38 years

 

My parents are celebrating 38 years of blissful marriage today ...

 I only have a few pictures of them, as all the pictures that my mom gave me are in a scrapbook of me - go figure!  (Funny how when you go to find pics you suddenly realize how little you have of the people that made you who you are!)  The first one is on the day I was blessed - they had been married about a year.

 This one is of the extended family.  I think I was about 8?  Definitely in the 80's, look at all the matching dresses for the little girls!

This is one of my favorites -- this is how I remember my parents.  It's how I picture them when I talk to them on the phone.  I was so blessed to have parents who loved me, and loved each other.

 

 And this last one is the last picture of our family before we all started getting married ... well, maybe I got married.  I miss that family.  There are so many wonderful memories, mostly because two people decided that they loved each other, got married, had children and worked through all the crazy stuff, and still work through all the crazy stuff, and still love each other today.  Thank you Mom and Dad for being such good examples of what marriage is all about.  I love you!  Happy anniversary!

Beach and South Bend

 On the way back Saturday we drove across Michigan to spend an afternoon on the beach.  We ended up at Warren Dunes - with most of the rest of the population of Michigan!

 Even though it was packed, we still had a great time ...

 Water was a little chilly,

 but the kids got ALL THE WAY IN!

 Big D was buried in the sand,

 Miss Lilly and I made an octopus,

 Miss Lilly got really dirty!  Just when I think she is growing up, she reminds me that she is really only 9 still :)

 That night we got to spend it in South Bend just south of Notre Dame's campus.

 It was beautiful!  So peaceful (without any students in the summer) and lots of really cool architecture.

 We went to the basilica,

 and the main building,

 the ceilings were amazing,

 loved the arches and the blues ...

So glad we stayed close enough to experience Notre Dame.  We are not Catholic, but it was wonderful to be in a place that had religious roots and values and was so obviously dedicated to a Christian foundation.  It gave us a lot of opportunity to talk with the kids about reverence, religion and the blessings of the gospel.  Big D loved the 'touchdown Jesus' and would announce loud and proud every time he saw it 'look, its the touchdown Jesus!' 
We also lit a candle at the Grotto ...

 Big D decided to pose with the gorilla in downtown South Bend.

4th of July in Michigan

 We went to visit some very dear friends for the 4th.  J.D. only had the weekend, with an extra day Friday, so we couldn't go far, but we love to visit Mike and Renee in Michigan!

 We have been to the Ford Museum and Greenfield Village before, but for the 4th there is a special fireworks/symphony celebration and we went with about 8500 other people to enjoy the live Detroit orchestra and Army Band play a wonderful concert and then play with the fireworks.

 Mike and Renee.

 Me and J.D.

 Big D playing some of the kids 'old fashioned' games.

 Fife and Drum Corps

 Hoop and Stick

 Stilts

 We had ice cream, kettle corn and got to do lots of people watching.

 Miss Lilly loved the bicycles.

It was amazing to have the orchestra play with the fireworks and extra special to have the Army Band there.  The music was amazing and we made some wonderful memories.

JUNE

 You know its summer when the gold finches arrive.  I love their song and I love their little yellow darting from the lilies to the cone flowers in my yard.

 We went to a local patch to pick strawberries and I ended up picking so much!  30 lbs. to be exact - whew!  I just couldn't pass up those beauties ... when I thought I was done I'd see another great bunch just hanging there begging to be picked.  So, we had strawberry pie, made loads of strawberry jam, strawberry smoothies, milkshakes ... froze lots of bags for yogurt and strawberry shortcake in the middle of winter.  YUM!

 The boys got summer cuts too ...  BEFORE

 AFTER - he doesn't look like he same kid?!?

 For Father's Day we scored a free fire pit from a friend who didn't need it anymore.  It was a little rusty and banged up, but with some sanding and a fresh paint of heat resistant spray paint it was good as new and made a great gift for DAD!  Roasting marshmallows in the backyard makes it feel like camping any day of the week with the added bonus of my own bed and air conditioning!

 Master S experienced his first week of scout camp and loved it!  Other than a really bad sunburn, he has a great time and is looking forward to a week without mom next summer already.

 Miss Lilly and Big D missed him a lot - so they made a sign to welcome him home.  They had so much fun drawing pictures of Master S doing different things at scout camp. 

Mounds State Park

In April J.D. took a job with Toyota M&H in Columbus, IN.  It is a significant commute for him and a contract to hire position, but it proving to be a great opportunity for him and an answer to prayer for our family.  While we have been super excited about it, it has put a damper on any and all travel plans for the summer that consume anything longer than a weekend.  boo!  So, we decided to check out some state parks close by and do some camping - as long as I have an air mattress and ear plugs I can LOVE it for one night!  The first we checked out was Mounds State Park in Anderson, IN. 

 J.D. drove straight there from work and I managed to get the kids, camping gear, foods, loaded cooler and swimming gear loaded and happy into in one car -- yes, it was a small miracle!  The kids helped me set up tents and then we took off for the pool while we waited for J.D.  It was lovely, except ...

I left my suit in the tent and ended up paying to swim but had to sit by the pool in my clothes ... darn!  Oh well, got some good reading in  and the kids had a great time swimming and going down the slide.

 

 When we got back to the camp site we attempted to start a fire, which was a failure, but to my defense not only the was the wood green, it was hardwood and damp ... not a very good combination for a novice and a new scout.  We'll do better next time!

 There was a park close to our campsite ...

 And the hiking was gorgeous!

 

 

 We had a great time, even with a pre-teen who was less than thrilled about spending time with his family ...

 The mounds were really cool too, ancient structures built by Indians in the area a few hundred years B.C.

 And despite getting separated on our hike (J.D. and Master S went one way and ME and the other two another way) we both managed to get back to the campsite and made some great memories in the process.  Hoping we get to do this again soon!