Posts Tagged ‘vacations’
Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Thursday, April 28th, 2011
Having an adventure at the river
With temperatures climbing up towards 115 degrees in the afternoons we look forward to any chance to cool off. If Steve is going to be able to spend some time with the boys without constant interruptions we have to leave home for a while. So, what better way to fix both of these problems than with some time at a pool! We try and go every few weeks to a town about an hour away to stock up on some groceries, eat a meal that mom didn’t cook, and spend some time splashing in the pool. Oh, how we all look forward to these days. Sweating it out every other day and just keeping an eye on the calendar for a day when we can get away! We’re so thankful for our wonderful friends, the Bryants, who are usually always up for a day at the pool too. Our kids have a blast together coming up with all kinds of death-defying tricks to do off the diving board. If there’s no chance to head to the pool we can try the river about a five minute drive from our house, but it’s just about dried up after six months with no rain. Here’s a few photos of the kids getting a chance to cool off…
Jumping contests off the diving board
Enjoying the river
Tags: boys, friends, vacations
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Monday, February 14th, 2011
My mom and I with the boys in front of the castle
We have been planning a trip to Florida to visit one of our churches there for a quite a while. But, we were not planning on our entire family being seriously sick for that trip. It was the longest drive of my life with Ephraim crying to lay down and go to sleep and all of us running fevers and coughing uncontrollably. There was no way we could reschedule the trip with just a few weeks left in the states, so we just had to go anyways. After what seemed like an eternity we finally arrived in Florida and prepared to speak with the church. We were both afraid that we wouldn’t be able to speak more than a few words without breaking into a coughing fit, but God really got us through it. We really enjoyed meeting people down there and seeing first hand the great church that is standing behind us as we leave again for Guinea. We were able to share about our ministry and hopefully gave people a vision for what we are wanting to see happen there.
We have a bunch of family down there as well – most of them with the church that we visited – so it was a great chance to visit with them as well. We hadn’t seen some of them in years and it was a great time to catch up and thank them for being a part of what we’re doing. It seemed like family time went quickly and we were on the road again. We headed up to Orlando for a couple days of fun with the kids. I wish they all would have been at 100% for a visit to Disney, but they were doing much better than I had anticipated. We spent one day at Magic Kingdom and it seemed like the boys were the perfect ages for everything – they loved all the rides. There is nothing that they are afraid of! They didn’t care even when it started raining – they didn’t think that should stop any of the rides. So, we got some ponchos and headed back to Thunder Mountain which was their favorite. I loved seeing the look of awe on their faces with things. We spent another day at Seaworld – it was a freezing day – less than 50 degrees, but we still had a good time. The boys loved feeding the mantarays, watching the dolphins, sharks and penguins. We went to a couple of shows – a very funny sea lion show and the Shamu show. Malachi was chosen from the audience to be a volunteer and he loved it. He got to go up in front of everyone and talk with the trainers – it was all on the big screens so he felt like a celebrity. It was a busy couple of days and then it was back on the road. We were able to stay with friends on the way back – so glad for the chance to visit before we leave for another couple of years. I think I learned that I don’t want to drive to Florida anytime soon, but it was some great memories with the kids.
Malachi was chosen to be the volunteer for the Shamu show
Ephraim absolutely loved the Jungle Safari ride
Tags: boys, Family, trip, vacations
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Friday, October 22nd, 2010
Us taking a stop along the beach to see the ocean
Steve and I just took a trip down to the Outer Banks all by ourselves! We’ve been talking about wanting to have a getaway for years and we finally did it! We had to brave a near hurricane to drive out to our hotel but we made it. Honestly, it was a pretty nerve racking drive from the airport out to the coast. We would hit parts of the road where everything was washed out and I wondered if we’d make it through a few of those pool sized puddles.
We spent a few days totally relaxing and enjoying time together with no other responsibilities. Our inn was on the harbor and it had a great view. We took a drive down the coast and visited a lighthouse on the water. It was a good climb up to the top and I tried my best to calm my panic and look out over the coast, but I just couldn’t do it. Instead I kept my back pressed up to the wall and refused to look up or down and waited while Steve took pictures. We window shopped and looked for little trinkets to bring home to the boys – like shark teeth and pirate coins. We lounged in our room and played card games and enjoyed the hospitality of our inn as they served breakfasts and yummy snacks throughout the day. We went to the Wright Brothers Memorial and learned about the first flights – Malachi was very interested to hear what we’d learned and seen that day. We walked along the beach for a bit, but the wind was pretty intense that day – a bit like being in a sandstorm. We ate at some delicious restaurants and tried some tasty new things. It was a great trip and proved that we can spend five days together and have plenty of things to talk about!
Us at the Wright Brothers Memorial
Cape Hattaras lighthouse
Tags: summer fun, trip, vacations
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
My boys in front of the Grand Hotel
While I was still sweating in Guinea, I was dreaming of a summer camping trip in Michigan. I love Michigan in every season except for winter and I really wanted to do something fun for the boys before they started school. From my tiny village in Guinea I was looking up campgrounds and making reservations for while we were at home. Yes, I know that I am addicted to pre-planning.
We spent a couple of days camping at Onaway State Park. I found it online and it seemed like a peaceful retreat instead of the sometimes craziness of Lake Michigan. Our boys are pretty great in the car and they made the four hour trip with little fuss. Those long car trips in Guinea are a lot worse, so traveling stateside seems like a breeze now! I had rented a cute little cabin on the lake and it turned out that it was the perfect choice as the temps were low and we had a huge storm while we were there. The campground is small, the lake is great and it seemed much more like camping in the woods than camping at a beach. The kids fell in love with fishing those couple of days – which was good because it was too cold to go swimming. We cooked over the grill, took walks, went out in the boat and spent hours fishing off the pier. It was relaxing and I would definitely recommend this State park for getaways.
Then we headed to Mackinac Island for a couple more days. We hadn’t been to Mackinac in years and the boys had never been there. They loved the ferry ride across – it’s amazing how excited kids get about stuff! Our hotel room was a spacious suite which gave us some room to spread out. We even had a small porch overlooking Main Street which was great. I enjoyed getting up in the mornings and watching the Island come to life as people started arriving. We found some great restaurants and cafe’s, we explored the Butterfly museum and Steve and I even had a date night while my parents watched the boys. The highlight of the trip was the horse drawn tour around the Island and the time spent at Fort Mackinac. The boys loved having the first row seats on the tour so that they could take lots of pictures of the horses behinds. What could be more fun? Fort Mackinac was such a great place to take the boys. We saw a cannon firing, weapon demonstration, tried on old uniforms and took a trip back in time. Our boys are in love with anything having to do with men in uniform and this was a big hit with them. I took tons of photos of our time – check out our photos page for a lot more.
Our boys fell in love with fishing while we were camping
The boys with gramma and grampa on the shore of Mackinac Island
Having lunch at Fort Mackinac overlooking the Island
Tags: Family, summer fun, trip, vacations
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
He's finally big enough for the blue slide
Nixon Pool! One of my favorite places – I’m thrilled to be back and be able to take the boys there again! The lifeguards actually asked where we’ve been the last couple of summers and told us how much they thought the boys had grown – yeah, I guess we went there a lot before going to Africa. Ephraim is so excited to be able to go down the big blue slide now, but sadly isn’t tall enough for the much faster yellow one. He passes the swim test each time we go, but his height still hasn’t changed. Micah is determined to go down the slide fast enough to splash the lifeguards like Steve does! We’ve reached the age with the boys that they can swim and play without me watching the entire time – Ephraim is like a fish in the water these days. Have I mentioned that I love summer in Michigan?
Coming off the slide trying to make the big splash
Taking a flying leap off the slide
Tags: boys, friends, vacations
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
Happy 8th Birthday Malachi
It made the trip a little longer, but we enjoyed our day long layover in Dakar, Senegal. It also happened to be Malachi’s 8th birthday. We had planned ahead and brought with us decorations to put up before he got up. The Guesthouse hostess there had a plate of cinnamon rolls for us and we put his candle in one to sing Happy Birthday. He seemed content with the little gestures.
We spent the day with the Dias’ family who had left us in Guinea and joined the team in Senegal. It had been quite a while since we’d seen them and they introduced us to their newest little one. We decided to do the tourist thing and visit Goree Island off the coast. It’s a small island where slaves were held before being sent to the Americas. It was a beautiful island and the history was special to learn about. We toured the famous “door of no return” and walked all over the Island seeing so many amazing handmade treasures for sale. It was perfect weather for exploring and we had some very tired boys as we took the ferry back to the mainland. We finished the day off with ice cream from a great place just down the road from the Guesthouse – wish we had something so close by in Guinea!
It was a long day, but a great way to tire out three boys before a 9 hour flight to the States! Our flight didn’t take off until 1 am and the boys were absolutely exhausted by then with the luggage check-ins, security checks and long lines to the flight. We were so thankful to arrive in the states and we sprinted to make our connecting flight to Detroit. All in all, we were really happy with our flights, but thankful to have them over with!
More pics on the photos page…
Micah and I at the top of Goree Island overlooking the ocean
The door of no return - slaves were led out this door to the waiting slave ships
Tags: Africa, friends, vacations
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
The Cretsinger and Bryant kids at the hotel
God has blessed us with some wonderful friends – and sadly we had to leave some of them behind in Guinea! Our boys were pretty upset to be leaving behind the friends who had occupied their days over the past two years. The life of a missionary kid is one of constant changes and we continue to pray for the boys adjustment.
Before we left Guinea, we spent a few days in the capital shopping for treasures to take home and making memories with the Bryant family. Our kids loved being in the pool, we had great snacks and dined out at yummy restaurants. It was a nice relaxing time and we’re thankful for their friendship in our lives.
Please be praying for the Bryants as they continue on in their village and face the next year alone in their church planting ministry. They definitely need your prayers for strength and grace in the days ahead.
Micah with Elijah and Corbin at the Riviera pool
Tags: adjustments, boys, friends, vacations
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Monday, May 10th, 2010
Steve and Ephraim with our host father and four of his boys - Mo, Seiku, Ronnie and Abu.
Less than five weeks until we head for the States! It’s becoming more and more real everyday that soon we’ll be leaving. People around us ask about it a lot and tell us that they would really like to see the States – no hinting around! The past two years have been filled with more experiences that I could begin to write about and a major part of our lives has been our host family. We wanted to do something special for them to let them know much they mean to us. We wanted to do something that they would remember for a long time. There is another family living in our old house now going through the same orientation that we did. So, our host family has come to mean a great deal to them as well. We were excited that they wanted to join us in this big splurge of a trip for the family. So, we decided to take them all on a trip to the beach!
The kids had never been to the beach – you should have seen their faces! It was pure excitement from the moment we arrived until we reluctantly herded them all in the car. At first they wouldn’t go near the water and the waves were terrifying. They hung on to us for dear life and squealed with each wave. We took them on walks down the beach, found jellyfish, explored the rocks and they loved every minute of it. It was wonderful when the tide went out and they could play and splash – they kept washing each other like it was bath time. Where we went there is a great restaurant and we treated everyone to a delicious lunch – the teenagers were collecting leftovers in bags before we were even done eating! It was a really great day together – just relaxing and enjoying each others company.
Ronnie loving those mangoes
Splashing in the shallow water - much better after the tide went out
Enjoying the beach
Tags: friends, host family, relationships, vacations
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
An actual restaurant! With amazing food...worth the road trip!
Some people find the hot, extremely bumpy, five hour ride to the capital city a reason not to go. We are not in that group – we’re in the group that happily endures the ride in order to be able to eat delicious chinese food, find yummy fruits and vegetables not found anywhere else, take a nap in air conditioning, and watch our boys happily swim for hours. We really love going to the capital. We have found the perfect place for us. It’s a small hotel with a very accomodating owner! It’s definitely not up to American standards for hotels, but we are very happy with it. No sooner do we pull into the parking lot do our boys jump out and head to the pool. What better way to end a five hour trip than a few hours in the pool. Another family came with us this time because they wanted us to show them around Conakry and introduce them to our favorite places. We enjoyed chinese food, ice cream, grocery stores, book stores, the pool and we both of us couples had a date night while the other couple watched all the kids. It was a great getaway for a few days. Definitely more than worth the drive for us.
All day enjoyment of the pool - Micah and Malachi with the Nico and Isa Galvez
Ephraim and Pablo Galvez
Tags: boys, Family, friends, vacations
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
Malachi and Micah with their friends, Elijah and Corbin Bryant
We’re getting into that wonderful time of the year where we sit soaked in sweat and have no desire to move more than six inches from a fan. Yes, hot season is here. The afternoon temperatures are reaching over 105 degrees and my motivation to keep cooking homemade meals for my family is pretty much non-existant. We drink water all day and still feel thirsty. We look forward to any day that we can get a little cooled off in the water.
Once a month we try to go to the beach for the day. If you read our other posts, you know how much our boys love going to the beach. It’s about a two hour drive, but totally worth the day of relaxation. If we’re not going to the beach, we can drive about an hour and visit a great pool. The pool is getting to be our favorite spot – we don’t even get out of the water for hours. Unfortunately, even several applications of sunscreen is no match for the African sun, and so we still end up red at the end of the day (some of us more than others). But, it’s a great chance to have a day where we don’t feel so disgustingly sweaty. We’ve also found a great spot at the river about a five minute drive from our house. It can be tricky to find a time when the ladies aren’t bathing or washing their clothes, but usually we’re okay. Our boys love pretending they are being swept downstream in the rapids. These have all been great ways for us to get a brief break from the heat. It can really be overwhelming at times and can make you want to pack your bags for cooler weather. So, a break every once in a while can be the encouragement we need to endure all the days of sweat and grime!
Tags: adjustments, vacations
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Steve and Casey Cretsinger Experiencing Tribal Missions in Guinea, W. Africa 
