Bodie and Heidi Quirk

Marley Reads

2009-02-16T08:33:00.000-08:00

In this video, Marley Joy is reading excepts from "Go Dog Go" and from "Curious George and the Bunny". Phrases to watch for are "Up the tree, up the tree", "Go Down!", "George is Sad", "Hold a baby bunny!" and many more.

Enjoy

The New Year

2009-02-15T22:00:00.001-08:00

The New Year started off quickly with a visit from the Wongs from Arizona. The annual New Year's fondue party was a blast as always, and thus began a new year of experiences for Marley.

Kalei and Allison Wong

Marley sharing her new Chrismas toys with all the kids

The fondue goodness

Kelci Wong...CUTIE!

This is Kalei at about 10:00pm...didn't quite make it to the ball dropping!

The party crew at midnight

Marley's first tennis lesson

The Houghton/Quirk ladies at Luanna's birthday party

Heidi and her friend Allisonne being honored at a School Board meeting for their Counseling work.

The most precious girl in the world

December 2008

2009-02-15T21:41:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season was a whirlwind as always, but such a delight. We can't believe this is already Marley's second Christmas. We are blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful family and friends.

Marley enjoying the goodies at the Martin Family Christmas party

Bodie and Heidi at the Church Worship Team Christmas Party

Marley with her winter hat from the Lu's

Marley and Presley (don't they look like twins?) Heidi and Kathleen

Emma helping Marley with her new toy

Our little reindeer girl

The hit at the Martins...A family Wii!

Christmas morning fun

Marley wanted to wear the clothes she received, ALL at once!

Walking in daddy's shoes...precious!

Nana and Boppa Jim with their Marley mugs

Marley and Mommy at the Houghton Christmas luncheon

Thanksgiving 2008

2009-02-15T21:28:00.000-08:00

We had a delightful Thanksgiving at the Quirk house this year. It was filled with family, food and new this year...PUZZLE!!! Heidi got the urge for a family project and it ended up to be a lot of fun (though very addicting!) Everyone pitched in to complete a 1000 piece Thomas Kinkade puzzle in just 3 days. Of course Marley had a ball and was the center of attention with all the cousins. Some highlights of the week...

Heidi, Hailey and Wesley hard at work. Hailey and Wesley were key to the puzzle completion

Friends Matt and Carmen came over and were sucked in as well!

This was Luanna's doll when she was little. Marley loves playing with it too!

Some of the cousins and Luanna

Marley with cousin Laura with whom she loves to play

This is Marley with her favorite toys in the world...ROCKS!

The Ranch

2008-11-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

Marley had her first trip to the ranch for the annual pheasant hunting gathering. She loved being out in the beautiful fields and playing with all the rocks. It was a great trip, even though Marley came down with a little cold.

Fall Fun

2008-11-06T20:55:00.000-08:00

Marley is having a blast with the new season. She runs almost everywhere she goes and has become quite the talker. I think my favorite new word she says is "balloon" which sounds more like "bluhbluhbluhbluh." She is curious about everything and likes to repeat words you say. She has started "singing" along with her favorite songs and it is so precious. I love how friendly she is; she says "hi" to everything from people to animals to passing cars.

For those of you who didn't know, I started a new job in Duarte USD in mid September and am really enjoying counseling at the Junior High level. Although the commute is long and it is hard being away from Marley full time, the staff is wonderful and I am blessed to be employed in this uncertain economy. Here are some pictures of the season:

Swim lessons!

Marley sleeps with her booty up in the air, but somehow she managed to get her blankee on her back in the middle of the night too!

Pumpkin patch fun

Marley dressed up as a bear for our church Harvest Fair, but she thought it was a dog and went around saying "Arf" all night. I dressed as Marley in onsie pajamas and so she was my teddy bear.

A Rare Treat

2008-10-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, my family got to see Andre Agassi in person playing tennis. This was his first public playing experience this year and it was to help the Bryan Brothers Raise money for their foundation they were launching with this event: The All-Star Tennis Smash. There were current famous tennis players there like James Blake, Robby Ginepri, of course Bob and Mike Bryan, and some celebrites, as well including Jon Lovitz.

But for me, it was all about seeing Andre. He was and is my tennis inspiration so this was a true rare treat to see my tennis hero in a relaxed environment, where I was able to get quite close to enjoy the beauty of his game and get some pictures.

Here are some of my best shots that I edited and had some fun with.

Our Little Toddler

2008-09-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

This toddler stage is just so much fun. It's like Marley learns a new word and new skills everyday. It is a joy to watch her discover her world. She is going all the time and getting into things at every moment of her curiosity. She waves to cars that pass our house and is obsessed with shoes and phones (already such a girl). She can make the animal noises for a dog, cat, cow, duck and monkey (which might be my favorite because it's "oo...oo...oo!"). She likes having music on most of the time and does a little squatting or stomping dance. We have started swim lesssons which she is doing really well in; she loves the water. It's crazy to see how much she has changed in a little over a year, and to realize you never knew you could love like this. Thank you Jesus, for this imperfect glimpse of how much you really love us, even though we are just as naive and selfish and stubborn as children sometimes.

Goofy face

Tickle attack from Auntie Hailey

Our little singer

Bath time with Emma, or as Marley says: "ENNAH!"

Marley decided to pack herself up!

Trying on mommy's shoes, already!

1st Birthday Party

2008-09-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

Marley's first birthday was a blast. We had it at Yorba Regional Park and many pitched in to decorate and bring food. It was a beautiful day and so many of Marley's friend were able to come. Daddy showed her how to really dig into a birthday cake, much to everyones amusement. We are so blessed by our family and friends, thank you for loving and supporting us so well!

Auntie Heather made amazing cupcakes for the occasion!

Is frosting good for your hair?

Reading a new book with Uncle Kenton

Marley and her friend practicing their new walking skills

Cabin, Here We Come!

2008-09-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

Marley's first trip to the cabin was fantastic! We delayed a little because of the fires, but that just meant we got to spend more time with Grandma and Grandpa Martin.

Grandma Sara Lee taking good care of me. She's funny!

Grandpa Glenn helping me slide down the slide. I was cracking up!

I put the "Joy" in Marley Joy!

I am a water baby for sure! This is at the pool of the hotel where we stayed while waiting for the smoke to clear near the cabin.

I love books, and my Mommy loves to read them to me.

I spent a lot of time in the "gated community" but my friend Bridget and Daddy kept me entertained.

Ok, have you seen how tall the trees are? This was my first attempt to see the top of a really big one!

I'm walking much better, and Grandpa helps me

The Equitz/Quirk trip to the creek. There was lots of rock throwing and dog splashing.

Happy Fourth of July! All I need is a broom and a hoolahoop to be happy.

My first taste of homemade peach ice cream...MMMMM!

Goofy Girl

My first steps all by myself. Can you see how excited I am?!

How about how excited mommy is?

Summer Begins...

2008-09-15T14:42:00.000-07:00

Marley started off her summer with a visit from Grandma Wendy, which made it perfect! She began standing all by herself (not holding on to anything) and walking with assistance. We learned she loves swings, "dancing," saying new words (like fish! Well, more like "ish!"), and the old favorites: giggling and clapping. We had one little mishap...Marley lost her first tooth a little too early! It was probably more traumatic for her parents than her, but she won't be having a front tooth until her adult one comes in :( Other than that, what a happy, healthy girl. Here are some pictures:

With Grandma Wendy

The Quirk Ladies: Grandma Wendy, Auntie Hailey and Mama

Fun with Auntie Hailey

Getting messy!

I love my daddy!

Cute face

Daddy makes me laugh

First Steps

Hanging with Uncle Terry and my friend Presley

I LOVE bath time!

Reading my new favorite book, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," with Mommy. I like putting my finger in the holes

Precious child

I woke up early one morning and got bored so I started reading a book. Then I decided I was too tired and went back to sleep. This is how Mommy and Daddy found me!

Already?!

2008-05-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

Marley will be 10 months old at the end of this week. WOW! It doesn't seem possible. What an amazing journey it has been, and we've only just begun! Marley is crawling and pulling herself up all over the place. She just learned how to climb all the way up our stairs! She has the most remarkable "happy dance" that she busts out whenever she hears music or something makes her especially happy. She also has mastered the "so big" response that is super cute. I think the sound of her voice as she babbles on is the most beautiful and precious thing I have ever heard. And I love watching her interact with other babies.

She was so great on our trip to the Bahamas. She did wonderfully on the plane rides: sleeping, playing and charming other passengers with her smile. And we just kept her on California time over there so her sleep was just a great as here. Here's a few shots...

We brought this awesome tent that kept Marley safe and busy when we were on the beach or in the grass. She seemed to really like it!

We were so glad we brought this Winnie the Pooh toy. It would keep Marley entertained for quite a while at a time. Although we did get tired of hearning "If you follow the lights, you can play the piano!"

We are blessed that God entrusted us to be Marley's parents.

Bahamas Video

2008-04-08T20:39:00.000-07:00

If you want to get a quick taste of our amazing trip to the Bahamas, that we are still on (!)...then click here.

Beware...cute baby and white people swimming ahead.

FINALLY!

2008-03-31T21:15:00.001-07:00

Alright, alright! We know we have been slacking on posting...sorry about that! But we have just been having too much fun. Marley had her first Christmas, solid foods, snow experience, finger foods, rolling over, clapping, crawling backwards, professional tennis match, standing by herself, Easter, and she just keeps on going! She loves music, animals, ceiling fans, clapping, and giggling, just to name a few. We figure we will just let the pictures do the talking, so here you go!

Trying out her singing skills...

Here are some pictures from Christmas time:

Bundled up before her first mountain/snow experience!

At Nana's birthday party

She loves laughing with Daddy!

Bathtime is a favorite! She gets this exact smile every time we take her out of the tub.

Some pictures from Easter:

We had to take her out of her pretty dress to eat, you can see why!

Dresses just aren't practical for play time!

Our little poser

Look at me standing all by myself!

Coming soon, first trip out of the country... Bahamas here we come!

Smiles and Discovery

2007-12-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

Whew! What a month it has been. It is such a delight to watch Marley discover life and the world around her, it just becomes hard to find time to do anything else!

We had a very blessed trip to Arizona to see our family and friends. Marley had her first plane ride over there and was a champ: she slept the whole way! The drive back was long for her, but she did well. She loves her Arizona family. This is our cousin Gabe. He put the Baby Bjorn on and ran Marley all over the mall. She loved it! Then they got tired and took a rest.

Marley is discovering many things. The most noteable ones as of late are her thumb and her feet!

Marley's favorite activity by far is going for a walk around the neighborhood in her Baby Bjorn. It's been so cold out, so we bundle her up in what we've affectionately termed her "Pink Pepper" outfit. The hat was made by my friend Adrienne, and Marley loves it!

She is so full of smiles and is so much fun. We had a couple of photo shoots of her for our Christmas cards and she was great. We are truly blessed to be her parents, and we are looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Redeemer with her for the first time!

Marley and Auntie Joyce

Our Princess Leia

2007-11-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

I think we had a lot more fun with costumes this year than we ever have. We found the best infant Princess Leia costume and decided to make a family theme of it...so Bodie was Anakin and I was Padame. We were a proud Skywalker family. Our church Harvest Fair was so much fun! Marley enjoyed seeing all her friends.

Our precious little girl is getting more verbal and social every day! People are much more interesting to her than objects and she loves when people talk and sing to her. In fact, worship is her favorite! She gets quiet and still whenever the worship band is playing. She is still a great sleeper and we are loving her more and more every day. She did wonderfully on her first road trip. We went to Arizona to meet our new baby cousin Ryan Alejandro Castillo. He is beautiful and it was wonderful seeing our family over there!

Grandma Wendy Comes to Town!

2007-10-06T16:13:00.001-07:00

Marley was so blessed to meet and spend time with her Grandma Wendy last week! She came out Wednesday and had to leave Monday but filled the time well with family and friends. Marley was sure sad to see her go and can't wait to see her again! Here are some pictures of the stay:

Hanging with Auntie Hailey

Checking out silly Westley

This is our precious one in some of her favorite places:

After bath=clean and cute

Laughing and talking with Daddy

Extreme close up in the bouncer...we love itsy bitsy spider!

Sleeping in the swing, thug life style

What a joy it is to discover life with Marley every day. She is sleeping 7-8 hours straight a night and then eats quickly and goes back to bed for a couple more hours. She is healthy and already ministering to others with her smiles and coos. We are so proud of her!

Smiles!

2007-09-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better than seeing Marley smile and having a "conversation" with her. She is experimenting with her voice and making all kinds of cute noises and faces. We discovered that she finally really enjoys being in her bouncer because she can see and be entertained by the toys and songs. It reminds me of how it is such a testament of God's love for us that He created us to enjoy life. He created excitement and joy and happiness for His precious creation to experience. Even little Marley who is just scratching the tip of the iceberg of wonderful things to enjoy and make her happy is a recipient of His amazing love in this way. Thank you, Jesus, for joy!

Eight Weeks of Love

2007-09-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

Marley Joy is 8 weeks old today, and we are more blessed than ever. It has been so fun to watch her grow and develop. She is smiling now and starting to make little coos when you talk to her and we just love it! This video link below shows just the beginning of this process. That's right, we bought a HD video camera. We have officially become "Those Parents" and we are not ashamed!

http://gallery.mac.com/bodieq#100053

Marley has thrush, but we are so blessed in that our pediatrician actually goes to our church and his wife (who is a nurse!) was holding her and they diagnosed her on a Sunday morning! Then they just called in the prescription for us and it's a good thing because the next day Marley was very uncomfortable and we already knew what was wrong and had the medicine to treat it. She's doing much better now, but it is very hard to get rid of.

She had her first experience in the pool on Labor day. She loves her bath so much (and let's you know by how much she screams when you take her out!) that we were just sure she would love the pool. Well...maybe we didn't pick the best time because she had just been awakened from too short of a nap and we were too excited to see her in her cute suit that we put it on and put her in. She definitely was less than amused at first, but then settled down as long as she was being held really close.
Marley is so loved. We are blessed to have so many people that care about us and about our little precious girl. I started back to work part time on August 29th and we have some of the best babysitters there are: grandparents! It is such a relief to know she is cared for so dilligently. My parents watch her at their house two days a week and Bodie's stepmom comes all the way up from Carlsbad to watch her one day a week. Uncle Kenton has volunteer to watch Marley two Wednesdays a month so I can go teach at youth group, and he is so good with her. Here are some recent pics of those that love her.

Proud Uncle Kenton

Auntie Megan

Auntie Kelly

We continue to be amazed at how much we love our little gift from God. It seems like every little thing she does is amazing. She now sleeps 6-7 hours in her first stretch of the night, then eats and sleeps a couple more hours. Last night was her first night in her own room and crib! We will keep you updated on her progress

Firsts

2007-08-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

Marley is officially 4 weeks old! So much growth and change has happened, it is amazing. Thank you Jesus for continued health and joy! She is now sleeping a 5-6 hour stretch each night followed by 2 more. She is a delight. Here are some updated pictures:

Auntie Ajja came to visit us, and Marley thought she was just great! It must be her relaxing Hawaiian vibe.

Grandma, this outfit and these socks are far too big for me! You need to wait!

This is my "I'm awake and curious" face

Daddy sure makes a nice pillow. He must be watching Agassi.

Marley and Presley hanging out in the back seat while Heidi and Kathleen have an "outing"

First Bath! We didn't like this too much at first, but by the third night of baths, they have become one of our favorite things!

I took this picture to remember how little she looks in her carrier. One day she is going to fill it!

This is Joiya Szolomayer doing a great job holding Marley

Marley just loves hanging out in the Baby Bjorn. We took a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood with her in this and she was relaxed and taking in all the sights.

"I sure am curious!"

Beautiful Baby

2007-08-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

We were so blessed to have a friend from church come and take some professional pictures of our precious little one. She is one week and one day in these pictures. Please visit our friend's website, www.photobyangel.com, and see some of her other beautiful work!

Eyes Wide Open

2007-07-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

I realized that all the pictures I put up before were of Marley sleeping! Although she does do that most of the time (she is a GREAT sleeper! Even at night!), I wanted you to see her with her eyes open, as she begins to take in this world that God has created for her.

May we continue to see this world as God has intended us to: through eyes of love, compassion and humility, fixed on Jesus to whom all glory and honor is due. "Love sent my Savior to die in my stead, Why should he love me so?"

Announcing Marley Joy Quirk!

2007-07-25T16:52:00.001-07:00

Marley Joy Quirk was born Tuesday July 17, 2007 at 9:22 am. She weighed 7lbs. 3 oz. and was 19 inches long. Already she has captivated us with her little noises, precious looks and sweet spirit. We are absolutely in love. We have been so blessed to have tremendous family support from Glenn, Sara Lee and Kenton Martin and Jim and Luanna Quirk. Collectively, they have cooked, cleaned, washed, fixed and taken care of every possible need we might have so that we can just be parents. Words cannot express how thankful we are for them.

We have also been overwhelmed by all the love and support that has been lavished upon us by family and friends in this special time. We are truly humbled by the grace that is given to us and thank the Lord for His provision.

We will try to continue updating this blog with pictures and stories as this blessed little gift grows day by day. Thank you for visiting!

Back to Blogging

2007-07-25T15:23:00.001-07:00

What a year it has been! Each day we are reminded of the faithfulness and sovereignty of our Lord, and are so blessed to be called His children. We found out we were pregnant in November 2006 and began counting the days for our little one to arrive. In December 2006 we moved into our new home in Orange. We thank God for it everyday, as now we are only a few minutes from church and Heidi's work is much closer. We pray it is a place of ministry and peace. Here are some pictures:

Upstairs Laundry!!

Guest bedroom and bath

Our Bedroom

Nursery with loft

We were also blessed to go on a trip to Hawaii with Heidi's parents in April 2007. It was a wonderful time of rest and relaxation. Here are some of the hightlights:

A view from our room!

Bodie graduated from Biola in May 2007 with his Masters in Christian Apologetics. He loves learning and is continuing his education at Talbot in Theology.

Day 13?: We've lost track!

2006-03-16T17:15:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a long day or two. We stayed up until the bus was to take us to the airport at 1:30 am. We played many a game of spoons and had a blast. When Ronnie, our tour guide, parted with our bus, he said that he wished more people were like us and we would always have a friend in Israel. He has never worked with a group like ours, and it was a blessing to show him true love and acceptance. He jokingly said that our group was more Jewish than he is because of our interest in and support of the history and future of Israel. There was no better way to end the trip. Please contiue to pray for him, as he asked for prayers too!

Our late night crew in a heated game of Spoons (or sugar packets)

Another picture of the back of the bus crew just before we left for the airport.

We took one flight from Tel Aviv to Frankfurt, and then another from Frankfurt to DC. We arrived safely (with luggage!) and got a hotel for the night. Bodie's friend Elizabeth came and hung out with us which was a blessing and helped us stay up later too!

A new game we learned called Indian (not sure that's very p.c.) And we entertained the masses in the gate waiting for the plane.

We are blessed to be back in the states. Thanks for all your prayers and we look forward to seeing you soon! We fly back tomorrow (Friday) and will get in to Long Beach around 5pm.

FINAL CAPTION CONTEST

2006-03-15T11:27:00.000-08:00

This is a story told by Heidi and Melissa outside the Mall in Jerusalem. Please narrate.

Day 12: Last Day in Israel

2006-03-15T11:02:00.000-08:00

Today was a not-so-free, Free Day. Meaning that if we wanted to get anywhere for free, we needed to take the bus, and therefore we needed to travel as a group. But that was just fine with us because we really like our group.

We started off the day at Yad Vashem, the Holocost Museum, which included a special memorial to the children who died as well. The Childrens Memorial was one of the most moving visual things I have ever seen. In the center of a dark round room were 5 candles. Surrounding them were strategically placed mirrors so that you could see millions of lights in the tall room. The 1.5 million names of children were being read in Hebrew, Yiddish and English. It was breathtaking.

The museum itself was amazing. We spent 2 hours there but could easily have spent twice that. Especially moving were the videos of survivors telling their different stories.

For lunch, we stopped at a local mall. Well, it's the end of Purim and so all the kids were out of school and where do you think all the families went? The Mall. And the kids were all dressed up. It was a mad house!
So...can you guess where we ate lunch?

We then headed to the Shrine of the Book and saw actual pieces of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Incredible.

This is one of the bus drivers for another bus. His name is Amnon. We took quite a liking to him. He started calling Bodie "Gingi!" which is what they call all readheads. He is round and jolly. Challenge: Do you know where Amnon is mentioned in the Bible?

We have very few pictures today because we couldn't take them in the Museums.

We are not going to sleep tonight because we have to leave for the airport at 1:30 am. Then we will post again either from Frankfurt or DC. We will be staying a night in DC to break up the trip and see Bodie's friend Elizabeth. We'll talk to you then!

Caption Contest Afterthoughts and Musings for the People

2006-03-15T10:24:00.000-08:00

It has come to our attention that our choice of winner for Caption Contest #2, Kevin Equitz has caused some rumbling in the corps. This is a shame.

We stand behind our position 100% because lines like "Kiss me you fool of a flightless bird replica!" cannot easily be denied. (Tip hat again to Kevin as well as to Mr Minegar who embodies comedy in all areas of human life).

We have brought this to your attention for two reasons:

1) We have recieved a late entry that was comedically noteworthy of blog attention for Caption Contest #3.
2) We failed to give the decoded message upon conferring the winner of Caption #3.

Therefore...

Kenton's post, " "It's a good thing we brought along that New Kids on the Block tape; otherwise our coreography would be all screwy" brought us quite a good laugh, even though it was late.

And for the "tougher than the Da Vinci Code" hidden message decipherization....(the answer is)

Dead Sea Scrolls. (Isn't life frustratingly simple sometimes? Actually this pic was taken at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found and so Hannah on the left is hanging herself, though she looks like Rocky Balboa, Heidi is a "C", Bodie is unrolling the scroll and Melissa is pointing to the location. New Kids was not far off either. Nor the YMCA. I always knew there could be a connection of the Village People to ancient codexes!)

Caption Contest #3 Winner- DYLAN PROSSER!

2006-03-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

Ok guys, we gave you a prime picture for a contest and were sad at the lack of response... until Dylan rode in on his triumphant horse of comedy and blew us away!

Dylan, you rock. Thanks for cracking us up!

Dylan's response:
bodie (in his stylish hat) is portraying how God is bigger than the boogie man, and is failing miserably. Also heidi is cooling bodie down because he has a self-heating meal in his pocket and its stuck!

Day 11: Temple Mount and The Garden Tomb- UPDATED WITH PICTURES!!

2006-03-14T09:12:00.000-08:00

We had an interesting start to our day today. We went through heavy security to get on to the Temple Mount to see the courtyard containing the Dome of the Rock and El Aksa Mosque. It was an eerie feeling, and yet I almost had no feeling at all. The Dome of the Rock is a memorial to Mohammed as it is said that here he received revelation from God. Yet it is interesting that Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran, only Mecca and Medina are mentioned. Also interesting is that when the Muslims pray in the El Aksa mosque, they pray facing east toward Mecca which is away from the Dome of the Rock. It is as if they don’t really care about being there, except to keep it from the Jews who are wailing just outside the walls to be able to worship there.
On the Temple Mount in front of the Dome of the Rock

The "Back of the Bus Crew" on the Temple Mount. A Brit, two Floridians and two Californians.

Bodie, Heidi and Ronnie, our guide. He has been awesome. Please pray for him, he is searching and open.

Next we went and saw the ruins of the pools of Bethesda. This is where Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath (John 5). These were really interesting. There were remains of Roman cisterns - man those were deep!There was also a small cathedral with amazing acoustics right near the pools. We sang worship along with other believers and it was amazing!

Remains of the Pools of Bethesda! Don't jump in right now, though. I don't think you would be healed.

Come on, would you pass up a shot like this? Chow-Yun Fat has nothing on us!

We then walked along the Via Dolorosa which is the traditional (Catholic) path of Jesus when on His way to be crucified. However, we learned that it cannot be the actual street He went down because it was built upon 4 centuries later. What really matters is not the actual street but remembering what Jesus sacrificed for us.

We walked through and had lunch (falafel!) in the Arab Quarter which was an interesting experience. It was crowded we were regarded with a kind of apathetic amusement. We had one funny experience: It seems everyone in all of Israel wants to sell things to the Americans for "One dollah!" Well, one man selling fresh pita shouted out "Do you like Jesus?" Of course we said yes. He said "Then buy his bread! I sold this bread to Jesus and he liked it very much." Of course we bought it, but wondered why more people wouldn't want to buy Jesus' bread? Hmmm.
This is a shot down a street in the Arab District.

We then made our way to Golgotha which is the high ground of Mr. Moriah. This is where many believe Jesus was crucified. You can actually see a skull shape in the rock. Within steps is the garden tomb they believe Jesus was buried and then resurrected. We learned so much that supports this, but we can't share it all here. Suffice it to say it was a wonderful thing to see. After all in our group had seen both sites, we gathered for communion.
Golgotha. Can you see the eyes and nose of the face of a skull? Wow.

The entrance to the tomb.

Bodie and I in the Garden of the Tomb

Tonight we have the second part of the Temple Conference in which the guest speaker Tuvia Sagiv will present his research supporting the "southern conjecture" of the location of the actual temple mount. It should be interesting.Tomorrow is our last day, and we will most likely be going to the Yad Vashem (Holocost museum) and the Shrine of the Book and the Israel museum. It promises to be just as full a day as the rest.

We have been so blessed to be here. Thank you for all your continued prayers and support!

Day 10: Masada and Dead Sea Swim

2006-03-13T21:05:00.000-08:00

We are using the hotel computer so some things are a little different. Therefore, you will see pictures first this time, and then the text. We love you guys!

Bodie on one of the walls of the palace in Masada

Heidi with a side view of Herods personal palace carved out of the side of the mountain
Heidi in the center of the synagogue where the Jewish group took their last stand.
Floating in the Dead Sea!Unbelievable!
A beautiful view of the Dead Sea from the bus.
So, this is sea level. And there are mountains below it! Crazy! This is on the road down to the Dead Sea.
This is a shot of the tunnels we went through two nights ago.

Before we begin to tell you about today, we must tell you about last evening. We were able to go through the excavated tunnels around the temple and get to the closest place to the Holy of Holies that a Jew or Gentile can get. It was neat doing it at night, it felt all the more like secret mission. We learned much about the construction of the two temples and were amazed by some of the stone work.

This morning we headed to the mountain of Masada. The only way up is by gondola or a steep switchback hike. What a fascinating place. Herod carved two palaces out of stone on this hill top, as well as establised and elaborate water system to bring water to it. It is unbelievable that he could do this kind of thing back then.

Many years later, a group of Jews that had started a revolt against the Roman attempts to enslave them took refuge on this very hill top. They had plenty of food and water (thanks to Herod's design) but the Romans eventually built a huge ramp and broke their defenses after many months. Instead of being enslaved, the group took their last stand by taking their own lives in the synagoge they had constructed. Quite an amazing story.

We next headed to the Dead Sea to take a swim. Wow. You sit back and your legs fly up to the surface because there is so much salt in the water. You can float flay almost completely on top of the water! Your skin feels so soft and oily when you come out. Quite and experience.

We headed back to the hotel and barely had time for dinner before the Temple Conference. This conference is set up by Koinania House and brings different scholars to talk about issues surrounding the temple. It was fascinating. Chuck spoke on the history of the Temple and then a member of the Kineset (Israel's Parliment) spoke about the importance of a united approach supporting the rights of Jews and Christians to be able to pray on the temple mount. This was followed by a presentation by Ashur Kaufman on his theory of the temple mount actually being about 100 meters south of where the Dome of the Rock now sits. We will have another conference tonight.

Sorry we were late in posting this time...our days are quite full! We wake up at 6:00 and usually don't get back unil 6:00pm. Then it is dinner and sometimes another tour after dinner! We are having such a blessed time. Thank you for all your comments and support, we love sharing this experience with you.

We Love Your Comments!

2006-03-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

Thank you to those of you who have posted comments after visiting the blog.

If you come, please leave us a comment! They are like water to the soul....

We sure miss our co-workers! Where are you? Adele? Tom? Rhonda? We would sure love to hear from you!

Gotta go, internet going to run out.

B

Day 9: Old City of Jerusalem

2006-03-12T07:51:00.000-08:00

We walked more today than any other, I think. And we still aren't finished!

We thought you might want to see some of our new friends. This is Bodie and Jay. He is from Florida.

This is Heidi with Melissa (from Maine) next to her and Hannah (from England) in front.

Today we actually went in to the Jewish, Armenian and Christian Quarters of the old city. We visited the Temple Institute which is dedicated to educating people about the temple and also to rebuilding it. Of course they cannot build walls and such yet, but they are recreating many of the ceremonial vessels used in the temple and we learned much about these.

Next went to the West Wall or Wailing Wall of the temple. It was an amazing thing to behold. As we said before, it is such an interesting experience to actually be at these places that we have heard so much about and have pictured in our minds. The Western Wall of the original temple is as close as the Jewish people can get to the Holy of Holies, and therefore they pray and petition God there to restore the Temple.
Bodie and I in front of the Western Wall.

We had lunch overlooking the old city, it is just a breathtaking sight. It is a juxtaposition of old and new, different faiths, and different people. We understand so much more of the real issues going on here now that we have seen it for ourselves.

The view of the old city that we had at lunch.

We then went to the Herodian Street and Southern Steps. These are stones of the temple during the time that Jesus was alive and went to the Temple. What an sobering thought. We saw representations of what the 1st and 2nd temples looked like. They were so much bigger than we ever imagined! The stones were massives and the walls extremely tall.

A view of the Herodian Street next to the temple wall. Jesus may have walked this very street!

These are the southern steps of the temple.

Tonight we will be going through the tunnels of Solomon under and around the temple mount. Tomorrow we will be going to Masada and floating in the Dead Sea.

Caption Contest #2 Winners are: KEVIN EQUITZ and honorable mention goes to MATTHEW MINEGAR

2006-03-11T11:57:00.000-08:00

Kevin definitely got the biggest laugh not only from us but from our tour guide and other friends. Way to go!

This is what he posted:

Heidi: "Kiss me you sassy, stoic abstract penguin statue! I've just eaten fried fish heads and now I truly know that we have a cosmic connection that extends far beyond any of my previous notions. It's the fish that binds us! Search your heart, you strappingly gorgeous penguin, you know it to be true. Smell the fish breath! Kiss me you fool of a flightless bird replica! Kiss me!

The penguin: (sadly, the penguin in this case, however fortunate it is to have such an admirer, is unable to comment. He's actually unable to do anything. He's a statue. We shouldn't even refer to it as "he." How truly ironic — that's why this is in parentheses)

And honorable mention goes to Matthew Minegar for his quite funny one liner.

Excellent job guys.

Caption Contest # 3

2006-03-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

Ok. This is not only a caption contest, but if you decipher the message, you get extra points. Good Luck! We're looking forward to this one!

Day 8: Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem

2006-03-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

Day 8: Shabbat Shalom From Jerusalem

Today we packed up from our hotel in Tiberias and started our trek to Jerusalem. First we stopped at Bet She’an which is located at the foot of Mount Gilboa. There are incredible ruins of many civilizations that built on top of each other in this place. Egyptian, Roman, Scythinan, you name it! Most impressive were the ruins of a Roman bath house that included a sauna, pool, and yes, lavatories which we were able to sample.
Bodie taking on a marble pillar

Triumph! In Bet She'an.

Oh yes. That is a toilet.

We had lunch at a restaurant on the Dead Sea which was amazing. We will be returning here later this week for a swim.

Next we went to Qumran which is the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in caves. The Dead Sea Scrolls were papayrus scrolls and fragments of the Old Testament which dated back many years earlier than any other copy in existence at the time.

Our fist sight of Jerusalem was breathtaking. It is an amazing city. We went to the Mount of Olives overlooking the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock and Chuck led a teaching about Palm Sunday. We then walked the very path that Jesus rode on a donkey into the city and we stopped at the Garden of Gethsemane. It’s an interesting experience to see things you have pictured in your mind for so long. The Garden was overwhelming. We had a chance for solitude and prayer which was a blessing. It was very peaceful.

Jerusalem! That is the Dome of the Rock just to the left of Bodie's head.

The path that Jesus rode the donkey down. Amazing! Of course it's paved now :)

The Garden of Gethsemane. Beautiful.

This is overlooking Bethlehem. Ronnie, our guide asked someone to read in Matthew 2 describing Bethlehem. It was a great moment.

We ended the day by driving to an overlook of Bethlehem (it is not safe to enter Bethlehem right now). Everything is so much closer to each other than we had imagined in our minds when reading the Bible.

Overall this was a very full day and we are looking forward to really going down into the old city tomorrow.

We miss you all and LOVE hearing from you when you post. Keep it up!

Until next time!

Day 7: The IDF and Bethsaida

2006-03-10T10:42:00.000-08:00

Today was much different from what we have done and what we will do on this trip. We were actually allowed to not only enter, but serve at a military base of the Israeli Defense Forces. We went to one of the many bases in the Golan Heights which specializes in engineering.

A picture from the bus as we drove into the base. Not glamorous, but suitable.

These are what the paramedics drive to take care of the wounded on the battlefield. The red star of David has just been accepted as a sign similar to the Red Cross.

Because this is the beginning of the Sabbath, most of the soldiers had gone home, but a few remained. We weeded, cleaned, planted trees and put out pottery that was donated by part of our trip expenses. It was an amazing experience. The soldiers where shocked and warmed by our presence in a way that is hard to quantify. They are so used to the world hating them, it is quite unheard of to have a group not only visit, but work along side with them. Our guides and bus drivers, all Jewish and therefore all having served in the army, kept thanking us and telling us how unsual and wonderful it was.
Who is driving that military vehicle?

It's us! Everyone keeps asking if we are newlyweds. Of course we tell them that we are!

Bodie triumphing over some collosal weeds. They were no match for his strength!

Funny. Israeli weeds look just like American weeds.

Our group had been working on the Hatikvah, or national anthem, of Israel since we came together. After we ate lunch with the soldiers, we rose and sang the song to/with them. It was a wonderful experience.

After that wonderful activity, we drove to Bethsaida which was quite interesting. Although Peter, Andrew and Philip were born here and Jesus performed the miracles of feeding 4,000 and healing the blind man here, it is one of the three cities also cursed by Jesus because of their unbelief. It was interesting to see that it is still barren today. We saw the remains of a village with walls of homes and shops still in place.
Here are the remains of the walls of a home from 2000 years ago in Bethsaida.

Heidi getting some wine from the "wine cellar" in a home in Bethsaida. Its was a good year.

We can't believe that tomorrow we are going to Jerusalem! Everyone says it is all different from here on out. We can't wait! Thank you for all your prayers and comments. We love hearing from you and sharing this experience with you!

Caption Contest #2

2006-03-09T08:42:00.000-08:00

Let's see what ya got.

Day 6: Galilee or Bust!

2006-03-09T07:35:00.000-08:00

Well, your prayers worked! It was overcast today but only rained while we were in the bus and in the restaraunt having lunch. The sun even came out when we reached the Jordan river.

Today we started out by getting on a boat on the Sea of Galilee just outside our hotel. What an amazing experience to be on the Sea (well, actually it's more like a lake) where Jesus calmed the storm. And it was a bit stormy today! We stopped out in the middle and Chuck gave a
teaching and then we docked at the museum of a 2000 year old wooden boat they found in the Sea of Galilee. They call it the Jesus Boat. I wonder what Jesus would think about that?

This boat is 2000 years old! Amazing!

Anyways, our tour next took us up to the Mount of Beatitudes. Of course no one knows the exact point where Jesus delivered His message written in Matthew, but we do know the general vicinity. It was amazing just to be in the area where you know Jesus spent much of His ministry. And it was so lush and beautiful. Mustard seed grows everywhere and it is clear to see why Jesus would use this example in His teaching.

Us on top of the Mount of Beatitudes. You can kind of make out the Sea of Galilee inthe background. Beautiful!

Mustard Seed! No, not us. All that yellow stuff!

Next we went to Capernaum which is where Jesus performed many miracles. Oh to have lived in Capernaum when Jesus was alive! We saw the remains of a Jewish Synagogue, an oil press, and what they think is the house of Peter. For some reason, someone thought it would be a great idea to suspend a church right on top of this site.

Peter's house? And a church built on top of it. Cool to see a house this old.

We ate whole fried fish (heads, tails and all!) for lunch (named St. Peter's lunch) and then we headed to the Jordan River. Yes, we were baptized in the same water that John the Baptist baptized Jesus. It was definitely a cool experience. We were truly blessed.

We have come to really enjoy the group we are with and are starting to see things with our hearts and not just our minds. We would love it if you continue to pray for us to see Christ in a new way and be changed because of it.

We love you guys!

Day 4-5: Israel!

2006-03-08T11:30:00.000-08:00

We’re in Israel!!!!

Wow. This is unbelievable. We got to Tel Aviv at 3pm on Tuesday, safely and with all our luggage! Jet lag sure is fun. We were taken by bus past Joppa to Tel Aviv where we spent the first night. It was beautiful there. The hotel was right on the Mediterranean and the weather was like Hawaii. We sure slept well.

This morning we boarded the bus at 8am and headed for Caesarea. Here we saw the ruins of a roman theatre, the 1,000 foot long Hippodome for chariot races and an inscription bearing Pontius Pilate's name. This was the major center of activity (rather than Jerusalem) because of its location as a strategic port. Caesarea is the site of many Old and New Testament events.

Philip's miraculous transport to, and evangelization of, the Ethiopian eunuch took place near here
Paul's plea to Felix, the Roman Procurate (Acts 24)
Home of Pontius Pilate
Paul was imprisoned here (Acts 23:22-26, 26:32)

Then we headed to Meggido - unbelievable. Not only are there 25 layers of civilizations that were established, destroyed and built on top of, this is the sight where the battle of Armeggedon will be fought (Revelation 16:16).

We had lunch and drove through Nazareth (we didn't stop as it is not as safe right now). We saw the hill on which many think existed the temple in Luke 4:16-30 where crowds attempted to throw Jesus off of for claiming to be the Messiah. The weather started to get cold and rainy and we headed to our new hotel in Tiberias right on the Sea of Galilee. Tomorrow we are scheduled to go on a boat out on the Sea and be baptized in the Jordan (weather permitting - please pray!)

There are 4 buses of us in total, each with a guide. Our guide, Ronnie, is a Jewish archeologist, and therefore he brings a great knowledge of the history of all we are seeing. We have met some awesome people so far, and are truly enjoying ourselves. Chuck Missler and his wife rode on our bus today, and taught at each location (in addition to the guides) which has made for a very rich learning experience. Thank you Heritage, for sending us on this amazing journey!

Here are some pictures from the last couple of days:

Uh, well we just discovered that we don't have enough bandwidth on this free wifi to upload pictures right now. We'll get that figured out tomorrow for you. Right now we are going to bed.
Until next time!

Just Kidding! Thanks Chad for helping us shrink them! Here they are!

Come on. Nogger? That's just fun. Especially in Frankfurt.

This is the theatre in Caesarea with Chuck teaching.

Bodie and I riding the fine animals in the Hippodrome. We will beat that Masala!

Alright. This picture is especially for the Martins, Jahrs and Frickles. You know why. I feel right at home!!!

Bodie and I on the top of Meggido overlooking the Valley of Jezreel. It was beautiful.

This is the hill in Nazareth the they believe they tried to throw Jesus off of for claiming to be the Messiah.

Caption Contest #1 Winners - SHARON SZOLOMAYER & DAN ORRIS

2006-03-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

Although we strategically posed with Abe, conspicuously absent were his comments on our day. Nobody put what he was thinking! Therefore, we enlighten you. Abe was wondering when Britney's new album was coming out. Sorry Abe, not for awhile.

FUNNIEST ENTRY - SHARON SZOLOMAYER

Sharon said:

Bodie's thinking: "Right now I could really go for a banana..."

Heidi's thinking: "How come I always carry the backpack?"

Your post made us laugh the loudest!

MOST ACCURATE - DAN ORRIS

Dan recieves this award for this post for capturing exactly what we were thinking (blasted Dan for knowing us so well!)

"I wonder what outlandish thing Kenton will come up with when we tell him about this new caption game we are developing for our blog."
-Dano

Right-o Dano

BTW, Kenton's entry was quite good as well, FYI

"That's no moon........

That's a space station"

You get Alec Guiness points, Kent. Good man.

Day 2-4: Quick tours, long flights

2006-03-06T23:00:00.000-08:00

Wow, you guys are funny! I like your captions so far. Get those captions in folks, we will announce the winner and start a new contest in 1 day!

On Sunday, Bodie, Ajja and I set out early for a day of 8 hours of walking! We started with the International Spy Museum and each assumed a secret identity. We saw all kinds of crazy stuff, but you never saw us there, of course!

Then we headed out on the mall, past the Washington Monument and saw the Vietnam War, Lincoln, Korean War, FDR and Jefferson Monuments. All the while taking silly pictures for your enjoyment.

We were exhausted when we got back to the hotel and stayed in and watched the Oscars. Overall, a great day.

Sunday we got up early again and met our new friend Frank Scardena who works in DC for breakfast at a cool place called Bread & Chocolate. Come on, those are like two of my favorite things in the world! He then led us on a quick tour of where he works and does really important government stuff. We were really impressed.

We took our final metro rides back to the hotel, packed up and waited for the shuttle back to the airport. We are now in Frankfurt airport in Germany. And...speaking of chocolate....those Germans really know how to make it! We will soon fly to our final destination and we are excited, yet tired. We love you guys!

Here's some pics of our experiences:

You don't know these people. You have never seen them before!

Can you decipher the not so hidden, hidden message? It's tougher than the Da Vinci Code!

Aren't we cute?

Sorry Mom, no cherry blossoms at this time of year!

Bodie and Ajja taking their spy identities seriously in front of the Jefferson Monument

Caption Contest #1

2006-03-05T15:21:00.000-08:00

Can you read our minds?

This is what we blogging travelers want to know. Every couple of days we will post a picture and you get to answer the all-important question, "What are they thinking about?

The best response will be chosen after a couple of days of fun from your posts.

This first one is of the trio, Me, Heidi and Abe Lincoln. What are we thinking about?

Enlighten us...

Day #1 - DC. Heidi's first blog post!

2006-03-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

Ok, we're finally on our way! We took a red eye friday night to Washington DC and got to our hotel at 6:30 am on Saturday morning. We slept until noon and then went out for our first day of sightseeing in our nation's capitol. It's a lot colder and windier here than in OC!

After successfully navigating the Metro, (we even changed lines and everything!) we arrived to the National Mall and went into the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Then we made the treck by the Washington Memorial on the way to the Lincoln Memorial. Well, we made it half way past the reflection pool and realized we didn't have time to get there, and besides, we were frozen! So we headed back to the hotel where we met up with our awesome friend Ajja who drove into the city from Philidelphia. Our other fantastic friends Corban and Marcy from West Virginia also met us at the hotel and we all headed into Georgetown for some dinner. What a blessed evening of fun and fellowship! We bid farewell to Corban and Marcy, but Ajja will be staying with us until Monday.

Check out some of our fun experiences:

This is us on the metro trying to navigate our way

Bodie with the Capitol building in the background. Isn't he handsome?

Hey, where else are you going to find a big blue ball to hug?

Me and Ray in the American History Museum

Bodie and Corban in front of the hotel Ajja discovering that traditional methods of typing to not apply to the Treo

Until next time!
-Heidi

Our Schedule

2006-03-01T16:46:00.000-08:00

Here is our day by day schedule including the hotels we will be staying at in case of emergency or something.

One Week Away

2006-02-24T23:29:00.000-08:00

We are getting quite excited for the upcoming trip. Thanks to all of the cool and silly people who left comments. This will be all the more fun when we are en route. Now I am just writing to give my baby blog some love.

We have a blog and therefore we are cool...welcome

2006-02-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

We have set up this blog as an easy way to Chronicle our trip to Israel from March 6-17. Every time we will be able to get online, we will do our best to post what we have done so that you can be there with us, well kind of.

If you are curious about the trip itself, go here:

http://compass.org/tours/detail.php?id=2

It is coming up...