Overdue: Updates

Wow! I didn't realize that it has been almost two years since my last post! Things get busy, children get more involved in school activities (especially when they are in High School!)

Family updates.
Virginia is a sophomore in high school, I still can't believe that she is 16, and learning to drive, has a boy friend, and is talking about college! She had chosen a career path even! She is working towards Graphic Design, she had applied to the CTE program at school that gets her a head start on getting there. In the fall she played golf and made it to sectional competition,  and earned her Letter! Along with that she performed with the Marching Band.  So, she had a busy start to the school year!

Rebekah is freshman in high school. She has had a pretty good year.  She helped out with the Marching Band on the sidelines flipping cards. She also played Varsity Soccer! This girl will play any position that you ask, she even played goalie this year! She also earned her Letter! She has chosen a plan for her future also, she is working towards being a mechanic. Next Fall she is taking an intro to mechanics class!

Ellyn had been keeping us busy too as a 4th grader. She has been a part of a couple of after school activities including Robotics Club, Ukulele Club and piano lessons. Out side of school she takes Taekwando classes, she is currently a Purple Belt and will be testing next weekend for her Blue Recommended Belt, she is also part of the Leadership program that does special classes and have a special form that they learn between testing. She has used Nun Chucks and a Bow Staff. She has participated in 2 tournaments and placed in each one. Her first tournament she earned 3 second places in each event ( Forms, Sparing and Combat Sparing). Last weekend she had her second tournament she earned 3rd places in Forms and Combat Sparing.   She is learning a lot!

As for Tate and I, you can see that we are busy running everyone around and being very proud of the young women we are raising.  But, I guess we do have it own things going on too. Tate has a second job as a dog trainer with PetsMart four days a week.

As for me, I am the main driver....and am also learning about Essential Oils. I decided at the beginning of the year to start and not adventure in oils. I hope to share what I am learning.

Until we meet again....be blessed and relaxed!

Happy New Year! It's 2015!

Happy New Year! It is the start to a new year once again. Time for new beginnings, changes, and just over all a fresh start.

The last year held a lot for us between reconnecting with a high school friend, taking care of health issues, and making job changes. All of these were actually good things. The health issues reconnected us with the friend, so that is a bonus in my book.

As for the job changes they were good for us too. Tate did not coach football this last Fall, giving him the opportunity to watch his girls play sports, Virginia playing volleyball and Rebekah playing soccer! And it was a great season for both. Virginia was awarded the MVP for the season and Rebekah was awarded the Coaches Award!

I decided it was time to leave the YMCA. It was not an easy decision to make as I loved the kids that I was caring for and the parents too! I started the summer with a vacation (very well deserved). We went camping and checked out some new places. Tate and I went on a camping getaway without the kids to St. Claire, MI. It is beautiful! We will do that trip again. It was nice to just reconnect with eachother. We also camped at Bear Cave in Buchanan, MI; Twin Mills in Howe, IN; and Beaver Ridge in Lakeville, IN (this is where we start and end our camping season).

So, where am I working now? I am working for the school corporation. I started with the Food and Nutrition Department working with the schools and families to complete meal and textbook applications for free and reduced meals and textbook assistance. I loved getting to know the staff in the schools I was working with. In the middle of all that, I was asked to be the Building Substitute Teacher at Ellyn's school! I accepted and I love it! I have gone on field trips that I missed out on with the older girls, but I still kind of missed out because I wasn't with my own children, but I am happy that I got to go with the students I see everyday.

As you can see we have been busy with activities and enjoying family time together. I hope that this continues into the next year as there is a lot more to see and do!

Happy New Year and I hope to write again soon!

Camping

So, we have become a camping family! At first I was not really on board for this sleeping outside,  being eaten by mosquitoes, smelling like bug spray and smoke, no air conditioning and I could go on. But, it is growing on me. We have already gone twice since Memorial Day.

Our first outing of the season we start on Memorial Day weekend at Beaver Ridge in Lakeville, IN. It is a great family campground. We camp with a group of friends from church, and it is a great time! The kids can go pretty much anywhere on the camp grounds and we feel safe about it. They have all kinds of activities during the weekend- bingo, scavenger hunts, and kids fun.

Our second trip this year was to Bear Cave Resort in Buchanan, MI. Our friends Kat and Wally joined us for their first camping trip. It was a lot of fun having them with us. Our camp site was along the St Joseph River. And not too far away was a playground for the kiddos. Believe it or not there is actually a cave! They give tours and it was really cool. There is a lot of history that goes with the cave. I just wish that I could remember it, I was trying to get good pictures with my phone...they didn't turn out too great. But I did get some good ones of the actual camp.

The next time we go to Bear Cave we plan on taking a site near the waterfall!

So the camping adventures will continue. We even have an adult only weekend planned! And of course many more family adventures!

See you out in God's beautiful creation!