sport of baseball. 

Watching my brothers work with him and be patient with him, makes me smile. 

 This little guy at just 3 1/2 years old LOVE sports.... of course he doesn't really have a choice!

 Working with Uncle Asa!

 Nice hit Landon!

 Look at that determination on his face.

 Looking good!

Can't wait to watch you play ball as you get older, Landon! 

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