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.