2024 Valentine's Blog

         "Happy Valentine’s Week!” 

May you sense our love for you, our friends and family. But even more, may you sense God’s abundant unconditional love for you every day!

Here is a recap of God’s faithfulness to us in 2023:

Three years living in beautiful Michigan!

We saw our Bollinger grands and their creative parents almost every day we were home and not traveling. It’s great living half a block from them! We spent 17 different weeks with our Patterson grandsons and their wonderful parents, either while we were in Colorado or they were here in Michigan. It is our joy to love on, squeeze, tickle, read-to and do life with our precious seven grandchildren, as well as laugh, talk, plan and share our hearts with their parents who are doing an awesome job helping their children grow and learn! All of them are such treasures!! 

Caleb 10, Grace, 8, Brielle 6 and Natalie 1

Isaiah 5, Micah 4 and Benaiah 2

Precious Praying Times

Nathan and Chiree manage a "Brother/Sister Coffee Date" whenever they are in the same state. Both of them are so blessed with wonderful spouses whom we love dearly! 

We rejoice with Andy on receiving the "President's Choice Award" at his place of business, Computronix. (This is given two people per year who gave a significant contribution at company level.) Congratulations, Andy! 

After 20 years of being a professional portrait photographer and instructor, Katie has just launched her first online course reaching people all of the world. Yay, Katie! We are so excited for you and what lies ahead for "Confident Photographer!"

 

(Side note: You can’t imagine what a blessing Baby Natalie is to us all! Her brother and sisters train her and include her in everything they do, and her three little boy cousins love on her as if she were their very own sister. As for the rest of us, she is abundant joy in our lives.  Thank you, Lord, for sending Natalie to us!)

After a diagnosis of a severe mold allergy for Andy, it was decided to completely remediate all areas of Andy and Chiree’s home. Jimmy spent twelve weeks in Denver in the spring doing an incredible job helping to head up a work team, as well as be one of the major workers. When completed, the whole house was basically new (and, oh, so beautiful)! Chiree said, “Dad, your fingerprints are all over our home!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

As a little girl I always, always wanted my birthday to fall on Easter, and it never did. Well, this past April 9th, at the age of 71, it finally did fall on Easter for the first time in my life. So special to me as we celebrated the resurrected Lord and the forgiveness of our sins. The most sacred holiday of the year! 

In June our well pump broke, and then a brand new well had to be dug. What a mess! The lawn was reseeded and landscaping was enlarged and replaced. We are so thankful for clean running water after being without for over ten days!

An incredibly, wonderful  and fun memory-making time happened over three days during the Fourth of July weekend in Kansas City for a Bollinger Family reunion. Out of 80+ Bollingers, about 50 were able to attend. And, oh, all the little cousins had a ball! (I love the family I married into!!)

All 6 Bollinger "Grown-Up Kids"
9 of the 14 Grandchildren
24 of the 37 Great-Grandchildren

Tons of fun activities for all the Bollinger Kiddos!

For those who have eaten with the Bollinger Clan, 
you know that the meals are absolutely scrumptious! 

Three days of wonderful food and fellowship!!!

We made a detour coming and going to Kansas City in order to spend time with 34 dear, long-time friends, as well seeing our SW MO church family of Prairie Flower Bible Church. Such a blessing being together again!

Stephen, Debby & Dennis Greer

Ron & Donna French and Jack & Judy Hubbard
(These two couples each bought a part of our family farm
in Neosho and have become such special friends to us!)

 

Melissa Snow and Elizabeth & Michael Kaether & little ones

Sarah, Rebekah and Ann Morris

Phil & Patty Johnson

Rebecca Emery, Tonna Thomas,
Laura Jones and Jill Wilkins

Murray & Rache'l Campbell
Maria Crews
Ryan, Robert & Rose Jeffery
Todd & Linda Johnson 
Benita Pearson and Cathy Wedel 

Donna French and Sharon Bogle
(Oh, dear, we should have positioned sweet Sharon better
so that it didn't look like a cup of coffee was on her head!!) 

The fall brought various dear friends and family visiting from out of state. 

Elisabeth & Brian Detrick

Isaiah & Heather Ueland with their children, 

Nathan, Michael, Ariana, Tabitha and Mark 

Katie's parents, Debbie & Larry Miller

Jimmy's sister and brother-in-law, Patty & Nat Diliberto

We also got to enjoy a gathering for "Apple Cider-Making" at our neighbors' home (friends from Revive Our Hearts), Helen and Martin Jones, on a crisp fall evening. There is nothing like fresh squeezed apple cider and sweet fellowship!

The fall also brought Jimmy and a friend from Nathan’s church tackling the job of finishing our basement. Jimmy again put on his tool pouch after thinking he might retire it after his Denver house assignment. He sure makes being 75 years old look like being 45 years old! I love my man so much!

 All throughout the year, we have been so blessed to be a part of Bertrand Bible Church, learning much from God’s Word and being a part of “Salt Shakers.” (Yep, we are full-fledged senior citizens!) Such a sweet group of brothers and sisters in Christ to be with as we pray, serve the Lord together and reach out to our community for others to come to know the Lord!

We had the opportunity to spend lots of time this year with our dear friend, Jennifer Smith, whom we met in Arkansas 13 years ago after she was released from 12 years in prison. In the past she joined our family in prison ministry,  and this year I got to join her in new ministry opportunities including Twelve Stones, a Biblical Counseling Retreat in Indianapolis, with Jill Wamsley and Craig Mercer. We also did a workshop together with “Learning That Lasts,” a ministry of Make It Clear with Jon and Peggy Sperling in Loveland, Colorado. What a blessing to walk alongside her during this new season of life. She truly is family to us!

November 30^th was a life changing day for my dear Jimmy. High blood pressure has never been an issue, and he was on no meds for anything, but a sudden high blood pressure with no warning gave him blindness in his right eye. After many appointments and being with a specialist, the news came that he had an eye stroke and that his retina was dead. Very hard news.  Jimmy has had a peaceful, calm attitude and is learning to adjust to this disability.  We are fearfully and wonderfully made…and we certainly don’t take sight for granted now. When sight is clouded, it gives us the opportunity for more insights from God and the revealing of blindspots in our lives. He is faithful and is teaching us much. We trust Him.  

 On December 7th I went in for a heart ablation since I have been dealing with racing heart tachycardia for over 32 years. It was successful, and I am so very grateful! My sweet sister, Michelle, flew in to be with me and to be of help for Jimmy, too, since we were still in the crisis with his eye. Having a nurse here for four days gave an added peace. Plus, for those who know Michelle, she brought lots of laughs, too. She a real joy! 

A merry heart does good like medicine. 

Proverbs 17:22

When thinking about losses in life, the ultimate tragedy would be life without the hope of heaven with God. That brings tears to God and to us. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, He is alive, well and at work. When we trust Him as our Savior from sin, then our story can and will end in LIFE…eternal life with God! As the old hymn goes, “Only trust Him, only trust Him, only trust Him now. He will save you. He will save you. He will save you now."

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Acts 16:31

Sending our love and prayers to all who have visited our blog,

Ann and Jim

(Another side note: One more "little girl wish" I had was to be a flower girl in a wedding. Well, that never happened, but lately I have seen pictures of grandmas being the flower girl in a grandchild’s wedding! So, who knows?? Maybe there is hope still for this childhood dream! Can’t you just see me…fluffy Grammie in a fluffy dress!! Ha, Ha!)

Apple, Cranberry, Kale, Bacon Salad 
(Even our grandchildren love this and request it!) 

(This recipe is shared by Katie’s mom, Debbie Miller, who obtained it from Samaritan’s Purse’s recipe files.) 

SALAD:

6 cups chopped kale, massaged well

1 red apple, diced

2/3 cup crisp bacon bits

1 cup almonds, roughly chopped

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/3 cup dried cranberries

 

DRESSING:

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup apple juice

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 Tablespoons honey

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup olive oil

Fresh cracked pepper

 

Whisk together the dressing and pour immediately over the greens and serve. Enjoy!