"Winter is Not Forever"

....or so they say :)

My all-time favorite comic strip...because it's so true!

Aren't we all ready for some warm spring weather?

Yesterday it reached the 40's and I even enjoyed picking up

the sticks in our yard and getting dirt on my hands :)

David is back in college this spring, taking Biology and English I.
We are trying to work on scholarships for him, and one
is called "Frame Your Future." So we went up to the FD and
David took pictures of some of the gear.

Wednesday night, we went to Champaign and met Rachel

and Ashley and ate out at Za's Italian Cafe together. It was

delicious! Then we went to Champaign church and to "Shaker"

for a lunch call/singing afterwards.

David's cousins got together for supper and the evening

at Mike and Amber's. The guys played games and the girls talked :)

Candace came to visit me for two days that we both had off work!

We had fun talking, looking at the pictures of her Mexico trip, copying

recipies, making food, going out to eat, and she even helped

me fill nail holes in the woodwork...a very monotonous job!

David cleaning off the light after he installed

it in the office. Ah, light!

David and I went to Champaign Valentines weekend to do

a little shopping for our house (ouch!). Beautiful winter

weather outside!

When I told David to keep the ice skates in the

car, he knew my surprise...after a little shopping,

we went to the U of I ice rink and skated for

a few hours. The exercise felt so good!

Since David is taking an online English class, we decided

to "invest" in a laptop. Here he is trying it out.

Hot wings for supper!

One evening when David was at class, I had LeAnn and

Kinsey over for supper. They told me all about their Mexico trip.

We were invited to the Lehman's pond to ice skate after church

one day. It didn't take long to set up a game of ice hockey!

David sent me a text one day...saying he is now an EMT-Basic!

I had a surprise for him too :)

Zimmerman Christmas was held January 2nd. We had

lots of good food, laughter, and a rollicking set of "lifesize"

Dutch Blitz games!

Christmas

Guess what we did Christmas Day??

PRO wanted me to work Christmas since they were

short-staffed...I agreed as long as David could

come along as a rider :) We only had three calls, and

all refused transport to the hospital, but we had fun!

The first weekend in December, we came back to

Iowa for a few days...we had our little family

Christmas celebration then. Mom got a new

quilt for her bed.

Dad and his hoard of noodles that he

wanted for Christmas :)


David with a fireman picture frame and Janella with
"Endurance", a book on CD.

Gerst Christmas at U Joes:

This is a picture of David and Benjamin with some wood-

burning pictures that David had made several years ago.

Ben is ready to put them on display in his room!

I also made CD's from some of grandma's old records to

give to the Uncles and Aunts. Brought back some good

memories of our childhood(s) at grandma's!



Christmas Eve

David and I opened our gifts to each other on Christmas

Eve before going over to Dad and Mom Z's to be with the

family. David gave me this silverware chest and a willow

tree angel set.

David sporting his new shirt and the fire truck he's been

anxiously awaiting :)

Christmas Eve was spent with the Zimmerman's...eating,

playing games, opening presents. The antique dresser was

a gift that dad gave to mom!





The weekend after Christmas we again headed back

to Oakville. My mom's family from Minnesota was planning

on coming down to visit, but they were snowed in :( We

came still, and were able to spend time with friends

and family....

We stayed with Kevin, Lindsy and Evan. Evan entertained

us with his babbling, and walking around with his eyes closed :)

After church on Sunday, we came back to mom and dad's

and introduced David to dad and my favorite game...

The Stock Market Game....with all of the rules that we

have made up so we can keep the game going for weeks

and make all sorts of money :) We went out to eat at

Gator's in Burlington before heading home again.

Our House

When we arrived home from our wedding trip, this is what we moved into:

The kitchen had gotten it's second coat of paint on the walls before

David came out to Iowa for our wedding....

When we got home, the floor, cabinets, countertops, and appliances

were all in! What an awesome surprise...and a lot of hard work

on the part of David's family!

This was our family room...

...our living room/dining room....

...and our bedroom. This room also had a face-lift while we

were gone...the carpet was put in and trim put up.

Now we get to enjoy our new house! David using our

new grill after work.

Making cookies Labor Day Weekend...David is being goofy.

Wedding Trip ~ Nova Scotia

A fire truck again?? We visited the Halifax Fire Station and

were able to get a tour. This is an antique ladder truck

that was in their station.

Public Gardens in Halifax

Our amazing food at Rhubarb's, where we ate at Peggy's Cove.

We ordered the Chef's Surprise, and we were served a lot

of food we probably wouldn't have ordered otherwise...

Eating at the way-out-of-our-class Restaurant, Rhubarbs.

David making a fire in the fireplace of our cottage -

The Owl's Nest, located on the beach at Peggy's Cove.

The view out our cabin at Peggy's Cove.

David and Janella with our Tidal Bore Rafting Captain.

This was one of our most fun activities in Nova Scotia...

we rode out on the tidal bore, and when the tide met the

sand bars on the river, huge swells were formed. Waves were

around 10 feet tall, and we went crashing full-steam ahead through

them! We were SO wet and dirty by the end...wonder how much

water we swallowed??

The boats we rode in on our Tidal Bore Rafting Adventure!

Wednesday evening, we went to the Celtic Music Interpretive Center

in Judique, NS for their weekly Ceilidh (pronounced Kaylee).

It was a good cultural experience, with local folks mingling,

eating, and dancing to the music.

Stan was our guide on the Fiddlin' Whale Tour.

All the people in Nova Scotia were so friendly!

On our Whale Watching Tour...we did see several sightings

on our two hours on the water.

The Beautiful Cape Breton

After our Whale-watching tour, we spent some time on hikes

in the Cape Breton National Park. On one hike, we found a clear stream

with a waterfall gushing down the hillside. We took our shoes and socks

off to dip our feet in...then waded in farther and farther until

we found ourselves climbing up the waterfall!

At one of our lighthouse stops, we found a small seafood

restaurant, nestled in a picturesque fishing village.

Two Adirondack Chairs

The Fireman that we met in Halifax owned a cabin along the

Bras d'Or Lake (pronounced Bradora Lake). He gave us

the address, so we stopped there along our drive. He told

us he had a private swimming area, but it was "a little hike"

to get there. We tried to hike through the woods and find the

pond we imagined, but the trees were so thick, and our directions

so vague, we couldn't find it. We finally realized that he might have

meant his private "swimming area" was the massive expanse of beach

across the road. So we walked down to the pebbly beach and tried it out.

The water was a little cold, but amazingly clear. After our swim,

we dried off in the warm sunshine...relaxing in the comfy chairs

overlooking a beautiful scene.

Small white churches lined the roads as we

wound around the Cape Breton Scenic Highway.

As we approached this lighthouse, the fog began to roll in.

The waves crashed against the rocks on the shoreline.

The lighthouse sent it's beam across the water,

and sounded the warning.

One of our favorite spots...this was the "icing on the cake"

for our trip. We agree that it will be hard to find another

vacation spot to compare with Nova Scotia!