Germany

It's been 6 years since I have been here and it is so good to be back. My brother Pete surprised me with a little party to which he had invited some of my old friends from school. Some of them I had not seen in 20 years - it was good to see them and we had a blast.

Mom is enjoying having me here and that alone makes this trip worth while. But I've also enjoyed just being here again, seeing old familiar places, being recognized by the people here, and seeing the changes to our little town. I'll post pictures when I get back...

Yesterday

Yesterday went well. I think I/my message was well recieved. I look forward to hearing more feedback from the people there. The band was awesome. In the middle of one of the songs, they went off and started playing an old Kansas song "carry on my wayward son", and somehow ended up with a little Stevie Ray in there as well. They were great!

Here is a picture so you get the idea.
Kristina did not want to distract people with a flash so it is kinda blurry.
Of course when I saw her taking pictures I blew her cover and pointed her out.

Have a great day folks.

Bob out...

Visiting Home

HOME is our theme this week...

I will be back in the great state of Tejas this week.
I will be in Houston Wednesday through Saturday.
I am planning to get over to Austin on Friday morning to spend the day.
Wanna' hook up? Holla' at me!

Kristina and I will pass in the airport on Saturday as she heads for Germany for a couple weeks.
She has not been home for over 6 years. She is WAY overdue. I pray that this trip will be a real blessing to her and her family.

Please pray for us as we travel.

On another note...
Tomorrow morning I am teaching at our sponsor church. They have three services so I am pretty sure I will be wiped out afterwards. I wonder what I should speak about? (kidding)

We have met a lot of really nice folks there. They have really gone out of their way to help/encourage/bless us. We hope to be a blessing to them as well.

I guess I should get back to working on my message.
I just could not let another night pass without giving you guys an update.
Goodnight!

Peace -
Bob out...

More firsts...

It is really starting to feel official...

And another...

Interesting Tid Bits about Monterey

Life in Monterey is definitely more laid back and easy going. It reminds me of my hometown in Germany which is about the same size as Monterey. I love that you can walk just about everywhere. The only two restaurants in town are within a 9-11 minute walking distance. The post office and drug store are about 10 minutes from us. If I had to I could walk to the salon where I get my hair cut but took my bike the other day.

Because Monterey is a small town AND as people have told us you are going "back in time" when you go to Monterey, things are a little different around here:

• You can smoke at Monterey Foods - the local grocery store. Ash trays are located throughout the store for your convenience.
• FedEx pick-up is at the local drug store - Bishop Drugs.
• Sign up for gas service is also done at the local drug store.
• You get your electric permit at the local gas station.
• The smoking section at Burger King is bigger than the non-smoking section.
• The long time local restaurant, Cup and Saucer, does not have a non-smoking section.

The one thing I can say about Monterey is that people are incredibly friendly and helpful. Everybody takes time to chat and find out how you are doing.

So far things are going well but we've been too busy getting settled in. I look forward to having more time and exploring more of Monterey and the next closest town - Cookeville. There are also many state parks around here that are supposedly beautiful which I can't wait to visit.