Shelly's Art Show!!!

Hey Everybody:

Here are a couple of shots from Shelly's Art Show! It all looks wonderful and we all were so proud! Shelly even sold a piece!! Her art will be at the Turchin Center in Boone through the month of December, 2006--if you are in the neighborhood, please drop by and take a look!! I have put a link on the blog to access the Turchin Center's website.

Peace from the Mtn!

Brei's Baptism!!!

Hey everybody! Just last week Breianna was baptized into Christ. We were all so very excited for her and her entry into the Family of God as well as the Family of Bethany Lutheran Church. Many thanks to John Bollinger who you see in the act of baptizing Breianna. Brei has become a permanent place in our lives and family--we praise and thank God for the gift of her.

All Blessings from the Mtn!!!

A Little Bit of Christmas!!!!

The Boone area has the best Christmas trees in the world....in our estimation!!! Here is a fine example circa 2006 from Jerry and Nancy Moretz. I think you will agree that this is a most fine and inspiring tree to grace our Holiday musings!! Love and blessings of the Advent season from all of us to all you!!

Grace and Peace from the Mtn.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

It has been awhile, but here is a new post---Happy Thanksgiving from all of us in Boone to all of you everywhere else!!!

The Blowing Rock and 1st Day of School!

Hey everyone!

A nice place to visit next time you are in the Boone area is the Blowing Rock, a wonderful natural outcropping which gives a spectacular view of the High Country. Shelly's sister Jennifer and her family joined us on top for a very nice but wet visit.

Also- here's a picture of Brei right before going over to her school for her first day of school in Boone. Many thanks to my Aunt Carrie for the wonderful outfit she wore today!!

Love from the Mtn!
Tom, Shelly, and Breianna

Dance Camp!!

Hey Guys!
Hope things are cooling a bit in your neighborhood, but in ours things are still muggy and stormy. Anyway Brei just finished a four day dance camp with Studio K and these pictures illustrate a bit of what she learned--she will continue classes in dance later in August. Studio K has become something of an institution around Boone and many of our kids have participated in their programs over the years. Studio K is really a wonderful experience!!

Love from the Mtn.
Tom, Shelly, and Breianna

The Alamo!

Here it is, a picture of the Alamo, as in Remember the..., from our trip to San Antonio for the Lutheran Youth Gathering. As you can see, it is quite a bit smaller than one would think. It was a bit too touristy--and yet you couldn't help but feel a bit respectful--feel a bit of a chill looking at the vest and rifle of Davey Crockett. It is somewhat of a shrine to Texas, male visitors are asked to remove their hats within and voices are to be kept quiet. I would suggest you visit sometime this place where so many men died defending what they thought was a just and right cause, both American and Mexican.

Love from the Mtn.
Tom

San Antonio Youth Gathering!

Hey Everybody:
Just got back from San Antonio and boy are my......No, I won't do that old joke! But I did just get back from the early San Antonio Youth Gathering along with 15,000 other Lutheran Youth from around the country. About 24,000 more will be there this week! Anna and I went along with youth from Grace Lutheran and had a stupendous time. The kids made some wonderful connections with their faith and each other. Along with Bible Studies and great concerts by groups like the Newsboys, there was plenty to experience and explore. We did have time to do a service project at a Retirement Center and also view the gorgeous city of San Antonio. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I am grateful for the opportunity! Many thanks to Matt Roberts and everyone at Grace Lutheran and Bethany Lutheran for their participation and support. The pictures are a group shot and of the work we were doing at the center.

Love from the Mtn.
Tom

Breianna forever!

Hey all:
Our new daughter Breianna is here to stay! All we need to do now is file the legal paperwork and she is legally ours forever! We are very excited as Brei has been with us now almost two weeks now--here is a picture of the proud papa with baby!!

Love from the Mtn,
Tom, Shelly, and Breianna

My first Confirmand--sort of!

Hey Guys,
This is a picture of Kelsey and me at her confirmation. It was my very first, although I must thank Pastor Tim Smith and the rest of Grace Lutheran for seeing Kelsey through the lean years of not having a regular pastor to teach confirmation for her. Rather than pulling her out of Grace's program we decided to allow her to finish out with the other kids at Grace. We all are very proud of Kelsey--she will be at Watauga County High School next year after having won just about all the extracurricular and academic awards at Green Valley School. Hopefully this will be just the beginning of Confirmation ministry for us at Bethany Lutheran Church--please pray for us and also for Kelsey!

Love from the Mtn.
Tom H.

Shelly on Mountain Televison Network

Hey all! Shelly has made the jump to television celebrity--at least local tv celebrity--Shelly is showing some illustrations at the noted Jones House Gallery in downtown Boone--as part of the pr for the showing--Shelly was interviewed today on the local access station MTN--the interview will be aired tomorrow morning and then at different times over this weekend. You can see some of the work above and also check out Shelly's agent's website at the right for some more illustrations by Shelly. My buttons are bursting with pride, let me tell ya!

Love from the Mtn.
Tom

The Old Swimmin' Hole!

Hey all!
Would you believe this swimming hole and waterfall is within the Boone city limits? This is a really cool spot, literally--the water was kind of cold this last sunday afternoon--but we will be back as it gets warmer. The kids just had a ball--come and visit us and we will take you there!

Tammy and family are heading back to Manteo today and we had a wonderful visit with all of them--they are quickly becoming a part of our family as well. Brei will be staying with us throughout the rest of this week and then later in June, she will be with us on a permanent basis--we are marking the days!

This Memorial Day--our prayer is for all of our service men and women who are serving or have served in our armed forces--Thank-you! Also for all the great cloud of witnesses who are with God, going on before us--we pray in faith that we will be reunited in Christ on that glorious day!

Love from the Mtn.

Awesome Band--Mute Math!!!!

Hey Guys! Here is a picture of our latest discovery in the world of Christian Alt Rock. Mute Math combines hard rockin' guitar with incredible keyboard and drum sample effects. They sound like a jazzed up, rocked up, and spirtualized Police! We have seen them in concert and they were unbelivable, but don't just take our word for it....a link to their website is on your right. Check it out and prepare to be amazed!!!!

Love from the Mtn, T&S

Breianna's latest visit!

Hey y'all:
Brei is back for another visit with us and already we have had a full day--here is a picture from Beacon Heights we took today! Brei's Aunt Tammy and cousins Hailey, Isacc, and Tyler are visiting with us as well.

Love from the Mtn,
Tom & Shelly

Grandfather is great!!

For those of you not from the High Country, NC--a scene from Grandfather Mountain with Brei--it is a wonderful private park about a half an hour to 45 minutes from Boone. Believe or not, we have a 5 mile run up this thing called the Bear. It is a bit pricey during the summer to go to, but there is much to see with the hanging bridge, a wonderful visitor's center with animals, and of course some wonderful hiking trails revealing some of the best views around. If you are up this way--remind us to take you by!!

Love from the Mtn.
Tom and Shelly

Mountain Cat

Isn't this a cool picture? And no, it is not one of our cats! It is a picture submitted to a really neat weather site that provides weather info for most of the High Country. All you folks who are nuts about the Weather Station should check this out--a local guy does this and they provide a lot of community information and feature local photography from our area. The website is called Ray's Weather Page and the link can be found on the right.

Hope you are well!
Tom and Shelly

 

Breianna and Clover pics!

Here are some fairly new pictures of our two latest additions, Clover and Breianna! They have both brought a lot of joy to our lives. Enjoy!

Our first posting!

Hello, Friends, Family, and Neighbors!
Kim Misenheimer got us going on this blog stuff--so we thought we would give it a try! We will try to keep you posted on the latest goings on in the land of the NW North Carolina High Country! Right now, Shelly and I are welcoming a new addition to our family--Breianna! She just turned 7, we are adopting her, and we love her very much! Along with Breianna, we welcomed our latest cat--Clover, a cute little female we adopted around Christmas time. Check back with us for more pictures and news on the adoption front.

Til then, God Bless!