The Latest From the Texas Clan

Hi everyone! We are currently back in the Austin area after spending a month with Henry and Ronda in Minnesota. Bill resigned his position at our church since we were not sure of Henry's condition and how long we might need to be in MN. While Henry was in the hospital, a nice snowstorm came for a couple of days and when he saw the ground covered in white, he was ready to head for the Mexican border. Somehow, the snow seemed to have a strengthening affect on Henry, so here we are in Texas!

We are renting a wonderful home in the hill country from some great friends. Henry and Ronda will stay with us until Henry is strong enough to live in their trailer comfortably. I continue to homeschool and I just started working for a foster care and adoption agency part-time. Bill is currently doing art projects for people. He has done a few time-lapsed sketches that he posted on YouTube. On Thanksgiving day, we were shocked when his "Father and Son" sketch was featured on the front page. He received over 4,000 emails that day and the video has been viewed by over 251,000 people! A local, downtown art gallery will be doing a showing of Bill's art next month. We are so excited.

Britain and Sara continue their studies at home (despite Mom's lack of organization due to the seemingly constant relocating). Britain created a page on MySpace, giving himself a new name under which he writes songs. You can see his site at http://www.myspace.com/austinmccoymusic

My favorite song that he has written is "My World Without You."

Sara is passionate about fashion design, so she is always drawing, planning, and dragging us to the mall to look at the latest design. I love hearing her comment on the "cut" and the fabrics.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Poppa playing horse

Dancing with Kids

The Hungarian Peeps have arrived!!

Timo enjoying the park

Papa reading to Mate'

Mate' helping Nana make the waffles

Andrew, Dori, Mate', and Timo having popcorn night

Visit with Ronda and Henry

Ruth and Wayne just got back from spending 4 days with R & H. While Henry's condition is far from optimal they both were in good spirits. We went to Lake Benton for coffee and out to visit the farm where Henry was born (old house beind the tree) and also where they held the very first "barn revival". Unfortunately, Henry torqued his back while we were there and is currently staying in bed most of the time. He's pretty uncomfortable so keep both he and Ronda in your prayers.

Heidi's New Personal Training Studio!

Big on fitness, low on cost - Somerville, Massachusetts 02144 - Somerville Journal

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Mom and Tim visit Boise

Make a Smilebox postcard

Mom and Tim recently came to Boise for a visit. We had a great time taking in a Shakespeare play, having some great meals, and enjoying the beauty of Cascade and McCall. Thanks for a great visit!

Karen and Ardis visit Boise

Make a Smilebox postcard

We had a great time with Rick, Fay, and Connor on their recent visit to Idaho. The weather was great and we really enjoyed each other's company. The only thing that marred the visit was Bob the peacock....seen at the end of the video!

The Oklahomans come to Boise

A good time was had by all when Carol, Jean, Lisa, and Erin visited Boise a few weeks ago. Marge really enjoyed their company and they provided expert assistance in helping Marge go through some things from her recent move. Thanks for the memories girls!

Marge's New Diggs!

Greetings from Marge's new apartment at Heatherwood Retirement Home. It has been quite a change for her, but she is settling in. It's a rough life with great food, lots of activities, new friends, and maid service! Drop her a line. She'd love to hear from you. Heatherwood Retirement Community, 5277 Kootenai St. Apart 5, Boise, ID 83705

Vanderbush Update

What a busy year!  Ronda celebrated her 70th birthday in April and we enjoyed a nice lunch with her at Mimi's Cafe.

Henry is nearing his 80th birthday in July!  He has made progress since the strokes he suffered, but is still working on regaining strength, his speech, and occasional memory loss.  He is usually in a really good mood and can laugh at just about anything. Henry was ready to get back to Minnesota right away. Bill has been very busy with work at the church and ministry school,  so Ronda bravely drove herself and Henry all the way from Texas!  She is an amazing woman. 

As for me and Bill, we are working on having a home built.  It will take about 4 months, so we are temporarily renting a home from my parents. Most of our stuff is in storage, so we're feeling a bit unsettled at the moment.  I am still homeschooling the kids and we have recently spent quite a bit of time at the State Capitol, studying the process of lawmaking. The kids learned how to lobby.  That was quite entertaining.  Sara loved it....Britain preferred that she do all the talking. 

The Training Room Boston

Heidi and her business partner, Maren, have worked tirelessly to make their dream of opening up their own personal training studio a reality. Larry recently went to Boston to assit them with many of the remodeling projects in their studio. With lots of help from their friends and loved ones, they completed many projects and are on target for opening in July. Congratulations Heidi and Maren and we wish you best of luck with your studio! Check out The Training Room on facebook and at their web sit: www.thetrainingroomboston.com.

Yale Graduation Day!!!

The weather was perfect for Yale graduation day. Heidi, Alex, Larry, and I were so proud of Luke for receiving his Masters of Fine Arts in Theater Design, culminating three years of hard work. In addition, Luke received an award from the Drama college for excellence in costume design. He is moving to New York City to pursue a career in theater design on or off Broadway! Best of luck Luke and congratulations on a job well done! We love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEIDI!!!!

Baby Timo has arrived!!

Andrew and Dori, our adopted Hungarian kids welcomed their new son, Timo last Sunday. All went well and Mate' LOVES his new baby brother!
Andrew wrote: "Everybody is doing great, it was a long Sunday night that finished on Monday morning at 5:54. He is stikingly handsome and very manly just like his father :), I mean older brother máté. Mommy will be at the hospital till thursday, but she and Timó are doing great. I am at home with Máté taking the week off of work to play mommy and finish work projects around the house before I head back to the states in a week. His weight in pounds was 7.9lbs, and he was 25 inches long!"

Beautiful Cascade Lake

I recently enjoyed a few days of rest and relaxation at the Brown House in Cascade, ID. I picked the perfect time as the weather in McCall and Cascade was sunny and crisp in contrast to the inversion and smog that was rolling in to the Boise valley. I enjoyed reading the word, prayer, meditation, walking,hot tubbing under the stars, and skiing at Brundage. I think one of my favorite parts of skiing is the ride up to the top of the mountain on the lift. The colors, sights, and sounds are truly breathtaking. I recently read that the essence of skiing is a simple conversation between your body and gravity. That about sums it up. Hope you all can come up for a visit before too long! Lorna

Robots by Fay, Connor, and Rick Rhodes

The Cousins

Playing games and surfing

Ardyce, Chet, Wayne, and Lyndsey on the slopes

Holidays 2008

Karen and the kids made the harrowing treck to Idaho after Christmas. Seattle was so paralyzed with snow that Chris had to cancel when all efforts to find parking at SeaTac airport were exhausted. We missed him, but everyone enjoyed the food, fun, snow, and fellowship up in Cascade with Wayne and Ruth. Here are some of the photos from the festivities. Enjoy!