About 7 years ago my husband brought something into our lives that has been revolutionary. It's life changing effect in our home has been overwhelming.
You see, once you share the good and bad with something, once you experience unending faithfulness, it's ability to bring joy, it's ability to serve without complaint, it's humility to handle praise, it's strength to handle criticism, it's welcoming hospitality at a moments notice, it's steadfast unchanging ways, it's morning song, it's desire to please...you realize the thought of losing something magnificent will only take part of your heart with it.
I am about to verbalize something I have known for at least 3 days now, but did not have the gumption to admit...our beloved coffee pot, our BUNN is dying. Yes, that is right. For those of you who have enjoyed it's brew over and over at our home you will understand...for you too, have found a spot in your heart for our BUNN. This machine has served the greatest to the meekest. It has pulled us through our happiest times to our saddest. Now it sits surrounded by dish towels, catching the water it can hardly contain. It struggles to keep the pot warm...but i will tell you this, if we couldn't witness it's suffering, if we didn't see it struggling, you would never know because the coffee tastes as good as it did 7 years ago! Please send your regards to our blog and pray that our pain will ease quickly.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Our Family Reunion
What a family! My Mom organized a family reunion to her hometown, Oglesby, Ill. This will be in our hearts forever. Mom flew in from CA. Nancy (my OLDER sis) and her honey f
lew in from GA. They were the lucky ducks, b
ecause we had to drive! What an adventure! John took an evening nap on June 5 so he could be well rested to drive through the night. We pulled out of our driveway around 10pm. As you can imagine, 6 boys can bring some pretty heavy excitement to a small space. We drove about 12 hours and arrived in Kentu
cky at the Creation Museum. What a day! It was so nice to be in a place that felt Christian from the moment you walked in. The boys were in awe, surrou
nded by Noah's Ark, dinosaurs and so much more. We arrived in Ill. the next day around 4pm. As we checked in to the hotel we heard squeeks, screams of "Cool, No Way!, Is this all for us!" There was an actual Waterpark and Amusement Park IN the hotel! For kids that pretty much play baseball all day, everyday in the backyard as their big life of entertainment, they couldn't believe their eyes! We tortured the ch
ildren by telling them "there is no time to enjoy the parks today AND tomorrow was the family reunion" What mean parents! The next day we headed to my cousins house. They live on a beautiful
lake in Henry IL near 
their 4,000 acre farm! The boys were amazed at the size of the tractors and combines. In fact Joel could stand up in the rim of one of the wheels!Jane planed a "Hawaiin Luau
" for our reuniting. It was great to have our family together and meeting cousins tha
t have 
grown into successful people. I think the thrill for me was to just watch and listen to my Uncle Howard. So sharp and whi
tty. FINALLY, the long awaited day came...WATERPARK! It was quite amazing to see this structure of fun under one roof. I think John and my brother in law, Ramiro had as much fun as the kids! As you can imagine the waterpark became the daily event. The men took the kids to Starved Rock one day while the ladies went shopping in
Princeton. We ended our time with family at a wonderful Chinese buffet. It was a great reunion that will always be treasure. I can't thank my Mom enough for planning, helping an
d organizing such a dream vacation. It was great having my sis next door to laugh with, cook with and play games with. The kids are still talking about what a great time they had!!
lew in from GA. They were the lucky ducks, b
ecause we had to drive! What an adventure! John took an evening nap on June 5 so he could be well rested to drive through the night. We pulled out of our driveway around 10pm. As you can imagine, 6 boys can bring some pretty heavy excitement to a small space. We drove about 12 hours and arrived in Kentu
cky at the Creation Museum. What a day! It was so nice to be in a place that felt Christian from the moment you walked in. The boys were in awe, surrou
nded by Noah's Ark, dinosaurs and so much more. We arrived in Ill. the next day around 4pm. As we checked in to the hotel we heard squeeks, screams of "Cool, No Way!, Is this all for us!" There was an actual Waterpark and Amusement Park IN the hotel! For kids that pretty much play baseball all day, everyday in the backyard as their big life of entertainment, they couldn't believe their eyes! We tortured the ch
ildren by telling them "there is no time to enjoy the parks today AND tomorrow was the family reunion" What mean parents! The next day we headed to my cousins house. They live on a beautiful
lake in Henry IL near 
their 4,000 acre farm! The boys were amazed at the size of the tractors and combines. In fact Joel could stand up in the rim of one of the wheels!Jane planed a "Hawaiin Luau
" for our reuniting. It was great to have our family together and meeting cousins tha
t have 
grown into successful people. I think the thrill for me was to just watch and listen to my Uncle Howard. So sharp and whi
tty. FINALLY, the long awaited day came...WATERPARK! It was quite amazing to see this structure of fun under one roof. I think John and my brother in law, Ramiro had as much fun as the kids! As you can imagine the waterpark became the daily event. The men took the kids to Starved Rock one day while the ladies went shopping in
Princeton. We ended our time with family at a wonderful Chinese buffet. It was a great reunion that will always be treasure. I can't thank my Mom enough for planning, helping an
d organizing such a dream vacation. It was great having my sis next door to laugh with, cook with and play games with. The kids are still talking about what a great time they had!!Monday, June 2, 2008
A Special Day
The Ludka's have much to be proud of. Joel started our day off with his kindergarten graduation. He was so excited to participate in all 
the days activities. His class had been practicing the play The Little Red Hen. Joel was the pig....and a very good pig was he! I person
ally loved his costume that was so creative
ly made by his Mother out of her old pink sweatsuit. He also was awarded the Good Attitude Award. It is hard to believe Joel will be a big first grader next year!
the days activities. His class had been practicing the play The Little Red Hen. Joel was the pig....and a very good pig was he! I person
ally loved his costume that was so creatively made by his Mother out of her old pink sweatsuit. He also was awarded the Good Attitude Award. It is hard to believe Joel will be a big first grader next year!That evening the boys school puts on the Awards Ceremony for all the other classes. Here are a few awards...(blogs are a safe place to brag, right?)
Jonathan: Sports - Best base-runner, Best hitter, Best out-fielder,
High Honors in Academics, Biology, Speech, Citizenship (I have no idea what that award is...maybe he helped little old ladies across the street)
Justin: High Honors in academics, Cross-country running award
Jacob: Honors in Academics, Great Student and the EAGLE Award
Jeffrey: High Honors in Academics, Joyful Disposition and Good Attitude, Hard Worker Award
Joel: Good Attitude
Pasha: Diligence Award and Most Improved in every area.
The High Honors Award means you had staight A's for at least 3 quarters in a row. Are these our children???
Now, the Eagle award is the greatest most honorable award that is granted to a student. There are only 2 kids that can get this award. One is for the entire elementary and the other for Jr and Sr. High. There are a lot reasons for this award, but in short...you are basically the best in every area!! We are very proud of our Eagle!!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Ladies Lunch - Grounded in Christ
One of my favori
te things to do in life if put on a fanfair of fun for the ladies at our church. I love every part of it, especially the dec
orating. This year was great! Our theme was a coffee theme. Who wouldn't love coffee - okay there are a few, but we don't talk to them...ha! We had "st
ations" around the roo
m, such as the coffee bar, the brunch area, the coffee house entry and more. Here are a few pictures of the day.
(They are small so you may want to click on them)
te things to do in life if put on a fanfair of fun for the ladies at our church. I love every part of it, especially the dec
orating. This year was great! Our theme was a coffee theme. Who wouldn't love coffee - okay there are a few, but we don't talk to them...ha! We had "st
ations" around the roo
m, such as the coffee bar, the brunch area, the coffee house entry and more. Here are a few pictures of the day.
(They are small so you may want to click on them)
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
I Love Being the Mom of Boys
I must say I am especially thrilled to be the Mom of a bundle of boys. I have enjoyed them so much lately. Each has contributed to much laughter and learning, as each personality is so different. I spoke at a Ladies Lunch the other week and was reminded of one of our best boy stories ever. John was trying to calm my nerves and he said "if you are worried about your speech, just tell the booger story, they will love you." As I reflected back on that day, I was overcome with emotion...that i am truly outnumbered! This amazing story is very typical of the nature of a household of boys...oh help me! For those of you at CBC you know this story from the day it happened (it was shared from the pulpit on Sunday morning!) but what you don't know is that the story carried on and only got better once we got home!
THE BOOGER STORY: While getting the house ready for church Sunday morning, two of the boys ran upstairs stating that someone had wiped a boogie on the pole in the basement. There was an overwhelming agreement that it had to be Joel. Joel became upset and insisted that it was NOT him. The accusations continued as we piled in the van...finally Joel's voice was raised to carry over the boys statements, he yells, "no it was not me!! I don't wipe my booogers on the pole, I wipe them under the bench!" There was silence...then an uproar of laughter! (it gets better) Of course John had to share this story...who knows if it fit as an illustration to the message, it was just too good to pass up. WELL, as we all arrived home for lunch, I teased the boys that Dad told the booger story in church. Someone says, "well, we still don't know who put the booger on the pole. I think it was Jake" Round two began of accusations. Jake pipes up "i don't wipe my boogers anywhere guys, I EAT mine!" Oh help me Jesus! Welcome to my world of snails and puppy dog tails! Just thought you would enjoy a good laugh!
THE BOOGER STORY: While getting the house ready for church Sunday morning, two of the boys ran upstairs stating that someone had wiped a boogie on the pole in the basement. There was an overwhelming agreement that it had to be Joel. Joel became upset and insisted that it was NOT him. The accusations continued as we piled in the van...finally Joel's voice was raised to carry over the boys statements, he yells, "no it was not me!! I don't wipe my booogers on the pole, I wipe them under the bench!" There was silence...then an uproar of laughter! (it gets better) Of course John had to share this story...who knows if it fit as an illustration to the message, it was just too good to pass up. WELL, as we all arrived home for lunch, I teased the boys that Dad told the booger story in church. Someone says, "well, we still don't know who put the booger on the pole. I think it was Jake" Round two began of accusations. Jake pipes up "i don't wipe my boogers anywhere guys, I EAT mine!" Oh help me Jesus! Welcome to my world of snails and puppy dog tails! Just thought you would enjoy a good laugh!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
The BIG DADDY has arrived
It is interesting how things shrink, to bad it's not bills, messes and hips... but definitely vans. Our big van has gotten smaller and smaller over the past 6 months. We have struggled to put anything in it other 
than children. We took our trip to NH and realized we were peeking through luggage, sleeping bags and food items just to see the road. It was time to investigate bigger options. We hunted and resea
rched for 2 months until the Lord directed us to an awesome deal…you know He always does when we are patient! We had to drive to Philly to find our “Big Bertha” our Ford Excursion, but the drive was worth this blessing. We had to trade in John’s truck (which was a sad moment, but he is over it) then with savings and our wonderful tax return we were able to pay cash for this gorgeous vehicle! It really is a gift from God. The boys fit in and actually have shoulder room. We don’t hear “he’s touching me” anymore! The trunk is huge and will hold all our belongings when we go away. The interior is leather…which is fun because I have never had a leat
her car! There is one disguised blessing though…it’s a diesel. We did the math and as gas prices rise we will save about $20 a fill-up, even though diesel costs more it runs longer and the engine has less parts to repair. But let me tell you…you know when the Ludka’s are coming! We won’t be T.P.-ing any houses in the middle of the night with this baby!
than children. We took our trip to NH and realized we were peeking through luggage, sleeping bags and food items just to see the road. It was time to investigate bigger options. We hunted and resea
rched for 2 months until the Lord directed us to an awesome deal…you know He always does when we are patient! We had to drive to Philly to find our “Big Bertha” our Ford Excursion, but the drive was worth this blessing. We had to trade in John’s truck (which was a sad moment, but he is over it) then with savings and our wonderful tax return we were able to pay cash for this gorgeous vehicle! It really is a gift from God. The boys fit in and actually have shoulder room. We don’t hear “he’s touching me” anymore! The trunk is huge and will hold all our belongings when we go away. The interior is leather…which is fun because I have never had a leat
her car! There is one disguised blessing though…it’s a diesel. We did the math and as gas prices rise we will save about $20 a fill-up, even though diesel costs more it runs longer and the engine has less parts to repair. But let me tell you…you know when the Ludka’s are coming! We won’t be T.P.-ing any houses in the middle of the night with this baby!
Friday, March 28, 2008
The Haircut Wars
It is so time for a haircut. The never ending question...what should I do? My hair is so limp at the moment. I don't have the thickest hair. I need to have bangs. Hubby likes it long (of course, what man doesn't) I would love any of your ideas for a new me...or the same me, just a little fixed up!
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