What's Up?

Well, Jasmine is up! Way, way up north about 40 miles south of the Canadian border. They left Friday afternoon and only made it a couple of hours before the bus broke down. They were supposed to arrive in KY at their hotel about 9 p.m. but arrived at 5:30 a.m. and slept for a bit. They went on to Holland MI where they sang at Benjamin's Hope. Monday they were at Mackinac Island and today are at a camp.

Biking on Mackinac Island

On the ferry to the Island

Sunday was parent/child dedication at church, and Winter was dedicated. Hunter wasn't there, so Jessica went up with River (siblings usually go up too) and Winter, one in each arm. She was last, so Pastor took Winter and held her during closing prayer. Then he invited everyone to stay for the reception and said, "I'm taking this one with me, but I'll give her back." That was really nice of him. And Winter was a total angel. She had woken up,but she just looked up at him perfectly calm.  

 Praying for all the parents and babies

 River is thinking, "That man has my sissy."

 I love this picture of Pastor walking down the steps with Winter. It's like the verse where Jesus says, "Let the little children come to me..."

 The twins were there, but they were more interested in the food tables than pictures.

Yesterday Kayla and I went to inprocess for Teen Court. I think it will be a very good thing for her. She has a whole notebook of homework to do. She has to go to a life skills class that I will also attend with her. She has to appear in a court with a teen jury who will determine her community service hours and other things, she has to have an evaluation and she has to do both public apologies in court and written apologies. She will have a jail tour and has the option to go to the ME office. No dead bodies, but it is required if there are any drugs involved, which there is not so she does not have to do this step.

The good thing is that the lady will allow her to go on our short vacation and on to mission camp for five weeks, and that will count as 8 community service hours. Then she'll start her court things. Unfortunately both she and Kaleb are several hundred dollars short for camp.

Another good thing is that when I told the lady we had a completed homestudy to adopt a teen boy she didn't tell us we were crazy, ask why we'd want another one when we were going through this with one etc but said that we are doing a good thing giving another child a chance and dealing with the issues with the ones we have.

We have not yet gotten the final copy of the home study so have not inquired about any specific boys. I am afraid that most of them will not want to leave their counties, schools, and friends to start over in a new place though. We will see what happens.

Jasmine's tour finishes Sunday with a concert at our home church, although we are not the church that sponsors the choir. The kids are from many churches. Tuesday three of us pack up and leave for NC with the other three following on Friday. From there, Jasmine and I will go on to Elkhart, IN, Cincinnati, OH and Montgomery, AL and home. The others will drop the twins at camp at Merritt Island and then head home. I will be gone June 13 to July 1. 

I am going to be a mess because my hair is in serious need of a cut and perm but the lady who does it is out because of foot surgery. Her niece was going to do it but then had some weird stuff happen with stroke like symptoms and is now out too. I'm going to go for the scraggily look rather than have someone I don't know do it. I have quirky hair and am seriously afraid I'd greatly regret letting someone else do it.

What's up with you guys?

Choir Tour

Jasmine is on a ten day choir tour. They left at 7:30 the very first day of vacation. Their first stop was Memphis. 

Here is their itinerary:

June 2, Thursday: Memphis. Tennessee
Independent Presbyterian Church,4738 Walnut Grove Rd.
7:00 pm Concert

June 3, Friday: Wichita, Kansas
Morningstar Church, 11010 E. Kellogg Dr.
7:00 pm Concert

June 4, Saturday: Dodge City to Colorado Springs
Manor of the Plains, 200 Campus Dr.. Dodge City, Kansas
12:00 noon concert (then to Boot Hill!)

First night of tour.

USAF Academy

June 5, Sunday: Colorado Springs
First United Methodist Church, 420 N. Nevada Ave
8:00AM service (then Hiking in Garden of the Gods; etc.)
Forestgate Presbyterian Church, 970 North Gate Blvd., Col. Springs
6:30 pm concert

June 6 -7, Monday and Tuesday: rafting and camp
Royal Gorge Rafting, Canon City, CO
Ponderosa Retreat & Conference Center, 15235 Furrow Rd., Larkspur,

June 8, Wednesday: biking down Pike’s Peak in the morning
Clayton Assembly of God, 1005 S. First St. in Clayton, NM
6:30 pm Concert

Hiking Garden of the Gods

I think they purchased photos of this that they'll get later.

Jasmine hated this. She said she didn't feel safe, so she rode down in the bus.

 June 9, Thursday: Hike in Palo Duro Canyon in the morning

Belmore Baptist Church, 1214 S. Bell Street, San Angelo, TX
7:00pm Concert

June 10, Friday: Sing at a retirement community, tour San Antonio, Texas and then Smooth Night in New Braunfels, TX
June 11, Saturday: travel to Fairhope, Alabama

June 12, Sunday. Fairhope, Alabama to Panama City, Florida
Eastern Shore Presbyterian Church, 23050 U.S. Hwy 98 

8:30 and 11:00 am Sing at morning services (Fairhope)

She will be home Sunday.

As for the rest of us, I've been trying to pack us for a three destination trip. All three destinations require different clothes and supplies. So that has been crazy.

Rick works all the time as usual.

Tyler and I have not been able to get started on our Advanced Scuba yet. If we don't start this weekend, it will have to wait until July.

Kaleb has been working hard at trombone and his summer work. (Yes, the schools require at least reading and sometimes math during the summer)

Kayla has been hard at work to get her summer work done before she leaves for five weeks of camp.

River has been working very hard on rolling over and has mastered it, both front to back and back to front.

I

We built a raised garden, which is something I'd never heard of before a few weeks ago and never pictured myself making, yet I did. I guess I just wanted to play with power tools. You can see it HERE

And of course there was the day they missed the turn and landed a house in the ditch, so I was late everywhere. Only one road out, and this is it.

Who else has been late because there's been a house in the road? When we lived in the Cotswalds, it was sheep in the way.

River has been checking out the family books, and she recommends it to all families who like to have fun or who like animals. 

In fact, she can't seem to get enough of it!

It's about what?!?