May comes to an end

We returned from two great trips – a weekend with Jarod's family in Iowa and a great week at Bear Trap Ranch near Colorado Springs. How blessed we are!!

In iowa we had the chance to celebrate the amazing 80 year's of Grandma's Mary's life, get an old car running, do a little fishing, EAT, celebrate two birthdays, an anniversary, and Chrissy heading off to Africa.

At Bear Trap we had the opportunity to hike, rappel, rock climb, eat, play, and learn with about 40 international students from a half a dozen countries.

Although it was a busy and physically exhausting week Jarod and I both agree it is a healthy exhaustion that we can recover from with a few nights of good sleep – and thanks to some beautifully cool weather we are getting GREAT sleep.

There are too many wonderful memories for me to have time to share so I will just share a few photos and then get on my way with a full and fun summer schedule. Please know that we so appreciate all of your prayers as we continue to experience the glory of God and His love for humanity in our daily lives.

Photos in NO particular order:

1. Here we are stranded at Pet's Mart after our breaks went out on our van in Colorado Springs, "What's that Jarod? They say it will be $450 - AWESOME!!"

 2. Our group from Hays.

 3.  Ok - it was SOOO Windy this day at the top of the hike I really thought someone was going to die. Namely - my son.  Kingson was holding on to him while I helped some girls and I thought to myself, "Could I forgive Kingson if he let's go of Jude and something happens?" Later when I told Kingson he said he had been asking himself a different question, "If I had a child would I let them climb the mountian."  He answered "No".  So it is all a matter of perspective.... It was a good view from the top. :)

 4.  Here is our hiker holding on for dear life at the top - Our kids were awesome on this trip

 5.  My "family group" - One Chinese, One Korean, One Japanese - ALL AMAZING!!!

 6. MingDi - is a new friend who was a professional Volleyball player in China... she is maybe oen of the sweetest people I have ever met.

 7.  Except for maybe Lynn... who lives in our house!! Yeah!

 8.  Ok - and this is Iowa - with the Model T - headed to the open house

 9. We also dedicated the gazebo that has been underway for 2 years.

 10.  Back at Bear Trap the other campers called Kingsen "super nanny"... we couldn't ask for a better friend.

 11.  Here is Lucy with a cupcake at grandma Mary's reception... someday I should just do a Lucy's cupcake photo series... she is classic with eating... or should I say licking those things

 12.  Here is Grandma Mary's "suiter" Arnie and Khaled who went to Iowa with us.  I am telling you the conversation that I overheard between these two were UNFORGETTABLE.  Let me just say... world peace may have started at that table.

 13.  The siblings together.... ahhhhhh.....

 14.  The stop at Cabelas on the way home

 15.  And the stop to see the solar eclipse... with all the lenses and screens that Jarod and Merle brought and made... you would have thought those two had discovered the eclipse with all of there enthusiasm. But as Tony says, "it was nice." :) lol

 16.  Beauty. right? right.

 17.  Oh - Jarod and I even learned to square dance at bear trap... along with 40 other people in a very HOT stinky rooms... following which there was no running water. YEAH! Adapt, Improvise and Overcome - our week's moto

 18.  Khaled and his horse

 19.  The warrior men.

89 things

88... no 89 things since I last blogged.

Seriously – this is the short list – in a hodge-podge order.

1. I realized blogging is a better journal – a good spiritual discipline. I should do it.
2. My grandmother's funeral and all the family it brought
   
   
3. Lucy getting shocked by an electric fence
4. An Ice cream social and our yard full of more than a 100 friends.
   
   
5. Surveying for the fence on my Dad's birthday. Wow, I'm a great daughter!
6. The last soccer game
   
7. A cousin, wife and baby staying at our house “on the way” somewhere. I love living “on the way” to everywhere!
8. A beautiful tea with the most beautiful Saudi women and my mom
9. A wonderful dinner with Saudi and Korean girls. I want to live at Wooster place... it is like a little UN.
10. Oh wait – our house is like a little UN too.
11. The first days of 95+ degree weather
12. Putting in the upstairs air conditioner a few days too late (sorry about that ladies!!)
13. A pet snake.
    
14. A few pet turtles.
15. One pet turtle that bit Maysyn.
16. Note to self: Turtles are more scary than snakes.
17. Outdoor classroom in our backyard
    
18. At least 8 dinner parties and 3 birthdays
    
19. Cleaning out the fridge and buying CLEAR tupperwear
20. Cleaning the floors – but honestly... not very well... ever anymore :)
21. Makeovers and dress up (OF COURSE)
    
22. and Legos... of course
23. mowing the lawn... of course
24. A 8 day visit from Marrina's parents.
    
25. Our first house guest who spoke not a word of English. We can do this!
26. A graduation.
    
27. Digging holes for the fence
28. Loving all the people who helped with the fence
29. Field day
    
30. Local history museum day
    
31. Lots of laundry.. and the first time helping someone fill out a law school application while folding my laundry.
32. Realizing that every week my laundry takes enough time to apply for law school. Every week. That is what I do with my life.
33. The dying out of homework for EVERYONE... realizing I spend so much time doing homework :)
34. Concreting for the fence
35. Reading Deuteronomy... very slowly.
36. Doing a lot of thinking about adding one more BIG thing to our lives
37. Jarod and I falling asleep while talking about adding one more big thing to our lives... maybe we shouldn't.
38. Getting everything I plan to plant in the garden in the ground and thinking, “I am so bad at watering.” Such a bad sequence. Why don't I EVER think FIRST??
39. Making of the most ridiculously complicated time capsules – and the anticlimactic giving of a gift to be opened in 2020. Should have thought that one through.
40. Going to Walmart, morning, noon and night... oh Walmart... how I love thee and hate thee... let me count the ways. Mostly I love you because you keep the same hours as I.
41. Packing and moving out of our 3 girls... :(
42. A going away party where we all refused to believe that anyone was going away or that things were actually changing
    
43. Putting up fence panels
44. Dinner at Al's Chickenette
    
45. Shooting guns and an impromptu hot dog roast
46. Overnight guests..,.. who where shooting guns and eating hot dogs... and not speaking english.
47. Good times. Good times.
48. A muffin in bed for mother's day... with a pretty AWESOME book from my son.
49. Paying bills and inputting receipts. I hate that job.
50. Having he money for all those bills and receipts. Kind of a miracle. Thank you God.
51. The drive to Denver
52. The drive back from Denver
53. Putting up fence pillars (yes... we like to tear up our yard and add a third ring to the circus of our life any time possible.)
54. Eating Burger King two meals in a row.
55. Getting Jude's school journal. Entry 1. “my bedtime is 8. I never go to bed at my bed time.”
56. Loving my son's honesty and awareness of how life really works. LOL
57. Jarod going to Walmart, morning, noon and night to get parts for a broken toilet... oh Walmart... how I love thee and hate thee... let me count the ways. Mostly I love you because you keep the same hours as my husband's plumbing business. :)
58. A beautiful and yummy ladies salad supper at mom's house... where she had everything all pretty and matchy-matchy Of course.
59. My first speaking engagement where I wasn't nervous because Jarod taught me his trick, “Dear Jesus if you want to mess up your lesson to these people – it is your lesson, but I'd like it to go well.” I think it went ok... at least I learn some things :)
60. Here's what I tried to say. Jesus makes a good God. Everything else makes for great gifts and very BAD gods. I have lots of other gods because a million little things steal my joy instead of looking to Jesus. So.. when I am loosing my joy I pray, “Dear Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner.” And he does. It is kind of the best, most wonderful thing in the world... so I am kinda a bit more joyful these days, “anyway.”
61. Our pond grew like an AMAZING amount of scum. It's gross. I really don't know what to do about it but to say, “Oh that pond is VERY scummy.”
62. My husband works too much... so he looks at the pond too and says, “Oh that pond is VERY scummy.”
63. I try really hard not to say, “I told you so.” about pond maintenance.
64. Thinking I should go de-scum the pond instead of writing this. opppss
65. Jude's last journal article, “I cannot smell a thing.” opppsss...
66. Thinking it may be time to see a ENT specialist
67. Reading the end of Charlotte's Web to Jude's class and crying.
68. He wasn't embarrassed of me!
69. Thinking, “At my funeral I hope someone can quote the end of Charlotte's web, “It isn't very often in life that you find a good friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.” That is just beautiful.
70. Thinking, “I might be addicted to coffee. That is bad. I don't have money re-whiten my teeth. Oh well.”
71. I may be getting old
72. A new “student” moving in... she is actually a teacher
73. Loving her already
74. Missing the girls already
75. A fully loaded trip to the Community assistance center and the University book store
76. Another full closet for me do to hand-me-downs. I'm gonna be stylin'
77. A phone call from Honduras where I learned that Olga was pregnant and I understood every Spanish word!! I love Olga Spanish.. I love her. I want to go to Honduras this summer SOOOOOOOOOO BAAAAAAAAD.
78. I think I'll make two points out of this because I REALLY want to go!!
79. Baking 120 angel food cupcakes. That fell. Almost all of them.. but I'm thinking if I throw a ton of whip cream on top – You'll never know. And they are gooey... kind like ice cream... and you are eating them thinking, “what is this stuff??” but it's good anyway. I think.
80. Sometimes I tell myself lies because I am very lazy – and it is supposed to be 97 degrees today... and I don't have air conditioning. Ok? Ok.
81. Trying to figure out our lady's summer running schedule. Is there a time while it is still cool and the kids are still in bed and our husbands are still home other than 6:30. No, there is not. But I would like there to be because in case you haven't noticed... the days are getting longer – which means … Jude's summer bed time is 10... and we already know he NEVER goes to bed at his bedtime.
82. My first Ti-Chi lesson
83. Playing phone tag with my friends... for weeks (If I have been playing phone tag with you – maybe I should have called right now instead of writing this... but then your kids would scream or my doorbell would ring or SOMETHING... so I think I'll just keep writing... CALL ME.) :)
84. Preparing for “bear Trap” - our Christian camp for International students in Colorado.
85. Preparing for “Grandma Mary's 80^th B-day party” - our summer trip to Iowa... with 12 of us and two dogs and all those fallen gooey cupcakes. Shhheeessshh.
86. Letting Lucy watch cartoons so I can write this and a letter to the editor about our fence.
87. Thinking I should quite now but this has been fun!
88. Hoping I can upload a video that inspires me :)
    
    
    89.  They changed my blog format... no - they CAN'T do that to me!!
    
    DON'T STOP - DON'T GIVE UP :).....