News

Overseas, Zeb is currently doing alright. He is safe. He has access to internet and phones, so whenever he has time, he calls or emails. He doesnt have any real news, so I guess that is good. On the homefront, I am keeping busy. Doing what? I have no idea but I am always on the go. I am going away for 10 days. Visiting a really good friend in Montana. She is on Spring Break. We will visit Yellowstone. Then I will go to southern California to see my Uncle and his family. We will ride 4 wheelers on the sand dunes and have all sorts of fun. They have plans for me that I dont even know about. It appeals to my mysterious and adventurous side! :) Stay tuned for posts and pictures from this excursion.

The Last Zellers Wedding

Dave and Lydia's Wedding

My sister-in-law, Lydia, got married February 16, to David Brose. It was a very beautiful wedding. They were married in Memorial Baptist Church in Williamsport at 10:30am. Maid of Honor, April Frye (adopted sister) and Flower Girl, Allison Bennett were Lydia's attendants. Best Man, Jeremy Brose (brother of Groom) and Ring bearer, Garrett Hagaman were Dave's attendants. Reception was downstairs in the basement of the church. Brownie cake was delicious. We all had a good time, but most of all the day was special for Dave and Lydia.

Grace Heidi Hale

Grace Heidi Hale

My 3rd niece was born on February 7th. Her name as you can see in the title is Grace. She is appropriately named; for God's Grace. I was blessed to be able to be there and see Grace be brought into this world. When she was born she wasn't breathing for about 15 minutes. She was getting oxygen because the doctors were using a CPR mask on her but she didn't want to breathe on her own. In those 15 minutes, prayers were going up on her behalf. Through our tears, we texted family to pray as well as praying ourselves in the delivery room. It was an intensely, scary 15 minutes. Grace is doing very well now. I praise the Lord for another beautiful addition to the family.

Fun

Fun

Sometimes you just need to do something fun and crazy. I have alot of those times. And someone usually always has a camera nearby.

Ladybug Experiment

April and I were up late last night experimenting on ladybugs. After studying one ladybug for the longest time, we discovered with complete surprise and amazement that the bug could free itself from duct tape if it had something to hold on to. (Mom was there taking pictures.) Using a twistie tie, duct tape, a timer, and 10 ladybugs we conducted this uncontrolled experiment. Here are the results:

Ladybug A- succeeded in freeing itself in 49 seconds and 62 milliseconds. Was one of the 2 smallest ladybugs.

Ladybug B- succeeded in freeing itself in 49 seconds and 72 milliseconds. Was the biggest bug and the laziest.

Ladybug C- failed to free itself. It just hung on to the twistie tie and seemed to expect the twistie to pull it off. the other smallest bug of the 10.

Ladybug D- failed to free itself. (this time) This was the first bug we studied before the experiment and it had freed itself several times before. We concluded that it was tired. It gave up at 5 min 55 secs.

Ladybug E- failed to free itself. tried half-heartedly but quit after 32 secs

Ladybug F- failed to free itself. tried for 7 min and 16 secs, but lost its grip twice.

Ladybug G- succeeded in freeing itself in 28 seconds. it was stuck on its side.

Ladybug H- succeeded in freeing itself in 1 min and 3 seconds.

Ladybug I- succeeded in freeing itself in 5 min and 3 seconds. It was super stuck.

Ladybug J- succeeded in freeing itself in 1 min and 4 seconds. it also was stuck on its side.

This was not a controlled experiment. The ladybugs were not all stuck on with the same PSI. Some were stuck more than others. Some had been stuck longer than others. One was more tired out than the others because it was studied prior to the experiment. They were not all stuck to the duct tape at the same place on their bodies, most were stuck on their back, others were on their head or side.

Conclusion: Ladybugs are similar to people. Some are fighters and wont give up until they succeed. Some are lazy. Some are quitters. Some dont care. Some try for a short time and then give up. Some were very strong. Others were weak. Others were dumb and didnt get the concept of freeing themselves. Some try and never succeed. Others expect someone else to do the work for them.

Which Ladybug are you?

Lydia's Bridal Shower

Lydia's Bridal Shower

On Monday, January 21, 2008, we held a bridal shower for my sister-in-law, Lydia. April did an excellent job planning it. One game we played was Toilet Paper Brides. The object was that each group had to dress up someone in their group as a bride using only toilet paper and tape. Then Lydia got to choose which one she liked the best. One can do alot with toilet paper. The next game was pictionary using of course wedding terms. We had some interesting artists. Then everyone played Gift Bingo as Lydia opened her gifts. We had a great time and Lydia enjoyed it.

New Years Eve Ball

New Years Eve

December 31, 2007, Zeb and I attended the second annual New Year's Eve Ball at our church. Beforehand, Dave, Lydia, Jeremy, April, Zeb and I went out for dinner. After attempting 3 restaurant, we finally went to Aungst's Family Restaurant. We first tried Restless Oaks and that was closed. Then we went to OIP (Original Italian Pizza--which serves more than pizza, by the way), which an extremely casual place. After walking past all the customers who were staring at us because we were dressed up fancy, we sat down in a private room. The waitress came back and told us that this room was closed and the restaurant was closing in 10 min. So we left. Ruby Tuesday's had a 45 min to hour wait. So we finally decided to try Aungst's. Success! We all managed NOT to spill any food on our clothing! After eating a nice meal, we stopped by Walmart on our way to the church, to buy me a warm fuzzy shawl. Because it was a little chilly that night, in December. The Walmart greeter was a very friendly, upper aged woman and she was so funny. She asked why we were all dressed up. When we told her that we were going to a ball she saw Zeb dressed in his Army Dress Greens and asked him to dance with her. Then she danced with Jeremy and then Dave. She said she wished she could go with us but, in her words, "Walmart REALLY needs me", and wished us well.

At church we got individual and family pictures, then proceeded upstairs to the "ballroom" aka: sanctuary and gym. We played Musical Chairs with couples. Instead of walking around the chairs we had to dance around the chairs. When the music stops, the couple had to occupy one chair. It was very crowded with twice as many people as chairs. Jeremy and April won that game. We danced some. Mostly the girls danced, and the guys sat at the table and chatted. But Zeb danced with me once. I liked it! Unlike last year, we stayed til midnight. We had a blast and I am looking forward to next year's New Year Eve Ball. (Mostly because Zeb will be home again by that time)

Christmas

Christmas

Zeb came home for Christmas and was home till after the New Year. It was so nice to have him home. He got alot of hunting in--goose and duck. He really enjoyed that. Our Christmases with both sides of the family was quiet but nice and relaxing (for the most part). We spent Christmas Eve up at Mom and Dad Zellers house. Had a large delicious meal, read the Christmas Story from the Bible, opened presents, played Apples to Apples, then went outside and blew up a gingerbread house. That was fun. Christmas morning Zeb went Goose/Duck hunting since we weren't doing "Christmas" till that evening due to work schedules. At about 4:30 we had another large delicious meal, had the kids open their presents, then the adults opened ours, played Apples to Apples and UNO. Then we called it a night. Zeb and I had a nice Christmas and it was great to have him home for 10 days.

My new bike!

Bikes

In the beginning of October, Zeb and I bought me a motorcycle. I love my new bike and I enjoy riding. It's a 2007 Suzuki Boulevard S40, 650 cc. I have nearly 200 miles on it so far. We like riding together. I took the motorcycle course on a 250 cc bike. So we thought that this is a good starter bike. I will ride this next summer and get more experience and then when Zeb comes home from overseas in the end of 2008, we will upgrade to the 650 version of his V-Strom and have matching bikes. I love to show it off, so if anyone wants to see it, come on over. Or you can just come to visit.

The last Hale wedding

Stacey and Cody's Wedding

The last of the Hale kids, my little sister, got married on October 13. She is a beautiful bride. The wedding was gorgeous and the weather--perfect. Her wedding colors for her fall wedding was persimmons (similar to burnt orange) and chocolate. Many things about the wedding are meaningful to Stacey: The gym they married in was at New Tribes Mission. For you who dont know, we, the Hale family grew up as missionaries to Papua New Guinea and were with the New Tribes Mission. Stacey remembers my dad and I singing at churches and such, so she asked us to sing in her ceremony. My older sister, Rachel, plays the piano. The flower girls, Nieces Emily and Hannah, carried a basket of leaves to drop on the aisle. The ring-bearer, Nephew Aaron, carried a wrestling championship belt, since both Cody and Stacey are wrestlers. The "stage" they married on was a wrestling ring, creatively decorated. I am happy that their special day went well.

Moving

Moving

October 2, 2007, Zeb got the call that he is getting deployed overseas and has to be ready to leave October 21, less than 3 weeks away. That didn't give us much time to amend the orders he has been on for the summer, finish up paperwork for the last job, find an apartment/house for us up in the Jersey Shore/Lock Haven area (so I will be close to family), pack up the old house, move and unpack again, get settled, etc. This past month has been so crazy. In the midst of all this, my little sister got married. We did find a place in Antes Fort, which is right next to Jersey Shore. After 3 trailor loads, 3 Blazer loads, 2 pick-up truck loads, and 1 Subaru load we were finally moved. It has got a huge kitchen which I really like, even if it does look like the 70's era, and more closet space than we had in the last house in Millersburg, but there is no basement in this new house which hid alot of our stuff. We really miss our old place, but one must move on. It is a pretty area, where we are now. We have a donkey that lives across the street from us. I have never heard such strange noises as what comes out of that donkey, and he has strange behaviors, but he always brings a smile to your face and makes you laugh.

Rickett's Glen

Ricketts Glen

Zeb has been working alot all summer, so we rarely see each other. He had three days off, September 17-19. It was great to be able to spend time together again. It was also my birthday so that was extra special. Zeb took me to Rickett's Glen State Park. We boated around the lake, cooked and ate dinner on a rock out in the water, and watched the sunset. We camped the night and in the early morning (6:00) we went out on the water. The fog was thick and just made the sunrise even more beautiful. It was so peaceful. Then we went and hiked the 3.2 mile loop of Falls Trail and saw most of the waterfalls and pretty scenery. The leaves are just starting to turn colors. We had a special time together doing things we love; boating, camping, and hiking. This will be a special memory for years to come.

Jersey Shore Beach Family Vacation

Jersey Shore Vacation 07

This is the second year we have chosen the Jersey shore to be our family vacation spot. We went down September 4th, for 4 days. Rachel has a friend who's parents own a summer home in Tom's River, NJ. They offered us their home while we were there. We are so grateful to them. It was so nice to come back from the beach and have a nice place. There were even enough rooms and beds for all of us. Unfortunately Zeb, Stacey and Cody had to work and couldn't come. We missed them. The house was situated on a man-made canal for boats to come in off the bay and dock at the house. Emily, Aaron, and Hannah enjoyed feeding the ducks from the dock. Tyler just wanted to catch one. Occasionally the ducks would come up onto the "yard" looking for hand-outs.

There was a 20 minute drive to the beach. We had fun playing in the waves, boogie-boarding, and playing in the sand with the children. Tyler, the youngest (9 months) just loved the water splashing into him. On the way home the exhausted kids would sleep the whole way. That was nice! :) On the last day, we didn't go in the water. We rented two paddleboats. The wind was blowing so strong that we couldn't go anywhere other than the way the wind wanted us to go, but we had fun anyways. Then the kids played on the playground for awhile before we headed home.

Millersburg Bicentennial

Millersburg Bicentennial

Residents of Millersburg and its surrounding friends celebrated Millersburg's 200th Birthday, starting Tuesday, August 28th and continued until Monday Septemeber 3rd. Each day and evening was filled with events, including concerts, church services, parades, a Grand Parade, auctions, children's theater, Pony Express, Youth Day, Millersburg Pageant, carnival, quilt auction, bench auction, dedication of the Ned Smith Center bridge, tours of local factories and businesses, time capsule ceremony, Alumni Day, restored railroad station open house football game, car show, fireworks, and many more exciting events. The Millersburg Ferry (the last paddleboat vehicle-carrying ferry in the states) was open for rides across the Susquehanna River to the Ferryboat Campgrounds on the other side. The Millersburg Historical Museum had extended hours. Millersburg was graced by the presence of Abraham Lincoln and Benjamn Franklin. Years went into the planning of the bicentennial week, making it a huge success.

Because of being out of town, I was only here to experience the end of the Fireman's Parade, Football Game, Carnival, Pony Express, Grand Parade, Car Show, viewing of the benches for the Bench auction, and Millersburg Pageant. It was a great time.

Chincoteague Beach

Chincoteague, Virginia

August 10-12, I had the opportunity to go to the beach with my father-in-law, Mark and my friend, Jamie. I had never been to Chincoteague, Virginia before and Jamie had never been to the beach before. We stayed in a nice little cabin that Levi and Janessa had stayed in for their honeymoon. The three of us spent most of the days we were there, on the beach. We had an ocean kayak with us and that was so much fun. I taught Jamie how to boogie board. I also learned how to surf, which was awesome! We started to dig a cave, but the sand wasn't solid enough, so our cave turned into a hot tub, fully epuipped with seats, back rests, arm rests, and a small water fall. The only problem was that when the water came in, the floor filled up with sand. The dolphin sighting was neat, course I wanted to swim with them. We witnessed a wedding on the beach that lasted about 5 minutes, if that; pretty sunsets, and the Assateague wild ponies. We got up at 5:30 to see the sunrise on the beach. To our disappointment, it was cloudy, but the time was still very peaceful in the early morning. Oh, and we chatted with some Amish girls who were from Lancaster County in Pennsylvania. They were taking pictures of themselves, and we asked if they would get a picture with us. This visit reconfirmed the fact that I love the beach.

Another Zellers' Wedding

Levi & Janessa's Wedding

August 4, 2007, my brother-in-law, Levi and his girl Janessa said "I do". It was a beautiful wedding starting at 8 AM. After a short and sweet ceremony preformed by Pastor Ted Justice in Millport Mennonite Church where Janessa grew up, the breakfast reception held in the fellowship hall consisted of egg and cheese muffins, breakfast sausages, cubed potatoes, a variety of fruit, and sticky buns. After all, one shouldn't have cake for breakfast! Visiting with wedding guests took place during the reception and we were all on our way home long before noon. They have a home in Lock Haven, PA. Janessa is teaching Biology for high school students and Levi is attending the Physician's Assistant program at Lock Haven College for his Master's degree. It has been great for Zeb and I to be able to hang out with them. They are the cutest couple!

Mumu

Mumu

A mumu is a meal that is steamed in the ground. This is a tradition of Papua New Guinea. At the Numonohi Bung, the mumu was the highlight of the reunion. Or should I say, the mumu that wasn't. I say this because when it came time to eat--the meat was not cooked and only some of the vegetables were done. The problem was this: In PNG, the nationals would begin the process in the early morning and the food would steam all day long. Here in the US, the nationals (us) didnt start until noon, and the food didnt go in until 3:30ish. And we were expecting to eat at 6. So out came the grills to finish cooking the meat (pork and chicken), and the uncooked veges went to the kitchen. Our mumu flopped. But it was fun to watch the guys prepare it and to smell the burning grass and banana leaves. These smells took us back to New Guinea. This was definately an event to remember.

If you click on the picture above and read the captions under the pictures, they will tell you how a mumu is prepared.

Numonohi Bung

Numonohi Bung

Thursday, June 7th, 2007 at 10:00 pm, my mom, sister Rachel, her 2 boys Aaron and Tyler, and I set out for Wisconsin. Earlier that day I had left my house in Millersburg, drove 1 1/2 hours to pick up my mom in Jersey Shore, drove another 3 1/2 hours to Rochester, NY to pick up Rachel, Aaron, and Tyler. So the 5 of us were squeezed into my Subaru Forester (and I mean squeezed!) and were headed to a Numonohi Reunion. For those of you who dont know: Numonohi is where my parents and siblings and I lived in Papua New Guinea for 7 years. We had decided to drive through the night because that would be best for the boys (ages 6 months and 2 1/2 years). This way they would sleep most of the trip. The other intention was for the adults to sleep as well when we weren't the one driving. Ya well--it was a nice idea--too bad it didnt work. It is hard to sleep when one is cramped up.

12 hours later, we arrived at Camp Awana in Fredonia, WI. We ate lunch, then set up the tent (and realized we forgot a hammer to pound in the stakes--so we used a tire iron :) ) Finally we could hang out, relax, and visit with people, some of whom we haven't seen in 17 years. We had a great time. A concert was put on by Mayriver, a band that originated in PNG. Its band members are brothers and grew up in a tribe on the May River, hence the name.

After a mumu on Saturday night, the 5 of us climbed back into the car to begin the 12 hour drive back to NY.

Stats: Millersburg, PA to Jersey Shore, PA- 75 miles, 1 1/2 hours
Jersey Shore, PA to Rochester, NY- 308 miles, 3 1/2 hours
Rochester, NY to Fredonia, WI- 683 miles, 12 hours
Round Trip- 2132 miles, 34 hours

Our 2nd Anniversary

2nd Anniversary

Click on the first picture to see more.

Our anniversary is on May 28th, which happened to be Memorial Day this year. It's already been 2 years. In a way it went fast and in another way it feels like a long time. Probably because we have been together for 7 years now and alot has happened.

Zeb and I planned a kayak/camping trip on the Susquehanna River from Renovo to just before Lock Haven, PA (about a 18 mile trip). We planned on 2 days; we'd stop halfway and camp on an island in the river and then finish the trip the next day. It didnt happen that way. That's the second time we planned a 2 day trip and it all happened in one day; the other trip was 25 miles on Pine Creek. Anyways, Zeb's family came along and that was nice. We didnt find an island that was nice enough to camp on, so we kept paddling on until we realized that we were 3 miles from the truck (ending point) so we just decided to go all the way. We were tired, sunburnt, and hungry. Not a pleasant combination. Hopefully next time we plan a 2 day trip, it will actually be 2 days. Third time is the charm, right?

At the end of the weekend (which was Monday and Tuesday), we saw this motorcycle and side car in the parking lot of the Woolrich Store. We were looking it over and couldnt figure out what kind of bike it is. It has the horizontal engine that BMW has, but the logos on the bike are not BMW. We dont know what the logos are. There are YPAN tires and mudflaps on it. It may even be an English bike. Obviously the owner was not around to ask. Does anyone know what kind of bike this is?

New Favorite Hobby

New Favorite Hobby

We just bought this new bike. We had a '97 Honda CBR 600. A friend of Zeb's wants to buy it. This new bike is a '07 Suzuki V-Strom 1000. We like it much better for its comfort and travel ability. Now we take weekend trips with it. Our longest trip so far was to Rochester NY to see my sister Rachel. From our house that was 5 hours straight. It was pretty cold in NY also. (40 degrees) But we had fun! We probably wont travel any farther than that--it's quite a drive on the bike. Of course, my niece and nephew also like the bike! :)

We just bought me a kayak so I don't have to borrow a boat. Now we can go out on the water whenever. Click on the picture to see more.