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Posts tagged ‘weddings’

Favorite Moment

Today’s writing prompt was:

Describe one of your favorite moments.

The dreary, cloudy, Saturday in February of 1962 that we chose to be married made the stained glass window in the University of the Pacific’s chapel rather dull in color. But the moment the UOP choir blessed our vows with “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” – at the top of the three fold amen (or was it a seven-fold? You need to listen!) ~ the sun came out!

That is my “Favorite Moment.”
It was definitely a
memorable,
beautiful,
defining moment
when God smiled down on us
and blessed our marriage.

God has certainly blessed this union!

Then, 25 yers later, out daughter, DeAna,
wore my wedding dress
and married her sweetheart, Andre’
in the same chapel.

Happy Father’s Day, Andre’ – – –
you and De produced
three delightful boys.
We are so blessed!

And our son, Ty married
his sweetheart, Monika,
a year later.
What a beautiful union that is!
They have given us four more grandchildren!

Happy Father’s Day to our son, Ty, too!

What is your most
“Favorite Moment”
????
Is it related to your wedding day
or an experience as a parent?

a man reading a book to his baby
Photo by nappy on Pexels.com

Tell me about it!
Have a Happy Father’s Day!

Love,
JanBeek

Good to Go; Great to Return

Good to go
Appreciate the help
Airport Kindness

Montana State
Basketball Big Boys
Filled our plane

Arrived in Baltimore
safe and sound
;o)

Our daughters
Greeted & Treated us
We’re so blessed

Total Wine
A Fun Outing
Shared Libations

Reason to Travel
Beautiful Wedding
Adorable Couple

Love Thrives
Commitment Reigns
God bless ‘em

Party Begins
Family & Friends
There to Support
and to Congratulate

Mother of Bride
Wonderfully Talented
Sooo Generous

Thank You, Laina!!

A Day to Rest
“Mangia” & Enjoy
Visit Annapolis

Mmmm Seafood
Fresh & Tasty
What a Treat

Highly recommended
The Choptank
Sooo good

Beautiful Chapel
Annapolis Navy Academy
Wonderful Campus

Lovely Setting
On Chesapeake Bay
Blue Sky Day

(Meanwhile, it was -20 degrees
and snowing back in Montana!)

Back in Glen Burnie
Time to Relax
And Pack Suitcases

Yummy Breakfast
Greatest Hostess
Sweet Kitty


Time to Say Good-bye
Missing our Daughter #2
and her “Go-Go”

Car iced over
Roads icy, too
Scary Drive Home

(Appreciated the truck that led the way!)

Snowdrifts 4 feet high
Can’t get car in garage
But we’re tucked inside safely

Hooray!
God is good!!

(Thank you for the prayers
They worked
God bless you
)

Can’t remember the last time I had lobster.
Can You? When and where?

This was such a treat!
I pigged out!

See ya tomorrow
Stay Warm


Love,
JanBeek

Reblog #1 – Most Beautiful Things

Beautiful Things
Are sometimes visible things;
Most = Invisible!

This Persian’s pretty;
Her purr’s the absolute best –
And the love she gives.

These roses are grand,
But their fragrance is the best;
And their “giver” too!

This bird is gorgeous,
But its song is the greatest –
And its Creator!

This scene’s amazing;
But the peaceful feelings here
Are magnificent.

Adorable child –
She’s so beautiful to see,
Her trusting heart’s best!

The cake’s impressive,
But memories are more grand.
Beautiful moments!

(By the way that’s us: Bob & Jan… 57 3/4 years ago)

The moments, feelings,
The sweet smiles and the laughter –
That’s where beauty lives.

Life’s luxuriant
When people and places reign.
Beautiful visions!

Thank you for being
A beautiful part of my life
In my WordPress World.
You add JOY by your presence.

See you later!

Happy 2sDay

Today (22-02-2022)
-or 2/22/22 as we record it here –
is a palindrome day,
which is a number or word that can
be read the same way forwards and backwards.

Several commenters were excited
to celebrate their 22nd birthday
on the same date as “Twosday.”

Also, starting at 2:00 pm in Las Vegas
(touted to be the wedding capitol of the world),
222 couples said their wedding vows
in a group ceremony
that ended
at exactly 2:22 pm.

Would you dash to Las Vegas
to be part of such a crowd
for such an important occasion
in your life?

I wouldn’t!

How did you spend your Twosday?

Bob & TazE and I spent ours at home –
snowed in with two foot deep
( appropriate for 2’sday)
snow drifts behind my car
and a pickup that was
unable to start –
Frozen in
-10 degree
temperatures!
Brrr!

It wasn’t “two bad.”
We were cozy inside.

How did you spend your 2’sDay?

Embrace Marriage

Happy 59th Anniversary today to my sweetheart, Bob, my life’s partner!!

February 11, 1962
Bob & his brother, Bill…
The week when we first met…
What a ham!!
While we were dating, and engaged,
I was bridesmaid in Bob’s sister, Bonnie’s wedding.
Our engagement was “trying times”

Bob & I both have a deep faith. It was God who put us together. It was our faith and prayer that kept us together. During our engagement, he was in Germany, in the army. I was in college, wanting to enjoy college life. I broke up with him. But, God knew we belonged together. He made sure we got back together again! (Thank You, God!) And He helped us stick it out all these years through good times and bad. I’m so grateful!!

In the car – after the wedding – headed for the reception
We were married nearly three years
before I became pregnant
There’s DeDe and Ty with Bob –
-blowing out his birthday candles

Our children, Ty & DeAna, have been such a blessing in our lives. Thank You, God, for the gift of these children!! During our early married years (after the first 8 months in Germany), we lived in Turlock (for a year) and then San Francisco and San Mateo. Bob worked for Shell Oil and then went back to college (San Francisco State). He earned his teaching credential and then coached wrestling and taught Driver’s Ed at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, CA.

Bob curled his hair when he became a beekeeper in the 70’s.
We had lots of fun on weekends in the winter
going skiing together.

We moved from the Bay Area back to the San Joaquin Valley in CA. Bob took over his Dad’s beekeeping business when his father retired. Did you know that beekeepers with hair that is close their head (hair that gets greasy or sweaty) are targets for bee stings? With a perm, the bees couldn’t get to the scalp.

You ask why he didn’t just wear a hat like most beekeepers do? Bob hates wearing a hat! He didn’t wear protective gloves either. Those are topics for another day!

I was teaching in Hughson, Ceres, and Modesto, CA in those days.
Then I moved into administration for a dozen years.
Principal and Curriculum Coordinator
Time passed.
Gray hair started to change our appearance!
We both claim we were the one who loved the most!!
After retirement, we were able to travel.
I dyed my hair for awhile before I learned to embrace the gray.
(That’s a good topic for another day)

Our Daughter, De

In 1987, our daughter, DeAna, married Andre’, a Swiss (the first cousin of our AFS exchange student).

She wore my wedding dress 25 years after I did!

I have written about De & Andre’s fairy tale story in the past. She moved to Switzerland when our first grandchild was “in the hopper.” That was nearly 30 years ago! Every other year we would go to visit them (so, no, we didn’t really wait ’til retirement to travel … we just got to do more of it after Bob left beekeeping and we moved here to Montana).

Thank you, Diana Housel, for this gorgeous photo of our dear Montana!!

This is the village of Vissoie, Switzerland where DeDe and Andre’ live now.
Andre’ and De have three boys.
Our Swiss grandsons are Mike, Nick & Chris.
We hope to travel there this October to spend time with them.
Virus, be gone!!!

You will recall, they have a restaurant there!
We NEED to go and see it in person!!

Our Son, Ty

Our son, Ty, blessed our family in 1989
by marrying his sweetheart, Monika.
The two of them adopted four children.
Sam, Hope, Jordan & Faith are young adults now.
I’ve written about them here on my blog.
Our lives are so enriched by this extended family.
Ty & Moni live in CA, near Lake Tahoe.
This picture of them was taken of them
at our youngest granddaughter, Faith’s wedding.
We hope to travel to CA to be with them this year in June.
Virus be gone!!

Pleeeease God, help us be able to travel to CA in June!
I need to see my darling great-granddaughter, Cosette!

Life is Full

Life is full of love and joy and promises for a bright tomorrow. We have so much for which to be grateful. We know we are blessed to have one another and to have lived into our 80s and remained married to that same partner for nearly 60 years.

Embrace Marriage, my friends! And EMBRACE YOUR LIFE’S PARTNER if you are fortunate as I am to have one!

Today, February 11, 2021, our 59th anniversary, starts our 60th year of marriage, doesn’t it? When a baby turns one, they are starting their 2nd year on earth. Yes, that’s the way it works! Sixty years with one life partner!! I am extremely blessed!

With God every day is full
of simple delights
and unexpected joys.

Couples that pray together, stay together.
And it helps to do other things together, too!

On Super Bowl Sunday, we had a Pizza Party.
We made our pizza together.
Turned out pretty well!
We plan to keep on doing things together
as long as the Good Lord allows…

The road is long… and
We’ve come a long way together.

With God’s grace and blessings,
we will continue to travel this road of life together
for many more years to come.
We don’t know what the future holds,
but we know Who holds the future…
and we let Him lead us.

Happy Anniversary,
Sweetheart Bob.
I love you!

Wherever you lead me, I will follow…
I’ll go with you, with you, all the way!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
Have a blessed February 11th.
See ya tomorrow.

Meet Faithful and Faith

Here is Faithful:

Faithful is a Yellowstone moose. He’s 14 years old! When our granddaughter, Faith, was about 10 years old, she visited us here in Montana. As a family, we visited Yellowstone Park. She and her three siblings each were given a little money to select a souvenir from the gift shop. As kids typically do, they chose something for themselves. But, Faith was not typical. She selected this moose – and gave it to me as a present … a thank you for their visit.

Today is Faith and her husband, Kyle’s wedding anniversary. They were married a year ago. Faith is as thoughtful a young lady as she was as a little ten-year-old. Every morning I say a special prayer for Faith and Kyle as I make my bed, and put “Faithful” back in his central place of honor in front of the pillows.

Fourteen years has taken its toll on Old Faithful. His hat is torn – and it was chewed a little by TazE when she was a puppy. But still, I cherish this little stuffed moose.

I tuck the torn hat in under his antler and ask the Lord,

“Please watch over Faith and Kyle.
Tuck them under Your wings, O Lord,
just as I tuck Faithful’s hat under his ear.
Give them health and happiness,
love and longevity.
Keep them safe.
And help them lean on Your love
and their Faithfulness
this day and every day.
Amen.”

Happy 1st Anniversary, Faith and Kyle.

May they love with a universal love –
always generous,
compassionate,
grateful and hopeful,
brave and forgiving,
proud and yet humble.

Here is Faith – on her wedding day –
dancing with her dad, our son, Ty.

Do you have children?
Or grandchildren?
How about great-grandchildren?
The most important gift you can give them is the gift of daily prayer.

God bless you, Faith and Kyle. And both our children and their families.
Yes, we are so blessed.
Thank You, God,
for You are always FAITHFUL!

BEE WELL!

See ya tomorrow.
Love,
JanBeek


Listen and Grow

Dr. Jimmy Walters
has been posting a 30 day series on healing.
Today his topic was “Listening.”
Check it out by clicking n “Day 26” below:

30 Days of Healing
as we seek to be instruments of peace and change
“Discovering God’s Vision for Your Life”
Discover “God’s Vision for Your Life”
by wearing a mask… and
Listen, Look, Smile
as we grow in
Love, Health & Healing

Dr. Jimmy said in his article,
“… listening can inform us,
guide us,
as we grow
and as we learn.”

My daughter DeAna, and her husband, Andre’ (pictured above and below here) are celebrating their 33rd anniversary today. It has been an interesting journey for them. They married when she was not quite 20 and he was 24. Young and naive, coming from a world apart – she a California girl and he a fun-loving guy who’d been working as a chef in Switzerland.

De & Andre’s wedding at UOP Chapel 1987

DeAna wore my dress and Andre’ wore Bob’s red bow tie and cummerbund as they were married in the same University of the Pacific chapel where Bob & I were wed 25 years earlier.

They remained in California four more years while De finished college, but eventually, they moved back to Andre’s hometown in Sierre, Switzerland.
He missed his mountains, his family, his culture. I don’t blame him!!! De was pregnant with our first grandchild when they left. Talk about a difficult good-bye! But hey… Switzerland…. what a beautiful place to HAVE TO visit, huh?

Life was beautiful – but, oh so different – there.

Listening to Andre’s mom, Denise, was an important part of their marital success. As the years went by, DeAna and Andre’ grew in their ability to share their minds, let their dreams be known, and listen to one another.

Today
as they anticipate
the opening of their new restaurant,
they are happier than ever.

Bob & I have been married 58 years, and we, too, are busy still learning to be better listeners. It’s a life-long process. But the effort is worth it. We, too, are happier now than ever.

Psalm 37:10-11 (MSG)

“The deeper your love, the higher it goes;
every cloud is a flag to your faithfulness.
Soar high in the skies, O God!
Cover the whole earth with Your glory!”

Today the skies revealed a slight rainbow arching the skies … look carefully:

As I stood on the porch after the rain, listening to the thunder in the hills, the robins chirped from their nest nearby and the doves flew back onto the roof to coo at one another. Listen! The earth is alive with God’s symphonies.

The rain returned – just light sprinkles, but the birds continued their songs.

Bob came out on the porch and said, “What’s for lunch?”
I responded with a shrug, “I don’t have anything planned.”
“How about a hamburger and huckleberry milkshake?” he asked.
Believe me, I listened, I heard, and … We were in the car in a jiffy.

That’s a happy smirk!

The sign over Bob’s shoulder says,
“Without ICE CREAM, Life is Darkness and Chaos.”

Without good listening,
Without open sharing of dreams,
You’ll miss out on lots of hamburgers and milkshakes!

Photo by mali maeder on Pexels.com

Now,
doesn’t that look like
“God’s Vision for Your Life”??

Listen for your Health!
Listen for your Happiness.
Don’t miss out!

See ya tomorrow…
Love and Hugs
from
JanBeek

Practicing for Divorce

No, I am not practicing for divorce!
After 58 eventful years of marriage, it’s too late to give up now!!

February 11, 1962

But life is not a bed of roses (or carnations!)
And marriage is not easy!
Nobody promised it would be.

Photo by freestocks.org on Pexels.com

Sometimes we get mad at one another.
Sometimes we disappoint one another.
Sometimes we don’t understand
where the other one is coming from!

Yes, I make Bob wonder lots of times!

What Families Know

In his devotional today on Bayside Church’s on-line “Refuel,”
Andrew McCourt talked about marriage and relationships.


He titled his message, “What Families Know,” and he said,

“People who aren’t married do married things…
they are lovers practicing for divorce.”

It’s an age-old problem!

Love Without Commitment

For as long as life began – back to the days of Adam and Eve – men and women have found a way to “find each other’s cracks.” And eventually pouring into that crack can burst the container!

Eve found Adam’s crack!
And look what happened…

Andrew McCourt offered some suggestions for how to relate to one another in genuine love that does not seek to “find the crack” – but rather seeks to FILL AND FULFILL.

Andrew said something to this effect,

“What successful married folks know is this:
there is an order to successful relationships.

First, you stand together shoulder to shoulder
(Don’t let kids or anyone else get between you).

Second, you stand or sit together face-to-face
(You look each other in the eye and you communicate).

Third, you do the bellybutton-to-bellybutton thing
(You love each other emotionally and physically).”

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Reverse Order

Andrew said, “When we get that order of things reversed, that’s when we start Practicing for Divorce.”

When did this whole thing of living together first to try it out before getting married come into being?

I have a biased (informed, of course) opinion about that! I think “Three’s Company” is the culprit.

Photo by Fikayo Aderoju on Pexels.com

Living Together Out of Wedlock

I couldn’t find a picture of those three folks (a guy and two gals) who lived together in an apartment in NYC on a TV show back in the 70’s or early 80’s, but it was funny and popular and it made it look like it was okay for unmarried people of the opposite sex to live together. “Three’s Company” was one of my mom’s favorite shows. And she would be considered a prude by today’s standards.

When my niece lived with a guy before marriage in NYC, my mom said it was a great idea because it made her safer in an unsafe city!

See how media can change our idea of right and wrong?

Ah, here: I found a video. It was a darling TV show!

Bayside’s “Refuel” Podcast

If you want to hear Andrew McCourt himself
and his actual words on the subject,
try this link:
bit.ly/devo021020
I have that on my iPhone and it takes me there.

On With My Day

‘Tis time for me to get on with my day. Tomorrow is our actual anniversary… 58 years. It’s not always been a bed of roses, but the key ingredient always has been there:

RESPECT

Yup, that’s the bottom line!
So, whatever your relationship…
whether it’s three’s company,
living with your lover,
or married,
keep that RESPECT alive!

And there are a few other tips
for how to keep from practicing for divorce, too.
I’ll save those for tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting JanBeek
I hope I haven’t offended any of you out there.

See ya later!

Who Gives This Bride?

Tearfully and joyfully our son said, “Her mother and I do.”

The Father-Daughter dance:

The misty-eyed mom:

I’m with the bride’s other grandma & a best friend… enjoying the festivities.

Congratulations to the adorable new Mr & Mrs McSparron!

It was an amazing wedding day.

God Bless You, Kyle & Faith.

What a beautiful day!

We had an early celebration of my 80th. So fun!

All the Beekman siblings & their spouses gathered. All four couples have been married 55 years or more! A great legacy for the newlyweds!

How was your day, my friends?

See ya tomorrow.

Sharing Multiplies Joy – Haiku x7

Sharing special days

Like our anniversary

Makes them more special

Inviting good friends

To celebrate days with us

Increases friendship

Generously share

Days of sweet significance

Multiply your joy

Share a lovely meal

Happy Birthday, dear friend, at

Sacajawea!

.

First picture up there

Was seven short years ago

Here’s fifty-seven!

Wonderful wedding

Beautiful cake and event

My how the time flies!!

Have we changed a lot?

Inside we are still the same

Keeping love alive!

.

Tell me about some sharing you’ve done that multiplied your joy!

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