Going courtin'

Irvin, second from right, at our church's sunrise breakfast

Irvin, a thirty-one-year-old mechanic from Ohio, is quite interested in Julie. Irvin, his three brothers and one sister were raised on a chicken farm in Pennsylvania that has been in his mother's family for generations. For generations, Irvin's family has also been influential in the Old German Baptist Brethren (though often mistaken for Amish, the group embraces some technology and speaks English rather than Pennsylvania Dutch). Recently the group split, and Irvin joined the New Conference. Irvin drinks coffee, drives a Ford Five Hundred without a radio, and is the only person who has ever splashed Julie with water and not received a lecture in return.

Lauren visiting Betsy at home in February

Lauren Mae, a ninteen-year-old college student, was, as Betsy reminds Aaron, Betsy's friend first. Lauren is the first born-again Christian in her family (which consists of her parents and one younger brother) and is growing rapidly in her faith. Lauren fits comfortably in our family and has provided support and stability in the months after the accident (to read about how she cleaned blood out of Aaron's hair, click here). Lauren has a dog named "Cupcake," is learning American Sign Language, and is content to occasionally beat Naomi at a game of Uno.