Our latest snow! 14 inches!!!

Ready for Christmas!!

Grandma Hoch

Gram wanted all of the Hoch clan to come in to Tim's this Labor Day for the annual Hoch reunion, but we know that Gram won't be able to make it. She'll be celebrating an even greater reunion, because by that time she'll be in Heaven!
I've added a little AudioPlayer over to the top/right. (Click on it to play it) It is a song that our church quartet does fairly often. We sang this recently at our church's 60th reunion. I (Mark) am singing the baritone.

Gram, may your reunion be sweet when you "Step Off On That Beautiful Shore". Love you bunches!!

Fruits of Our Labor

We have been blessed with good crops in the garden this year! I have canned 10 quarts of chili, 53 quarts of green beans, and put peas and blueberries in the freezer in the past couple of days. It has been a very busy week, but we are really glad for all of the goodies that we have been blessed with so far. I will be picking more beans next week, and cucumbers, corn, lima beans and tomatoes are on the way! Also, I feel really blessed to have a great canning place in our basement. It keeps all of the mess out of the house! Thanks Mark!

A Nice Ending to Eric, Hannah & Joseph's Visit

We enjoyed a nice picnic at the New River Trail Park and a walk on the trail. The kids enjoyed teaching Joseph to drive the Barbie Jeep. He loved heading straight for the trees! We came home and enjoyed a relaxing end to the evening with a fire on the front porch, roasting marshmallows, and enjoying biscuits-on-a-stick over the fire! All in all, we all have a wonderful day and we really enjoyed having Eric, Hannah and Joseph visit us! Welome Back anytime!!

Blue Ridge Parkway Music Center

We are one mile from the Blue Ridge Parkway, so we took Eric, Hannah & Joseph for a ride on the parkway and visited the music center. We were able to enjoy some music from a blue grass band, and even caught Joseph dancing a little to the music.

Cousins Enjoying the Day in Mayberry

Posing beside some beautiful flower gardens in Mayberry, and enjoying homemade ice cream cones at the diner in Mayberry. Come on down and we will take you for the tour and get you a famous pork chop sandwich at Snappy's Lunch! We all had a great day together!

Floyd's Barber Shop/Snappy Lunch

Eric talked with the barber in Floyd's Barber Shop and the barber told him that he has been at that shop for 67 years. He used to cut Andy's hair when he lived in Mount Airy. The man in the chair told Eric that he went to school with Andy. This was a really interesting place to visit!

Opie's Candy Store

Joseph really enjoyed Opie's Candy Store. Susan took him in and let him get a bag of gummy bears.

In the old Mayberry Jail!

We finally caught them and locked them in the old jail! Would anyone be willing to post bail for them?

A Day in Mayberry!

We live about 30 minutes from Mount Airy, NC, the town where Andy Griffeth was born and raised. His movies are centered in this town and it includes all of the memorabilia of Andy Griffeth. We enjoyed taking Eric, Hannah & Joseph to see this little town and all of the attractions.

Natalie and Joseph enjoyed acting like the sheriffs in the Old City Jail. Aren't they cute?



















Andy Taylor "the sheriff" himself. Eric makes a nice sheriff. Who knows he may be the next Andy Griffeth!

It's A Boy !!!

Congratulations to Dan and Candy Moyer!!!

Levi David Moyer
8 lb 14 oz
22 in long
Born 7/7/2009

Happy Birthday to my Favorite Person!

Happy 35th Birthday to my wonderful husband of almost 16 years! I am one lucky woman to have stolen his heart! He is a great husband and father! I hope that you have a awesome birthday babe, and wishes for many more to come!!

Happy Birthday - July 9th!!!!!!!

We love you,

Susan, Mikayla and Natalie

Invitation to Enjoy a Relaxing Summer Evening with Us!

There is nothing like a quiet, relaxing summer evening! We enjoy our home to its' fullest in the summer months. Whether it is a nice relaxing rocking chair on the front porch, playing badmitton, the girl's enjoying their little pool, or working in the garden or flowers, we have fun! Summer is just the best! A rocking chair and a nice cold glass of homemade lemonade is waiting - Come and visit!

Here we go again!!

Well, as of yesterday, I (Mark) am currently among the ranks of the un-employed!! Our company was forclosed on by the bank. It is a shame, because we had been doing pretty well but management made a lot of plain stupid decisions!!!

Pray for us as I try to find something else!!!

Tornado !!!

This tornado went thru just a few miles up the road from us last night. We were under a tornado watch too. It did a whole lot of severe damage to the one area. We know the family that lives on the farm. Susan's family "roped pine" for the family all of their lives, and I know them too. We are going to try and cook food and go up and help them get cleaned up a little. It pretty much destroyed/tore up most of the farm.

Sunrise service in the cemetery

The Resurrection is the reason that Christians
can sing in a cemetery!!

He Is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!!!

Easter morning in VA!!

It was beautiful here this morning!!
(Can you spot Toby?)

Let's Color Some Easter Eggs !!!!

Looks like a happy bunch, dosen't it??

Coconut Cake

Easter is not complete until you have had a piece
of the traditional Sikes/Smith family Coconut Cake.
The recipe includes Seven-minute Icing and
was passed down to Susan from her Granny Sikes.

What are you doing, boy??!!??!!

It looks like someone might get in trouble this summer!!!

Happy Birthday Mikayla!!! 3/10/2009

Happy Birthday to our beautiful 10 yr old
daughter. We can't believe it has already
been that long! She is a wonderful little
daughter - very thoughtful and caring!
We Love You and hope you have a very
wonderful birthday!!
Love Dad, Mom and Natalie!!

Megastore, Megasale…

The manager of a megastore came to check on his new salesman.
"How many customers did you serve today?" the manager asked.
"One," replied the new guy.
"Only one?" said the boss. "How much was the sale?!?"
The salesman answered, "$72,316."
Flabbergasted, the manager asked him to explain.
"First I sold a man a fishhook," the salesman said. "Then I sold him a rod and a reel. Then I asked where he was planning to fish, and he said down by the coast. So I suggested he'd need a boat - he bought that 20-foot runabout. When he said his Volkswagen might not be able to pull it, I took him to the automotive department and sold him a big SUV."
The amazed boss asked, "You sold all that to a guy who came in for a fishhook?"
"No," the new salesman replied. "He actually came in for a bottle of aspirin for his wife's migraine. I told him, "Your weekend's shot. You should probably go fishing."

Snow!!! Finally!!!

We finally had a good snow yesterday. We had went a few
years without a good one. It amounted to approx 9" total.
The wind blew most of it away and deposited a lot of it in
a few choice places. This was the view from our front
porch this morning!! Lovely!!

Here is Natalie climbing the drift at the end of the house!

Also a picture of the girls and Toby playing on the

drift in front of the house.

I walked back behind the house and snapped a picture
of the farm behind us. I spy a mother cow about to give birth!!

Also checked on my in-laws horse and cows.

A few more Toby pics

Drum Roll Please !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Hoch family has a new addition to the family! Please make
Mr. Toby feel welcome! The girls are so excited. They have
been wanting a dog for a long time!!!
It is a six week old Labrador/Golden Retriever.