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Monday, April 28, 2014

A little bit about me

It's been a while since I've done something like this, and I thought it was time I updated some of my newer readers. So - here's a little bit of information about me!

Here I am at one month old.  I was born on Thanksgiving Day, in 1960.  I was the first child in my family.


I'm 4 here, my brother is 3.  We also have 2 younger sisters.  My brothers name is Duane, my sisters are Terri and Cheri.  So - Mari, Terri, Cheri... What were they thinking naming my brother Duane?    :)    Our family is very close and we all live within 25 minutes of each other.  My sisters both work at the same place I do, so we are blessed to see each other frequently.

My Dad was a farmer, so we grew up in the country.  We had no close neighbors and played with each other.  We had lots of area to play in, hills to sled on in the winter and a creek to catch frogs in the summer.  Dad had cows and chickens, we had dogs and cats also and there was no time to be bored!

I can honestly say my parents were wonderful.  There was never any question of their love for us.  They passed on their Christian faith, both in word and deed.  They taught us respect and how valuable work is.  One of Dad's famous quotes is "A little work never hurt anyone"...  Mom and Dad were married for 43 years when my Mom passed away.



I'm 19 here, just graduated from nursing school.  At this time, we still wore white uniforms and hats.  My first nursing job was in a hospital, working on the ortho/neuro floor.  I was constantly knocking my hat off on those trapeze bars used for orthopedic patients.
I worked for 10 years at the hospital, before beginning to work at the nursing home that I still work at.

Shortly after starting at the hospital I met this nice guy!   Bob and I got married when I was 21.  We've been married for 32 years and he's still a good guy.
 
I'm a Christian.  I believe in salvation through Christ's death on the cross.  Bob and I are active in our church, Lighthouse Community Church and are so blessed to be a part of this fellowship.

We have 3 kids.  Our daughter Laura is married to Aaron, they are Alaina's parents and are expecting another baby in October.
Our daughter Heather lives at home, but spends a lot of time with her boyfriend Andrew.  We do enjoy it when she has a free night.  :)
Our son Andrew was in the army for 6 years.  He spent a year in Korea and a year in Afghanistan.  He got out last year and now lives in Kentucky, where he works for Lockheed Martin on the Apache Helicoptor.

We live in Allendale, Michigan.  Allendale is about15 minutes from the beaches of Lake Michigan and about 20 minutes from Grand Rapids.  I think it's the perfect location (except when the winter is bad).   :)

I think that's it for now! 

23 comments:

Deb J. in Utah said...

What an interesting post! So nice to get to know a little more about you and your family. I love the fun pictures from a few years back. We are close in age - I was born in Oct. 1959 - just about a year before you. Have a great evening

Jennifer Hays said...

What a great post, Mari. I love posts like this. I was also born on Thanksgiving Day, in 1978. :) My husband has been employed by Lockheed since he graduated from college 15 years ago. We have at least a couple of things in common. :)

Betsy Brock said...

Oh, I love this! What a wonderful post!

And yes...Duane should have been Harry! :)

Unknown said...

I am so glad to know more about you and we have several things in common. I graduated from nursing school in 1984 and went to work in hospital for 14 years. I was older when I went to school, so by the time retirement came around, I qualified. We lived on a 30 acre farm and reared our 3 children there and they played and had the same type fun you and your siblings did. We are Christians too, believe in salvation through Jesus Christ and love our church family too.

Anonymous said...

It was interesting to know about you! Thanks for sharing!
I enjoyed all your post and i am a follower of your blog. I would like you to have a visit of mine and be a follower of it!

Sola Scriptura said...

Thanks for posting this, it's delightful to read. You've been blessed!

Hootin Anni said...

I so enjoyed reading this bio!! I bet Bob, "he's still a good guy" has grown better over the years.

And your brother, I'm gonna call him Gary. LOL

Linda said...

What a nice post. I so enjoy reading more about boggy friends. Blessings

Patsy said...

So happy to know you and your family. I am a new follower of your blog.

Brooke said...

what a cute baby you were!! :)
and heather's bf? ooh!

White Lace and Promises said...

Thanks Mari for sharing your story. I was born in September 1, 1960 and have been married 35 years. Funny how we are connected. There were 4 of us too. I was the 2nd born. What a treasure that ya'll are still close. I wish I could say the same. My parents were pastor and wife and I was raised in the church. They would be so upset to know that there is discord between my brother and myself. My baby brother was killed in a autombile accident when he was 5 and I was 14. So our family was broken and is again. You are blessed. Again, thanks for sharing.

Pat said...

I loved this post and the pictures too! You were a young nurse graduate! The closeness your family shares has always been so wonderful to ready about, you all are truly blessed.
I agree...you live in a beautiful part of our state.
some day, we have to meet!
Hugs!

Unknown said...

This was a fun post to read! Some I knew but it was nice to learn new things too. I didn't know Laura was expecting again--that is so cool!

Unknown said...

This was a fun post to read! Some I knew but it was nice to learn new things too. I didn't know Laura was expecting again--that is so cool!

Connie said...

Another grandchild coming...great.
You have a great story to share.

Terri D said...

I'm so happy to learn more about you! How great that you and your sisters all work at the same place!! Thanks for sharing with us. I wasn't raised on a farm, but have great memories of my grandparents' farm, where my dad was raised, and my cousins' dairy farm, where I spent a week or so each summer. I think I'm a country girl at heart!

Cherdecor said...

You were a cute little baby! You and all your siblings are good looking. I enjoyed reading your bio even though I knew some of it. I like your idea posts. I may have to do the same.

Anonymous said...

I love this history and your pictures! That nursing picture is beautiful!

sara said...

so wonderful that you live so close to your family. I have always wished I lived at least in driving distance from mine, but God has had other plans!

Saija said...

nice to read this ... some things i knew, some things i did not ... so nice that Andrew is now finished his service ... !!!

Jenny said...

Your life reads like an all-American storybook, so different from mine. I am a little bit jealous but not to the extent I begrudge you your idyllic childhood and productive, blissful adult life. I am so happy for your happiness. Your traditional values and faithfulness to the Lord have always been an inspiration to me and will continue to be so. I cherish your friendship but most of all, I treasure you. xoxo BTW you were a cute baby! LOL

Rebecca said...

Mari, I SO enjoyed knowing more about you. Now that my mother is in a nursing home ("special care"/memory unit), I am even more thankful to know that people like you are involved in the care of the elderly.

Your heritage is precious. I, too, am thankful for having been raised in a Christ-centered home. I could wish I lived closer to my siblings -- or even our children for that matter....

You live in a very beautiful part of the world. (I think you may know that we lived near Kalamazoo for several years.)

Jean said...

Wow!! I've been reading your blog for how many years?? and I still learned a lot of things here! Thanks for writing this out. I'm afraid if I tried this it would be so long readers would fall asleep halfway through.