Tim & Vanessa Lorentzen Family!

January dates to remember - 9th - grandpa Ross's birthday - 11th - Vanessa's birthday - 15th - Hollis's birthday - 30th - Bar Mitzvah for Hollis

January 4th - A new year and a lot of new news!  On the 1st Hollis and I took Anita and Al up to Winnipeg.  We left at 6:06 AM with nasty weather forecast.   Made it to Landmark (a little town south of Winnipeg about 25 miles) to the place where Al is going to be staying at 12:45 PM.  We stayed there for 1 1/2 hours and then headed home.  After checking with the folks back in Washburn we decided it would be smarter to take the long way home and drive on 4 lane hiway all the way so we headed south to Fargo.  Got there around 6:00 and stopped for a quick bite but when we went to leave there was no heater blower - turn signals or rear defroster on the car!   That seemed to be a good indication that we should stay in Fargo.  The next morning they still did not work but at least the sun was shining and the windshield stayed clear.  We were getting pretty cold (10 below and 30 mph winds) when about 60 miles from Bismarck suddenly it all started working!   Last night we came to Bismarck with grandpa Ross and grandma Janice and went out for supper and then drove through the park and looked at the light displays that they set up every year.  Grandpa Lorentz and grandma Lou made it home safely.  It was sure great to see them!  The kids enjoyed them.   Grandma Lou baked cookies with them on Wednesday (the 30th) and that night we had a pot luck dinner with the families of the guys I sing with.  Then we (the quartet) gave a little concert.  It was very enjoyable and I managed (with Gods sustaining power) to sing well.  I have been feeling quite under the weather so was concerned a bit about the singing.  We are going to miss Al a lot.  He became like a son to me and a brother to the kids so while we are glad he can see his mother more, we are definitely missing him!

January 11th - Happy birthday Vanessa!  She is 37 and I can truly say not getting older but getting better!  I have been blessed by God with a wonderful wife!   Prov 18:22  He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD. Prov 12:4  An excellent wife is the crown of her husband.  We also celebrated grandpa Ross's 59th on Saturday.  The heater on the Taurus quit on Monday again so John helped me replace the ignition switch (and some melted wires) and now it works like new.  Wonderful to have a heater in this country.   Anita called and said all is going well.  Gramma Grace called and visited with Vanessa a while and sounded like she is doing well.  We have been having quite cold with some snow and wind (that last part is a big shocker!) but all in all it has been a pretty good winter.  Watched some old videos of the kids.  One from 8 years ago (Hollis's 4th birthday) and was that ever a blast from the past!  Hard to believe how fast they grow!  2 others of Buzz and Sis as newborns.  Buzz loved the fudge that Gramma Lou brought so much that he told me that is what he wants for his next birthday - then he wanted to know how long it was till his next birthday!  Nothing like anticipation I guess.  Starlit has moved on to the next song in her violin book.   It is exciting to see her progress!  Vanessa is doing very well also and we have a lot of fun just playing little songs (me on the mandolin and her on the violin).   Still missing Al a lot!  Seems everything we do we think about him so we continue to lift him and Anita up in our thoughts and prayers.

January 12th - Vanessa had a good birthday!  Out for lunch with Darcy and Connie Goetz - then cake at Darcy;s after mom got back from dialysis - then out for supper with Nadine and of course presents!  Bob & Mel Giedel (old friends that lived around Washburn) were up from South Dakota to visit Ross & Janice so it was good to visit them also.

January 18th - Old Ha is now 12!  On Thursday evening we had supper with some friends in Bismarck and then on Friday he had his friend Craig Holden (from Wilton) over for a sleep over.  On Saturday we celebrated again with the friends we meet with in Bismarck and were going to have a family celebration (with all the cousins etc) on Sunday BUT Vanessa has come down with a severe cold/flu (it started Wednesday night) so we have postponed that little celebration for a while.   On Saturday the 30th we are going to have a coming of age celebration for Hollis and we have chosen to do a modified version of a Jewish Bar Mitzvah.  Since we believe that we are Jews grafted into the vine we are going to use this opportunity to publicly declare our faith and bless our son!   More on this later.

January 25th - Another week and we have once again survived!  That seems like quite a feat considering how sick Vanessa and I have been.  One nice thing about being sick is you sure enjoy feeling better!  God is good!  The plans for the Bar Barakah (son of the blessing) ceremony are in place.  This saturday the 30th at New Song at 2:00 PM.  I am really looking forward to honoring not only my son, but my Heavenly Father with this step of obedience.  In Jeremiah 16:6 we read Thus says the LORD: "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.  ( I will be putting more on seeking the ancient paths on the web site soon!)  We will keep you posted.  Pray that God will impact Hollis with the true significance of this and impress upon him how very important he is to the Father!

January 30th - Had an awesome celebration today!  About 75 friends and family came for the Bar Barakah.  I am going to share breifly what happened - we videoed the ceremony and reception so if anyone would like you can just e-mail me and ask for a tape.   We started out with some praise songs and then I shared on why we chose to bless Hollis in this way - then Hollis read his Torah portion and shared on what it meant to him - then he shared the vows he made and got a covenant ring - then Vanessa and I shared the parents vows and Vanessa prayed over (and blessed) him - then the men called him over and we prayed over (and blessed) him.  Then we went to the reception and Hollis was carried in on a chair and I shouted "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased!"  and then we ate cake and partied!