My Parents have been married for FIFTY years!

I love my parents! They are wonderful people. They are my friends and they love my children. What more could a girl ask for??

Tomorrow is the 50th Anniversary of their wedding, August 27, 1960. They had only met 2 months earlier, on June 27th. It was the summer after Mom had finished her freshman year of college. Her boyfriend had left town for the summer, to sell Bibles, door to door. She just wanted to go water skiing..... Dad had a boat! The rest is history! I've always loved their story.

Now, as a mother of 4 girls, this story has become somewhat disturbing! How will I feel if MY daughters decide to do something like this when they are only 18? In light of the fact that Mom and Dad have been married for 50 years?..... Hmmmm..... I'll have to think on that for a while! Or maybe I won't have to!

Our family will all be together this weekend to celebrate. I'll post pictures of them "now" next week.

New School Year!

We started school this week. It's gone ok so far. I'm still working this week, so that has made it more challenging. Last Spring when I started working, it worked out well, but NOW we have a kindergartener! Meredith is SOOOO excited about school! She's mad when we are busy and "skip" the day. But K is so easy for her that we do 2 or more lessons in one day--so we can afford to skip a day here and there. Jenna is loving British Literature (Sonlight 530). I'm doing American History with Clarissa and Rebecca (Sonlight 100). I think it's supposed to be self study, but I LIKE to do it with them--so I'm reading the history aloud to them.

Tomorrow is my last regular day of work. I'm staying on as "irregular part time" so that I can sub for the courier sometimes. They've already asked me to work 2 days in Sept.

Jury Duty

I've had jury duty since May 1, but yesterday was the first time I had to report. May, June and July were so busy that all the days I was called, I had an excused absence. So I arrive yesterday and am assigned #4. For some reason, I felt like I would be chosen for the jury---and I was! So I spent all day today listening to testimony. I will do the same tomorrow and the next too. I must say, besides the incredible cold temperature of the courtroom, I am enjoying the experience. And the timing couldn't have been better. Our calender is completely clear this week. I had planned to start school on Thursday, but it won't hurt to wait until Monday. We homeschool so we can be flexible, right?

Wow--twice in one week!

Times are changing again! Kenny has accepted a new position at Ft. Leonard Wood. He starts Aug. 16. I've turned in my resignation at work. Although I love my job, I'm very thankful that I'll be able to be home full time again. I feel blessed that God provided a job for me when it was needed, and blessed that it wasn't needed for very long.

summarized summer

It's August! Where did the summer go? We start school in 10 days!

For me, June was filled with fun at the theatre. I played the role of Miss Casewell in Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap." It was challenging and very fun! Rehearsals started June 1, we opened on the 17th and ran through the 27th. Fast and furious! During that time, Jenna went to Washington D.C. for a week, as a part of the Rural Electric Youth Tour. She won an essay contest sponsored by Intercounty Electric. I won this same contest 26 years ago--so it was pretty special for me too! In addition to Jenna being gone, Clarissa was gone for 10 days. She went to Deer Valley Guest Ranch in Colorado with my parents, and had a blast!

While I was finishing my Mousetrap run, the girls started rehearsals for "Annie." They opened July 8, running through July 18. Jenna was in the adult chorus, being the apple seller, Annette (one of Warbucks' maids) and one of the Boylan sisters. Rebecca and Clarissa were orphans.

After the closing Sunday matinee, Jenna made her first solo road trip! She went to Searcy AR, to go to Harding's Summer Honor Choir program. It was a somewhat uneventful trip, but this Momma was a little nervous! She thought she was lost at one point, but she actually wasn't. I was very thankful for the phone call at 10:30 pm saying that she had arrived safely. Her return home on Saturday--during the day--was much less stressful for us all! I'm thankful for cell phones. How did my parents survive my first solo road trip??????

This week, Jenna is being a counselor at Little Prairie Bible Camp. Clarissa and Rebecca are there also, as campers. I'm prepping for school.

Jenna is a senior this year. She'll be doing Sonlight's British Lit program, finishing up some of her electives and studying for the ACT. I've been thinking way too much about the fact that this is our last year with her home! There seems to be so much that I still want to tell her, teach her, experience with her! But I am confident that she'll be fine--and even better than fine--even if we don't accomplish all that I would like.

I'll be doing Sonlight 100, American History, with Rebecca and Clarissa. When Jenna did it, she was "on her own" so I'm excited about being a participant this time. Our big school "change" is that Meredith is starting Kindergarten! Oh my, I have to go from being a "consultant" to being a teacher again! And Matthew is going to go to Day School! He's actually 24 days too young, but because the girls work there, (and because he is FINALLY potty trained! Hallulujah!) they're letting him come early. Praying for a blessed year!

Last year, I had hoped for a "normal" year--no moving, births or other interruptions. For the most part, it was normal. Somehow holiday theatre productions seem to interrupt more than I would like, but we made it through in a somewhat "normal" manner. So this year, I'm praying for a blessed, extraordinary, normal year!

And maybe I'll blog more...... Don't count on it!