Trip to Lake Brownwood

Every other year, my parents, siblings and I, along with my mom’s sisters and their families, meet at a magical lakefront property in Lake Brownwood, Texas. There, we enjoy all sorts of water-sports (water-skiing, jet-skiing, knee-boarding, wake-boarding, fishing, the cousin-blob, etc), fabulous home-cooked meals, telling stories, singing and worship, taking naps, celebrating birthdays, playing on the Wii, solving 1000 piece puzzles, and relaxing together. Our amazing accommodations, courtesy of Dale and Rita Brown (Ben’s wife Trisha’s family), are spacious and delightful for spending a week at the lake.














































































This year was made all the more special by the fact that Jenna decided to be baptized into Christ during our time there. She has always wanted her baptism to be at a beautiful and special place, and with lots of family on hand to help celebrate, Lake Brownwood was the perfect venue! We are so proud of and delighted for Jenna in this vital step she has taken on her faith journey.

Here and There

During my sabbatical, I have enjoyed some times to connect with old friends, valued mentors, confidants, and loved ones. Pictured below are a lunch meeting with my long-time friend Jon Reed (minister of the Hilltop Church of Christ in El Segundo), a dinner date with Carrie, and a Dodger game with the extended Giboney side of Carrie’s family (Dodgers won!). For a people-person like me, times like these are priceless!

In Malibu with Jon Reed

















On a hot date with Carrie

















With the Giboney crew at Dodger Stadium

Sedona Family Reunion

During the weekend of July 23-26, we drove to Sedona, Arizona for an extended Wall family reunion, stopping en route in Flagstaff to visit long-time college friends Rick and Connie Krug and their kids.

Krug and Wall Kids


















Growing up, my visits to the Wall side of the family were always confusing. My dad is the 10th of 11 siblings and has 5 brothers and 5 sisters. Some of his siblings are 25 years older than him, which means that he is younger than some of his nieces (one by six years). For me, this meant that most of my first cousins are 10 to 20 years older than me. It was confusing to me because most of the kids my age were my second cousins. Now that I am older, I can cognitively process this information but it’s still tricky trying to explain it to our girls.

However, we enjoyed nice visits with the various family members who gathered from as far away as Washington, California and Texas to share in the fun.

With the Wall First Cousins


















Some friendly family competition on the volleyball court


















Spectacular Sedona Cliffs