Summer ReWind

Here I go again... I have such big plans for keeping this thing updated, and then life happens, and happens, and happens. So, in an effort to keep this from being novel length, I will hit a few highlights of the past few weeks...

Todd did come back from Myrtle Beach and had a wonderful time with Ashley and her family. It was the dream vacation that we didn't take this year (or last year, for that matter)...

Adam was home from Kenya for a few weeks and left yesterday for college. My heart hurts... but more on that to come.

Daniel came home from came and had a wonderful first experience, and yes, indeed, did feel a little more grown up upon his return. This is the last week of summer vacation, and he starts school next Monday. Where did July go???

Here are some of my favorite summer memories, complete with pictures...

Here comes Adam... Back in the U.S. of A!

In lieu of vacation this summer, we had a family fun weekend complete with eating out at some of our favorite places, bowling at Crazy Pinz, watching Prince Caspian at the $1 (and I really mean $1 theater), and arcade games where Adam won an Ipod Shuffle (knock-off) which works like a charm and is great for running. It was a lot of fun. Josiah got to go with us one of the days and Rachel the other.

When we weren't out having a totally fun family time, here's how the guys spent some of their time at home...

What is it, you might ask?? Think back...no farther back... a little more...Are you in the 90's yet? From the original Sega - Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. I used to like to play those games with them when I actually had a chance at winning once in a while. And now, the competition is just too stiff, and I'm happy to be the photographer, or if I do play, comic relief. Win-win for me...

Summer has gone by way too fast...

The Revolving Door

Todd Jr - Gone to Myrtle Beach with Ashley and family

Adam - Back from Kenya

Daniel - Off to camp (but back this afternoon)

And so it goes... Life is changing in so many ways... but good ways!

As Daniel was getting ready to leave for camp on Monday, he was contemplating the significance of his first trip to camp for five days and said, "You know, Mom, I think I'll feel older after this trip." Me too, Daniel!!

It's been a quiet week around here. Adam has, for the first time in his life, felt what it was like to be an only child. His comment on it, "Really weird, kind of boring." My sentiments exactly!

Adam had a wonderful time on his trip and is glad to be back home. He's been training for soccer season and catching up on his sleep. I'll post pictures soon.

I've been trying to make the most of my work time and doing some spring/summer cleaning. I'm trying to squeeze everything I can out of each day of summer - so far, so good!

Todd and Darcy continue their daily walks, which is truly all that Darcy lives for. Todd enjoys it too, but Darcy does more.

I guess that's it for now. Stay tuned for Adam's Kenya pictures!

P.S. Todd Jr just called, and he and Ashley are on their way back from Myrtle Beach. Ashley starts classes on Monday, so they're headed back to get her settled. It sounds like they've had a wonderful week in Myrtle Beach, good weather, good food, lots of fun!

A couple of links

I have two links to pass along to you. I'll put them here and also on the side. The first one is the blog for the Kenya team that Adam is a part of. They are sending daily updates and posting pictures. What a far cry from days gone by when hearing from missionaries took months instead of minutes... http://www.fmckenyateam.blogspot.com/

The next one is for a friend of mine from high school who is currently in Ethiopia adopting a beautiful baby girl. Her blog has journaled the adoption story from the beginning, and if you have a lot of time on your hands you can read the whole thing from beginning to present.

A prayer note: They were supposed to leave Ethiopia Friday to come home, but there was an error on the adoption papers, and they cannot leave with Zoie until this is corrected. Please pray for speediness in this correction so they can bring their daughter home and that God will give them peace through the waiting process. http://www.zoiegibson5.com/web/do/site/home?ID=226921

Fourth of July Fun

We had a wonderful holiday weekend! The weather was wonderful, and we had a relaxing weekend...

Ashley came to spend the weekend with us (YEA!). Friday we grilled and ate out on the back patio under the umbrella that we've had for two years and never put up (I'm not sure why), and then Todd Sr mowed, and Daniel I weeded five of our seven flower beds and replanted four hostas we had transplanted from the front yard.

We rounded out the day with fishing at Fellowship Point (Nobody caught a thing - Todd Jr was sure it was because we weren't using live bait) and a campfire complete with S'mores (We replaced the Hershey bars with Reeces p-nut butter cups - sooo good!). Since we had already set off all of our fireworks with Adam before he left for Kenya, we sat by the fire and had a panoramic view of all of the neighborhood firework sights and sounds.

Saturday was pretty laid back as well. Todd, Ashley, Daniel and I went garage sale-ing in the afternoon and came up with a few finds. Todd got a DVD, Daniel found a Super Nintendo game he didn't have, and I walked away with a grill pan. Cost of items - $4. Memories - Priceless.

We again attempted fishing at Fellowship Point (this time with live bait) and scored a few (tiny) fish. Ashley, Todd Jr, Tom Sprunger, Todd Sr. and I each found success. I even touched a worm and baited my own hook, only to promptly lose it while casting it into the water.

We had a great weekend, but it wasn't the same without Adam... Keep him in your prayers!

Click on the picture for a slide show!


July 4th Weekend

Adam's Kenya Trip

Adam left Wednesday for Nairobi, Kenya, on a missions trip. After a 22-hour trip, they arrived in Kenya Thursday at 2:16pm Eastern time, 9:16pm Kenya time. They traveled from Fort Wayne to Chicago, London, and then Nairobi. All of their bags arrived with them - Praise the Lord!!




The team will be teaching Sunday school, leading a VBS, putting on puppet shows, and visiting at least two orphanages. They visited the Huruma Children's Home and will be returning there next week. Today, they had an "outreach event" in Robyn's (the missionary who they are staying with) complex. Apparently there was an "intense" soccer game by one report...




Please continue to pray for safety and health for the team as they minister to the children of Nairobi, so many of whom are orphans of HIV and/or victims of this disease as well. I'll continue to post updates as I receive them.

By the way, you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them...

Busy Weekend

This weekend was registration weekend for Adam at Huntington. He's got his classes, and he's got his books, and he reports August 10 (early for soccer) to begin his collegiate career. I must admit I had some teary moments during some alone time adjusting to what is to come. I'm so excited for Adam, though, because he, like Todd, has chosen a wonderful college to go to. I'm so excited to watch as God shapes and molds their futures!

Last night was a jazz concert in the park sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. Todd Jr played keyboard as a fill-in for Mike Wilson, who normally does it. It was a nice evening for it, and we enjoyed the concert very much. Some rain had gone through earlier and cooled it down a bit. We came home and had peanut butter pie and coffee. It was a nice way to end a busy day! I'll try to post a little snip-it of the concert I recorded on my camera just for fun.

Summer...

I'm thinking maybe I should rename my blog. "Another day in the life" was way too ambitious. Maybe it should be "Another month in the life..." or "Another year in the life..." and then maybe I wouldn't feel quite so guilty about not keeping it up...

Summer is here (big smile)! Since last update, we have finished school, graduated Adam and finished club soccer season, and another month has gone by.

The events around Adam's graduation were a lot of fun. Dad and Mom and Betty were able to fly out from Phoenix and stay with us. The party went very well, and we were blessed to have so many friends stop by.

Wednesday was our end of the season soccer party, and I'm sad that it's over. This was a new team for Adam this year, and we really loved all the guys and their parents. Since 14 of the 18 players were seniors, the team is officially disbanded. They finished up their season winning the Fort Wayne Invitational U19 division.

Adam is second from left on bottom (no more curls, shaved them off at 11:00pm the night before). Josh, his roommate for Huntington, is second from right on bottom. Josh will also be playing soccer for Huntington, and we were fortunate to get to know his parents during the season.

Looking ahead, Todd Jr is home much of the time which has been really nice. He and Ashley are trading off spending weekends here and in Twinsburg, and Daniel is getting to hang out with Josiah a lot which is always fun. Adam goes to CDYC June 25-29 and then is home for two days and then off to Kenya July 2, returning on July 19. **Please keep him and the whole team in your prayers for safe travels and a wonderful trip.

Todd and I are working on projects around the house and enjoying a little less hectic life (okay, not really, but I can hope, can't I?) God is so good and so faithful! We are blessed!