John wiped out on his bike. He was out on a 13 mile ride, but as he neared home and was crossing a busy street, he flew off and scraped up his body. The front tire was ruined, so he called me from his cell phone to bring the van. I was amazed that there was no concussion, and no stitches needed. He was sore for 2 days.






I've been doing many phone calls and house visits to the Junior High Hmong kids who I'm taking to camp. There are forms to be signed, papers to be dropped off, and questions to be asked. Anna is going to camp next Sunday. Here she is with her younger sister. We know Anna pretty well since she's been coming to Awana for 3 years. John and I enjoy Anna's bubbly personality, confidence, and desire to follow God (despite family resistance).

I have a teeny tiny vegetable garden out back, and it's so exciting to see things growing! John helped me protect the plants with massive amounts of chicken wire, so the deer and rabbits are not able to indulge. I sampled my first cherry tomato...so good! I planted many varieties of tomato plants, along with green beans, cucumber, and peppers.

When we were camping last week, we rode our bikes 4 miles to a very small town and used their public basketball court. Actually, John used the court and I sat nearby. He loves shooting buckets and practicing.






It was so cold at night I had to sleep with a thick blanket covering my head. Then the sun and the birds slowly woke us, John started a fire, and I sat by the warmth with a book and a hot cup of tea.

The moon was full and bright last week.

Just arrived home from a camping vacation. Smelling the pine trees, spending every moment outside in the fresh air, cooking over a campfire, reading a book under an umbrella on the beach....all these things make for a relaxing time! The weather had its ups and downs, but overall we would say it was beautiful. The lake has super clear water and a nice sandy bottom, and we had a lakeside campsite for our five nights away from home.

Travis came home for five days! His main reason was to be best man in his friends wedding, so he was 'on the run' for 2 straight days. Yesterday we spent a nice evening with Justin and Julie, plus we all did a Fathers Day lunch today. Luke had been hoping to come home, but had car problems and didn't want to deal with flooding detours.

Trav is leaving Texas the end of July, and may want to pursue a graduate program in the Spring or Fall of 2009. He has grown in SO MANY WAYS this past year!

Our church has an annual event that takes place in June. Sort of like a Vacation Bible School, but for the whole family in the evenings. It includes great teachings and fun activities...we just finished up last night. I was an assistant in crafts for Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders. They were very well behaved! John was the organizer for refreshments and he had helpers that were amazingly efficient.

We are having rain galore here!

Yesterday was Rebekah Joy's birthday! She is 9 years old and a gentle, funny, studious, helpful young girl. I have noticed she is very descriptive in her writing and conversation. Bekah is Hannah and Jonathan's oldest child, she can entertain herself, has dramatic talents, and is obedient to her parents and to God. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Bekah!



In other news, I was out of town for 3 days while I drove a van to Indiana with a group from church. There were 9 of us who stayed in a quaint Amish town. We shopped, attended a concert, sampled various restaurants (I had pie every day!), saw local flavor, and lots more. I had fun times, laughing with the group, and also enjoyed some quiet time. A museum gave the historical background of the Anabaptist movement (Mennonites, Hutterites, and Amish). Did you know there was persecution, torture, and execution for these people in Europe in the 1500's?

Look at this cute handwriting! I received an unexpected letter in the mail today. A Hmong girl in middle school picked me as "someone who influenced you". I had brought Shoua to Awana for many years, but haven't talked to her in 2 or 3 years. This was a thought-provoking reminder about IMPACTING people. Makes me think about giving time, truly caring, and getting my eyes off "me". An encouraging letter to get, even if it was a class assignment.

Two of my friends from church invited me to go kayaking, as we were all "golf widows" today. The weather was gorgeous! Spent about 2 hours on the water, then went out to dinner. Notice how Karen's dog Charlie comes along for the adventure. We saw lots of motorboats, pontoons, and fisherman, but also some wildlife.