Summer Fun!

Dalton and Bri

in the pool.

Dalton play with his sand table.

Dalton Loves Corn on the Cob!!

Beach Vacation

We spent a few days at the beach (June 29-July 3). We camped in our pop-up camper and my mom slept in a tent. My daughter-in-law, Melissa, stayed with us a few nights and our son, Justin visited for a few hours one evening. The campground was nice and we were lucky to get a large camp site in front of a pond. It was full of HUGE catfish that we fed from the bridge and there were geese and ducks too. I have to admit that they became a little annoying! The goose acted like he was a guard dog for the baby ducks and if you got too close, he came after you!! One day, I was sitting out by the pond in a chair and the ducks and the goose came for a visit...I got some bread and started feeding them and the crazy goose ran up to me and I thought he was going to attack me...he got WAY too close! That was only the first of several "attacks"...

Dalton absolutely LOVED the whole trip!! He liked camping and being outside so much. He loved playing in the water!! We went to either the ocean or the intracoastal waterway everyday and we went boating one day. I think he would have stayed in the water all day if we'd let him! He was totally exhausted by the end of each day.

The only downside to the trip was the weather...EXTREMELY HOT and HUMID!!! I think it was the hottest week of the summer. Mid-day was almost unbearable. Our pop-up has an AC, but it couldn't cool very well during the hottest part of the day and who wants to sit inside a little pop-up all day anyway? Nights were nice...usually had a nice breeze and the AC worked great too!

Too bad Brianna was at camp and couldn't be with us. Other than that it was great!

In June, we made a trip to a small zoo that is near our home--Lynnwood Park Z00. My aunt, LuAnn took her daughter, Alli, and her grandchildren and I took Dalton. It was extrememly hot that day!!! But...we had a great time. There were lots of different animals, some domesticated and some exotic. We saw chickens, turkeys, cows, mini horses, zebras, snakes, birds, monkeys, etc. The kids were facinated by all the animals. Hopefully, we can go again this fall...or MAYBE we will make it to the NC Zoo in Asheboro!! That would be great.

Endings...and New Beginnings

L-R: Hillery, Lorrie, Brianna, Linda, Gene, Tommy

Brianna's parents and grandparents

Our family began a journey fourteen years ago...we weren't sure where we would end up or how long it would last. Now we've come to the end of this journey. On May 30, our youngest child, Brianna, graduated from our home school. It was a bittersweet day for me! Actually, I cried (off and on) throughout the ceremony that we held for her!

We were able to hold her graduation a the church she attends (and also where we used to attend). We invited our family and some of her close friends. The pastor of the church spoke for a few minutes about Brianna and gave her some words of wisdom and then her piano teacher spoke. Her Daddy, the principal of the school, told a little about our homeschooling journey and how blessed we are to have Brianna for our daughter. We played a song that she requested, My Wish, and then presented her diploma. It was a beautiful ceremony focusing completely on her.

We're all so proud of her and can't wait to see what she accomplishes with her life.

So...sadly our homeschooling journey has come to an end, but I know that God will open doors for us to begin something new. I will certainly miss my "job" as teacher, but I know that there will be new jobs around the corner. What? I don't know!

And for Brianna...it's the beginning of many things! She's such a special girl. She's dedicated to God and He will lead her exactly where He wants her.