Thanksgiving 2009

Team Ketelsen had so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We have great family and great friends.
Stefani's parents made the drive to spend Thanksgiving weekend with us. Stefani took care of the feast with some help from Joshua.  We finally made it to Traverse City for a bit of shopping on Friday. Everyone had an enjoyable time and we can't wait to visit when the weather is warmer.

Stefani with her feast. 

 

The apple pie. The filling is made from Michigan apples and the crust is courtesy of Pillsbury.

The pumpkin pie...from a can. 

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

God's Blessings,

Joshua and Stefani  

Half Bath Before and After

Our first project when we moved here was to redo the half bath. We were not fans of the dark paint color and fish wallpaper. We took the wallpaper down and put a fresh coat of paint on the walls. Check out the pictures.

Before:

Dark and fishy! 

After:

The blues are very complimentary.

The decorative mirror to try to get that infinite look.

No more fish! Woo Hoo!

God's Blessings,

Joshua and Stefani

Michigan District Pastors' Conference 2009

Joshua and Stefani attended their first Pastors' Conference this past week. The theme was "Growing the Kingdom in a Shrinking Economy". Joshua heard presentations about equipping volunteers and evangelism. Stefani....shopped. Ok, she did more than shop. Stefani had the opportunity to attend a lunch hosted by the wife of the newly elected Michigan district president. She also had a meet and greet with Mrs. Pat Maier (the President's wife) and the other wives that are new to the district. It was a great way to meet other Michigan district wives. The conference wasn't all lectures and lunches. We met some great couples and reconnected with some people we know from Seminary. It was a great conference and mini get away.
Stefani is looking forward to the Katie Conference in April! (For all you non-Lutherans, Katie is the wife of Martin Luther.)

God's Blessings,

Joshua and Stefani

What Would Jesus Eat?

On Sunday September 27th we had a "What Would Jesus Eat?" dinner at church. The idea was Mary Kay's (the Youth Director). She found the website Cooking With the Bible. There are various meals based on Biblical accounts as well as the history behind the meals and ingredients. We chose to do the meal "Esther Saves Her People". The meal has many elements of a traditional Jewish Purim meal. Purim is the Jewish festival held in honor of Esther.

Here are some pictures of the pretty professionally done dishes from the website.

This artichoke soup. Surprisingly good and we are not fans of artichokes.

This sweet and sour sea bass. We used a different fish, due to a lack of sea bass. It was again surprisingly good.

This a vegetable cholent. Basically, it is a vegetable stew. Stefani is not a bean person, so this wasn't at the top of her list of favorites, but Joshua enjoyed it.

These are the popular Hamentaschen. They are a sugar cookie with fruit preserves in the middle. Everyone raved about these little cookies.

Everyone enjoyed the food and fellowship!

God's Blessings,

Joshua and Stefani

Labor Day 2009

Stefani's parents came to visit for the first time. We made sure to show them all the sights. Saturday was spent at Mackinac Island. We toured the Fort this time around. We learned a great deal and had a beautiful view from one of the highest points on the island. On Sunday we visited Ocqueoc Falls, Rogers City, and Cheboygan. All in all we had a great time.

Fort Mackinac

The view of Lake Huron from the Fort.

A building in the fort.

The view of the Mackinac Bridge from the Fort.

Another bridge view. The yellow umbrellas are a restaurant.

The long hill we walked up to the fort.

A metal sculpture of Lady Liberty's torch. Metal sculptures are made every year by an iron works company in Onaway. They are unveiled at the Fourth of July parade.

Stefani's parents walking across the beach in Rogers City.

The only stoplight in all of the county. It is located in Rogers City.

A shipwreck!

Stefani has wanted to do this since she moved to Onaway.

God's Blessings,

Joshua and Stefani

Ocqueoc Falls Video

The beauty and serenity of Ocqueoc Falls gets us every time! This video was taken after an all night rain.

God's Blessings,

Joshua and Stefani

The Ketelsens Explore Michigan

Joshua's mom and sister, Sarah, came for a visit. They were our first guests! We did some exploring around town and even took a day trip to Mackinac Island. We really enjoyed spending time with the family and showing them around.

The park we visited between Cheboygan and Rogers City. Notice the last name...eerie.

Lake Huron up close and personal. It has a very rocky shore at this point.

A ship in the distance on Lake Huron.

A lighthouse near Rogers City.

The lighthouse. Apparently there was a shipwreck near the lighthouse. How ironic.

The next few shots are Ocqueoc Falls after a major rainstorm. No one was swimming that day.
Look at those rapids!

A far cry from the gentle falls we saw before.

The water level was so high there was a mini waterfall.

The infamous Mackinac Bridge. We were in Mackinaw City in the Lower Pennisula. (All pronounced with the naw at the end.)
The Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse. Joshua's mom bought Stefani some socks with the lighthouse on them. =)

Here we are with the Bridge behind us.

This is the ferry company we took to get to Mackinac Island. There are three companies, but this was one had the best price and the best reviews.

A view of the island. Stefani really fell in love with the place. She can't wait to explore it more.

We can't believe Mackinac City is only 45 minutes from where we live! And the ferry ride to the island is only 16 minutes. We hope you enjoyed the pictures. All are welcome to come visit!

God's Blessings,

Joshua and Stefani