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| The Christian & Raina Cepel Family | ||
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God has blessed me greatly!
On Wednesday, May 31st, 2000, I asked a wonderful woman, Raina J. Olsen to be my wife. She happily,
accepted. We gave our lives to each other in a double-ring ceremony in Valley View Community Church
at 3pm on August 20, 2000.
Engagement Photos ° Wedding Photos God has blessed us greatly! ... Again! At 18:45, Monday March 11th, 2002, my beautiful, wonderful, gift from God of a wife, told me that we have been given another wonderful gift from God. We are due according to an online due-date calculator sometime around November 16th. Please pray for Raina's health and the health of the baby, and for the rather large decisions that face us in the near future. Pictures will be posted when we get some. |
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God's blessings are sometimes difficult to understand
On Easter Eve, 2002, my lovely Raina and I went to Cox South Emergency in Springfield Missouri, where Raina
bravely underwent a multitude of difficult, (and some unnecessary), tests, which confirmed our worst
fears. In the afternoon on Easter, we lost our baby, which, though supposed to be seven and a half
weeks old, probably only had lived until it's fifth week. We've seen a wonderful OBGYN, Dr. Michael
Burks, at home in Columbia, and he assures us that Raina is healthy, and that we can try again in a
short while.
We don't always understand God's reasons, but we praise him none the less. Raina and I
appreciate any prayers on our behalf during this time, as well as prayers for our future. If it's
God's will to allow us to do so, we hope to try to bring a little one into this world to join our
family.
Mandolin Dreams - 070627
Following a week of misery from the catastrophic destruction of my beautiful and very beloved
"Venice" model Lonestar mandolin (The
headstock mysteriously cracked off while it was protected in a hardcase.), today has been a day of joy. Raina
and I drove out to Big Muddy Mandolin, LLC (formerly
Mid-Mo Mandolin) in Rocheport, Missouri and met with a great guy by the
name of Mike Dulak. For a extremely kind price he sold me a prototype mandolin that caught our eye the minute
we walked in the shop. She was an experiment with Cherry wood for the back and sides. She has an Englemann Spruce
solid soundboard (Their tagline has been "No Frills, No Plywood"), a Mahogany head and neck, and Rosewood fretboard,
bridge, and head laminate. He replaced the standard tuning machines at my request with beautiful gold and pearl
Grover model GX1247 tuning machines which boast a 21:1 gear ratio for very easy and very fine tuning. It sounds
absolutely beautiful and is a wonderful middle ground between the big Irish/Greek sound of my large soundbox
pseudo-gourd-back style Venice, and the bluegrass style mandolins which I feel sound rather dead, but have a very
bright attack with a very quick decay. I'm absolutely in heaven and don't deserve (or rate) such a fine instrument.
I am blessed with a wife who loves me very much and indulges my desperate longing for music and musical instruments
(and, well... musical talent... no hope there) and who felt terrible for me when the mandolin I play nearly
every day died such an untimely death. Further Kudos for Mike and Big Muddy... he was kind enough to throw in
a very lovely used (not so as you'd notice however) high quality gig bag gratis, so I can keep this gorgeous
little gel safe, gorgeous, and with me at all times. I need to name her, but inspiration has eluded me so far.
Pictures to follow soon I hope.
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Contacting Us 573.999.2370 Christian Mobile 573.999.2371 Raina Mobile |
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