Nick's Marrying Beth. Lucky Guy!

We got the happy news this week that Nick Pennino, my sister's oldest son, proposed to Beth (pictured here), his "steady" for some time now. I believe he proposed to her on Friday, December 5, 2008, and she said "yes" the same day!!! The Glenn family here in Pittsburgh has met Beth only a couple of times and all impressions were VERY positive (just so you know, Beth!).

The whole family was very excited and by means of this blog we our very best wishes to Beth and extend our congratulations to Nick.

Along these lines, we had a good discussion at dinner the other night and I asked the kids what type of advice they would give to Nick or Beth. Hmmm? Interesting the responses.

Evelyn: "She's always right!"
Meredith: "I like her. What Evelyn said and never put her down."
Clint: "Don't get married." (He was just kidding...but he didn't have any serious advice.)
Ellen: "I refuse to comment."
Mary didn't have time to comment. Too much talking by the kids.
Doug: Ditto Mary's situation, but since Doug's the one typing this blog, he has the great privilege of typing out his advice . Here goes.....

To Nick.....

• Truly loving Beth involves the willing, premeditated sacrifice of all you hold dear for Beth's sake. (Not a platitude. List the things you like the most and plan on sacrificing those exact things for Beth, even if she doesn't ask you to. If you don't want to or think you can't, see the next item.)
• You can't. Not on your own. You won't be able to maintain the "want to" on your own even if you have it now! Ongoing "want to" only comes from God -- it's super-natural if you will. Now, here's the sticky part. God only gives ongoing "want to" to His friends. So look up John 15:14 and see what you have to do to be His friend.
• Real men go to church and take their wife with them (preferably a good reformed Presbyterian church--I'm serious--the RIGHT church makes a huge difference), take it seriously, and stick with it for life.
• Love one person more than Beth..."no" not you! Love Christ more than Beth. She'll love you for it (ultimately) because a man who truly loves Christ is a passionate lover, protector and defender of his wife.
• It's all about Beth now, not you.

I could give you a lot of other less important advice, but these are the main items. Remember, you can't do this own your own. No man can.

Now my advice to Beth.

• Your perfect, (not really -- no one is, but as far as marriages go, it is usually the guy who messes up), so be yourself.
  
• If anything goes wrong in your marriage it is Nick's fault.
• Guard your heart against all other loves.
• Respect your husband. It's more important than loving him. (Kinda odd isn't it! Men are weird.)
  

Shorter list for Beth, because I don't know Beth as well and besides, it is the guys who need the most advice!!

A good marriage, the way God made it, is the best thing that can happen to two people. Even a good marriage NOT the way God intended it is tolerable, but nothing like a true godly message.

Advice to BOTH:

• establish good habits early -- most specifically, go to church the first Sunday you are married and commit to going every Sunday with few exceptions. I'm serious. Just do it. I'll be asking.
  

I'm harping on the "religion thing." So be it. I am. It's important-- more so than anything else....thus the advice.

Go Penn State. I'll be watching the Rose Bowl.

Doug and Mary Go To Brazil

Here we are in Campinas, Brazil, I lovely town north of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Pictured here are (l to r) Mary, Sunniva, and Udo. Sunniva is a niece of Udo and is his publishing partner -- a very hard working and intelligent work asset to our publishing team (as well as being a lovely young lady). In the lower picture are (l to r) Liduina Fiorini, Mary the beautiful, Doug, Julia (daughter of Sunniva who is taking the picture -- thank you Sunniva!), and Udo Fiorini. We had a lovely time in Brazil. Mary and I were there from November 11-18, 2008, on a business trip. Udo is publishing Industrial Heating (and soon Pollution Engineering) in the Portuguese language in Brazil. Udo and Liduina are both lovely people and Udo has a strong desire to start a publishing business. He is doing a great job so far.
We also had the great privilege of meeting the Fiorini's children, Carolina and Leonardo, both graduated from university and in or entering the business world. Both very lovely young people.
Mary and I stayed at the Mercure hotel in Campinas. It was a wonderful time. We learned a little Portuguese while we were there. Bom dia = "good morning." Abrigado/a = "thank you" depending on who is saying it. We learned plenty more. We're looking forward to visiting again. This trip was mostly business. Udo and I did a LOT of talking. We didn't really get to do any sightseeing, which is okay, but we're looking forward seeing more of Brazil the next time we visit. Thanks Udo and Liduina for your grand hospitality.

First Black President of the USA

November 2008 has been an historic month in the Glenn house as well as in the United States of America. Mary went on her first international trip with Doug. It was not Doug's first time to travel internationally, but it was his first time in Brazil. If you look back a few blogs, you'll meet Udo and Liduina Fiorini. Doug and Mary went to Brazil (from 11/10-18) to visit with the Fiorini's and do a little business. The kids had a wonderful time with Grandpa and Grandma Glenn and Doug and Mary are SO thankful for grandparents who can do long-term child-watching. Can't thank you enough Mom and Dad!!

November also saw the election of our first black/African-American/negro president. It was truly an historic event and in many ways something to be celebrated.

No doubt there are hundreds of reasons to vote for Barack Obama, but there is one particular reason that we talked about recently here in the family which is worth commenting on.

I've heard that many people voted for Mr. Obama because he was black. By doing so, many of them felt they were fighting against discrimination. "I'll vote for Obama because he is a black man. I'll show that America no longer discriminates on the basis of skin color."

Discrimination is when a person makes a decision based on unjustifiable reasons. For example, most everyone would admit that a woman and a man could be airline reservation agents equally well and they'd further agree that choosing the man over the woman (or visa versa) because he was a man would be sexist and discriminatory. Their gender has nothing to do with how well they could take airline reservations. Choosing a paperboy because he is Italian and not Chinese would discriminate against the Chinese boy because the boys' nationality has nothing to do with how well he could deliver papers. Firing a 50-something man to sell insurance and hiring a 20-something man for the same pay to do the same job would obviously be discrimination because their ages have nothing to do with how well they can sell insurance.

Making a decision based on criteria that is unrelated to the situation is the epitome of discrimination.

That's why it is so ironic that those people voting for Barack Obama "because he is a black man" are committing the very "crime" they so detest. Does Mr. Obama's skin color have anything to do with how well he can perform the job? No. Does the fact that Mr. Obama is an African-American somehow make him more qualified than a white man? No. Does the fact that Mr. Obama is a negro have anything to do with whether or not he will be a better president than a non-negro president? No.

These well-intentioned voters thought they were doing a good thing by voting for a black man. But if they did it simply because he was black, they are guilty of the very crime they so hate.

Perspective on the World

So what is happening in November 2008.

• Ellen will turn 16 next month; Clint is 13, Meredith is 11, Evelyn is 9.
• All three kids are enjoying Blackburn Study Center.
• John McCain/Sarah Palin or Barak Obama/Joe Biden will be elected president this coming Tuesday.
• The war in Iraq is pretty much over and a new democratic government is developing.
• Afghanistan is still a problem in that Al Quida is still there (also Osama Bin Laden).
• The world is in the midst of an energy "situation." Gas prices were as high as $4.00/gallon this summer. They are now down closer to $2.50/gal.
• We are also in the midst of a international financial crisis because the government compelled banks to make loans to people not able to pay back. Now multiple financial institutions have gone under and the financial world is being rocked.
• Stock market dropped over 900 points recently. It also went up over 500 points. Very volatile market.
• George W. Bush is the president.
• We're thinking the kids might be getting chicken pox -- we're hoping.
• Mary and Doug are headed to Brazil next week.
• We own a 1999 blue Chevy Suburban (pictured here) and a 2007 red Dodge Caravan. Ellen will be getting an older Chevy Corsica after she starts driving. Pappy is working on it now.
  

The Comforting Presence

So we're standing in the kitchen tonight (10/29/08) with a flurry of activity. Everyone is coming and going and many, many people calling "mom, mom, mom." Mary says, in the presence of all, "I'm going to go crazy." Evy jumps in and says, "but Mom, you're the comforting presence!" Where in the world did she come up with that one?

Mary's Got Warts; Doug Wants to Preach

Well, it has been a long time since the last post, but much has happened in the Glenn household.
Pearl (the new dog) is now 3/4 the size of Duke (our "old" dog); Ellen just finished her cross country season, Clint finished his second year of Homeschool Hornet Soccer where he scored his first goal, Meredith has started running with Ellen, and Evelyn is loving Blackburn and enjoying her 10th year of life (she'll turn 10 on February 14th, 2009).

The lovely and gracious Mrs. Glenn (pictured here with Meredith) pulled a wee tiny muscles in the back of her calf and hasn't been able to run since September. Her mental health is borderline but she is doing the best she can (I'm just kidding!!!). It does help her tremendously to run. Ellen has found out the same thing this year. Running is therapeutic -- the Blackburn homework load does not seem as heavy when you can run every other day. Anyhow, back to the lovely and gracious Mrs. Glenn...since she was not able to run, she decided to have a few raised warts removed from the back of one of her heals (very gross), they are healing nicely, but slowly. The lovely and gracious one also landed a job at Blackburn (the homeschool study center where the kids attend on Mondays and Wednesdays. She is study hall monitor and all around helper to the administrator, Mr. Landau.

Mr. Glenn (me) has also been busy. Last week (October 21-22), I was in Nashville for FNA (Furnaces North America) 2008. It was a very successful event. I credit this mostly to Mr. Tom Morrison the incoming CEO of the Metal Treating Institute (MTI). During the event, I was announced as president-elect of MTI -- a high honor -- and the first ever Associate Member to be president of MTI. Associate members are essentially suppliers to the commercial heat treating industry. Full members are commercial heat treaters; associate members sell equipment, components and supplies to the commercial heat treaters.

I've also decided to pursue my licensure to preach -- not the same as becoming a full-fledged preacher, but it will give me the authority to preach within the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) even though I have not attended seminary. We'll see how it goes. Both my Session and the Presbytery have to approve me. I might not measure up; we'll see.

At work, I also produce my first promotional video. You can see it if you click here.

Finally, Doug and Mary just found out that they will be going to Brazil in November for one week. Doug has a business partner in Brazil (see earlier post about Udo and Liduina Fiorini) and they have invited us down for a combination business/vacation trip. We are anxious about this trip.

I'll try to write more consistently/often.

Ellen's 1st Cross Country Meet

Ellen ran her first cross country meet today, September 6, 2008. She did great. Here is picture of her with two of he new teammates, Emily (left) and ? (right). Emily ended up with a swollen knee for some reason, but all three ran great. There are only about 6 girls on the Upper St. Clair (USC) team.

It was great to see.

Will, Clara and Willie Come to Visit

Kristi and Ed Hannon's two oldest children, Will and Clara, came to visit for a couple of days (July 27 & 28, 2008). As would be expected with the parentage they have, these two are perfect angels! Pictured above are (left to right) Will, Clara, Evelyn and Meredith watching an episode of Gilligan's Island before going to bed on Sunday night, July 27.

Also visiting the Glenn house for a week is our next door neighbor's dog, Willie. Pictured below (left to right) are Duke Glenn, Pearl Glenn, and Willie Blake. Also a perfect angel (a -hem), Willie is a fun loving dog who has a wonderful time with Duke and Pearl. He really is a well behaved dog in many ways. We've been working with him on a few commands and he is getting better. For example, tonight I stood by his open cage and said "CAGE" and he reluctantly went in. Progress!! Dennis and Merritt Blake and their two kids, Ellie and Garrett are at the beach this week so we are watching both Willie and the rabbit. We're hoping they have a great time and come back refreshed. Willie misses you very much (but he's happy staying here at the Glenn Doggie Hilton!).

Our New Brazilian Friends

It was our pleasure to host Udo and Liduina Fiorini from Campinas (60 miles west of Sao Paulo), Brazil, this 4th of July weekend. The picture you see here is of Udo and Liduina in Pap (Bob) & Peg Kimpel's 1966 Mustang right before Udo took it for a ride. Udo said that his son, Leonardo, would have loved to have been there to enjoy "the dream" of driving the Mustang. It was very obvious that Udo LOVED driving this antique.

The evening before, Thursday, July 3rd, Mary and I enjoyed dinner with the Fiorini's at the Monterey Bay restaurant on Mt. Washington overlooking Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We had a wonderful time of fellowship.

Liduina is the technical director for Fortitech, a New York based, nutritional company that provides a variety of premixed nutrients to many of the major food manufacturers around the world. She is the proud mother of Leonardo (24) who is a recently graduated mechanical engineer and Catalina (23) a beautiful young lady studying to enter the pharmaceutical field.

Udo currently works in sales for a major Brazilian furnace manufacturer. Udo and I have partnered to have Udo publish Industrial Heating in Brazil. We have done one issue already and it was quite successful. Both Udo and Liduina would like to do more in the publishing field.

Tomorrow, July 5 (Saturday), they are headed to Washington D.C. to do some sightseeing. From there, they will head to Philadelphia to fly home to Campinas.

They are here in the United States also celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. We had a lovely time with Udo and Liduina and we wish them God's blessings and safe travels.

For more pictures of Udo and Liduina, please click here and look for the album called Fiorini's In Ellwood 4th of July 2008.

Dave & Loa's 50th Wedding Anniversary

June 1958 was a very good month for my father. That was the month he married my mother. I think it was June 26, 1958.

June 26, 2008, was a very good day of celebrating God's provision for 50 years of marriage for mom and dad. They survived the raising of three kids and are in the midst of helping us raise 9 grandkids (no great grandkids yet!).

About 50-75 friends and family helped celebrate the golden anniversary which was held at Trinity United Methodist Church in Conneaut Lake, Penna., where Dave and Loa have attended church for roughly 40 years. It was a loving and joyful celebration. Pictures from the celebration can be viewed at www.dougglenn.smugmug.com and look for the photo album entitled Glenn 50th.

Marriage is instituted by God. A good marriage is a gift from God. 50 years of a good thing is a real blessing.

Congratulations mom and dad for making it.

Joey Colosimo

Today, Joey Colosimo from our church came over to spend some time with Clint. Evelyn and Meredith were at Pap & Peg's and Ellen was working at Burger King, so Joey came over. Much fun was had including shooting hoops and, as pictured here, VIDEO GAMES!

Isn't Clint's posture good and don't you like Joey's summer cut?

Two young covenant children. Had to get my theological statement in there somewhere.

OH MY!

Even more dress up dog pictures.

Pearl, Hope & Joy

Well, today, Saturday, May 31, 2008, our new boxer puppy, Pearl, was subjected to "dress up" time. As you can see from the photo, Pearl got the privilege of wearing some miscellaneous baby clothes. Fun. Later this same day, Evelyn's good friends Hope and Joy Miller came over to spend all day Saturday, stay overnight and go to church with us on Sunday. They are nice young ladies and we enjoyed having them.

"Lil' Mama"

So our 2nd child and only son, Clint (turning 13 on June 11), recently attained the long-awaited status of being slightly taller than his mother. It is safe to say that he is passing his older sister, Ellen, as well. This is an important milestones in any young man's life.

I'm glad to report that Clint is not only growing physically, be he is also a very nice young man with whom the Lord seems to be working. Of course, it doesn't ultimately matter how tall he gets physically, but we'd like for him to be a spiritual giant.

Let's mark the date. May 2008 is the month when Clint surpassed his mother in height.

Here are a couple of interesting stories about Clint.

Clint seems to enjoy working out -- lifting weights, doing push ups and sit ups. One of the things his mother can count on nearly every night before Clint goes to bed is a visit from Clint saying something like, "Look, Mom, peck shadows," while giving the obligatory muscle man pose.

Another thing that nearly put his mother in tears because it was so sweet from a mom's perspective is the following. Having made note that he was taller than his mother, Clint one evening walked up to Mary and said, "Mom, since I'm taller than you now, can I call you lil' mama?" Mary told me about Clint's question that night and said it was all she could do to maintain her composure.

The boy is no longer a boy and we couldn't be more pleased with the man he's becoming. Ladies, take note, with 3 sisters, he will make some young lady a very fine husband someday.

Just remember a few things, Clint.
1. She'll always be your mama and therefore always have a unique power over you -- until you get married and then your wife takes that spot.
2. I can still beat you in basketball.
3. Your dad is still bigger than you, but even when you get bigger than he (which is possible), you may be able to take him but he'll always be able to hurt you -- so don't try it.
4. Every time you work out your physical body, don't forget about your spiritual body.
And finally, remember, if you're going to die, die well dressed. ??????

Love ya, Dad.

Evan & Evelyn

Now here are a couple of people whose first names start with Ev......, Evan Tweddell and Evelyn Glenn.

The Ev... people are sitting on top of Evelyn's bunkbed. Just today (Saturday, May 17, 2008) we tore the carpeting out of Evelyn and Meredith's room. The hardwood floors underneath the old, disgusting carpet looks pretty good. Don't you think so, Meredith?

[Meredith typing now....]

"Yes, I really like it. It has some "YICK" on it but it's good for my room."

[Dad typing again....]

It was a wonderful day ripping up carpeting. Both Evelyn and Meredith helped. Evelyn spent nearly the entire time pulling up staples and nails from the floor. About halfway through the job, she found an easier way to do it and was just thrilled.

Meredith and I did the cutting, rolling and taping of the carpet and Meredith carried all the rolled carpet to the basement and put them in a neat pile.

We swept the room and reorganized. Now it looks great. It is something new! We put a navy blue carpet remnant down. It was the one that was in Clint's room but he decided that he didn't want it anymore, so we "stole" it for Meredith and Evelyn's room.

Pap, Peg, Gary and Lisa came to eat dinner with us. They brought Evan. Joe and Ann were in Philadelphia at a wedding.

Pearl

Sunday, May 4th was a big day in the Glenn household. That was the day Pearl was delivered to our home. Pictured here are Pearl and Meredith and Pearl. Pearl is a full-bred boxer just like Duke, our other dog. Both Pearl and Duke came from the same breeder in Utah, Sabrina Olsen (www.legendaryboxers.com). Pearl flew all the way from Salt Lake City on Northwest Airlines. She flew up in the passenger section with Sabrina's cohort, Nathan.

Pearl arrived in great shape and she is adjusting well. She likes attacking Duke and Duke doesn't seem to mind.

Mary has informed me that she has already fallen in love with Pearl and that she would spend "thousands of dollars" on the dog if she should get sick or injured. Sure she would......! I told her I have a 50 cent shotgun shell that would solve the problem as well! (Just kidding!)

Meredith loves Pearl also -- as do all the kids. Meredith wants you to know that Pearl is cute and cuddly. Ahhh..... Evy wants to know why she wasn't pictured! "Hey, Dad!"

Duke seems to love Pearl also. In some way, they are related. We think that one of Duke's sisters gave birth to Pearl. We're not sure, but they seem to get along well.

Touring Munich, Germany

I (Doug) have the great fortune/blessing of traveling to Munich, Germany, this week for business reasons. I and Roy Bigham (pictured here), editor of Pollution Engineering magazine, took some time today, Sunday, May 4, 2008, to walk the Aldstadt (Old Town) part of Munich.

Two things struck me during our walk which I'll tell you here:

1. Munich, as with most of Europe, is a fairly godless place. Religion in Germany is supported by the government. Everyone pays a tax to support churches, but a very small portion of the population are church-goers and even fewer are born-again Christians. In spite of this, 99% of the shops are closed on Sunday. Roy and I walked a section of Sendlinger Strasse that was bustling with business yesterday, but today it was relatively quiet -- no open shops.

How ironic. In a culture that has all but forsaken God, the Germans are more sabbaterian than the USA which has a high proportion of professing evangelical Christians.

I'm betting this presents God with a dilemma. Who should He bless more (or less), the 4th commandment, sabbath-breaking evangelicals in the USA, or the largely godless sabbath-keepers (at least outwardly) of Munich?

2. While walking Munich, Roy and I entered a very large Catholic church. I was walking around inside toward the back of the church when a German man came and caught my attention and asked me to remove my ball cap. Oops. I forgot to be a gentleman.

Again, in a relatively godless society, at least they outwardly demand respect be given to the things of God. In #1, they purposefully or inadvertently observe God's command to keep the sabbath holy (by not shopping), and in #2 they demand respect for the house of God.

In a way, it was very refreshing to see the closed shops and desire to be respectful in God's house. Certainly, what is in the heart is what matters most, but to argue that we in the US have better hearts when we neither respect God's day nor respect God's house ought to make us all think if really have the heart we believe we have.

More pictures of Munich are available at www.dougglenn.smugmug.com. Look for the album entitled "Munich."

Cousins Nick and TJ

My sister, Michelle, when she was married to Ted Pennino, had two handsome young boys. Nick (25) and TJ (early 20's). This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, TJ, who is a senior and St. Bonaventure (click here to see photos and read about TJ's baseball career as a Bonnie), had a 3-game series against Duquesne. The whole family went to see one game on Saturday. TJ played well, but the team lost.

That evening, TJ's older brother, Nick (pictured here with Meredith and Evelyn) came and stayed overnight. Nick's girlfriend, Beth, stayed at one of her friend's house on the South Side of Pittsburgh. On Sunday a.m., Nick got up and had breakfast with us and then left (without going to church with us!!!) to pick up Beth and head back the Harrisburg area where Beth works as an auditor.

Nick works for Raytheon Corp. doing things he can't tell us about unless he shoots us immediately after telling. We've all chosen to stay in the dark!

Both Nick and TJ have been a lot of fun for our kids to know. Both of them have been good for our kids.

TJ is hoping to get a job in forestry or some other outside work.

"Somebody Say Something"

So we woke up a bit late this Saturday (3/22/08) and it was a lazy, slow start to the day. I had some emails to do and Meredith and Evelyn were sitting in the dining room eating their breakfasts while I did emails in the same room. It was a very peaceful, quite time.

Out of the blue, Evelyn sternly (and relatively loudly) asserts, "Somebody say something!"

Apparently, she could only handle so much of the silence.

By the way, Duke lost today to West Virginia University. WVU goes on to the Sweet 16. Duke goes home. Sorry Ellen and Clint.

Almost Meeting Prince Philippe of Belgium

This last week (ending March 15), I spent Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thrusday in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, at an environmental trade show, GLOBE|2008. During the first day of the show, I started to walk the show floor prospecting for potential advertisers. Toward the far end of the show floor, there was a relatively large group of TV cameras, boom microphones and a large group of lookers-on. As I passed by, I noticed that it was in the Belgium pavilion (an area where multiple companies from Belgium were exhibiting).

I went several aisles beyond the crowd and started working my way up and down the aisles. Roughly an hour later as I was approaching the Belgium pavilion, the crowd was still there.

I asked two of the people standing in the crowd who it was we were all looking at. They answered, "Our prince. Prince Philippe of Belgium." The second person said, "Crown Prince Philippe," which I understand to mean he is the heir to the crown once his parents pass.

As I looked into the center of the crowd, it was not obvious to me which one was the prince. So I asked and they graciously pointed him out to me. The picture above is of "Crown Prince" Philippe and his lovely wife Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz.

As I walked away from the crowd, I had two very distinct feelings. The first was absolute amazement and appreciation for how all of these people were fawning over royalty. What respect they were paying to this prince. It was quite encouraging to see people showing respect for a man in a high position of authority. It made me think how casual I am around the royalty I talk with everyday (Christ)!

The second thought I had was...."he is a man like any other many." Because I couldn't tell who he was in the crowd at first, I had another, more dignified, older man pegged as the prince. When it was finally pointed out to me which man was in fact the prince, it was not who I had expected. He was a man like any other. I remember thinking, "he needs Jesus just the same as any other man."

A strange juxtaposition of thoughts, but both were true.

I admit I had this inward desire to get my picture with him -- if for no other reason than to place it on this blog. I controlled myself and didn't run into the middle of the crowd and request a photo, but trust me.....it took self control. It would have been neat to have had a picture with Prince Philippe of Belgium.

Later that day, I learned that the managers of the trade show had been waiting at my booth with Prince Philippe to take a photo of me with the prince! Imagine my surprise. The magazine I publish, Pollution Engineering, was a media co-sponsor of this event and apparently show management was trying to get a picture of Prince Philippe with all the co-sponsors. Problem is they forgot to tell me and I am hardly ever in my booth because I'm out prospecting for business.

Imaging my surprise to find out that the Prince of Belgium was waiting at my booth for me (supposedly for 10-15 minutes) until he couldn't wait any longer and moved on. Of course, I was disappointed, but this also made me think how it is that Christ comes to us, pursues us and sometimes we're not home, not listening, or out carrying on the business of the day.

The very Prince I desired to get a photo with was at my booth waiting for me and I didn't know it.

Kind of a neat story......

The last thought I had was, "I'm better off than this fellow (assuming he doesn't know Christ)." I pray he does. I'm thankful to God that I do know Christ.

To read more about Prince Philippe, click here.

Grandpas are Significant! Just Ask Them.

Now this isn't the most flattering picture of Grandpa Glenn and Pap, but it is certainly one with which we can have some fun. The fact of the matter is, grandpas are important (so are grandmas, but I didn't dare post a picture of grandmas looking this bad). Since I blog primarily for the kids so that they can remember significant things in their life, it is a good idea to remember grandpas.

I had the good fortune of having both my grandfathers until I was in college. Grandpa Glenn died first during either my freshman or sophomore year at Grove City College of an aortic aneurism. I remember him very well, wrinkly nose and all. He was a pipe and cigarette smoker. I remember him sitting on the back porch or in the back yard smoking. I remember going to the lumber yard where he worked. I remember he was a quiet and happy man. Dad tells me he loved watching boxing. I never knew that from first-hand experience. I'm not sure of Grandpa Glenn's spiritual condition but if I had to guess, I'd say he was a Christian. I was too young to know and/or care. I do however have memories of Grandpa Glenn in church. So I understand from Dad, Grandpa Glenn will be in heaven -- most likely. I'll look forward to seeing him.

Grandpa Landers was around a lot longer and we (mom, dad, Michelle, and Stan) saw him much more frequently. Many, many memories associated with Grandpa Landers: riding the Ferguson tractor, watching Stanley fall off the tractor and get nearly run over by Grandpa (Stan's fault -- sorry little, big brother for casting blame), Grandpa in the barn milking cows (come-bossy), Grandpa in the garden, Grandpa's jovial laugh, Grandpa standing on the porch calling "Dorrrrrrtha" (Grandma's name), riding in the car with Grandpa to downtown Cambridge Springs. I also have some more current memories of Grandpa as well: Grandpa crying (but trying not to) as he was telling me that Grandma had some sort of cancer (slow growing and not fatal) -- he was living in the Leslie Rd. house at the time; Grandpa working in the small woods behind the Leslie Rd. house -- every time we visited the woods was a little bit smaller. Grandpa was directing all his energies to some good use -- clearing the woods. I think it was a great vent for him and both he and the woods were better off for it. I'm guessing the neighbors were glad Grandpa moved before the woods became open pasture land (just kidding)!

The only memory I don't have of Grandpa Landers was seeing him in church very often. In this sense, Grandpa Landers and Grandpa Glenn are a study in contrasts. Grandpa Glenn was, I believe, a man of faith, but a quiet one. Grandpa Landers in his later days was more a man of faith than he was during our growing up years. For that, I'm thankful. But during my growing up years, I had one grandpa who I would consider a Christian and another with whom I had doubts.

My kids are more fortunate than I. They have two grandpas that explicitly profess Christ. Neither would claim to be perfect. In fact, each would be more than willing to point out flaws.......in the other grandpa!!!! Neither would claim to be perfect, but both are walking the Christian walk. Speaking as an experienced grandchild, I can tell you that the faith of my grandfathers was and still is significant. Fathers and grandfathers set the standard and I'm grateful to God that my kids have two grandfathers (and grandmothers) that profess Christ as their savior and strive to live humbly and obediently before Him. Whatever other memories they leave for my kids (and there are many not the least of which is their sense of humor and love of life), the memory of their love for Christ will be the most enduring and important.

They may not look so good in the picture above (in fact, I think they are both sleeping), but they're pretty on the inside! Thanks Grandpa Glenn and Pappy for first and foremost being a lover of Christ in front my kids.

Evelyn's 9th Birthday Party

Well guess who's officially 9 years old? That's right, it's Evelyn Rose Glenn. We had a wonderful birthday celebration for Evelyn on Friday night, 2/15 even though her "real" birthday was 2/14. Grandma and Grandpa Glenn, Pap & Peggy Kimpel, Gary and Lisa Fox, and Joe, Ann and Evan Tweddell all came to the celebration. To see more pictures, click here
and look for the "Evelyn's 9th Birthday" photo album with this picture.

Evelyn was very sweet during her party. She got a LOT of stuff and she liked all her gifts. She genuinely thanked each and every person for the gift they gave to her. She even hugged her sisters (and tried to hug her brother!!)!

Today (Saturday) Evelyn, Meredith and Clint all played basketball games in their Upward league. Upward has been a real blessing. We've spend every Saturday in January and February of this year playing basketball in Upward. There is only one practice and one game (each per child) left before it is all over. We'll all miss it very much.

Today, in Evelyn's game, the team's star player, Hope Miller, was not there. The coach told Evelyn that she took Hope's place. Evelyn was honored to have assumed that role.

Grandma and Granpa Glenn stayed overnight last night and went to see all the games today. They have a wonderful time.

The Token System

For nearly a year, the kids have been on "the token system." What is the token system? It is a system of handling money as well as an incentive system to have the kids do work around the house without having to hound them.

Here is how it works. Instead of giving allowances to the kids, we (mostly Mary) developed a schedule of jobs and prices that would be paid for each job. The kids "volunteer" to do these jobs in order to get money to pay for the things they need and/or want. The kids are also paid for their school grades because that is their primary "employment" at this point in life.

Each week, Mary settles up with the kids and they are required to pay 10% to the church (tithe) and 10% into savings. The rest they save and/or spend. Mary has set up a series of envelopes for each child where they can put allocated funds for such things as "cell phone," "toiletries" (they have to buy a good bit of their own clothes and toiletries now that we're on the token system), "Blackburn books" (which they are also required to buy), "camp money," etc.

The key to this system is making sure there is a legitimate need all the time. If the kids earn enough money and buy everything they want, then the work stops because there is no need.

It's been a good learning experience for all of us. The only downside is that there is a bit too much talk about money around the house for my taste, but overall, it has been a good experience and the kids are learning how to be a good steward of the money God entrusts to them.

Clint's Progress

Here are a couple of photos that I thought most of you would like. This is Clint in all his splendor and glory.

New Windows

This last week was an interesting week. Mary feels like she was living in the Twilight Zone. Except for Monday, she had several (up to 8) men in the house every day putting in new windows and 3 new doors. It kinda shakes up a girl's schedule when you have no downtime and/or privacy.

Nonetheless, the new windows and doors are in and they look great. It's warmer and quieter in the house now.

Pictured here is Mary and Clint and Uncle Stan and Aunt Wava's house during 2007 Christmas.

Frankenstein Party at the Glenn's

Ellen had over about 15 of her classmates to watch the old Boris Karloff version of Mary Shelley's, Frankenstein. They just finished reading the book in class. According to the crowd, the movie was nothing like the book, but it was good nonetheless. Everyone seemed to have a great time. The attached picture is of one of Ellen's classmates, Peter Holt. This is how he looks normally - he is a Siamese's twin joined at the elbow. Both of them are very "happy jolly " fellows -- so Ellen tells me.

After the party was over, Clint had a great one-liner. He was wandering aimlessly around the kitchen after having enjoyed the company of Ellen's classmates for the last several hours. Now that they were all gone and the party was over, Clint turns to me and say something to the effect of "Dad, it's tough adjusting to the after-party attitude. I just don't like it. It's like taking a shower. I just don't want to do it!"

We make Clint shower at least once each month for those of you who are wondering!

Speaking of Ellen.....Swing Dance

On January 26th, Blackburn Study Center -- the place where all four kids go twice a week for some co-op homeschooling classes -- sponsored an instructional Swing Dance. A Geneva College student who was well versed in swing dance came and instructed the crowd of roughly 40-50 kids and a handful of adults (I and Mary included) in how to swing dance. It was a formal affair. Once again, my daughter was the second most beautiful girl there.......my wife was the first.

Pictured here are the lovely Ellen (on left) and Emily Nicklas, Ellen's good friend.

Enjoy more pictures by clicking HERE.

Ellen Turns 15

One year until she's driving. Oh my goodness! Someone slap me.

We celebrated my first-born's 15th birthday this last December (2007). It was a wonderful party.

Suffice it to say that my first daughter is a beautiful young lady now and is the pride and joy of her mama and papa.

Pap & Peg Celebrate 50 Year's of Marital Bliss

You better believe it has be marital bliss. You can tell by the look on their faces. On Sunday, January 13, the four Kimpel girls (now all lovely ladies) threw an anniversary celebration for their beloved mom and dad in the basement of 1st United Methodist Church in Ellwood City. I'm guessing there were close to 200 people that came to enjoy wedding cake and fellowship. In some breif comments made by Pap to those gathered, he commented on all 4 of his girls whom he made come up and stand in front of the crowd (ugh!). Pap recalled Lisa's non-stop crying as a baby. He recalled Beckie never crying and he and Peg wondering what was wrong with her! He recalled Mary's crying on the phone to a teacher she felt had not been fair with her. She had a difficult time explaining herself through her tears. And Pap remembers telling people that when asked what gender he thought his 4th child would be, he and Peg had no doubt from the very start that it would be another girl -- exactly what they wanted. It was -- exactly what they wanted -- a Jeanie Beanie!

While Paps comments to the crowd centered on his four girls, it was obvious that his true love was the women who stood by his side...and has been there for 50+ years. Peg's love for Pap is just as obvious. Two of the kindest, most self-sacrificing people on God's earth.

We ALL love you, Pap & Peg.

See more anniversary pictures by clicking HERE.

Christmas 2007

All three Christmases were good. Every year we have 3 Christmases. One at Pap & Pegs; one with the Glenns either at Grandpa and Grandma Glenns or at Uncle Stan and Aunt Wava's, and then one here at our home. This year we spent a wonderful day at Pap & Peg's, another 2-3 days (including travel time) at Uncle Stan and Aunt Wava's (we stayed at Beckie's), and a good day here in our home. I'm attaching a few pictures to this blog but you can see more at the Web link below: http://dougglenn.smugmug.com/gallery/4002649#232892473