Summer Time

Yes, yes, I know, it's not summer anymore. But since I haven't written all summer long, I will atempt now to give an update on what I did while I wasn't writing =). Well, I was blessed enough to attend a couple of out-of-town friends' graduations, witness two beautiful weddings, be wonderfully surprised on my birthday, visit Double G Farms in Dallas where I took pictures of all the lovely (but rather smelly) chickens as well as some photos of the Watkins family, attend Vision Forum's Baby Conference in San Antonio, visit with some wonderfully sweet friends who now live in Bahrain, and a host of other, smaller things.

Now I know most of those who are reading my blog know J.R. and the new Amy-Ellen Haas. For those who weren't at the wedding and didn't see my pictures on Facebook, here are a few of my favorites:

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_______________Groom with his mother_______________

Mother of the Bride

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_____________The amazingly beautiful bride____________

"Presenting, the Bridegroom!" *loud applause*

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Mrs. Hernandez & Victor, Evangeline, Me

Unfortunately I didn't get a great shot of the whole party,

but you can see some of them in this picture. There were 11

attendants for each the bride and the groom.

Mt. St. Helens on the flight back! Mt. Ranier was on the other side of the plane.

Surprise, surprise! I managed to get on a horse =D

UP NEXT...photos from The Baby Conference!

Pictures! - Virginia

Here are pictures (and a video) from my visit to the DeLaura's house in VA and from Horse Camp.

Left to Right: Me, Amanda (12), Bruce (a friend of the D's), Cat (14), Olivia (7-front row), Anna (9), Nichole (18), Tre (16)

Summer 2009

Well, there has been so much going on this summer that even though I've had more than enough to write about, I haven't had time to write about it! Isn't that sort of ironic? Well, I was going to write a post on each major thing that has happened, but so I don't bore you to tears with all that's been going on, and to spare myself the traumatic experience of having to write all of that at once, I'm going to briefly summarize.

Part 1: Plymouth/Boston, Mass. -

As I told you before, we had a wonderful time in Massachusetts with Vision Forum. Let me tell you, they know how to put on a tour. I learned so much on that trip and came home ready to read every history book we own. There were so many wonderful speakers, and even though we didn't get to hear all of them, my dad bought the collection of CDs from the trip so we can listen to them throughout the year. I also met many new friends. It was wonderful to be with so many like-minded believers simply enjoying celebrating the Lord and learning together. Listening to Charlie Zahm sing his old Scottish songs and hearing a thousand voices join with him was so beautiful. I think there is a great call for more musicians who write and sing encouraging music that will inspire the young people of our day to pick up Christ's banner and go to the battle-field.

On another note, I can't tell you how many beautiful costumes I saw. Some girls even had more than one so they could wear different ones each day. At certain times each day many of the men, women, girls and boys who are a part of Vision Forum would dress up in the most amazing costumes and pretend to be reformers or someone involved with the Reformation. I got to meet Anne Boleyn, John Wycliffe, and many other famous people who told me all about themselves and the part they played in that amazing time-period. One of the most exciting events was when we marched in the Children's Parade. All the girls and boys wore their costumes, and the boys got to hold flags from every different country. We got many smiles and interesting looks from passers-by as we walked through the streets of Boston from a park to our hotel singing hymns. I am so excited about the San Antonio Film Festival this coming year, which we plan on going to. Now that I've been to one Vision Forum event, I can't wait to attend another.

Part 2: Horse Camp and a visit with friends in VA -

A week after we got home from Boston, I left for Charlottesville, VA to visit my dear friend Nichole and her family. We've known each other since we were toddlers, and when I go to visit the DeLaura's I become a member of their family for a few weeks. This year I stayed for 3 weeks, which is quite a long time, but after working at horse camp for 2 weeks it's good to have a little time to relax and do a few things with my friends. The weather was nice while we were at camp; however, I can assure you we still got hot. No matter how "nice" the weather is, when you've sat in the sun from 9 to 4 o'clock giving rides in a pony cart and helping little girls learn to steer, trot, etc., you're bound to get sweaty. But it was worth it.

I love being in my old jeans, cowboy boots, and a horse-stained shirt. I love not having to worry about getting my hands dirty because they're already covered in horse hair and who knows what else. And I love being able to walk into a field whenever I feel like it simply to say hello to the horses and give them a pat. This year not only did we get to see the horses at camp, but my friends bought 3 horses that arrived the day after I did, so we had horses all day long.

Besides horse camp, we celebrated Nichole's graduation by going to see Much Ado About Nothing at a marvelous little theater in Stanton. Our whole group was able to sit on the stage which was big fun because the actors like to play with the audience who is on-stage. We laughed through the whole play. We also got to climb up part of Humpback Mountain which I really enjoyed. It was steep, and it made me realize how out-of-shape I am, but the view at the top was amazing. Talk about a bird's-eye view. One of my favorite things about Virginia is being surrounded by mountains, trees, and lots of blue sky. Living in a neighborhood with a tiny backyard and a few puny trees, I really appreciate the landscape when I go up there.
So far, I've visited VA 4 summers in a row. I hope to make that 5 times next year =)

Part 3: Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice... -

Soon after coming home from VA my family got to take care of Selah and Elaina Hernandez (3 and 2) for a week while their parents looked for a house in North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez have done such a wonderful job of obeying the Lord and consistently training their children. Those are the sweetest children I've ever seen, and it was such a joy to have them as my little sisters for a few days. I got to play mommy, read books, change diapers, give baths, and go to the zoo. And I enjoyed every minute of it; but I must admit, I was glad when nap-time came around.

Part 4: The big finale!

I got my hair cut! I've been wanting to do this for several year, but it was a really hard decision because I love my long hair, and my mother loves it too. I kept telling my friends that "next summer" I would cut my hair, and then summer would roll around and I would procrastinate. But no more. I finally gave into myself and did it, and I love it! Mrs. Vaughn, a sweet lady at our church, cut it for me. She gave me a couple of cute styling ideas, and I've been having lots of fun with my curling iron. As much as I loved my long hair, I think I'm going to enjoy having it short just as much.

Alright I know this was long, but don't be mad; at least I included pictures, right? =D I am hopeful that you will not have to wait as long this time before I write again. But until then, God's love and grace be with you.