Uncle Mike, Aunt Shelly, Kody and Bailey came for a visit on July 11-13. We went out to our "secret" spot and picked a bucket full of blackberries which will be made into jam. We then went for a hike and Cory got us a little lost in the woods....Aunt Shelly used her "I love to go for walks and get lost" skills and got us back to civilization all in one piece. It was a great day to be outside and a fun walk! Can't wait to make up a batch of that jam!

Fourth of July in Sioux Falls

We drove to Sioux Falls in our brand new van...it was a very quiet ride! It was wonderful to spend the weekend with brother David and family and my dad and mom. We did fireworks, went to a really wonderful waterpark!, and enjoyed the days outside. They have a very nice home with a great view out the back...David has put in many hours of hard work putting together a very beautiful landscaped backyard. It was really relaxing!

A New Van!!!

The last week of June we went for a drive and came upon several vans that Jeff was interested in. After test driving three of them, we decided to purchase this bright red Grand Caravan. Morgan's selling point was the dvd player with the tv overhead. Our other van we put in a tv/vcr combo but you had to lean in between the seats to watch it and it was a strain on their necks. We took the van for our first trip out to South Dakota for a fourth of July celebration and it was just such a peaceful ride! I am really happy that we now have more room to travel in as we are going to a wedding three hours away, then going camping the next weekend 4 hours away! It will sure make the traveling a lot easier! Thank you, Jeff!!!

The Fight is On!

Teenager Campout

Four friends, a tent, the woods, some animals, lots of food and beverages, chairs, a campfire, VERY supportive, wonderful, fabulous, terrific parents.....and they're off!! Cory and his friends, Macy Coleman, Emma Petersen, and Logan Hoppe are in the woods! Literally!! They are camping at the Petersen farm, actually an abandoned farm between Petersen's and Hoppe's, because they were unable to make it to Bible Camp at Homestead this year. We are hoping that they are having a terrific time and able to fend off the mosquitoes and enjoy each other's company! Thank you, Connie and Mark, for opening up your land to the crew.

Kastle Kingdom

Kastle Kingdom was our next stop to let everyone run one last time before heading for home! Everyone had a great time! I didn't realize what the park was all about, even though I had heard about it from other friends that had played there. If I would have thought ahead I would have brought a picnic lunch! It is a very nicely built wooden structure with lots of shade, hidden passage ways, and a chance to be the "guard" of the Kastle! I was the guard, tried to deter the boys from taking over my castle.....I lost....so sad. This is a picture I grabbed of them while they were still having a great time. It took me a while to get everyone situated, so Cory got red in the face and was losing conscienceness by the time I finally snapped the family photo!!

My 2nd Grade Classroom

If you can make sense of these pictures, this is my 2nd grade classroom that I will be teaching in this Fall 2008. The entire clan drove over in our 6 passenger car, with no complaints believe it or not!, and viewed the school I will be teaching at and helped me haul my graduation presents into the room. The blackboard will be covered with showerboard and used as a white board. The room has been freshly painted, but I have a lot of work to do on it when I get in there in August. It was a computer lab so I need to wait for the computer tech to come in and move his things so I can start putting things away. I did measure for bulletin boards and the like and that felt good. We had a tour of the school and then the kids went out back and played on the playground.