Adventures of Kandannah

This Winter

2011-04-15T23:41:00.022-04:00

Cozy

Tea Party with Daddy

Christmas 2010

2011-03-11T23:48:00.007-05:00

Fall 2010

2011-02-18T23:26:00.020-05:00

Fall is Andy's favourite season. We had so many beautiful moments outside this year and certainly got to appreciate the change of season. Here are some.

Elk Lake, Victoria

Beaver Lake, Victoria

The following images are from our annual pumpkin searching trip to Abby Lane Pumpkin Farm. It is owned and farmed by a family and is the most beautiful pumpkin farm I have ever seen. They pick you up by the roadside pumpkin stand by a horse-drawn carriage. The ride takes about 15 minutes and drops down into a valley... so, so pretty. It is totally quiet (besides for the click-clack of the carriage) and we were the only ones on the farm. They took us down to the farm and left us there for an hour ALL BY OURSELVES. We had a picnic on some hay bails. It was a dream.

Snuggling in the hay.

Goldstream Provincial Park. We were looking to see if the salmon were running. No luck on this day.

I love this photo even though it is a bit out-of-focus. Savannah and Andy were playing hide-and-seek.

First snowman. She did not like the snow. She just stood still and cried while we quickly made this snowman. Not the case now with this latest snow!

She sometimes let's us put her hair in pigtails.

Halloween 2010

2011-01-25T00:33:00.013-05:00

What a fantastic time we had with Savannah this Halloween. We all three loved her Dorothy costume. We went trick-or-treating with friends and by the end she would say "Trick or Treat!" We loved it. She did not understand that we were not invited into the house and would try to sneak around the persons legs to get into their house. So funny and slightly embarrassing.

Right before carving.

She loves candles. She did not like feeling the guts.

With Jackie her Jack-O-Lantern.

I was so glad Andy did not crave his cross-eyed with the tongue hanging out again.

With Gannon the Frog

Hitting the street with Eli (the leopard) and Oliver (the knight). You can just barely see little Nadia in her mama's arms (25 days old). Noah and Sam were with us too. They were the cutest lion and pickle I have ever seen. So fun.

Our little Dorothy. Toto is in the basket.

Moving Across Town

2011-01-25T00:11:00.006-05:00

We moved closer to the university this past September. It was a lot of work, but has been so worth it. We have a WAY better space with a fantastic yard and we are renting it for less money (that is always good). It is by no means super fancy or a dream house or in our dream neighborhood, but it is a lovely, humble place to call home and we are blessed by it everyday.

Some faves are:

Great layout for having children... a total family home
Guest bedroom that will one day (we hope) be an available space for a sister or brother for Savannah.
A Dining room (we did not have one at our old house)... yhessssssssss!
The way the sunlight pours in throughout the day (it is south-facing... I LOVE THIS).
A Beautiful Fenced Yard
Koko and Daniel (see below)

We are renting from a property management company. It has 5 bedrooms (2 of which are in the full-suite in the basement) and we rent the basement to some WONDERFUL people. Koko is a friend from The Table. He is a musician (has a drum set set-up in our garage... love it), a barista and a student. Daniel is a friend from Open Gate (Andy's other church he works at) and is in the teaching program. Savannah LOVES going into their suite and loves them both. They are so pleasant to share a house with and we are very thankful for them.

So all of this to announce our incredible gratitude for this new space and to tell you all on the internets that we do not live on Millgrove Street anymore. E-mail us if you want our new address. And also to invite you to stay in our guest room! Yay!

The Summer of 2010

2010-11-20T22:44:00.021-05:00

With Jane

We had a lovely summer weekend playing with the Goldsberrys in Vic.

Playing with Jane and Megan in Bellingham.

Why is Savannah always the one crying in group photos?

Blowing bubbles.

With her cousins. This is one of my all-time favourite photos. Could life be any more beautiful?

Withrow Annual Family Beach Trip 2010- Long Beach

2010-11-13T23:09:00.019-05:00

Well after last year's camping in 107 degrees, we went back to renting a house at the beach! This year's location..... Long Beach, WA. We had a LOVELY time with our family. Very yummy food (as always), wonderful children, ping pong tournament, a bit of reading, beach walks, sand castles and all of the like. The below photos do not reflect the week very well. We somehow only have photos of Savannah and/or geologic features!!! How silly! Here they are anyway!

Savannah at Ruby Beach in the Olympic National Park. We took HWY 101 to meet up with our family and came across this beach. One of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to! The beach consisted of these fantastic flat cobbles that were washed out from the surrounding glacial deposit. AMAZING.

Ruby Beach

Ruby Beach.... could have stayed all day.

Dada and Toots colouring while we wait for lunch (her first crayon/restaurant experience) at Kalaloch Lodge in the Olympic National Park. The lodge overlooked the ocean. Gorgeous view.

Toots diggin the sands of Long Beach. SHE LOVED THIS.

Our cousin Dan and his daughter Emma and Dada and Toots hit the waves.

We have both always admired Savannah because she is very brave. We definitely enjoyed watching her plow right into the cold Pacific without hesitation. She would sign for more if you started to pul her out. She loved it, so we did too.

The week we were there happened to be the same week as Long Beach's international kite festival. Amazing. Synchronized kites, people flying 3 at once and coordinating their movement etc.

On our way home.... One thing I love about parenting young children, is that you have to take life slower. Alas numerous car breaks! Here is one of them at Beach 3 back in the Olympic National Park. Toots LOVES throwing rocks into the water. I tell her that is very manly of her, but she loves, loves, loves it and would do it all day and night if we let her.

Beautiful wave-polished, dipping sedimentary beds (at Beach 3). Toots was all over them... literally.

As my dear geology prof Dr. Schermer would say, "World's Best Disconformity." Amazing. Seriously some of the best I have ever seen. I wish I had this photo when I was teaching. The bottom layer with the honeycomb weathering is some sort of sandstone. The top layer some conglomerate (possibly glacial... should have taken more notes when we were there). Beautiful. I was seriously so into this.... still drooling now as I write about it months later.

The Fourth of July in the Farmin Town of Quincy

2010-11-06T23:08:00.023-04:00

We had a great time visiting Katie's family for the Fourth of July weekend. Everyone was able to gather from her family for some great summer adventures. Savannah had one of the best weekends of her life. She LOVED Laura and Andrew's dogs and cat, went on a boat and a jetski (is that safe for toddlers?), was in a race in George, WA, saw a parade and we even woke her up for the fireworks (which she loved, loved, loved). Here are some pics of those moments...

Toots soaking in the sun at Billy Clapp Lake.

Andy and Oliver

Laura, Mike and Katie hit the lake together. This was a very fun moment for me. We are so rarely together just us three. Laura was trying to give us a real wild ride. I seriously giggled the ENTIRE ride. She finally flipped us at the very end. This is moments before. The next photo is moments after.

LAURA!!!!

Oliver "jetskiing."

We took Toots on this tiny ride. Laura was much better behaved, but I do think she is trying really hard to be the Wild Fun Aunt Laura (and succeeding of course).

The race. Toots slept. Naomi won in her age/gender division. Yay Naomi! It was so great. There was seriously kids passing us... rude. Part of it was through a gravel road with agricultural land on each side... ahhh.... loved that.

Seed onion field right next to my parents house. So beautiful.

Aunt Laura and Uncle Mike being all crazy.

Toots holding a sparkler that Aunt Laura bought her.

Kissing Cousins

She REALLY likes cats. That is her cat sound.

Spring 2010... Favourites

2010-09-07T00:14:00.024-04:00

She loves goats. Savan had only been walking for 2 weeks here. She was very wobbly amoung the spry goat kids.

Easter morning.

We get lots of hugs. We are so lucky.

Toots!

We celebrated Earth Day by enjoying one of Victoria's beautiful beaches.

She likes rocks like her mama.

Looking at the marine life with Dad.

We stumbled on this salmon awareness rally/protest/march to the Parliament building. Very fun. She loved it.

Savannah and Dolly are such activists!

She picked me a flower on this day. So sweet. She LOVES smelling flowers. She stops quite often on walks to take in the aromas.

She is so sweet. I love her so much.

Our Seventh... We Made It!

2010-09-04T23:55:00.012-04:00

Before we were married an older couple on one of our bus tours in AK told us, "If you make it through the first 7 years of marriage, you will make it." That always stuck with us and we are pleased to announce that... we made it! Yhessss....

To celebrate, Grandma & Co came up for 4 days and watched Savannah. Andy and I take turns every other year planning our anniversary celebrations and this year Katie was up. Making it through the first seven was reason for a little surprise trip. We went to Ucluelet, BC near the Pacific Rim National Park on the western coast of the Island.

It was a wonderful time away from the common and normal. We stayed in a cute little cabin, ate yummy food, slept in, went on some coastal day hikes... very fun. And as always we renewed our vows in our wedding clothes. Here are some pics from that time together.

Thank you for celebrating with us and thank you Grandma, Sally, Rachel and Nathan for caring for and loving Savannah.

Our little cabin.

My Groom.

Rainforest Walk A.

Long Beach

Wild Side Trail

Savannah's First Birthday

2010-05-20T16:57:00.013-04:00

We had a great time reflecting on this year and celebrating our little one. It was a week long experience with 2 parties and lots of friends and family. Thank you for celebrating her with us. Here are some of the moments.

We awoke to this sign posted in our neighbour's window. So cute. It made me smile all day long.
Note that "Toots" is one of her main nicknames.

This chocolate cake was dinine. It took my friend Sara and I 6 hours to make (that includes many playbreaks with the babes).

I can't believe how much she has changed in a year.

She did a lot of this at her party with one of her boyfriends Sam.

Birthday group picture.

Savannah's Twelfth Month... Mommy's Favourites

2010-05-08T00:15:00.017-04:00

Being pushed by her friend Sam.

Blueberries...

St. Paddy's Day

On a special Mommy picnic date. We had a beautiful time together.

She walks. Her first steps were taken at church on March 14th... our world is different since. What a life change for her!

Savannah's Eleventh Month... Mommy's Favourites

2010-05-05T13:32:00.024-04:00

Swan Lake, Victoria

With her friend Nyah who was waiting to try to kiss her. So sweet.

Posing with Baby McSharry

With her friend Sara

Sweets.

With her friend Jane.

We had a few weeks of ultimate cuteness when her left teeth came in before herright teeth. She looked very toothy and lop-sided. We had such a hard time photographing it. So cute.

There is that toothy grin.

My 2 kids.

At the Ocean Discovery Centre

Playing while Grandpa prays.

Savannah's Tenth Month... Mommy's Favourites

2010-04-07T23:30:00.009-04:00

With her friend Eli'jah.

I like this one because it is so common. Shades drawn, lullabies on, night diaper... This is one of my favourite times of our day.

Savannah's Ninth Month... Mommy's Favourite

2010-04-07T23:28:00.003-04:00

Our camera broke this month.... no pics but this from Amy...

Baby's First Christmas

2010-03-30T23:31:00.018-04:00

The Eighth Month... Mommy's Favourites

2010-03-27T16:29:00.003-04:00

Halloween 2009

2010-03-21T23:16:00.016-04:00

Who is the bigger kid... Andy or Savannah?

The cousins.

The Seventh Month... Mommy's Favourites

2010-03-20T22:00:00.007-04:00

I love her little face in this one. She is so silly.

Not sure if this is legal, but Katie and I smashed all of the kids into her car.

Our Birthdays 2009

2010-02-16T23:42:00.026-05:00

Andy and I were born exactly 1 year and 2 weeks apart, which makes our birthdays very close to each other. We had a fantastic time celebrating each other this year. Here are some pics from those 2 weeks.

To celebrate Andy, we had a hot date out for burgers, beer and a movie and then went camping at French Beach. So, so fun. French Beach is on the Southwest coast of Vancouver Island. It is a beautiful cobble beach with 1 strong breaker coming in at a time. We got to see 2 sunsets across the water, watch Eli eat his first smore, be humbled by one of the best views of the night sky (very little light pollution... the milky way clearly visible), eat yummy food, hear the breakers come in all night and day and throw rocks at different targets (well at least Eli, Josh and Andy did).

Sitting in Eli's chair, chattin with Dad. We could not get enough of this chair. So fun.

More chattin.

I LOVE this picture. Every time I see it I smile. Eli wanted his picture taken after all of the fuss and pictures we took of Savannah.

Eli and Savannah watching the waves come in.

Savannah and Noah... they are both so different now... so much more mobile! They would never go for this now.

Andy calls this one "Whoops-I-Threw-Her-Too-High-She-Is-Stuck-In-The-Trees!"

Our little Moses.

Savannah making her get-away while Dad isn't looking.

She likes rocks just like her mama.

Watching the sunset with Dad.

There it goes...

For Katie's birthday, Andy took her on a hike and then to a pumpkin patch. Both were fantastic. The hike was through a maple forest. The pumpkin patch was reached by a 15 minute horse and buggy ride. It was beautiful. We were the only ones on the whole property besides the owners and the sun was just about to set. Beautiful.

The Sixth Month... Mommy's Favourites

2009-12-11T22:34:00.018-05:00

The Baptism of Savannah Kate

2009-12-10T14:00:00.020-05:00

We decided to baptize Savannah after much conversation and thought. This is the practice of the Anglican tradition. The emphasis of an infant baptism is on 2 things: 1) God's active role in pouring out over Savannah more than enough grace and 2) the community as an active role in her forming view of spirituality. The ceremony was beautiful to us. Many people people came to support her... even many off-Islanders. Nearly her whole family was there to stand with us.

The Note-Worthy:

She didn't cry.
She looked so cute.
She pulled at the priest's mic.
She ripped her headband off right before the water was poured over her head. I think she was getting ready.
The priest who baptised her brought water back from the Jordan River in Israel (the river Jesus was baptised in).
She lifted her hands up during one of the prayers. This seemed so holy, but I think she was just reaching for the priest's rings.
Andy gave her a special blessing. This was beautiful (see below).

Thank you to everyone who stood with us on that special day in both body and in spirit. We are so thankful for her various sets of communities and what all of us have to teach her about God, life and all things good and beautiful. Though clumsy, we certainly will do our best in this great task. We are relieved to know that God's commitment to her is far beyond ours.

Andy's Father Blessing given to his first born daughter,
Savannah Kate Withrow,
at her baptism September 27, 2009

May you grow strong and healthy.

And may you always have peace and joy in your gender, in your womanhood.

I bless your eyes that they may always see the Lord’s work and hand in your life.

I bless your ears that you may always hear His voice.

And I bless your mouth that you may always speak his praises

And be quick to bless your neighbors.

May you be blessed like your Matriarch Sarah,

Who when she heard the ridiculous promises of God and laughed, she received them with great joy and great laughter.

May you be like your Grandmother Jill, who trusts the Lord, has great discernment and wisdom and raises a family who knows the Lord and is healthy and strong and loves others well and serves the Lord all her days.

And may you be like your Grandmother JoAnn: quick to reveal what’s in your heart with words of love and thanksgiving with words of mercy and compassion; quick to welcome others into your home who don’t have one and to welcome them to God’s household.

Savannah I bless you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit

May He be with you and remain with you all of your days.

Amen.

Her Godparents (and God-Brothers)

Her family all made the trip over the waters to be with her that day.

Savannah reaching out her hands in prayer...?

With her cousin, Oliver.

The Fifth Month... Mommy's Favourites

2009-11-23T23:02:00.029-05:00

With Grandma Jo

With Grandpa

Getting her first measurement on her growth chart.

Andy misses his Waynesboro softball team.

Savannah with her Bellingham friends. We woke Savannah up for the photo. She was not happy about that.

Camping near Lake Cowichan.

Going...

Gone.

Annual Family Camping Trip- Ike Kinswa State Park

2009-10-09T23:20:00.018-04:00

For this year, we found our family at Ike Kinswa State Park, WA... close to both Mt. St. Helen's and Mt. Rainier.... ummmmm.... I like volcanoes. Now this is no back-country experience... this is eat-way-better-than-you-would-at-home-bring-everything-that-you-can-fit car camping. I love backpacking, but I sure love this kind of camping too.

Various Note-Worthy Things:

1. Savannah's First Camping Trip (she LOVED it).

2. I love our family.

3. It was during that super hot week (as in 107 degrees).

4. We got to spread Grandpa's ashes at Mt. Rainier. I know he loved that. A little, white moth flew by right after the ashes mixed in with the waters. That was nice.

Highlights:

1. Night swimming with Erin.

2. Seeing the volcanoes again.

3. Watching Savannah watch the trees.

4. Reading.

5. Being with our family.

6. GREAT food.

7. Borrowing the Wilton's huge, fancy tent.

8. Sleeping in the woods with my baby right next to me.

On the way there. Wearing Dad's hat. Long car rides. She was fantastic.

Our temporary home.

Even though it was so, so hot, she did not like the cold lake water.

Night swimming with Erin. So beautiful.

The Fam at Windy Ridge, Mt. St. Helens.

Near where we poured Grandpa's ashes.

Hiking on Windy Ridge (end point of the closest road to the volcano). It is fun to be this close, but not the best views of the growing dome inside of the 1980 crater.

She cried her guts out for the first half of the accent up High Rock, then fell asleep. This is what she woke up to. It was a beautiful moment for me to watch her look around at everything. I wish I could have been in her mind to see her thoughts.

Nursing on top of High Rock. One of the best nursing views I have had. Beautiful.

The Fourth Month... Mommy's Favourites

2009-08-15T23:51:00.013-04:00

Island Life.

Meeting Noah.

Look at that double chin. She is just so cool.

Falling asleep in Erin's arms.

The Third Month... Mommy's Favourites

2009-08-15T23:16:00.015-04:00

Riding Eli's horsey at his 2nd Birthday Party.

Standing on her friend Noah.

On Father's Day (one of her most favourite days of her life). Note that she picked out her "I love Daddy" shirt and socks.

Prenatal Class Reunion

2009-08-15T00:47:00.007-04:00

Before Savannah was born we took this fantastic prenatal class. There were only 2 other to-be-born babies in the class besides Savannah. Below are some pics of when we got together after the babies came. It was so fun to see how different they look and hear the different arrival stories. Truly amazing. We somehow managed to get all of them awake and content at the same time to pose for these pictures. It was so cute to see them falling all over each other. They differ in age by only about 3 weeks, Savannah's the only girl and they are a bit over 2 months old in these pictures. Love it.

I love this one.

Babies and Mamas.

Thanks for the Baby Love

2009-07-16T15:54:00.004-04:00

We wanted to say thanks again for all of the ways you have celebrated and welcomed Savannah into this world. She has been loved so well. We wanted her to know how much you have all loved her from her beginning, so we took a photo of all of the cards together to show her when she is older.

An image of love to Savannah from her community.

The Second Month... Mommy's Favourites

2009-06-10T00:55:00.025-04:00

Savannah with Aunt Laura.

Savannah with 97 year old Great Granny and her cousin Oliver. So cute.

Cousin Oliver hugging Savannah. Cute.

The fam at Oliver's baptism.

I love this picture. Naomi and I in action. That's what we do. It is a funny life.

Cousins sleeping.

Four Generations

Great Grandma

Eli holding Savannah for his first time. Look at Savannah's face. So cute.

Savannah started smiling this month. It has been so fun. So hard to capture on camera. Way cuter than this picture shows.

Eli kissing "Sugar."

Savannah meeting Aunt Becky.

Look at those cheeks.

Early morning sleep-snuggling.

Savannah meeting Jane. BFF.

After a bath.

We Like Each Other

2009-06-09T23:59:00.002-04:00

We have been married 6 whole years and we still like each other. We love each other. We like being with each other all of the time. Life is just better together.

Andy's family was here during our anniversary and sent us away on our first date without Savannah... it was a bit weird being away from her, but a nice break as well. We wore our wedding clothes and renewed our vows to each other on this beach. That is nice.

Note wedding clothes under sweaters... it was a bit chilly.

The First Month... Mommy's Favourites

2009-06-04T12:18:00.023-04:00

Cousin Nathan carrying Savannah. He is going to be such a great dad.

Savannah snuggling with Grandma Jill.

With Rachel and Nathan... her cousins.

Getting weighed by Midwife Jill at 2 weeks old.

I love this one.

Our first outing. We went to Babies-R-Us.

She was actually sleeping like this. Her little frank breech legs were still flopping upward.

She Has Arrived

2009-06-03T18:31:00.016-04:00

We have birthed a beautiful baby girl… our first born… a daughter. She is so very precious to us and we are thankful. She has brought us great joy… we can’t stop looking at her… holding her.

Her is her arrival story… the extended version for all who are interested, read on…

She settled in my womb in the frank breech position (upside down), which had me trying all kinds of tricks to try to get her to flip so that we could have her naturally. We tried everything from handstands in the pool to acupuncture, but she wouldn’t budge. Our midwife scheduled a cesarean birth at Victoria General Hospital for March 26th, 2009 when I was 39 weeks and 1 day prego.

We arrived with my mom and dad at the hospital at 6:00am. I have an (irrational?) fear of needles and cuts, so I was terrified. Andy and I had written down logic to counter balance my fears on his iphone, so that at any given moment when requested Andy could look up on his phone and read off something like, “Hundreds of women will safely have this procedure done today in North America.” He also had saved up stories of his childhood to tell me when I needed distraction (i.e. When I was getting the IV put in, he held my hand and told me about the time when he was 3 that he bounced down a flight of stairs on his bouncy horsy). All of the preparations were done and the nurse wheeled me to the OR (side note: She wheeled me right by my mom and dad in the waiting room and I yelled out half giggling/half teary-eyed: “I will bring you back a grandchild!”).

In the OR, Andy could not be in the room while I had the spinal put in (yikes!). So our midwife talked with me with her forehead pressed against mine. It was really sweet of her and effective… I was totally distracted. They strapped me to the table and my body from the chest down went numb. Andy came in the room and sat by me and held my hand. While I updated him on what he had missed, we thought they were still preparing my abdomen for the surgery, but really she was being born!!! We were not even aware that they had even cut me open. We had no idea until Dr. Miles leaned over to Andy and asked, “Would you like to look over the curtain and announce the gender of your child? Your baby is about to be born.” It happened so fast that Andy never got to tell me the stories he had saved up! Andy leaned across the curtain and stared. (Pause for a bit of background: We had thought the baby was a boy since last November because I thought I had watched the ultrasound technician type in the male gender sign on the computer. So after that we referred to her as a him and picked out boy names and did not really consider the possibility of having a girl.) Andy took so long looking for the expected “boy parts” that the doctor leaned over to him and whispered, “It’s a girl.” Andy slowly mumbled, “It’s a girl.” And again louder, “It’s a girl!” I yelled back to him, “It’s a girl!!???!!” Andy watched the rest of the birth while I lay on the table saying to myself over and over again with little tears falling from my excited eyes, “It’s a girl. It’s a girl. I can’t believe this. It’s a girl” or “Thank You God. Thank You. Thank You.” They had some trouble getting her head out. We have lot’s of pictures of her head and shoulders inside of me, but her abdomen and legs outside… so cool. Andy watched the doctor reach in and hook his pinky finger into her mouth and pull her out. Meanwhile, I felt a total release of pressure and I knew that she was born. Wow. It was so awesome. The doctor popped her over the curtain for me to have a look but all I saw was her forehead and eyes (she was still attached to the cord and couldn’t reach too far).

They cut the cord and handed her over to the pediatrician. She cried and Andy went over and recited one of the books he had been reading her. She looked over at him, grabbed his finger and calmed right down. They brought her over to me and she was wide-eyed and calm. Wow. Our very own baby… that we have been waiting for… right in front of us, face-to-face!

Andy took her to meet grandpa and grandma and they wheeled me to the recovery room where we met up a few minutes later and spent our first few moments as a little family.

The few days in the hospital were great. The actual surgery was not nearly as bad and scary as I feared (of course). We spent our 3 days there sleeping, snuggling, staring and nursing. That was literally all we did. It was wonderful and both of us consider it amoung the best days of our entire lives.

Andy took 2 weeks off to take care of Savannah and I and to get to know his little daughter. The very first few weeks of newbornness are so great. She was so floppy and so sleepy. We would take turns snuggle sleeping with her flopped on our bellies.

Since we are experiencing some of the challenges a baby brings (but we both still have one foot in bliss). Mom’s least favourite part is crying and lack of any sort of predictable routine or expectation for each day. Dad’s least favourite part is the inconsolable crying.

We love her so much and are still in awe that (with God’s help) we have created a human and will be in relationship with her all of our lives.

We have chosen the name Savannah Kate for her. She is very sweet natured. Smiles a lot. Gazes into our eyes a lot. She was 6 lbs 10.9 oz at birth and was 18 inches long. She has big blue eyes (for now at least), fat cheeks and a bit of red hair. She is about 10 weeks old now and over 4 lbs more woman than she was at birth. She is most content near us, even if we are not holding her. Andy and I fight over who gets to hold her, who gets to wear her in the sling and even who gets to sit next to her in the car (yes, now one of us drives and the other sits with her in the back seat).

She has been welcomed and received well. Dear readers, thank you for welcoming her with such love, joy and generosity. This girl is well loved.

So there you have it… the story of how she came to us. Isn’t this wonderful?! With Elizabeth, the mother of John, we recognize God’s hand in this gracious gift, by remembering Elizabeth’s words, “The Lord has done this for me…” Thanks be to God.

And with you all, our dear friends all over this pleasant world, we welcome you sweet Savannah and we bless you.

Savannah's legs shown coming out of my guts. So crazy. Even though it would be cool to watch, I am glad they put that sheet up.

Savannah's breech legs. Her legs were folded upward in the womb. Her legs would flop back into that position if you let go. She has grown out of this now. Pretty funny to watch.

Our first moment as a family.

Grandpa meeting Savannah. So cute. Dad was so proud. She was only about 20 minutes old. Andy wouldn't let anyone hold her. Grandpa had to wait.

Isn't that the best... a day old baby asleep on your chest. Nothing like it.

I love this picture. Look at the way she is holding my armpit. Wow. I just love her so much. Note how drugged up I am.

This is Savannah leaving the hospital. I love that she is waving. This was such an exciting moment for us. We probably took 20 different pictures. We just couldn't believe that we were actually leaving with a baby.

Vancouver to Victoria

2009-06-03T16:52:00.007-04:00

Our new house. We share it with a basement tenanent... Enrique. He is great.

Hey everyone... we moved! Most of you already know this, but we moved from Vancouver, BC to Victoria, BC in January. We are loving it here. People are super friendly, the weather is great, island-life is fun, excellent interurban trails and the ocean is incredible. Victoria is on the southern tip of Vancouver Island and we can see the Olympic Mountains and (sometimes) Mt. Baker which are all mountains of WA state. We can see our homeland from our kitchen window!

We moved here to start a church with some of our friends with the Anglican church. It has been pretty exciting so far and things are moving along well. This new church is set to start publicly Easter 2010. We have named the church THE TABLE and you can check out what is happening on our (developing) website http://www.tablechurch.ca/.

The Withrows go from 2 to 3!

2009-01-14T22:01:00.006-05:00

Yes, we are having a baby. We are so excited about this and can not wait for all of the love, trouble and joy this little one will come with.

Here are the facts:

Human... yes. Boy or girl... unknown.

Expected Date of Arrival... April Fools Day 2009.

Katie likes being pregnant.

We are in our 30th week as we write.

The baby is moving around and hiccuping.

Mama is getting bigger and bigger.

Mama Withrow says, "I can't wait to see his/her face for the first time." and "I hope he/she has red hair and loves generously."

Papa Withrow says, "I am ready to teach him/her everything I know about the beautiful game of baseball."

Here are his/her first pics. They were taken at 20 weeks.

Profile Shot. This is the best the technician could get because he/she was moving around so much.

His her legs and a fist.

This one is tricky to see. It is a shot of the nostrils and mouth opening. So precious.

Mama and Babe at 26 weeks.

Ordination

2008-10-01T14:40:00.006-04:00

The best of both worlds. There is a tension in being the Church. On the one hand it is valuable to have recognized and set apart leaders who represent the unity of the church in the world. Through ordained bishops order is maintained and God's people are represented in the laying on of the Bishop's hands. This is the top-down reality of the church. It ensures, usually, that not just anyone can bless sacraments and baptize those coming into the church.

On the other hand it is necessary that those we are close to recognize our giftings, passions and calling to the ministry that the Bishop does not necessarily know in the same way and with the same familiarity. This is the bottom-up reality of the church. It ensures that gifts are recognized and confirmed.

At Josh Wilton's and my ordination to the Presbyterate ("Priest" or "Pastor") both of these realities converged to make the service truly meaningful. It was very special to have so many family and friends who have known me on such different parts of the journey come and affirm what God is calling forth in me.

The service itself was held at Lynn Valley Full Gospel Church in North Vancouver on Spetember 7th. We followed up the packed out service with a reception downstairs. My only regret was that I couldn't spend more time with all who were able to come and bless our two families.

Josh and I along with our wives and Baby Eli (Wilton) will be heading to Victoria in January to begin the preliminary steps of a new church plant there. For more information on this or to be a part of our prayer team please email us. We are so blessed to have such great family and friends.

The Enchantments

2008-09-12T19:36:00.011-04:00

So these mountains really are all that they are "cracked-up to be." They are as beautiful as the competitive back-country permit suggests (they only let 20 people in per day and people register 9 months in advance to get one of these precious spots). The mountains are accessed out of Leavenworth, WA. In August, we met up with our friends Ponch and Kristen, camped along Icicle Creek, won the permit lottery to get in (we were one of 2 groups who got to get in this way) and were then on our way. The total trip was about 20 miles. Up one steep pass (Aasgard Pass-gain of 2200 feet in 3/4 mile and it took us 3 hours to do just this part) through the popular Enchantment Zone and then dropped down the other pass to the trail head where my sweet parents were waiting in lawn chairs to pick us up. We would highly recommend this trip. Extremely craggy peaks, tamarack trees galore, numerous glaciers and lakes full of glacial silt, goats, marmots, martens, squirrels, crazy fun friends, great weather.... it all truly was enchanting.

Andy and Crystal Lake.

Ponch and Andy near Inspiration Lake.

Ponch and his goat friend.

The mama goat and her kids who just lept onto the rock that we were sitting on and tried to gord Katie. Katie looked over to Ponch for support, but he was busy taking this photo.

Withrow Annual Family Beach Trip 2008

2008-08-23T21:24:00.013-04:00

This year we decided to do something different.... instead of staying in our usual OR Coast cabin we braved it and went camping! It was awesome, windy and cold. Full of yummy food, card games, beach walks, salmon fishing and hikes. We had 3 sites, numerous tents, an RV and a yurt for our home for a week in July. It was awesome! We stayed outside of Ilwaco, WA near the mouth of the Columbia River at Cape Disappointment State Park (We were NOT disappointed).

Looking south into OR from the Column in Astoria, OR.

Photo of the lighthouse that Erin and I hiked to.

Ahhh... Cousin Erin and the lighthouse.

We call them Smore Betters because they are WAY better than traditional smores. Chocolate wafer + peanut butter + marshmallow = goodness.

Ummm.... yummy.

Hanging by the fire. Note yurt in the background.

They fit him almost too well.

Rachel by the beach. So precious.

Nathan by the beach. Also, so precious.

What we do.

Ohhh... the McDonells!

2008-08-23T17:51:00.008-04:00

Well as many of you know, this has been a big summer for the McDonell family. We have had many great changes.

First, both my sister AND my mom and dad moved to Quincy, WA. Yes, they do live 3 houses away from each other.

Second, my mom retired. I am so happy for her and my dad. They go to mass everyday together and then go swimming and by that time they come home for lunch and take naps. They are so cute.

Third, my sister got married! She married her boyfriend of 7 years... Andrew. Their wedding was loads of fun. See photos below.

Fourth, my brother and his wife are having a baby! I am SO excited and happy for them. This will be the first grandchild for my parents (even though my dad has been mistaken for a grandpa for the last 25 years).

Mom and Dad at the reception doing "prom pose." Note Dad's hat. Don't worry he didn't wear it during the ceremony (but he did wear it every other moment the whole weekend).

Mom at the reception. She is what she refers to as "peaked." I think she is partied out.

I am not sure what my sister said that made Dad laugh so hard during the Father of the Bride Dance, but it was pretty cute.

And of course, there is never a set of wedding photos complete without one of Dad eating.

Us pretending we were at prom.

They are so cute.

Laura and her new husb.

Laura... so pretty.

Us at the rehearsal.

5 Years of Lovin

2008-05-30T14:55:00.010-04:00

Welp, we made it to our first big anniversary... the big 5th! Yhessss!!!! We had a great time celebrating each other, our commitments and our togetherness by attending a conference about marriage by Gary Thomas (highly recommend his books and conferences), spending time with some of our greatest friends and visiting the spot where we were wed... Hovander Park. We can still fit in our wedding clothes (we'll see how long that lasts...), so we thought we should get some good use out of them. Wearing them each anniversary has become one of our traditions. We got some funny looks at Trader Joe's...

To love! And to all of the joys and struggles that come with being in community with another!

A Rocha

2007-12-02T22:18:00.000-05:00

Here we are working planting garlic in A Rocha's 1 acre garden. The garden is cultivated to provide 25 shares for our Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) Project, 5 of which go to local shelters and community kitchens.

I work for A Rocha Canada. www.arocha.org/canada/ It is so great. A Rocha is an international Christian conservation organization who works to share God's love for all of creation.

A Rocha ("The Rock" in Portuguese), began in Portugal in the 1980s and is now working in 18 different countries around the world. We believe that God made the world, that He loves it and that He placed humanity as the stewards of it. Considering my loves, my passions, my convictions, I have found myself deeply committed to this work.

At the Field Study Centre in Surrey, we are working on salmon habitat restoration, migratory bird surveying, environmental education, Biblical theology of Earth-care education and funding it all. I have so much more to say about why I believe each of these categories are so desperately important, but I will let our extensive blog readership inquire for I could go on and on and on...

I am fund-raising right now and hope to take on my role as Community Organizer in a few months. My role is to connect the people in the community to the work of A Rocha Canada and make it accessible to people from all backgrounds. I will update you all more in the Spring as my role and work develop. Until then, I invite you all to the Field Study Centre to see our community and how we are working out our call to walk with care on the Earth.

To see a short film about A Rocha go to:

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-500919105068866289

Here I am with 2 of my biggest supporters, Caleb and Alissa McSharry. I love them.

Our New Home

2007-09-18T18:40:00.000-04:00

We are just starting to feel settled in our new home with the Wiltons. Josh and Katie are long-time friends of ours that we have lived with on and off in Alaska and British Columbia over the past 8 years. They know us well and makes us laugh. We meet together on Sunday nights to pray for one another. We have really enjoyed living with Baby Eli. He is 3 months old right now. Sometimes he smiles in his sleep. Sometimes when you hold him, he puts his little arms around your neck.

The Withrows and the Wiltons... one big happy family.

Holding our godson and housemate, Eli.

Josh apologizing for one of his many bad jokes.

The Oregon Coast

2007-09-18T18:21:00.000-04:00

There is nothing better to celebrate being back to the West Coast than to hang out on Oregon's Coast for a week with people you love. We spent a week at Gearhart Beach (just north of Seaside) with Andy's side of our family. Highlights include: funny children, sand castles, beach grass, board games, GREAT food, BBC's Planet Earth (amazing), reading, walks on the beach, great weather, hiking at Ecola State Park, wave jumping (you could actually stand the water this year), a little bit of boogie boarding, relaxing and the sheer presence of those that you love. It was so nice.

Dan, Matt and Andy work on one of the many family sandcastle. Note the monster crawling up the side.

Rachel (our niece) works on the forest.

Our nephew, Jacob, gets a little sandy.

Our nephew, Nathan, gives us "Crazy."

Nathan gives us "Sweet."

Nathan calls this one his "Happy."

Matt, Sally, Andy and Erin pose with another family castle. This one was awesome.

Andy proud of his work.

Tour De Washington

2007-09-18T18:12:00.000-04:00

After 1 week of unpacking and settling in we went on our 2nd adventure. Our quest was to visit as many people as possible around WA. We had a great time reconnecting with friends and family. Most of our time was spent in Bellingham, Seattle and Wentachee and here are the pictures to prove it.

Katie gets to meet and feed the Goldsberry's first son, Sam. He is so cute.

Here we are pictured with our good friends Alissa and Caleb. We love them.

Andy at Pike Place Market in Seattle.

Andy with his best friend, Chris in Seattle.

Katie's dad.

Andy in the Ape Caves near Mt. St. Helens. The caves were formed from underground lava tubes. It was way cool.

Vancouver

2007-09-17T19:06:00.001-04:00

We are enjoying life here in the city. Here are some facts about our new area of dwelling:

Population of 587,891 who are actually in the city, with greater Vancouver over 2 million people. Vancouver is the 3rd largest city in Canada.

Vancouver is multiculturally diverse with over 50% of the population that speak a first language other than English.

The city was first settled in the 1860s due to the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush.

The port is the busiest in Canada and exports the most of any port in all of North America.

Known as the Hollywood of Canada, it has the 3rd largest film industry in North America.

Vancouver is tied with Vienna as the 3rd highest quality of living in the world.

Vancouver is the 56th most expensive city to live in the world. The average 2 story home sells for $837,500.

The 2010 Olympics will be held in Vancouver.

Precipitation average of 48 inches/year.

The city sits between the ocean and the Coastal Range and it is beautiful.

Please come and visit.

photo: by lonnes Carr from flickr.com

photo: by I am I.A.M from flickr.com

photo: by Proggie from flickr.com

photo: by thelastminute at flickr.com

Our National Road Trip 2007

2007-09-17T16:46:00.000-04:00

For those with interest and endurance, here is the chronicle of our roadtrip across the United States.

July 15th: Goodbye Virginia

We got off to a late start because Andy sliced the back of his hand on the moving truck just as we were tying up the load and getting ready to leave. Having no place to clean up and attend his wound, we headed over to the Lovelady’s who were not expecting to see us again before we left. Luke administered some top notch Boy Scout First Aid and Jon was concerned about the depth of the wound, thinking that stitches may be in order. A phone call and a car ride later we showed up at the front steps of the Caulkins’ home for a little look over with the doctor. In the end no stitches were necessary as some scotch tape and a little superglue did the trick. We were back on the road in no time and managed to make it to a hotel in Buckley, WV that night.

July 16th-17th: Hello Grandma

The next day was a long driving day all the way to St. Louis. There we met up with Katie’s 96 year old grandmother. She showed us around the assisted living center and snuck us on her brand new walker for a couple of rides. She was proud of the walker that let her get around faster (and she was fast) but would not take it out of the center on any trips for fear of getting it dirty. She brought her old cane for these errands. We found out that she had gotten in trouble from the staff for giving rides to other residents on her walker. We stayed with grandma two nights and saw a few of Katie’s cousins and an aunt.

July 18th: Kansas is a Long State

The next morning began the longest single day of our journey and it was a tough one. We traveled through Missouri and Kansas and half of Colorado before collapsing at a Motel 6 in Denver. The temperature in Kansas must have approached 100 degrees and hotter in the car with no A/C. We had frequent stops at gas stations to fill up on ice and cold drinks that we held close to our bodies to keep us a little cooler. We stopped in Clay Center, Kansas to visit our friends Grant and Suzanne who moved there from Chicago a couple years ago to pastor a Covenant church there. We only had a couple of hours with them. We ate lunch and had a quick tour of the town and their church and we were on our way.

July 19th – 21st: Colorado Part I-Rocky Mountain National Park

We woke up in one of the less flattering Motel 6s we had ever seen or imagined, but the day ahead was an exciting one. We traveled through Boulder up to Estes Park just outside the Northeast entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. After lunch and a little looking around we headed into the park south to Longs Peak campground. Here we found a small camping area, about 26 sites in all, and pitched our tent. A little later, our friends Megan and Amy joined us who flew into Denver earlier that day from Seattle and San Francisco respectively. Our plan was to camp two nights and then climb Longs Peak, one of the Rockies most popular “fourteeners”, known for its non-technical trail to the peak. Our campground was above 9,000 feet leaving us under 5,000 feet to climb. The two nights we stayed were partially designed to help us acclimatize and avoid altitude sickness. On the second evening we were further joined by 2 more friends, this time from Greeley, CO. Nate had been in a men’s small group with Andy at Western Washington University in Bellingham back in 2000. He and his wife Jackie camped with us and joined us on the Longs Peak journey.

The morning of the 21st we awoke at 2:30am in order to be on the trail by 3:00am. We had to summit and return down below tree-line (which is pretty low when you start at 9,000 feet) before 3pm and the daily afternoon thundershowers arrived. The trail was crowded and we were above tree-line just in time for a beautiful sunrise. After about 7 hours of climbing we reached The Keyhole, a notched piece of rock along the ridgeline of the mountain providing spectacular views and a turning point in the hike. Here Megan turned back and the Mutz’ and the Withrow’s debated continuing on. After hiking for another hour we all had to turn back due to time and altitude sickness. The retreat down the mountain was a tough one for us as we suffered some symptoms including nausea, headaches, neck cramps (Katie couldn't turn her neck) and all around hurt!

That night we rested and ate some burritos which made us all feel much better.

The Keyhole

July 22nd – 24th: Colorado Part II- Desert Colorado

The next morning we said goodbye to the Mutz’ and packed up our tents and headed to Colorado Springs. There we stayed in a hotel and hiked at Helen Hunt falls. On the 23rd we went to Garden of the Gods and saw some amazing sandstone formations. The next morning we saw some caverns and then headed down to the Arkansas River where we met back up with the Mutz’ and went white water rafting.

July 25th – 26th: Montana Part I- Andy's Early Childhood

Megan and Amy both caught flights out of Denver on the 25th and we headed north towards Montana. We stayed the first night in Wyoming and drove all of the next day. The evening of the 26th we drove into Fairview, Montana, a small town of a couple hundred just on the border with North Dakota and also the early childhood home of Andy. Despite a 24 year absence Andy remembered many details from Fairview and nearby Sydney including the Presbyterian church his dad pastored, one of a few houses, and a childhood favorite pizza place (Happy Joe’s – now The Depot). That night we spent in Williston, ND.

Andy shaved in honor of his dad who used to be the pastor in town. He looked like Kip from Napolean Dynamite.

July 27th - 29th: Montana Part II- Glacier National Park

This morning we returned to Fairview to look for some folks who would remember Andy. We found Doris Taylor who was a good friend of the family and remembered Andy and told a few good stories. Then we left for Glacier National Park, which was on the opposite side of the state making for a long day of driving. We stopped at a few dinosaur sites along the way and then stayed the night outside of Havre, MT in an RV/camping park. The next morning we drove the rest of the way to GNP and set up camp at St. Mary’s campground. We snuck in a short hike before sunset and came within sight of a glacier, a number of mountain goats and big horn sheep. We were surprised to see mountain goats on the trail right up close and seemingly paying no attention to us. On the 29th we drove a ways north and hiked to Grinell Glacier. It was a long hike of a little over 5 miles each way. We passed by three lakes, all of which were glacially fed and ascended further right up to the glacier itself. There we ate and took a long nap before heading back down. It was beautiful. On the way down we turned a bend and walked right into a small herd of bighorn sheep who, like the goats from the day before, cared little about us.

These are the 3 lakes we hiked along.

Andy napping next to the glacier.

July 30th-31st: Back Home

We woke up on the 30th, a Sunday, and went to a worship service in the park. There were about a dozen park visitors in attendance. After worship we packed up and headed west. We drove all day through Montana, Idaho and Washington. That evening we stayed with Katie’s family in Wenatchee. The next morning we left early and made it to Vancouver, BC. We were excited about our new home on Inverness St. and we settled in over the next several days as we moved all of our belongings in from the ABF truck.

We had finally made it home.

Almost Heaven

2007-08-18T16:11:00.000-04:00

Before we left Waynesboro, John Coleman asked me what I will miss about Virginia other than the people. My heart became instantly heavy as I thought about what I have loved about the land of the commonwealth.

Here it is in two parts:

Part I (hum County Roads by Johnny D as you read for full effect)

I miss... the fireflies, the rolling green hills in the spring, the strange bugs, the lightning and thunder storms, the reptiles and amphibians, the old geology, the cardinal (his song and color), wild rhododendrons, flowering trees in the backcountry, the fall, the Wengers' grape farm, the lilies in the gardens, the magnolia trees and the sunshine.

Part II (hum your favorite bluegrass song as you read for full effect)

I miss... contra dancing, the old music that has (literally) been passed on for generations, the live auctions, the stories of the land and people from the last few hundred years, the generosity, the hospitality, the quiet streets and the way people look at you as you walk by them.

We have been so blessed to be among these things. We did not live there long enough to take any of this for granted and will always remember the commonwealth with simple joy.

Special note: Photos taken by the Goldsberrys during their trip to the East Coast.

They Came From the West

2007-08-05T23:47:00.000-04:00

Dearest Readers,

We would like to publically thank all of those who visited us during our almost 3 years in Virginia. We had 13 sets of people who came from WA, AK and Canada with some who even visited us twice! We felt very loved, cared for and remembered.

Thanks for the love,

The Withrows

Pictured to the right are some of our guests. Note: Not pictured are Katie's family in 2005 and Megan and Kevin Goldsberry in 2005.

The Withrow's Justice Revival

2007-06-25T13:39:00.000-04:00

Last week we went to a conference in D.C. called Pentecost 2007: Taking the Vision to the Streets. The conference was sponsored by Sojourners/Call to Renewal (http://www.sojo.net/).
The purpose of this conference was to call the Church to cry out on behalf of the poor in order for poverty to be a part of the 2008 Presidential Debates.

As we have become students of the Bible over the years of our faith, our hearts have changed to care about those who God cares about: the forgotten, the poor, the enslaved, the exploited, the stranger, the sick, the desperate…”the least of the these.”

We were inspired and convicted to move into further relationship and advocacy for those who have been treated with inequity.

(Right: Katie at the steps of National City Christian Church where the Sojourners Pentecost 2007 Conference was held.)

We arrived Sunday night to a Justice Revival where Rev. Sam Rodriguez called for a generation “not to be known as the Ipod Generation or the You-Tube Generation, but the Generation of Justice.” What will we be known for? Will we truly be able to eradicate extreme global poverty? Will we be able to stop global warming?

(ABOVE: Derek Webb provided the Musical/Lyrical background for the conference)

Rev. Jim Wallis (who spoke numerous times throughout the conference and is the director of Sojourners/Call to Renewal) reminded us that the Gospel must be good news to the poor. He reminded us that all great movements had spiritual roots: women’s suffrage, civil rights, abolition of slavery and that the last place to change during a movement is in D.C. Movements start at the grassroots level with the people and then move to change policy. FAITH, then HOPE, then ACTION, then CHANGE.

Dr. Freddy Haynes with some feisty preaching regarding Amos 5:21-24 (read, it will kick your rear). He preached that “justice that is personal, overflows to justice that is social.”

“We are to use our hook-up, to hook-up the unhooked.”

We also heard from a panel who are all active in some sort of social justice. Their ministries and stories are incredible. Brian McLaren (Chandler’s twin) was the moderator.

Shane Claiborne was among the panel. We heard him speak numerous times throughout the conference. One word: AMAZING. You have got to check this guy out! He co-founded a community in Philadelphia called the Simple Way (http://www.simpleway.org/) that focuses on relocating to the poor and abandoned places, redistributing of resources (amazing stories) and of reconciliation. We are reading his book called Irresistible Revolution.

Then we went to a very informative session entitled “Making Work Work,” about what could be done at the federal level for the poor by Ron Sider (author of Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger).

Monday night we held a Candidates Forum at GWU that was broadcasts live on CNN. The presidential candidates were from the democratic end of politics: Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, and former Senator John Edwards. In the Fall there is a similar forum scheduled for the Republican candidates, so stay tuned. The agenda was again to put poverty on the minds of these candidates. The conference did not endorse any of these candidates, but sought for the candidates to seek OUR agenda. Each candidate had 15 minutes, some of the questions were asked by Sojourners some by CNN (stupid, disappointing). If you want to watch the forum go to http://www.sojo.net/ and look around for it. It should be easy to find. Look for us among the 1,300 others in the studio audience. Overall the experience was encouraging and exciting (we had never been to anything airing live on national news before). We have new efforts to pray for our nation’s leaders.

(LEFT: Former Senator Jonathan Edwards, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Rev. Jim Wallis,
Sen. Barak Obama, CNN correspondent)

On Tuesday we learned about 3 different issues that later we would lobby about (or in our case try to): Farm Bill (global/US small farmers rights, food stamps), Immigration and SCHIP (state children’s health insurance). For each issue someone spoke on the theological reasons why we are called to care about these topics and then someone would speak about the “nuts-and-bolts” of each of the issues. We were also taught how to lobby and felt prepared to go and advocate for the rights of the “least of these.” We helped pass out signs and then marched from the National City Christian Church (where the conference was held) to the Capital where we rallied. There were a few hundred people that marched, sang and shouted out slogans. We took up one lane of the road and were police escorted.

We missed the Virginian group for the actual lobbying and were pretty disappointed. Katie had a personal story regarding immigration all prepared to share with our 2 Virginian Senators.

Andy posing next to the Russell Senate Office Building, the site of Virginia's Senators' offices. Andy blended in well as no less than 3 people asked him for directions in the 30 minutes he was inside the building.

We also got to go to a Capital Hill Reception where Nancy Pelosi and some other Senators and Representatives spoke with much passion.
Wow, this was one of our favorite parts. It was a bit of a surprise to be around so many people who have been given so much power to influence so many people.

Afterwards, we went to a dinner specifically for young people interested in justice. It was exciting to hear what other people are doing at such a young age.

On Wednesday, Andy went and heard Shane Claiborne speak again and Katie went to a session on Immigration and the New Sanctuary Movement (see www.newsanctuarymovement.org). To end the conference 2 awards were given. One to Rev. Romal Tune who came from a humble background to serve God and community, the other was given to Gary Haugen who used a position of influence to benefit those in poverty. We could not do either of their stories justice. They were tear-spilling and incredibly inspiring.

So now what? Pray for us that God would give us courage and obedience to figure out what our special anointing looks like to preach good news to the poor.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
To proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,
To comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-
To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
And a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair...”
Isaiah 61:1-3

Ode to Wilson

2007-06-01T18:53:00.000-04:00

It is over. Today was the last day of school. As I sit and reflect on the last 2 years, two themes flood my mind: hard work and blessing. This truly was one of the most consumptive efforts I have ever done, but the rewards have been so deep and rich. The staff and students of this school have showered me with such love and care. I have learned a lot about myself, youth culture and love.

To the Wilson readers out there... Thank you.

Thank you for teaching me how to be a teacher. Thank you for showing me the depths of love. Thank you for your patience with me. Thank you for the laughs. Staff, it has been an honor to co-labor with you to educate young people. Students, it has been an honor to teach you about the Earth. We truly live in a beautiful world.

I will miss seeing you all everyday. I will miss hearing the band play as I walk down the hall, the smell of the football field, the days after school with the Freshman Council. Yet above all else, I will miss the 700+ human beings trying to figure out high school life.

What a trip! I am glad I was invited.

You can take Mrs. Withrow away from the Hornets, but you can't take the Hornet out of Mrs. Withrow!

Mrs. Withrow with her "jewels and gems."

Mrs. Withrow and one of her students, Jarden Spares (name changed to protect student). You can't hide our hornet pride!

Mrs. Withrow lets out a "Yhess!" as she grades her last paper...eva!

Wilson, you have blessed me and changed me. Earth Science will always rock!

Pilot: May Visual Update

2007-05-29T20:52:00.001-04:00

To our wonderful readership,

There is so much more to come over the coming weeks and months and years and decades and centuries. But alas, we must start somewhere! And here it is, a mini visual update:

Us @ El Gran Puerto in Stuart's Draft, VA.

Andy and Emmett bustin' some tunes at Westminster Chapel

Hazy view of Nelson County from the Blue Ridge.

Katie and the pregnant version of Megan @ the Ryan wedding in Seattle