So much has been happening in the past week that I have barely been able to post online (and access to the Internet is always an issue, too). It has been a long, awesome week since we posted of our first two items on our itinerary–the Elk River Booksigning and the Larson Family Reunion–both wonderful times with friends and family. At the booksigning, Wendy and I were able to conect with a few homescooling parents. The family reunion was a fantastic time to reconnect with relatives and meet new members of the family.



Our third and fourth big events have just finished. My sister Kate and her husband, Jerry, own a resort in Tenstrike, MN. Birch Haven Resort is a vintage resort with small cottages built along the shore of one of the hottest fishing lakes in Minnesota. We didn’t stay in one of the cabins, but rather popped our outfitters tent and helped out preparing for the summer season. Kate and Jerry have been slowly-but-surely fixing up this resort to its fuller capacity. As my mom and kids cleaned cabins, I would follow and take pictures of the finished cabins. I then used my Internet expertise to build web pages with specific details on each cabin. I also set up a wireless router onsite so that Kate and Jerry can offer free Internet to renters. You can check them out here.

It is hard to believe we would go further north than Tenstrike, but we did…all the way to Warroad, MN. Recall the little knob on top of Minnesota that sticks into Canada: that’s the location of Warroad. We stayed with our wonderful friends, the Heppners, to specifically see Josiah (their 4th child) marry Lisa Rygh on Saturday night. The wedding was beautiful and we danced the night away at the reception afterward. You may remember the Heppners if you are familiar with our TLC program “Kids by the Dozen.” The Heppners were, along with us, one of the three debuting families to be featured. The world of viewers didn’t know that the Heppners were already friends of ours. In fact, when TLC contacted them first and asked if they knew a family who would consider being filmed, they referred us. The show was an experience both families walked through. Of all the Heppner children (there are now 17 of them), Josiah was special to us, as he stayed at our home for a while after high school as he explored is post-graduation options. We are most fond and happy for Josiah who, by the way, is our Josiah’s namesake.

After the wedding day, we spent two much-too-quick days relaxing with the rest of the Heppner family. My sister’s children, Madison and Emma, came with us, so a total of 30 children between the four parents scuttled in and out of the home. Several of the adult Heppners stopped by to visit. Duwayne got upset with us for showing up with food (heh) for they stocked up with some of the best food in northern Minnesota. The kids baked the Heppner’s famous Rhubarb Cake (see recipe) and we ate like kings.

Duwayne and Miriam have been walking very similar spiritual paths as us, and we stayed up till 3:00 a.m. on Sunday night sharing great things with one another. We are Christ followers, personally devoted to Jesus Christ. Our relationship with Him brings great things into our lives that are exciting and adventurous. Though we are 1000 miles separated, our vision for family and faith are so similar that it validates our convictions.

We are so excited at how God is giving us a blessed vision for family, and we are both taking advantage of opportunities to speak and travel on it. Miriam shared with us of a retreat she was featured at in Canada and how God moved greatly among Native American women at the retreat. We, likewise, shared with them about how our booksigning in Elk River and the Cheaper by the Baker’s Dozen message of family economics have encouraged families to follow the will God has in their lives. What rich conversation!

We are now on our way to southern Wisconsin to visit with a family that I mention in our book Love in the House, the Hanus family. Their second-born child, Paul, was my grade-school friend. Mike and Fran Hanus have 14 children. They have only four children at home–most are married and with families of their own. They just added a grandchild last night as one of their newly married twins had her first. Running total: 14 children, 32 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandchild (their 2nd due any time now). They are dear, dear people, and we can’t wait to connect with them and their family.

We’re only staying the night and then we’re off to Springfield, Ill. We’ll be speaking on Thursday night in Springfield (click here), so I hope you can make it. It should be quite a night! This is our final speaking event till Nationals the following week in Birmingham.