This is my 600th post. Wow. I started timidly on November 29, 2006 and now I am a raging blog-o-holic.
“Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” ~Tom Hanks responding to a disgusted inquiry as to why he was scratching himself so much in A League of Their Own
They began arriving at about 3 pm on Friday, by plane and by car. 6 o’clock there were more. 8:30 pm we increased. Then more and by 10:30 pm, as Dave and I stood outside in the backyard and looked back at our house, fully lit up and fairly burgeoning with the exuberant noise of love and hugs and kisses and “Oh, you’ve gotten taller,” and “This is Averi!?” and “I am so glad you could come,” we smiled. It was loud and it was sweet and we were so thankful to have everyone together for a few days.
pictured below: an impromtu baseball game in Nederland; horseback riding at the farm; my little sister talked me into some weird face; the nieces with Aunt Tami ~ Stephanie, Elise, Auntie, Tredessa, Jovan, Stormie, Tara
I am the oldest of 5 children born to Ross and Norma Moslander. We are blessed to still have our parents with us. They came from Springfield, MO, where, for the second time, they are trying to ditch retirement and are looking for a pastorate. Anyone want a roomy house in Springfield? pictured: my dad with the 4 originals who were here at church on Sunday morning ~ Dan, Joe, me and Tami; both my parents with their grandchildren and great-grand-children in Nederland
My brother Joe and his wife, Robin, came, bringing Corbin-their-youngest with them, joining niece-Elise, who has resided with us here in Colorado for the past year and a half. Two of their kids couldn’t make it, but we were glad they came all the way from Aberdeen, SD, where their church just held a dedication for their new facilities. pictured: Robin talking to dad during the bonfire; Robin and Joe dancing in celebration of their 25th anniversary, the rest of us dancing, too; the fam ~ Joe and Robin with Corbin and Elise
Tim and his family from Butte didn’t make it this year and we were very sad about that, but we plan to make him really sorry by super-imposing him into photos from some old 1970s pics we have of him. That’ll teach him. Hehehehe…evil laughing.
My sister, Tami, so energetic and lively, and her husband came from Corbin, Kentucky (youth pastors by day). Gerron-the-husband fancies himself “the great one.” They are adored by the nieces and nephews and are both natural born animal-whisperers. pictured: T & G at the Mile High Flea Market; later that day at the farm, charming the animals
My youngest brother, Dan and his wife Dawn (we have known her since she was 14 years old!) got to come from Hobart, IN (very near Chicago) and brought 2 of their 3 handsome sons, a beautiful family. pictured: Dawn and Dan on the patio one fine summer evening; Dan and Dawn’s youngest son, Austin, Joe and Robin’s son, Corbin, and Dan and Dawn’s firstborn, Jordan (a semi-pro football player) at the flea market.
We gathered, we ate, we Mile-Hi flea marketed, we cooked out at the farm (Stef and Wrex? Thank-you so much for an unforgettable evening) and roped “cattle” and rode horses and played horseshoes. We bonfired and sang, we talked and talked and took pictures. We worshiped at church together and on the patio as a family. Dad told how we got our spiritual start, about his salvation and baptism of the Holy Spirit. He preached it up. We prayed for each other, we cried sometimes and laughed a lot. We ate some more. Robin cookie-ed us silly! She brought vats of her unbelievably-delicious cookies (peanut butter, chocolate chip, monster, and oatmeal raisin) omygosh - truly, Mrs, Fields – watch out! We celebrated Father’s Day late and floated down the Platte River (how are there no pictures of this??!?…especially of Corbin trying to float on a shark and it nearly taking him under as he tried to swim to shore!? Hahaha!). We splashed in the pool and sunned a little. We shot off fireworks (which may or may not have been illegal from over the Wyoming state line) and BBs and air-soft pellets. We ate some more. We golfed. Some of us (*ahem) did all-night video game parties at Rocky and Jovan’s. We took a picture on what is affectionately known to us as “Moslander Mountain” up Boulder Canyon (since we photographed ourselves there on our very first reunion in 1995). We picnicked in Nederland and played wiffle ball. Did I mention there was food? We came back down the mountain and celebrated Joe and Robin’s 25th anniversary with a dance (how did Dan get so good at that Cha Cha Slide number?…Is it because he is a high school teacher??). There was coffee in the shade on delectibly cool mornings and rhubarb dessert everyone wants the recipe for (Stormie!). In short, we just hung out together.
The weather was positively perfect: sunny all day, but not unbearably hot. Sweet summer evenings outside. God even held the mosquitos at bay for us. It was seriously perfect. All the time. And romantic lights twinkling around the yard. It was like, for these precious few days, we were all there, together, safe and secure and all was right with the world.
I am so thankful that my children not only choose to participate in the Moslander-Family-Reunions, but they are catalysts for them. They want them to keep happening. They plan for them. They help me with them. They love to spend time with their grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. They participate in every way (even though it can be hard with young ‘uns), and help with the food and just generally make me so very proud to call them my kids.
Wednesday afternoon at about 3:00, 5 days after it all began, mom and dad, who’d been the first to arrive, were the last to leave. And my heart is full of together memories, for the moments we shared. We’ll do it again in 2010 and much will have changed, but the love in my heart for these people will remain…pictured: mom and dad with Elise and with Tara and Hunter on the “good-bye” porch; and below in the yard with the sign and appropriately sad faces
I miss them already…Jeanie
NOTE TO SELF: Am I blessed with a godly heritage, or what??
That is what every MC and all bands seemed to yell to get a cheer from the crowd in Wilmore, Kentucky for Ichthus’ 40th Anniversary Festival.
pictured: DP praying with people after a break-out session
They so graciously allowed us (Dave, Tara and Hunter, Tredessa, Luke and his wife and son, and Kyle and myself, along with the techno kings) to attend, hang out backstage and ask questions of their leadership. Their generous sharing of insight and wisdom is a priceless blessing to us.
pictured: Dess and Hunter and me; TP + DP; Tre and her “birthday man”; Hunter and Kyle.
Kentucky was wet, very wet…and muddy (we don’t get much mud here), but very lush and beautiful, too. There is great community there and really good food! I had lunch across the table from Shane Claiborne, and just a few tables away from Delirious (although Dave and Tara actually got to “hang” with Martin Smith while Hunter played games on Martin’s phone), enjoyed some awesome worship at the New Song Cafe with Brenton Brown. Skillet did a killer show (pictured below, right). Israel Houghton is the all-new Andrae, incredible show and back-up dancer/singers! Seriously, when I get to heaven, I better be able to dance like that!
One of the great highlights was Kyle and me facing backwards in the golf cart (Tre was riding shotgun) hanging on for dear life while Alpha-2 madly drove the hills explaining security measures to us. Everyone he busted gave Kyle and me the looks. It was like an hour on your favorite carnival ride. Hilarious!
pictured: Tim, John and Dj DC (the rest of our Coloradan constituency) at the techno stage where the party continued until the wee hours…; Dave and Tara and Hunter with Jenn, Stevie (youth pastors at the big Alliance church in Lexington, where DP & TP did ministry on Sunday morning following Ichthus) and their daughter
And unless we end up promoting Delirious in October here in Colorado (which is still on the possibility-table), I got to see them perform as a band for my very last time and they are just.so.stinking.cool. I L O V E Delirious! They changed everything in the mid-90s, everything! They were the final main stage show, a great end to a great festival. I felt very hippie-ish and Jesus-people-early-70′s-ish. (I wrote about Explo ’72 last summer) I was that sweaty and dirty, too.
We stayed in a town home on the Asbury campus and daily passed this house with a “garden” in the gutters. My hair was fuzzy-crap the entire time. Hunter ran himself (and maybe his mommy) totally ragged. We celebrated Tredessa’s birthday there, walked a lot, slept little, ate lots of funnel cakes and onion blossoms and had a pretty great time, all in all.
