Durrance Fete'

Katy's Solo in Christmas Concert

2009-12-05T13:11:00.000-08:00

Jeffrey and David visit the fire station

2009-05-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

For any who know Jeffrey, you will know this was a BIG deal! We went to visit our good friend at his new station where he is the captain, and had a blast climbing on an ambulance, an engine, and a foam tender. Days later we are still hearing about the visit. :)

Katy's Story and Baptism

2009-05-17T16:29:00.000-07:00

Katy chose to be baptized today--what a beautiful thing to witness!! We gave her a couple of questions to prompt her on telling her story, but what you hear is entirely hers. We were very proud of the way she was able to articulate her faith and her desire to be in community as she walks with Jesus! What a blessing!

Is there a Doctor in the house??

2007-10-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the completion of Rick's Doctor of Ministry Degree at Fuller Seminary in June. It was a great day to mark a seven year process. As we were reminiscing we realized that over the course of the seven years it took to finish we lived in 5 houses in 3 different states, had 3 babies, went through a flood and a hurricane, had 3 different job titles...I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting. This was truly an accomplishment and I was so proud of Rick for seeing this through. Enjoy the pictures!

This is Rick and me with his professor, Chap Clark.

Rick, Christy, Katy, Will and Rick's parents, Dan and Kathryn Durrance.
I just had to include this one of our sweet kids, Katy and Will. Will especially was very excited about dressing up for the occasion.

We're still alive!

2007-10-03T16:22:00.000-07:00

It has been forever since we have posted, which you already knew if you are reading this. :) We could give you lots of excuses--crazy schedule, long vacation, camera dropped in the ocean, four kids...need I say more? So, we though we'd try and chronicle a bit of what's been happening in the Durrance household for the past few months. Starting with...Memorial Day! Yes, I know it was in May...
This is our David with a good friend and our youth pastor, Dave Rutledge, affectionately or not so affectionately known as "Mr. Dave" (He claims it makes him feel old :)).
The gang hanging out on a nice cool May day at the beach--our friends Dave and Bekah Rutledge and Amy, Kathy, and Bob Drummond.

Katy flying a kite.
Will taking a break.
Mr. Bob throws a mean frisbee...:)

Rick and Katy Go To Mexico!

2007-05-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, Katy joined seven other adults from our church - and me - on a day service trip to Tijuana Mexico with Spectrum ministries. Spectrum is a tremendous ministry focused on serving the impoverished and marginalized in Tijuana - for more info on Spectrum go to this website: www.spectrumministries.com

Katy did a wonderful job! Her first time out of the country and in a very different culture than our own - although LA does have a strong influence from our neighbors to the south, it is still quite amazing the change that takes place when you cross the border! Katy served with the women in the "girls tent" where new clothes, baths, de-lousing, new hairdos and finger painting were offered to the young girls! Additionally, Katy helped with food distribution and was wonderful as she played with the kids on the seesaw - her favorite activity!!

And, Katy tolerated her father's LOVE for great tacos!! :) Nothing better than a carne asada taco from Paisanos!

A wonderful, humbling, sobering, powerful time was shared last Thursday. I am so proud of my daughter! Her heart and openness and honesty. Her willingness to walk and love in a different world! At the end of it all, she asked if we could go to Mexico again... :) We will return again soon!!

Spring at Descanso Gardens!

2007-04-18T16:22:00.000-07:00

We love Descanso Gardens, a beautiful retreat in the midst of a very busy city! It has also restored my faith in the fact that there are actually seasons in Southern California. Spring at Descanso is especially stunning and a treat for the senses.
A rare photo of the two of us...:)
Jeffrey has not yet learned rule #1 of photo etiquette: Look at the camera.
David in his element at one of the fountains.
We LOVE having our picture taken! :)

Visit from Mama Linda

2007-04-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful week leading up to Easter complete with a visit from my mom, better known as Mama Linda at our house. We did some fun things, made some great food, and just enjoyed having her here. I was especially grateful for her help with the every day happenings throughout the week. :) In addition to going to tea as grown-ups, Mama Linda and Katy were able to have tea together at Katy's all-time favorite purple tea room, The Gilded Rose Manor. I couldn't pass up posting these cute pics.

Spring Break in Palm Springs

2007-04-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

We have had a lot going on the past month...thus the lack of postings. I thought I would catch you up on some of the goings on around our house. We took a spring break trip to Palm Springs and had a great time together. We did lots of swimming, hiking and exploring which made for a very fun week.

These are pictures from our hike at Indian Canyons. The overall terrain is very desert-like with a palm oasis which we hiked through. The contrast of dry and rocky versus the lush green of the oasis was beautiful.

Hiking at Joshua Tree National Park

Our kids have learned that Rick really likes cacti (sp?), so on our trip they were excited to point out various varities we encountered. You can imagine that in the desert we had lots of cacti encounters and therefore much excitement. :) This is a picture Will took of Rick in the middle of an amazing cactus "garden" at Joshua Tree.

Fun in the pool!

Jeffrey is growing

2007-03-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a recent picture of Jeffrey, the forgotten child. :) Many of you have asked about how he is doing, so we finally got a couple of pictures the other day, though none are all that terrific. Jeffrey is truly becoming a happy baby. He loves to smile and has discovered a high-pitched squeal in the last couple of days that makes me laugh. I'm sure someone will need to remind me of this when he is 3 and is still squealing. We are all grateful for Jeffrey and for the sweetness he has brought to our family. Enjoy!!

Sandbox fun!

2007-03-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Rick built a sandbox last week, which has proven to be great backyard entertainment for our three oldest kids. Aside from sand in everyone's bed, I think this is a wonderful way to pretend you are at the beach and not have to deal with salt water, the long walk to the car and no bathroom within sight. We haven't figured out a way to eliminate the heat factor, but we are at least down to the upper 80's today which is a welcome relief from 96 degrees yesterday. Yikes! Libby, this has got to rival Qatar for mid-March. :)

Happy 39th Birthday Rick!!

2007-02-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

Seeing as how I have never posted on our blog, I decided today would be a good day to celebrate my wonderful husband on his birthday. I have chosen these pictures because first of all, they are some of the few of Rick or I on our entire computer--with four children, the adults don't stand a chance! Secondly, I would venture to guess if Rick could choose to do anything on his birthday it would be skiing! :) So, happy birthday to one who loves Jesus deeply, who blesses those around him, and who lives life with great passion. I love you!

Johnny Carson Park

2007-02-21T08:30:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite parks to play in in Burbank is Johnny Carson Park! Not only does it have a fun name and location - right across from NBC studios (where Ellen and Carson Daly are shot) but it also has a GREAT layout! A wonderful dirt running track that surrounds the park and also doubles as a great bkie path for younger children - Katy and Will love it! And, it also has a good old playground: affectionatley known as the Tonight Show Playground! I finally managed to remember the camera just to get some good shots of our growing kids and their new acocmplishments! Enjoy!

AWANA Grand Prix!

2007-02-21T08:20:00.000-08:00

Katy entered into the AWANA Grand Prix that our church offered this year. It is a version of the "Pinewood Derby" that I grew up with in boy scouts. Carving wood and making look like anything other than a toothpick has never been my strong suit! Even moreso making it into a car! But, thankfully, we have many folks at the church to help us! We began in late January with a "pit stop" day that was dedicated to helping kids and their families make their cars! Wood sanders, saws, pain, lead sinkers (to weight the cars!) and no end of creative talent were all available to help make this happen! Even a few professional animators to help us design our cars! What fun! And then the race itself - which was quite an event! Katy's car even won a few races! But slicker, faster cars prevailed... Altogether it was two Saturdays of family - Church family - fun!! What a great time!

I'll post a link to more pictures at the top left of the blog spot soon!

Saying Goodbye to Four Wheels

2007-01-24T08:56:00.000-08:00

Will has abandoned all things he can pedal with four wheels... Yep, that means that cool little pedal car he got for Christmas sits lonely on the side of the back yard pavement (waiting for two younger brothers to grow up and use it – we hope!! ). And that also means that his training wheels have been abandoned.
Our determined little man worked all last night – after some basic lessons from Mom and Dad – to start on his own and pedal in circles all by himself! He went way past dark last night. And this pic was taken at 8 a.m. this morning – more than a half and hour AFTER Will had started again to work on biking! What fun!

In LA It's the Pits!

2007-01-20T18:20:00.000-08:00

The Tar Pits. I remember being a young boy reading about the La Brea Tar Pits in school, as well as in my multiple books about prehistoric animals at home. Fun times! And then one day last year as we were driving down Wilshire Blvd., there they were! :) I knew they were in the area but not this close! Ten miles from our home in Burbank stands one of the most fascinating museums and active "paleontological digs" in the world! Right in the middle of the urban world. We had a great time, and plan to return many times in the future!

Check the link to Webshots for all of the pics - and some cool facts about the Tar Pits - on the left hand side of this blog spot. And for quick access to the website about La Brea, click here:http://www.tarpits.org/

Martin Luther King Jr Day!

2007-01-16T08:48:00.000-08:00

Christy and some other moms got very creative yesterday! It being a school holiday and all, the women schemed to rent a "bounce house" for our back yard and bring all of their kids over for a little (or a lot of) fun! The Dominos Pizza man showed up at lunch time, and for 5 moms and 15 kids it was one fun ML King Jr Day!

Enjoy the pics and way to go moms!!

I Just Have One Thing To Say:

2007-01-08T22:22:00.000-08:00

It is GREAT to be a Florida Gator! :)

Going on Record

2007-01-08T16:36:00.000-08:00

Well, it is officially 25 minutes before the big game. And I know that I may pay dearly for this in the coming days and weeks... Nonetheless I must remain true to my convictions:
OHIO STATE IS GATOR BAIT!!

... now I shall return to my chips and salsa and the television.

Visit from Our Beloved Friends Across the Pond

2007-01-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

There are those amazing relationships that the grace of God grants us in this life. I'm speaking of the ones where the cumulative amount of time you actually spend together may add up to two months (over many years) but the depth of relationship makes it feel like you've known each other all your life. I have had the joy of experiencing this grace with a small number of people. But, the ones who top the list visited us just this last week.

Ken and Beulah Robinson. Our dear friends from Northern Ireland - Enniskillen, to be exact. They live in a beautiful county and city! They are tremendous ministers - Ken is the District Superintendent and Senior Pastor of his area in the Methodist Church. We met when the Robinsons were still in Belfast, and served in ministry together for several visits there in the city. What joy to serve with these dear friends!

How much we value their friendship! And we were so blessed by their recent visit - going out of their way to see us (and some others) as they were in the states briefly to celebrate the marriage of their son Timothy in AZ. Congratulations Timothy and Carrie! And thanks so much, Ken and Beulah! So good to be with you!

Tony Bancroft is a GREAT Guy!

2007-01-04T15:02:00.000-08:00

Just google him some time!

...that is all I have to say about that...

(Feel free to comment)

Tournament of Roses Parade and Burbank's Entry

2007-01-04T13:49:00.000-08:00

What fun to be out here through the holidays this year and be able to see how excited this town gets over the Rose Parade! Truly a fun morning! We did not make it to Pasadena to see the parade this year, but I suspect we will in the near future! (Not quite that brave yet!)

But we had some fun right here in Burbank! For starters, as we waited for the parade to begin, we were able to get our own personal "fly-by" by the B-2 Stealth Bomber that flies over the parade signifying the start of the event!

I was tipped off by a friend that we might see the Stealth, so I was watching... It circled with a couple of F-16s for about a half an hour - but off in the distance... And Just when I thought it was done circling, the B-2 flew right over our neighborhood - waking up all of Burbank with it's thunderous blare. The picture above is the Stealth and the two F-16's quickly flying AWAY from the house... They caught me by surprise! Less than a minute later we were watching this same bomber fly right over the parade in Pasadena on television! Very exciting.

Second, our own Burbank entry came home two days ago and has been accesible to all in the area. So we visited the float today! What an amazing accomplishment! Here is a link to the details of the float: "Free Dog Wash" - http://burbankrosefloat.com/history/2007/2007_float_entry_fact_sheet.html

One of the things that is so exceptional about this float is that it is one of the very few that was constructed by the city of Burbank, itself - not by a professional "float building" company! Makes us proud!

Click up in the links section to see more pics of the float, and read a few of the details about it!

Fascinating!

Anniversary in Beverly Hills

2006-12-31T17:48:00.000-08:00

Beverly Hills for an anniversary! Not a bad deal, eh? :) Well, when you live less than 12 miles away from the 90210 zip code it takes a little of the "wonder" out of the place. But, it still made for a very fun destination for Christy and me (and Jeffrey! :)) for our 11th anniversary this past weekend!

We enjoyed nearly a day and a half away from the "regular" world of 517 Cypress Ave in Burbank! Beginning in Burbank, though, we had arguably the best meal of our little outing!! We are very proud of the new Granville restaurant that has recently opened here! Wonderful food: http://www.granvillecafe.com/

Then on "over the hill" to the "Hills!"

Christy and I stayed at the Meridian Hotel of Beverly Hills: It was indeed a very nice hotel. Probably too nice for our tastes! But, it was fun to be "spoiled" on our anniversary! From there we enjoyed going to the Grove:http://www.thegrovela.com/ Only a mile away from the hotel. There we saw a fun movie and ate more good food at the Kokomo Cafe! http://www.kokomocafe.com/ (see a trend here? :))

The following morning we had brunch at The Farm of Beverly Hills: http://www.thefarmofbeverlyhills.com/ Another wonderful spot! Terrific brunch!

Then, of course we did the "obligatory" walk up and down Rodeo Drive - as you can see! And finally, it was time to head home!

And this is where things got interesting... For some of you it will not come as a surprise to you that I pushed our little Lumina too far, and we ran out of gas! In Beverly Hills! Which, when one swallows his pride over the whole deal, is not a terribly bad place to run out of gas. Rather picturesque, at least...

We walked the street of Beverly to the corner of Beverly and Sunset: and the Beverly Hills hotel. The Meridian was nice. The BH Hotel is quite possibly one of the nicest in the nation... Whoa... There, we bummed a taxi back into town to buy a gallon tank, and then a gallon of gas! Taking the taxi back to our lovely parking spot at the corner of Beverly and Lexington - pull out your star maps if you have one! I have no idea who lives at that lovely corner, but they've got pretty nice digs!

Gas in car. Car to gas station to fill tank. And an hour later we are back on our way over the hill again into the wonderful... Valley! :)

It was a wonderful adventure, but more than that a lovely 28 hours away from home!!

We did some figuring up while we were on this little outing! For our anniversary in 2001 we got away for two nights! That's the last time Christy and I have been away without another little one accompanying us either inside the womb or outside... (And if you're figuring this one out in your head... well, let's just say that Will was born in September of the following year...) So! The goal for our 12th anniversary - next year (and we are almost CERTAIN this is attainable!) - is for our celebration to finally just be THE TWO OF US!! :)

For more pics, check the link to the left!

Visiting the Getty

2006-12-31T07:06:00.000-08:00

To the left there is a link to webshots giving a brief account of our most recent visit there. The Getty museum is an LA destination spot with amazing architecture and views, and occasionally beautiful collections of art and photos! Click here to find out more about the museum: http://www.getty.edu/

And click on the link under the links column to see our visit!

Merry Christmas!!

2006-12-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

Finally! A new post! Not too long today, but there is a link to pics of our fun day yesterday! Check up in the LINK section of our blog to go to Webshots and see the pictures! There will be more pics posted soon!

Merry Christmas to all!

Rick

Above is a picture of the day after Christmas at the Getty Center - Christy's family with us!

L.A.'s Oldest Fire Station on Thanksgiving Day!

2006-12-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

We're catching up here... About two weeks late. But, for Thanksgiving our family went down to Fire Station One in Los Angeles. This is the second oldest fire station in LA! Our good friends, the Mokraceks invited us down. Kevin has been a fireman for years! And, this, of course, was a real big deal for our two older boys especially! While we were there, the firemen on duty had an actual call, so we got to see them in action! It was a different Thanksgiving holiday for us this year. But, our visit to Station #1 was easily the highlight of the day! Thanks Mr. Kevin for showing us around. Very cool!

If you'd like to see more photos of our little adventure, just click on the link over to the left of this blog!

GO GATORS!!

2006-12-03T18:54:00.000-08:00

Yes, I live in California - and have not called Florida "home" for more than 20 years... But, my roots are there and I have never waivered from my college football loyalties!! (This is not true of other loyalties - it's been hard to be a Buc fan since Dungy left, and since Dr J hung up his sneaks in the 80's I've not had an NBA team either - although there is something mighty appealing about them "lowly" LA CLIPPERS... Priofessional sports are an entirely different matter, really! But the college game, that's different) And, the Gators have made it back into the Championship Game! http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/6234416?FSO1&ATT=HCP&GT1=8901
To my fellow Michigan friends out there - I do have them: my forth child is named after two of them - I offer you my condolences. Sincerely. The BCS is a mess when it comes to stuff like this. There's been controversy before, and there's been more since, it was established. But, if the shoe were on the other foot, and you Wolverines were keeping the champions of the SEC out of the BIG GAME when you, yourselves were not champions of your own conference, well... The controversy would be even greater, I think... Where would we have played? The Sugar Bowl? Against Notre Dame? (well, that would have been easier, no doubt... :) )
Anywho. The congrats to the Gators. Let us enjoy this while we can... OSU looks awfully tough.

More Photos!

2006-12-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

Hey There!
We are setting up links to our web photo site: webshots.com so that you can go see larger quantities of our recent family photos! Just look over to the top left of this blog spot to the "links" section and click and go see some or our photos!!

Blessings,
Rick

Grandparents!

2006-11-26T16:01:00.000-08:00

We are so very grateful for our parents, and the love they have shown us in very practical ways this past six weeks! Christy's parents, Ken and Linda Pickerill came out to be with us before Jeffrey's birth, and remained for more than a week after his birth to help us with adjusting to being a family of six!

A few days after Ken and Linda left, Rick's parents, Dan and Kathryn arrived! They stayed for a little more than two weeks, as well - all the way up through Katy's birthday (and a trip to Disneyland - more info on that in another post!)

We can't say thank you enough to our parents for demonstrating in such practical ways the love and care that they have! Thanks Folks! Thank you Mama Linda and Papa, and Grandma and Grandpa!! We love you!!