Temporarily gone, but hopefully not forgotten!!

So much has been going on in our lives these last months, that getting to post something on my blog was, unfortunately, last on the list of priorities... we have had a Christmas Tea for the PC ladies, Christmas shopping, construction on our home, leak repairs, more Christmas shopping, a night at Ford's Theatre to see Christmas Carol, baking, constructing Gingerbread houses, a night at Olney Theatre to see Peter Pan, a wonderful Christmas Eve service, more Christmas shopping, tile installation in our kitchen, Christmas Day, a New Year's Eve celebration, a fantastic vacation to Florida, Christmas returns, and the arrival of my parents for several months.

Amidst that, we have had speeding tickets (hmhm, ahhh, Danny that is), lost phones, running over a dog (soo sad!), pulled teeth, doctor's appointments, movie nights, family nights, college decisions, grieving friends, broken down cars, stressful days, and many days of laughter and love.

I sincerely hope to get back on track with blogging and not lose the recording of our family happenings to look back upon some day!! Thank you to all of you who bore with me patiently - I will most certainly try to be more faithful in the future!!

Happy 11th Birthday to My Girl

Happy 11th Birthday my dear Hannah! I am so exceedingly blessed to have you as my daughter! When God chose to give me just one daughter, He picked the absolutely perfect one for me! I have had SO MUCH JOY in my life as a result of your personality - you are perpetually cheerful, very funny, full of energy and optimism, you are kind and compassionate to everyone. You love the Lord and that is very apparent in your humility and grief over your sin. You are responsive to your parents, you are teachable, you are bright, you are simply one of God's most wonderful creations.

Dad and I love you far more than you will ever know... We have loved you, cared for you, prayed for you, and held you as one of the most precious of all the gifts that God gave us. We love you gently, tenderly, and long to guard you all of our days from any evil or harm or sadness. We know that these days will come to you, but we know that your trust in the Lord will sustain you all the days of your life. His love will guide you, comfort you, and be your greatest joy. We entrust you to Him with every breath you take.

Hannah as a sweet happy baby!

Hannah and Daddy! Oh, these days seem so long ago...


Ever since Hannah's first birthday, Danny has give her a rose for each year. This picture is obviously her second birthday. I LOVE this picture...

Hannah at three as a princess!! Well, she still is a princess to us, and always will be.

Pretty in pink!!

One thing Hannah has a passion for is animals - she loves Ginger, our dog, and especially loves her bunny! She was deeply grieved last February when she lost her first bunny, but now she loves to care for her new bunny Ella! She has been hinting at either breeding her bunny or getting another one, but Dad is a hard sell on either one...

Hannah at eight, with her eight roses.

Hannah with her first bunny Marshmallow.

Hannah at nine

Hannah and I on her tenth birthday.

Hannah, I cherish the memories I have had with you. Your days as my little girl are slipping through my fingers, and you are growing up right before my eyes!! Like I tell you every day "Just stop it!" haha If only you could... I will always see you as my little girl, but I am thoroughly enjoying the friendship that is blossoming between us as you grow up. You always make me laugh (especially at the grocery store, and anywhere for that matter!!), and you are always encouraging me. I have to say that you are the biggest encourager in my life! You always see the bright side of things, and you always find positive things to say to me when I least deserve it. Your love is completely unconditional, and so many days I feel I don't deserve to have you for my daughter.

May this next year be a full and happy one for you - may you find new joys, new friendships, new ways to nurture all the gifts that God has given you.

I love you Hannah Elizabeth!!!

Happy 11th Birthday

Happy Anniversary Danny...

My wonderful husband - I will never forget the day that you asked me to be your wife. Your proposal at the Kennedy Center absolutely took my breath away - I couldn't believe it was true - I was going to be with you for the rest of my life! You were the one I had always dreamed of, the one I had waited for so long... You won my heart with your kind and gentle ways, the way that you served me, the way you pursued me, your compassionate, sensitive heart, and let's not forget about your beautiful blue eyes!! I knew I wanted to be your wife, and I knew I wanted YOU to be the father of my children...
Our wedding day was a fairy tale come true. I was the princess, you were my prince. I will never forget coming down the aisle and starting to tremble uncontrollably as my Dad comforted me with his firm grip, and then seeing nobody but you at the end of that aisle. The tears were flowing down your cheeks before I even took one step, and by the time I got to you, there was nobody else in that room. It was just you and me, and I was no longer nervous about being the center of everyone's stares.


The song you sang for me completely melted my heart, and I will NEVER forget it... I can't believe still that you actually got through it. I cherish that moment forever. Then there was the moment that we leaned toward each other for our first kiss - not just as husband and wife - but our first kiss ever. It was magical. The world disappeared again, and it was just you and me. Thank you for leading us to that point where we were able to come before God, having walked out our relationship in complete purity. That first kiss felt like the blessings of a thousand lifetimes were upon me.


And then, when we walked to the back of the aisle, and your brother said "welcome to the family" I once again couldn't believe that we had actually done it! You had actually married me! You didn't find a reason to get out of it! haha

Our first dance was also completely magical. Again, I felt there was nobody in the world but you and me... what an amazing feeling, being so in love with my handsome prince and dancing with him in my beautiful dress... I wish I could re-live that day over and over...


Thank you for many years of absolute joy, passion and romance. You have been a faithful, kind, serving, gentle husband. You have loved me when I did not deserve it, you have served me when you didn't feel like it, you have always put me first above yourself. God blessed me beyond measure the day he made you my husband...

May we have many many more years of love, romance, happiness and passion. May our marriage and lives glorify God continually, and may we never take each other for granted. I love you so much, my dear darling Daniel...

Fall Happenings

It has been a long time since I have posted anything - life for the Dustins has been very full and busy. School is taking up most of my day this year and so there is very little time left for anything extra. We have managed to squeeze in some fun fall memories though! These were the kids costumes this year - Ryan as Peter, High King of Narnia, Hannah is a Renaissance lady, and Jacob, of course, is a very handsome Indiana Jones!

I am not sure who the big hairy guy is in the back...

We managed to carve some pumpkins this year as well.



"The leaves crunch under my feet as I walk, the wind blows ever so elegantly. The leaves rustle in the wind after turning into that reddish-orange color. The steady fall of Autumn leaves, falling to the ground. It's all just so beautiful". This is what Hannah wrote as a description of fall... she summed it up so well.

A couple weeks ago Danny took the boys on a camping trip for the weekend and Hannah and I stayed home and did some home-projects, decorated for fall, and went to hear Carolyn Mahaney's message on beauty. We watched HOURS of Jane Austen movies while we crunched on a huge bag of Cheetos. We had a lovely tea, and thoroughly enjoyed our "Jane Austen, home-decorating, beauty" weekend!!! This is a tradition now in the Dustin family - this being the second year in a row we have done this - boys go camping, girls stay home. It is really a tradition we hope to continue forever, even with in-laws and grandchildren.

Hannah and I went to Butlers Orchard and gathered pumpkins.

Meanwhile, the boys were at their campsite battling spiders, cold weather, rain, and rubber beds. Let's just say that I am glad that this is a "boy only" weekend...

This year Danny bought a special game to play in the cabin if it rained. Let's just say they played HOURS of this new game!!

Happy Fall everyone!!!

Star Wars Themed Dinner

Last night we had a WONDERFUL family night with a STAR WARS theme!! I had bought each of the boys a Star Wars cookbook years ago, and up until last night, Ryan had not made his meal of choice. He looked at all the pictures, made his choice of entree, drink and dessert, and then we shopped. Then we chopped. Then we marinated. Then we grilled. Then we squeezed. Then we frosted. And finally, we ate!!! After our delicious meal we played a four hour game of Star Wars Monopoly. Yes, we actually completed an entire game of Monopoly lasting until 10:30 last night, with Ryan coming out the winner (we were so glad he won, it was his night after all!!)

He had made everyone their own little R2D2 dessert on a plate with their name. He was so creative and spent a good deal of time making these - especially since he had to improvise the ingredients from the recipe as all the kit kats we bought earlier in the week (that were meant to be for the dessert) were eaten!

This is the centerpiece of the table - can you tell this is R2D2??

The main entree of the meal was "Obi-Wan Kabobs", which Ryan decided later to call Lighsabers!

We also made "Yoda-Sodas" - very cool green drink with fresh limes and lime sherbert. Delicious!!

Matt and Jacob looking hesitantly at their food...

Later, here is Jacob figuring out how much Danny owed him for landing on his property!!

We had one of the Star Wars movies playing in the background all night as well. It really was a fun night - and Hannah did a great job bearing with the theme. She did ask me later on when we might do a "Little House on the Prairie" theme... hmmmm.... that would be interesting.... Anybody out there got any more great family night ideas that you have enjoyed???

A Post from Danny:

Labor Day was quite different for the Dustin Family this year... For the first time in my marriage, I spent more than an overnight away from Liz and my kids - in this case it was a trip to Boston with my dad, my brothers Steve & Scott, brother-in-law Todd & nephew Tyler. My brother Donnie, who lives in Colorado was unable to join us - we really missed you Donnie - you missed a great time! Dad found a 4 day tour to Boston to see the Orioles play the Red Sox for a 3 game series. Those of you who know me probably realize that I'm not the biggest sports fan, but I certainly wasn't going to turn down some male bonding - especially the opportunity to spend some time away with my dad.

The trip was quite an adventure - literally... I got up at 3:15am Labor Day morning to be at the bus (yep, I said bus), which left Hagerstown at 5:00am sharp. It was a sold out tour, so every seat was full. I was fortunate to get to sit with my dad the whole 11 hours there - I must admit that after that long trip, it was a bit challenging to go to the game & sit again... We arrived in Boston just after 4:00 & had time to get settled in our room before the game that evening. Our hotel was absolutely wonderful - the Sheraton at the Prudential Tower in Copley Square. It was in a great location, within walking distance from Fenway Park, gardens, many colleges, restaurants, etc. - pretty much anything we needed was nearby. It was great that Dad blessed us all by giving us this "all expenses paid" trip. However, I'm not sure any of us realized the cost it would have on our families - 5 wives were left behind to fend for themselves. I left knowing I would miss the kid's first day of school & our traditions that went along with it - but to my surprise I came back home to find that the teacher had decided to delay the start until the following week! What a great teacher! (one of the joys of homeschooling...) Seriously though - it was hard for me to leave Liz - in our entire marriage I have never left her alone other than to be with the boys or an overnight Men's retreat. I am living proof that the old saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is true! I missed my darling dearly, and though I had a wonderful time with my dad & brothers, I was very happy to be back home with her!

Here's Dad at our 3rd game (the "Green Monster" behind him). We had seats in different locations for each game - it really gave us a better flavor of the park. At 71, dad was just as energetic as anyone else - in fact, probably more! In fact, he put me to shame when I came out of the bathroom the first morning to see him doing calasthenics - part of his normal daily routine... no wonder he gets around so well.

Tyler, myself, Dad, Steve & Scott outside the hotel, just before heading over to Fenway Park, which was about a 15 minute walk.

On Tuesday, dad rented a van & we headed up to Haverhill, MA to see the Hannah Duston monuments. A brief bit of history: Hannah Duston (over the years, the family name has 'evolved' to Dustin - both are still used) was the first female in the US to have a statue erected in her honor - it's a bit controversial since she was honored for killing and scalping several Abekni Indians after being captured in 1697 - feel free to search the web - a good overview is at http://kingsley.locke.net/gen/dustin/hannah.htm

Here's our gang in front of the Duston-Garrison House, the home Thomas & Hannah Duston were building when the Indian raid started. It is normally only open on weekends, but a distant relative with "connections" opened it for us - I was surprised to see all the artifacts - of course I also enjoyed the design & construction of the all brick home.

Well, I really enjoyed the trip. While I certainly missed my family back here in Maryland, I had a wonderful time with my dad & brothers. I got to know them all a bit better - something I wish could have happened sooner. We had perfect weather - every day was in the 70's - sunny & beautiful. Thanks Dad for a great time - I love you! Danny.

Happy 13th Jacob!!!

I cannot believe how time has flown, and the baby that was born to Danny and I so long ago is now a teenager! Jacob has been unique and special from the start - he was born with the sack of water around him still intact - the doctors had to cut it from around him after he was born! They say this is very rare, and is a sign of genius!! I know, it's an old wives tale, but pretty neat nonetheless.

Jacob has grown to be a very sensitive, caring, kind and generous young man. He is respectful to his parents, and is very patient in dealing with the extreme attatchment of his younger brother. Jacob and his friends try to patiently include Ryan in what they are doing, and I am so grateful for the kind of older brother he is to Ryan.

At this point in life, Jacob's interests are making movies (far beyond my technical realm of knowledge), reading, building robots and legos, shooting airsoft guns, bow and arrow, riding his scooter, rollercoasters (the fast, scary ones) and he enjoys sci-fi movies with his Dad. It is a joy to watch his relationship with his Dad growing - I pray that they will always be close.
This is our cutie pie on his first birthday!! "Look at those EYES!!" is the phrase that Jacob has heard his entire life!!!

Jacob and Danny - again, look at those eyes!!

Jacob fell asleep waiting at the airport...

Jacob lounging in the chair

And I had to FIGHT for permission to post this one - Jacob has a very nice Link hat (a character from a video game) that he occasionally wears around - here he is helping Ryan make cotton candy in his machine. Jacob, you are just too cute!! (sorry, I know you probably hate that word now that you are a TEENAGER!!!)

Yep, Jacob can be very serious...

And he can be very funny and humorous - he cracks me up every single day!!

AND, he can be downright silly!!! You must watch this video to see the side of Jacob reserved for special occasions...

Jacob, you have been a wonderful son to me for 13 years. I have so enjoyed any time that we get to be together, whether out shopping, doing something special, or just cuddling. I know you don't prefer all my physical affection, but thank you for letting me express my love to you - you are so cute and irresistable - I just love to kiss and hug you all the time!! (as you know) I promise to try to control my impulses to squeeze and love you when we are around others... remember, I said I would try... haha Seriously, though, Jacob, thank you for being so responsive to me and Dad, for sharing your life with us, for opening up to us, for being a good example to your siblings, for serving us, and for your thoughtfulness. May God bless this next year with much grace, wisdom, health, fun, and a powerful sense and awareness of His amazing love for you!! We love you so very much and are so fiercely proud of you. Happy Birthday Jacob!!