20th Wedding Anniversary

This past week Sandra and I went away for a couple of days to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. It really is hard to imagine how 20 years could have gone by so fast! What is even harder to imagine is that 20 years from now I will be really old! OK, maybe not that old; 65 is looking younger every year!
There are far too many things to point out how the Lord has blessed us since that wonderful day on November 10th, 1990. I remember moment by moment all that took place that day; what a joyful day indeed! Ask Sandra to tell you the story about how her dress wouldn't let her get out of the limousine. Of course, if you are a member of FRMBC, you've heard that story, probably on more than one occasion.
Twenty years later, our lives are filled with manifold blessings from the Lord. It's hard to believe that Michael is almost 17 years old, and Katie is a beautiful 14-year-old teenager.
The Lord has truly blessed us with two wonderful children! Along with the challenges that come with raising teens, we are watching the Lord work in the lives of our children as they're growing ever so close to their adult years. Though it comes with challenges, it is a great experience as we help them in their journey to discover the Lord's destiny for their lives of service to Him.
Sandra and I are so thankful that the Lord has given us these 20 years. By God's grace, we have strived to live our lives in such a way as to allow the Lord to use us for His glory. We have enjoyed serving Him in youth ministry, in music ministry, and over the past 16 years in ministering to the wonderful people at Flat Rock Missionary Baptist Church.
We are looking forward to the future as we continue to serve Him and His people and we are looking forward to seeing how He will use Michael and Katie in the years to come.
I also look forward to spending many more years, Lord willing, with the love of my life, my dear wife, Sandra! I look forward to growing old together with her, although, she reminds me that I will be there far sooner than she will. That's okay though; that means I can use that as an excuse for my dry wit and sense of humor. I'm gonna love that!

How I Voted Today

HOW I VOTED TODAY:
I voted PRINCIPLES, not personality.
I voted CHARACTER, not charisma.
I voted MORALS, not money.
I voted ENCOURAGEMENTS, not entitlements.
I voted CHILDREN, not convenience.

First Day of School - 2010

Katie's a Freshman and Michael's a SENIOR.
Wow! Time sure goes by fast!

Michael got to drive the Charger on the first day!

Remember Michael, the time goes fast, not the Charger!

Sandra & Katie at the Riding Stable

DVD / TVG cable connections

This is temporarily displyed to assist a friend. Click picture to enlarge.

A Fawn in the Neighborhood

Regional Girls' Softball Champions - News Herald Article

SOFTBALL: Inter-City edges Shrine for regional crown
Published: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 in the Downriver News Herald
By Shane Preston

The Inter-City Chargers kept their softball season alive Saturday with two victories that earned them a regional title and advanced them to the Division 4 state quarterfinals.

Inter-City beat host Lutheran Westland 8-5 in the opening round and they edged Royal Oak Shrine 2-1 in the title game.

In the opener, Westland led 1-0 going into the fourth, but the Chargers soared ahead with three runs in the fourth, four in the fifth, and one more in the sixth to put the game out of reach.

Katie Hugan pitched six innings for the victory, allowing one run and one hit while striking out seven.

Ashley Raburn paced the Charger offense with three hits and three RBIs. Casey Thomas collected two hits and two RBIs while Corynne Claypool had two hits.

Inter-City then found itself in a pitcher's duel with Royal Oak Shrine.

In the top of the first inning, Claypool recorded all three outs for Inter-City's defense as she threw out two players on swinging bunts and picked a runner off first after she reached on a two-out single.

Claypool then helped manufacture one of the game's only runs in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff single, a stolen base, and a run on an infield groundout by Jillian Kraatz.

Hugan avoided trouble on the mound in the second inning by striking out two batters and inducing an inning-ending groundout after loading the bases with no outs.

Holding onto a 1-0 lead, Sarah Keenan knocked in the eventual winning run with a two-out bases-loaded single that drove in Jillian Kraatz. Inter-City led 2-0 after four innings.

Hugan found herself in a jam again in the fifth with the bases loaded and one out with Shrine's powerful clean-up hitter at the plate.

In a risky move, the Chargers pitched around the batter, walking in a run to make it a 2-1 score.

Unfazed, Hugan responded by promptly striking out the next two batters to escape the inning with the lead.

The last threat posed by Shrine was squashed in the sixth thanks to a fine double-play turned by Rachel Muscat that extinguished a leadoff walk and preserved the Charger victory.

Hugan was magnificent on the hill, allowing only one run and four hits through seven innings, while striking out nine.

Claypool recorded two hits and one run while Sarah Keenan collected one hit and one very big RBI. Casey Thomas and Alicia VanDeraa each had a hit in the win.

Inter-City advanced to the quarterfinals at Flushing High School where they faced Dansville.

(Note by me: One detail not mentioned was the most emotional event, as Katie struck out the very last batter in the last inning. As soon as she burned the last strike across the plate, there was a roar from the crowd like I've never heard before at a high school softball game. As Katie's dad, it was overwhelming!)

More Pictures from Regional Championship

The winning pitch... "Strike Three!"

Katie with Inter-City Seniors

Coach Larry

Katie with her coaches

Inter-City Girls Varsity Softball Regional Champs!

The team won their first game 8-5. Katie finished the first 6 innings with a score of 8-2. Then they played the winner of the second game. Katie pitched the entire game and they won 2-1. According to Sandra's count, Katie had 7 strike-outs in the first game and 9 strike-outs in the second game. Great job Katie!!!! Great job Varsity girls!!
These are some pictures taken by Katie's grandma Miller. I'll post mine when I get them downloaded.

Katie Leads Inter-City Softball to Districts

Michael - Inter-City wins Districts

Michael & Katie Spring 2010

Katie Pitching for Inter-City Baptist

SOFTBALL:
Inter-City takes two
Inter-City (10-3) continued to play well last week, sweeping both double-headers in dominating fashion. Sterling Heights Parkway Christian came into town on Tuesday and the Chargers dispatched the visitors 12-2 and 8-5.
In game one, the Chargers led 3-2 going into the sixth before exploding for nine runs in the inning and running away with the 10-run victory. Eighth-grader Katie Hugan allowed one earned run through six innings of work while striking out three. Casey Thomas was one of many players to collect multiple hits as she collected two hits and drove in three runs. Hannah Connor had two hits and two RBI while Corynne Claypool had two hits with three runs scored. Ashley Raburn, Alicia VanDeraa and Niki Taylor all collected two hits in the victory.
Parkway put up a better fight in the second game, but fell 8-5. Claypool went 3-for-4 with three runs and VanDeraa went 3-for-3 for the Chargers. Hugan picked up another win, allowing three earned runs with six strikeouts through seven innings.
On Thursday, Inter-City's doubleheader with Oakland Christian ended with similar results. The Chargers led 1-0 going into the fifth inning in game one when they again went for nine runs in an inning to cap off a 10-0 victory. Hugan threw a one-hitter and struck out six in her five innings of work. Claypool continued to swing a hot bat, going 3-for-3 with three RBI and three runs. Rachel Muscat collected two hits in the win.Hits were in no short supply in game two as the Chargers won 17-8, due in large part to a bevy of multiple-hit games.Alexis Zimecki had two hits, two RBI, and two runs for Inter-City. Corynne Claypool, Casey Thomas, Hannah Connor, Ashley Raburn, Rachel Muscat and Jillian Kraatz all collect two hits in the victory. Deanna Thoune drove in two runs for the Chargers in the mauling.

The History of the Cathedral Quartet

This was and still is my favorite group of all. Thanks, mom, for buying me my first Cathedrals tape years ago and putting me on the course to love Southern Gospel Quartet music; especially the Cathedrals!
The History of the Cathedral Quartet

Michael's Test Results

Michael received a good report from the doctor. Biopsy on removed lymph nodes came back negative. It seems that, in layman terms, the lymph node "turned on at some point and wouldn't turn off." We praise the Lord for the outcome. We appreciate Dr. Allan Lamb for how well he treated us and for doing a great job on the surgery.

Update on Michael

Michael has been recovering well from his surgery. He has been experiencing a lot of muscle pain due to the fact that the doctor had to cut through his muscle to get to the swollen lymph node (2 cm in size). Tonight, at our Bible conference, will be the first time he's played his trumpet since the surgery. We're praying it won't cause him too much pain.

He has an appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday, March 9th. We should get the results of the biopsy then.

We, along with Michael, thank you all for your prayers.

Update on Michael

Sorry for no updates, I couldn't get a good wireless connection and by the time Michael came out and woke up we were busy. Michael is home resting. It may take about two weeks before we will know anything due to the thuroughness of the testing. Thanks for all the prayers. Now we just wait for the results - trusting the Lord.

Michael in Surgery

Michael went in to surgery around 2:15 p.m. The surgery should take about a half an hour or so. Then a half hour or so to come out of sedation. Obviously a much later start than we anticipated.

Surgery Set for Michael

A few months ago our son Michael noticed a lump that had formed on the left side of his neck. He mentioned that he noticed it a week or so earlier, but it grew. We took him to the doctor and he was prescribed an antibiotic. The lump went down, but it didn't go away completely. We contacted the doctor and he set up an appointment with a general surgeon.

Yesterday Michael and I went to see the general surgeon. During the exam, the doctor noticed three slightly swollen lymph nodes. The plan now is to perform an open biopsy. This is done by surgically removing the three lymph nodes. They will then be sent to a pathology lab to be examined. The best case scenario is lymph nodes that had a previous infection that did not shrink back down to normal size. The worst case is Hodgkin's lymphoma. We won't know anything until the biopsy results come back. The surgery is set for Monday, February 22nd.

Please keep Michael in your prayers. For now he seems to be mostly concerned about the nuisance of having the procedure done. However, he knows it needs to be done; the sooner the better. We know the Lord is in control of the situation and our trust is fully in Him.