Rob & Rachel.... all the way from Washington D.C.

Rob, Jason's former roommate at Grove City College, PA, flew in from D.C. with his darling girlfriend, Rachel! We're enjoying our time with them. They are GREAT game players!

HOMEMADE SWEET ROLLS & PIZZA!

Can you put the sweet roll pictures in the correct order????

Picture #1















Picture #2















Picture #3














Picture #4















Picture #5
















Picture #6
















Picture #7
















Picture #8

GO BANANAS!

Thanks to Mom and Dad Lanning and our Uncle Jerry & Aunt Connie, we were generously given a Canon PowerShot A530 Digital Camera! Wow! We still can't believe it! We may need a week of vacation to read the manual! So far, we've taken 5 pictures.... kind of random, but hopefully you'll enjoy them.

The Michigan blanket that Jason is holding up is a fun Christmas gift from Rachel!

About the bananas......
Have you ever bought bananas for 10 cents a pound? I did yesterday at Kroger.... and ended up with 72! I froze a bunch of them because they make great milk shakes!

I was given a bunch of snowmen decorations for Christmas presents from my piano students. They brighten up the apartment! Now we just need snow...

Hildebrand Studio's Newest Student

Aunt Elizabeth is giving Brock his first piano lesson!

It's so fun to be home with Rebekah and Ben and especially Brock!

Uncle Jason loves to try and make him laugh!

2006 Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas 2006

Volume 4

Year In Review: 4th Christmas letter, 3rd anniversary, 2nd year in Lapeer, and 1st Christmas with no school loan!

Family & Fun News!
***Sweet, baby Brock Benjamin Godfrey was born on Sept. 19, 2006, thereby officially promoting us to Uncle & Aunt! Elizabeth flew to South Carolina for an extended weekend in October and bore witness to Papa and Nanny Lanning’s testimony that indeed he is the perfect baby (and Rebekah and Ben are WONDERFUL parents!).
***Daniel’s beautiful fiancé, Candice Whitley, is an ideal addition to our family gatherings and quite possibly the sweetest Southern belle! We “Lanning sisters” approve - a first for three very protective sisters! Their Georgia wedding is planned for March 24, 2007.
***Jason’s cousins, Graham and Kirstee Hildebrand, also found their future mates! Graham and Julie were married July 22, 2006, and Kirstee and Tim will be married January 6, 2007! We also enjoyed a wonderful weeklong 3rd anniversary vacation in May with Jeremy & Jen in Jacksonville, Florida! The rest and relaxation by the pool was just what we needed! They were so hospitable and flexible with our “busy” daily schedule: to and from the pool.
***We enjoyed being with Rachel & Matt at Gull Lake in July! They always have many stories to share about Taiwan!
***Dad and Mom Lanning celebrated 30 years of marriage in September and Dad & Mom Hildebrand celebrated 35 years of marriage in June! What wonderful examples of life-long commitments!
***The Lanning family became a bunch of “bloggers.” (If you don’t know what a blog is, neither did we last year at this time; basically, it’s a diary on-line!) Although Jason and I aren’t as creative or consistent as Rachel, Candice, and Mom Lanning, we manage two or tree new posts per month. Check us out at jasonandliz.blogspot.com. If you suffer from insomnia, this might be your cure!
***Our friends, Mike & Sheri White, accompanied us to Manton & the Traverse City Cherry Festival for the July 4th weekend! They also invited us to a pre-season Pistons game in October that included VIP passes, 2nd row floor seats, and an amazing pre-game dinner and half-time dessert buffet!

WORK : RICKARD, DENNEY, GARNO & ASSOCIATES & HILDEBRAND PIANO STUDIO
Jason is plugging along as a Lapeer area attorney! He continues to “learn the ropes” and take on more responsibility for projects and cases that the office handles. He enjoys coming home for lunch! The piano lesson business for Elizabeth is booming! She is very blessed to have about 50-60 students who come throughout the day. Twice a week in the morning she accompanies the choirs at Lapeer East High School; she also teaches piano lessons at the Seeds o f Faith home-school co-op every other Friday.

DEBT??? – Goodbye!!
Last year we mentioned that one school loan was paid off and we had one to go… well, as of June 2006, we became officially debt free! Now we hope to save for a down payment on a home! The ’96 Sunfire’s life span terminated last year after Christmas, but the Lord graciously provided a 2002 Chevy Impala— with much thanks to Paul Deal of Grand Rapids who finds deals on cars like Elizabeth does with grocery coupons!

CHURCH !
Once again, a big blessing for us as a couple is serving and attending Hunters Creek Community Church in Metamora. Jason has taught Junior High Sunday School for 1 ½ years and we regularly have 8-14 seventh and eighth graders in attendance; we also help lead the Wednesday night Junior High Word of Life program and serve on the Missions Committee. Elizabeth continues to play the organ and piano on Sundays as well as lead the 1st-3rd grade Sonshine choir.

Isn’t it great to celebrate Christmas? We give praise and glory to God for giving His precious gift to us- His Only Begotten Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ! Maybe 2007 will be the year that Jesus Christ returns to the earth and takes those who have trusted in Him to live with Him forever in Heaven!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! We’d love you hear from you!


Love, Jason & Elizabeth

HUNTING

There is always a first for something . . . so today Jason awoke (BY HIMSELF WITHOUT AN ALARM CLOCK!) at 5:15 AM to go hunting with Dad! It took about 10 minutes to put on all the layers, but Mom managed to snap a picture before they left! Thanks to Dad, Jason had a face mask, a few hats and scarfs, and an orange vest! They hunted on Lynn Abrahamson's property in Missaukee County.

The result??? We'll find out soon!

Pistons Game!

What great friends we have! Mike & Sheri invited us to go with them to a pre-season Pistons game at the Palace! We were SO close to the players! Not only did we get VIP parking passes and 2nd row floor seats, but there was an amaznig buffet before the game and a dessert buffet at half-time! It was so fun! The buffet had about 12 areas where you could choose from different food groups... fish, chicken, pizza, rice, stir-fry, hot-dogs, soups, breads, potato skins, salads, vegetables, meats & cheeses, and more! (The dessert buffet was delicious, too... carrott cake, key-lime pie, chocolate mousse cake, cookies, pumpkin bars, chocolate-covered strawberries, etc.!)

Apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze - right, Dad?

Mike and Sheri had us over for pie last night to celebrate Mike's birthday!

This pie company is located in Oxford! Check out their website: http://www.achatzpies.com/
All of the pies are made with natural ingredients and they taste suburb!

Sheri and Mike entered their Summer Photo Contest and they both tied for the winner!

This pie company makes fabulous pies! So far, thanks to Sheri, we've tasted the delicious apple, Michigan 4 berry, and Pumpkin/Cheesecake/Pecan pies!

What's your favorite pie?

The Body Song

I was picking out a song for the JV group to sing at night church next month and couldn't help but pick this one! Anyone remember this? It brings back great memories of Gull Lake and the Sugar Girls! Does anyone have a picture of them on line?

What part of the Body of Christ are you?

THE BODY SONG

EYE
I am the eye, I go blink, blink.
Yes, I am the eye and I can wink.
I am the eye but I can’t think,
That belongs to my friend the brain.

BRAIN
I fritter fratter frit, fritter fratter frit.
I’m the brain with the electric current patter pit.
I’m the brain and I fritter learning bit by bit.
Yes, I fritter fratter fritter all the time.

EAR
Hearing, Hearing.
Small ears hearing.
We don’t miss much.
Hearing all the time.

HEART
I go lub dub, lub dub I go.
I am the heart, I pump like so.
I’m bringing life to all the parts.
I am consistent, I’m the heart.

ARM
I’m swinging, I’m swinging,
Swinging on life’s merry way.
I’m the arm, I’m the arm,
I’m bringing grace to all.

CHORUS
We are the body of Christ,
We are the body of Christ,
Together bringing His love to the world.

We work together,
We work together,
We do it with cooperation.We work together,
We work together,
We do it with cooperation. Amen.

Nice surprises are so sweet!

Maybe I should be gone for lunch more often.....

Yesterday was my "all-day-teaching-piano-day-at-Seeds of Faith-Co-op" and Jason surprised me once again by going to Walmart during his lunch break and buying me a beautiful new blender!! When I came home, a big rectangular box was on the table and my beach towel was wrapped around it and there was a cute little note that said I was very much appreciated!

We had been given a blender for our wedding, but it wasn't working very well anymore (and scaring the neighbors, I think, with its unusual high-pitched sounds!) I mentioned on Thursday night that maybe it was time to get a new one for Christmas, and since Jason heard on the Christian radio that you should never get your wife an appliance for Christmas even if she asks for it, he decided to get it right away! We've never had to buy an appliance before since we got everything we needed from our wedding gifts!

We both had shakes yesterday and today and they tasted great!!!

By the way, don't forget to do something nice for your Pastor and his family this month! It's Pastor Appreciation Month!

Business COOL!

What can you do on a Saturday when it rains all day long?





Go shopping of course, right girls?

Jason found these Johnston & Murphy shoes today at the Somerset Collection Mall in Troy, Michigan! He's been needing them for a LONG time! We just haven't found the right pair until today! They look great on him! The sales woman who was helping us called them "business cool" shoes. Guess that means he's cool, right Dan?

FRIDAYS!

We always look forward to Fridays! On some nights we can hear the bands & announcers for the Lapeer West and Lapeer East football games from our apartment!

I had the morning off today so I had time to get all of my errands done!

It was great to visit with Mom and Dad yesterday as they stopped for dinner on their way back from South Carolina! It was very fun to see the pictures of little Brock!

What are all of you doing this weekend?

Brock Benjamin

What a great-looking newphew!
We can't wait to see him in person!

_______K.....G________!

Way to go Rebekah! We knew you could do it!

Benjamin and Rebekah Godfrey are wonderful parents to Baby Godfrey, whose official name is now known as Brock Benjamin Godfrey.... 7.09 oz, 19 inches long, and _______ color hair (I forgot to ask!), born on Sept. 19 around 4 PM!

Now we are Uncles and Aunts, Dan, Rach, Matt, & Jason!

Did I win the prize for the guessing contest, Rach? I want those mangoes.....

Just can't seem to keep up....

What a busy month September is! On Thursday I added another 5 students to my piano schedule. I actually have 47 on a weekly basis and another 10 or more on a bi-weekly basis. Whew! So if I don't blog much until Saturdays, you know the reason why!

I actually awoke at 4 this morning wide awake ... probably because we went to bed so early (at 9:30 PM!) Friday night! So... since some Sunday School students requested sweet rolls this week, I got them going at 5 AM and finished at 7:20. They sure made the house smell great.

Today we are going to watch some football games with the Whites and then go to a Junior High hayride/potluck night! We always look forward to church on Sundays.... this week the schedule includes Sunday School class, children's choir rehearsal (for the upcoming missions conference), an afternoon nap, and night church with the late night missions meetings! (And the meeting really does go until 10 PM!)

OUCH!

Poor Jason!
The day after Labor Day Jason decided to go for an early morning run! Daniel and Candice were staying the night with us as Candice was planning to fly back that evening. Jason tripped over some uneven sidewalk and fell right on his wrists and elbow! After MUCH clean-up, and his nice work shirt & tie were in place, we noticed that he had cut himself shaving and had gotten some blood on his shirt collar! When it rains it pours! Thank you, Candice, for taking the pictures! Now we have proof that Jason's wounds were indeed gross.
By the way, they are almost completely healed now!

An Ice Cream Show ... you've got to see it!

Guess what Jason & I saw on Friday night?














A documentary on PBS (Public Broadcasting System- one of the three channels we get on a good day) called An Ice Cream Show.

It was so fun to see! My family would just love it. We called the 1-800 phone # they gave after the show just to see how much the VHS was - $19.99, but we found a better price on Amazon for $5!

Maybe we'll order it so we can watch it at Christmas! Do any of you have an account on Amazon and want to order it for us? We'll pay you back... just let us know before you order it!

What's your favorite ice-cream?

Sunday in Manton, Michigan!

We always enjoy being at Rollins Church on Sunday morning and hearing Dad preach! Today Dad preached on the first few verses in Ephesians 4. The church was packed and many stayed for the Labor Day carry-in dinner after church. As usual, there were just as many desserts as there were main dishes!

Mom is always so kind to take our picture in the morning!

November 15th...here comes Jason!

Jason had the opportunity to shoot a rifle today! It's his FIRST TIME! He hit the target (a box!) five out of six times from 100+ yards away. Now he's hooked. He even split a rock inside the box!

Chocolate Fudge Pie

Jason and I made this over the weekend! It is a great recipe. Rachel- let me know if you try it!

1 pre-made pie crust
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

3/4 cup 2% milk (we used 1/2%)
1/3 cup light-colored corn syrup
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites

Topping: Whipped cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Keep pie crust in freezer until ready to use.
3. Combine first 4 ingredients; set aside.
4. Combine the next 6 ingredients; stir with a wisk until well blended.
5. Add step #4 and #3. Stir until combined.
6. Pour mixture into crust. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.
7. Spread whipped cream evenly over filling; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon cocoa if desired.
8. I "1" the pie..... I "2" the pie.... I "3" the pie.... I "4" the pie... I "5"............ I "8" the pie!!!

Time flies....

August just flew by! The kids around here are getting ready for yet another year of school --- they start on Monday! My semester schedule for piano lessons has started again as well! I will also enjoy accompaning for the Lapeer East Choir, although I won't be able to attend many rehearsals during the week.

It was great to see Nana, my parents, and Uncle Chuck & Aunt Margie this past Thursday night! Jason and I always love to hear Uncle Chuck say our names: "J" and "Liz." We definately have royalty in our family line. Uncle Chuck told us how Billy Graham had asked the Ohman trumpet brothers to come to his college (when he was a college president out west before he was "famous"); at the same time the president of Kings College asked the Ohmans to come to his school in NY! The trumpeters had their bags packed, but they didn't know if they were headed East or West! Grandpa Ohman knew what to do, though! He phoned both presidents and asked if they'd take Nana! The president of Kings agreed, but Billy didn't.... so all 4 Ohmans went to Kings with a four year music scholarship!

Friday night we saw about 20 hot air balloons in Metamora, Michigan, during their "Metamora Days." If I had a digital camera, you'd love to see the pictures! The sight was so cool!

I have the best job in the world...

Do I have the BEST job in the world or what??!

Hmmmm...... I just "play" all day and make friends with parents and students who come to the apartment! What fun!

These adorable piano students were invited to a pizza party because they were the winners of a memorizing competition in April! (For every measure they memorized, they received one point; some had over 200 points in just four weeks of lessons!) We also had a summer memorizing competition in July, but I forgot to take pictures then!

I'm so glad Jason gets great insurance coverage because that allows me to have my own business! (... And to be with Jason at lunch time when he comes home for lunch!)

JV SUNDAY SCHOOL

It's a great joy to be involved in a local church and to serve the Lord!

Jason and I love being a part of the JV Sunday School class at our church (Hunters Creek Community Church) in Metamora, MI! The 7th and 8th graders are such a blessing to us. We will be very sad to see the 8th graders go to 9th grade!

These pictures were taken when we had the class over for a game night in the Spring. They can play a loud game of PIT!

Jason is a great Sunday School teacher! Right now we are going through the parables of Christ. Tomorrow we start The Good Samaritan!

Jason's "I-want-to-be-like-Dan" Lunch Poem!

I was late getting home at lunch time, so Jason had written a lovely little poem while he was waiting!
He said he wanted me to publish it on the blog since "Cool Dan" shares his fun poems with us.


Lonely Lunch

I missed someone at lunch today;
I was so sad, I sure must say.

Lunch is not fun when you're not home;
That's why I wrote this lonely poem.

STARBUCKS!

STARBUCKS is coming to Lapeer! The news hit the Lapeer La-View Thursday paper! Jason predicted it long ago... and in the exact spot where it will be located!

Does everyone know Jason LOVES Starbucks? Last night after we finished work at the office, we drove to Flint and ordered the VENTI (extra-large!) strawberries & creme frappuccino (which I drank all by myself!) and the TALL double chocolate-chip frappucchino which was dangerously packed with loads of chocolate & whipped cream!

Guess how much we paid for it? NOTHING! We had a coupon for any size drink, so the strawberries & creme frappuccino was free! Since Jason had never tried the chocolate-chip, he asked for a sample of it, and they gave him a TALL with whipped cream and chocolate syrup!

SHH! Surprise!

O.K. My family (especially Jeremy!) will never believe this, (except for Dad since I talked to him on the phone today to ask his opinion!) .....

After finishing piano lessons this afternoon, I drove to Walmart in the POURING rain and bought Jason a 20" RCA T.V. (on sale, of course!)!!! Unfortunately I got SOAKED (i.e. DRENCHED!) while I was trying to lift it into the car and started laughing right there in the Walmart parking lot!

Then I drove to Jason's office (which is actually about 40 seconds away) and said I wanted to do some filing for him until he finished work. He noticed I was DRIPPING and started asking me if I was walking outside. Of course, I said, "No." Unfortunately he kept asking questions, so he knows I went shopping somewhere and probably bought something!

I think he's going to be the first to read this in a few minutes. Right now he's in the restroom! I'm on the secretary computer so I'll be waiting for a comment from him in just a few minutes when I tell him to look!

I love surprises! I guess it was finally time to get a T.V. after 3 years of marriage since the loaner from Rach & Matt kicked the bucket a few months ago! NBC here we come, Jason.

Kyra & Matt...

Kristi Moore and her cute daughter, Kyra, are sitting with Matt, the coolest 1 year old in Thornville, Michigan! Right, Sheri & Mike?