Easter Sunday: Worship, Picnics, Kites, Bubbles, Eggs, Etc.

Today, after an awesome, awesome morning of gathered worship at Perimeter, we joined several families for a picnic, kite fly (it was a world class kite day!) and easter egg hunt in the city part of Alpharetta, GA (a northern suburb of Atlanta). Here are some highlights.

Sarah Wynn counts her egg collection.

Sarah Wynn and friends get ready to blow some serious bubbles.

Just couldn't wait to get home to eat her chocolate eggs. Can you blame her?

Ann Ferris and friends. Notice the great playfort in the background. It is hugemongous. :0)

Some of the picnic/egg hunt/kite fly crew.
Or as I like to call this one, "Schaeffer and the Ladies." :0)

Sarah Wynn and Daddy flying a kite.

The picnic (again, notice the fun playfort).

Here is a partial pic of the kids in their "Easter outfits" (Sorry, the vertical shot didn't turn out very well). Ann Ferris' dress is so classic. Sarah Wynn thought hers was for a princess. And Schaeffer had on some seersucker slacks- very sharp. Even though on most Sundays folks dress casual at Perimeter (only visitors wear ties :0), Atlanta still has enough southern influence that many folks still dress up a bit on Easter.

Schaeffer Scores, but Leopards Lose

On a perfect day for soccer (sunny and in the 70s), Schaeffer scored his team's only goal off of a fantastic center pass from teammate, Daniel. But in the end, it was not enough, and the Leopards fell from the ranks of the unbeaten. Undefeated seasons are hard to come by these days, aren't they? :0)

His upcoming game is next Saturday. I'll be sure to provide a post-game report.

Crawfords Visit from Jackson, MS

Last night (Wednesday) friends from Jackson, MS, Jack and Libby Crawford, with their children, Adam, Vann, Thad and Sayley, came over to our house to eat and watch the Ole Miss UC-Santa Barbara NIT b'ball game. It may not be the BIG dance, but it's still a jig. Jack was my roommate at Ole Miss and a fraternity brother in Sigma Chi, while Libby was Kristy's "big sister" in Chi Omega. Our unions have created a new fraternal called Sigma Chi Omega. :0) The Crawfords were in Atlanta for spring break, and spent most of their time at Stone Mountain Park, which is the most visited attraction in Georgia (with the possible short-term exception of folks going d'town to look at the tornado damage). It was so good to see old friends! Here are some highlights...

The dads

The big kids (minus the 2 little ones) enjoying supper on the porch.

The adults watching the game, or American Idol...

The boys watching the game, or American Idol...

The littles, Sarah Wynn and Sayley

Orthodontist

Today I took Ann Ferris and Schaeffer for an orthodontist consultation. Ann Ferris is ready, and will get braces in the next few months. Schaeffer is still a year or two away. You can make out your checks to "The Caston Braces Fund." Unfortunately, gifts are not tax-deductible. :0)

19 Deer

Recently we saw 19 deer (15 doe and 4 bucks) in the next door neighbor's backyard eating the feed he puts out. The video doesn't do the scene justice (for you can only see about half the deer), but you'll get the idea. This was filmed from our bedroom window.

Tornado in D'town Atlanta

We're okay. Thanks for those of you who called out of concern. The truth is that some friends of ours from Mississippi were in more danger than we were. They were at the State game in the Georgia Dome, which took a good bit of damage from the storm. We were at home about 25 miles north of downtown.

The Birthday Boy

Today was Schaeffer's 10th birthday, which now means that we only have one left in single digits. We began the day with a breakfast of donuts and muffins, and gave him some of his gifts then. But waited until this afternoon for the "biggie," which was my old Fort Apache play set that I loved as a little boy. My grandfather boxed it up over twenty years ago for me to give to my son. I wish he were alive to be here for the unveiling. See the pics below of him setting it up. We are so thankful that God gave us Schaeffer. He is a very special boy, with very special sisters, too. :0)

B'day breakfast. Donuts, muffins...

...and oh yeah, and we also had a ham. :0)

Blowing out his b'day candle on his donut (the cake comes later in his b'day week).

Best friends.

Sarah Wynn's hero.

Unwrapping Fort Apache!

One of Schaeffer's first set ups.

A close up of a battle scene.

A Birthday Box

Schaeffer turns ten years old tomorrow (3.15), but received a special "birthday box" from his Nini and Papa in Mississippi yesterday to begin an early b'day celebration. Let the party begin!

Dahlonega, GA

We spent most of the day in Dahlonega, GA, a small, college town (North Georgia College & State University) in the foothills/on the front range of the Blue Ridge Mountains about 50 miles or so north of Atlanta. It's a beautiful place with a quaint, historic downtown square filled with fun restaurants and shops. There is fantastic trout fishing and an abundance of other outdoor activities, including hiking (the Appalachian Trial begins about 10 miles west of town)/camping/canoing/kayaking/biking/etc. There are also a number of wineries, art galleries, potters, etc., along with the Holly Theater (with a children's theater) and 13 local festivals every year (The Bear on the Square festival brings over 200,000 people to town the third weekend in April!). To discover more about this great town, check out the flash version of the "newcomers guide" to Dahlonega, click here (really a cool resource and gives lots of helpful info about the town and region). Anyway, Dahlonega is on our short list of potential planting sites, and so we wanted to spend a day there as a family hanging out. Here are two pictures of the kids from our visit.

With the black bear in front of a really cool outdoors store.
Yes, there are real black bears in the mountains of North Georgia.

We ate at the Crimson Moon (on the left) restaurant/coffee house,
which has live music 5 nights a week. Most on the buildings on the square were built in the 1800s, with the old courthouse in the center (now the Gold Museum- you can still find gold in the streams!), c. 1836.

Laura Story Elvington CD Release Concert

Wow! Tonight, Laura Story Elvington (goes by Laura Story on iTunes), one of Periemter's two primary music/worship leaders, gave a free worship concert in conjunction with the release of her new CD, "Great God Who Saves." With full worship band and choir, along with 4,000 clapping hands, it was a night to remember! Laura is not only an awesome musician and vocalist, but has experienced substantial trial for a young woman. Soon after her marriage, he r husband was diagnosed with brain cancer. He survived, but not without significant complications from surgery. I mention her suffering because it gives her music a rare depth and radical God-centeredness (and will give you a "personal context" when you listen). I've posted a picture of Laura on stage and one with her and Schaeffer and Ann Ferris after the concert. To purchase the CD, go to Laura Story Music online (where you can listen to her original song, "Indescribable"), or download the album at iTunes. Just search for "Laura Story." The whole album might not be available for about a week on iTunes, but in the mean time you can download a 3 song EP. Enjoy.

Leopards Win Opener 2-0

Today was the Leopard's first game of the season. On a bitterly cold day, Schaeffer scored early in the second half to put his team up 1-0, and they never looked back. Here are few pics of the action.

Tennis T-Shirts

The big two received their tennis t-shirts today. They take lessons on Tuesdays, but switched to Friday due to a rain-out this week. Schaeffer's first soccer game of the season is tomorrow. I hope to have some pics to post after the event.

Playtown Suwanee

This weekend we enjoyed visiting one of the parks in our area called Playtown Suwanee.

On the Rocks

As the weather warms, we find ourselves outdoors more and more. I took these pictures of Sarah Wynn on Saturday playing on the rocks of the bluff which overlooks the creek in our backyard.

Cracker Barrel

Today, after Ann Ferris scored a "superior" for the fifth straight year in her piano festival piece, I took the kids (Kristy is still at Callaway Gardens enjoying the women's retreat) to celebrate at The Cracker Barrel. Always good.

Old-Fashioned Carousel

On Friday night Kristy was gone to a women's retreat and Ann Ferris was spending the night at a girls b'day party, so I took Schaeffer and Sarah Wynn to ride the Carousel at Northpoint Mall. Quote of the evening (repeated many times as we walked from the van to the ride- since you can see it lit up on the second floor from the parking lot): "Oh, I'm so excited!"

Under Construction

I updated the format function of this site today, which means I will have to re-enter some information- particularly links. So if the site changes its look several times in the next week, you'll know why.

The Alamo Wins!

This afternoon I took Schaeffer to buy a set of Alamo action figures (with the likes of Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett and Gen. Travis, and the Mexicans under Gen. Santa Ana). Actually, he bought the set himself with money he has been saving. Way to go Schaeffer! Anyway, since we have been studying that section of history in school (and since Schaeffer LOVES history), we thought it would be good "hands-on" learning. :0) In his re-enactment of the historic battle, the Alamo wins!

View from the front of the Alamo.

The view from the rear.

Kristy on Women's Retreat

Kristy left us today around 1:30 for a weekend retreat at Callaway Gardens with women from Perimeter (our church). She has a very fun crew to hang out with (many of the wives from our home group are going and rooming together). So I've got the chilluns for the weekend, which means take-out city! :0) In the mix will be an overnight b'day party for Ann Ferris to attend, and then she participates in a piano festival tomorrow (Sat.) morning.

Some Azeleas at Callaway.

Memphis Tigers

After a great evening with friends, we went home to watch Memphis lose a heart-breaker to Tennessee. Memphis is my birthplace and childhood stompin' ground— I used to go to Tiger games back in the 80s when they were top ranked and had players like Baskerville Holmes, William Bedford, Keith Lee, Bobby Parks, Andre Turner and Philip "Doom" Haynes (backboard specialist). Not to worry, March Madness is right around the corner, and I think Memphis may be better off having lost than trying to win the championship and go undefeated. Click here for a nostalgic article on going to Tiger's games in the 80s. Brought back great memories.

Hanging at the Lee's Home

Saturday night Kristy, the kids and I enjoyed a cookout at Amy and Brian Lee's home. The highlight had to be playing Wii using a projector and big screen.

Dinner with Friends

Tonight we enjoyed supper at the home of Brittany and Joe McDonald. Here is a pic of the kids posing in front of the fireplace and of Sarah Wynn with buddy, Gillian.

Elachee Nature & Science Center

Today I took the "big two" to the Elachee Nature and Science Center for a class with about ten other families to learn how to read topographical maps and use a compass for hiking navigation. I was in Schaeffer's group. Thus, the pics on the trail (and often off of the trail) are of him rather than Ann Ferris (who was in an all-girl group).

And, of course, tonight after our home group Bible study we went outside to view the lunar eclipse.

Here are some pics of the day hiking at Elachee (1500 acres of wooded hills, trails and creeks).

The gang...

Ann Ferris and Schaeffer with the naturalist. He is holding a fallen weather satelite of some sort that we discovered in the woods. It had fallen from the sky and had a return package with it addressed to the NOAA Weather Service. Pretty cool!

The boys ascend a rock outcropping.

Schaeffer charts our course on the wet-erase topo map.