Joyce’s Surprise Birthday Trip to Paris, France!

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Leon surprised me with a wonderful belated birthday trip to Paris, France from April 29 to May 3, 2011! We stayed at the lovely Mercure Paris Raspail Montparnasse on the outskirts of Paris and enjoyed the sights, sounds, and food of Paris for five exciting and fun-filled days. Leon quickly learned enough French to understand the subway routes which helped us to travel all over the city.

Some of the highlights of our trip included visits to various landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the River Seine, the Galleries Lafayette, and Montmartre which overlooks the city. We also went to the Sunday Marketplace and to other flea markets and department stores. I had a lot of fun and shopped until I dropped each day. We ate at various French cuisines such as le”Relais de l’Entrecote” and a place called the Indiana Café. (I had to eat there since Indiana is my home town.) We even saw a restaurant called Leon, where we stopped to take a picture. We also enjoyed delicious French crepes and other scrumptious desserts.

I thank God for blessing me to see another birthday on April 12 and for the wonderful birthday surprise trip from my thoughtful, considerate and loving husband, Leon!

New Godparents!

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Leon and I were honored to be asked to be the Godparents for wee Halleli Herd in April 2011. She was born on October 3, 2010 and is the beautiful daughter of Norrie and Rita Herd who live in Aberdeen, Scotland. Halleli was dedicated on Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011, at the King’s Community Church in Aberdeen. We were proud to stand with her and her parents during the dedication ceremony. She is very alert for her age and is already crawling at seven months. Halleli loves to listen to Leon talk and stares intently at him whenever he does. We thank God for her and look forward to being a part of our lovely Goddaughter’s life.

Our Trip to York, England

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Leon and I traveled from Aberdeen to York, England on April 10, 2011 via the East Coast train. Leon attended the Society for the Study of Theology (SST) Conference at York University from April 11 to 13, 2011. He did a fantastic job with his presentation on April 12 and received many compliments from the theologians in attendance. I celebrated my April 12 birthday in York. We had dinner at the lovely 31 Castlegate Restaurant/Bistro in central York. A surprise birthday gift from Leon is a trip to Paris, France coming up soon! I had fun shopping in York in the various boutiques and in the flea market. I really enjoyed the 1st class train ride to and from York. It was very relaxing and the scenery was beautiful. I am most grateful to God for blessing me to see another birthday and for blessing Leon to do another successful conference presentation.

P.S. For those of you who have asked, the title to Leon’s paper is “The Bible as Relational Indwelling Knowledge: Colin E. Gunton’s Pneumatological Approach to Inspiration and Revelation”

VALENTINE’S DAY 2011

Leon surprised me by taking me to a wonderful Valentine’s dinner at “The Green Inn” in Ballater, Scotland.  As we entered the restaurant, we were led to a welcoming lounge area.  After placing our orders for doe deer and lamb, we were escorted to the lovely dining room in a light-filled conservatory with an impressive wood-burning stove.  The modern Scottish cuisine was delicious and the service was excellent.  I really enjoyed my Valentine’s Day dinner with Leon – the world’s greatest husband!!

Anniversary and New Year’s Eve Celebration

Leon and I celebrated our wedding anniversary on December 31, 2010 – New Year’s Eve.  We went to a lovely dinner at The Olive Tree Restaurant in Aberdeen, Scotland where we feasted on delicious European food.  The service was excellent and we received New Year’s crackers which we took to open at a later time.  Following the dinner, we went to a Hogmanay Ceilidh at the King’s Community Church in Aberdeen.  The most liked event of the evening for us was the “Spoon Game”.  We enjoyed watching all of the Scottish dancing and games.  Afterwards, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving Service and counted down to welcome in the new year with our Scottish church family.  We thank God for blessing us to see another year!