Savoring Summer

Since this was our last week of summer break I decided a trip to the Columbus Zoo was in order. We had yet to see the new African exhibit. We tried to get there right when the zoo opened but we arrived about 30 minutes late. It was not crowded which surprised me since it was a beautiful day.  We headed straight for the African section to see the cheetah run at 10:30. We had some time to look around before the run started. I was so impressed with the exhibit. It had the sense of what the plains of Africa must be like.

It was amazing to see the speed the cheetah ran in a short distance as it chased a faux critter tied to a line. Such beautiful creatures.

The African Plain

The King of Beasts

This male and 2 female lions were lounging right by the window. The size of these animals up close is amazing. If you look close you can see Elle's reflection in the glass.

                                                        Pictures of the Polar Bears

This is  still one of my favorite exhibits. I enjoy sitting and watching the polar bears from above and below. Another amaxing exhibit!

The last day of serving at daily Mass for these boys...they are all off to school next year.

I shed a few tears at this Mass.

Our Friday Mass was special to me and I am going to miss the company of these special boys as they are all heading off to school for the first time this fall.

 Fr Joseph will be heading back to Tanzania in one month too!

Lots of major changes happening around here!

God is good!

Sitting on the deck reading Friday evening and I looked up to see this awesome cloud.
Thank you God for the beauty you bless us with each day. May I always have the eyes to see it.

I tried something new this week and uploaded some pictures from my phone. I know there is so much more I can do with my phone and slowly and surely I am learning, keeping in mind I have a limited amount of time to devote to these projects...maybe next time I can do a better job of keeping things in proper order. Until then....back to the zoo!

Murals in the bathroom...Michelle wanted to paint her room this way in high school but she never got the opportunity.

Michelle was able to join us after her very first nursing interview for a position in the NICU at Children's. She said the interview was more like a chat and she felt good about how it went and trusts if it is meant to be it will. She has had a couple other leads on positions so at least things are starting to open up which is exciting. We stopped for Graeters Ice Cream and then Colleen was able to meet us for lunch at Chik-Fil-A. Yes dessert before lunch. It was a special day for me to be with all four of my precious children...it always is. The next day, Thursday the boys and I drove to Polaris to meet Michelle and Colleen at the movies. The kids all went to see Guardians of the Galaxy and I went to see 100 Foot Journey. I found the movie a refreshing story about family, food, and friendship. It was good to walk out of a movie feeling good. My movie finished first so I sat outside eating frozen yogurt and enjoying live music from a pub next door. I do my best to savor these special moments and enjoy the feeling of contentment!

The Zoo Crew

and one last photo from my camera....

                                                                       The cheetah run!

Summer Sweet Summer {Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

One week ago today our sweet Colleen walked across the stage at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus and received her Bachelor's degree. We are so proud of her and this accomplishment. When I think about all that it has taken for her to get to this point I am in awe of her dedication and perseverence.

                            
                                  That's Colleen in the blue high heels recieving her degree!

Granny and Papa joined us in the celebration and as always we are so grateful for their love and support. Grandparents play such a special role in the lives of their grandchildren and we are truly blessed to have them in our lives.

After the excitement of the day we managed to pack up the van with the 6 of us and our niece Lily and head for the cabin in Michingan Monday morning...ok it was almost afternoon but considering the busy weekend we still did good. We got a surprise when we went to put the carrier on top of the new van (thank you God for our new van) only to discover it would not fit. Thanks to the extra storage provided by stow and go and some streamlining of our packing we all fit comfortably. The drive up to northern Michigan was the worst on record. We were in heavy rainfall for most of the trip. My dear husband did an amazing job. It continued to rain for the next 24 hours pretty much non stop. Gary and the girls got out fishing Tuesday and caught some nice pan fish. By the next day the weather was beautiful but the river was high and muddy. It spite of the poor conditions Lily mangaged to catch a 28" pike. I think she smiled the rest of the week.

The boys and I spent our time chilling at the cabin and going into to town hiking around and picking up groceries and supplies. Because of the river conditions we did not get to take the trip up river with everyone which was disapointing. It was great to spend time with Grandpa Korte and enjoy his fish frys. Our trip home was uneventful...the weather was beautiful we made a quick stop at Cabela's in Dundee and were home by 5:30.

                                                                  The big catch!

The crew!

                                              Playing around on the pier at Lake Huron

                                           View while praying morning prayers riverside!

This little beauty was right outside the cabing door

Quick stop at Cabela's and our traditional photo.

Another tradition...being chased by the Cabela's elephant!

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real...Going Going...But Not Gone!

With a turn of the page summer is going...going...but not gone. So many people start saying when August arrives that summer is just about over. I prefer to think we have a whole month of glorious summer left and of course a I want to make the most of it. Looking back...June was wrapping up the homeschool year and mourning the death of my uncle, my good friend Beth's mother, and an extraordinary man a church. My goal of wrapping up the homeschool year by the end of June was not met. Life happens. A few years back I started keeping a notebook where I list the things I would like to do in the summer and then day by day I jot down what I did that day. It really helps to see where my days go and it is nice to check off a few things that I want to do. As I look back over July I am grateful to have the notebook as I really cannot believe July is over and I am asking myself where it went. I recently saw the idea of bullet journaling on someone's blog and I thought that kinda described what I have been doing.

~Scripture Study: Acts of the Apostles
~Switch insurance agents and review policies
~July 4th picnic at the Schmuckers with volleyball
~Fireworks and dessert at Roadhouse
~Mom's Book Club
~Thomas at Scout Camp
~Move Colleen and Michelle into the new and out of the old apartments
~Lunch and blueberry picking with MJ
~IGNITE!
~Rooney Reunion/Michelle take and PASS nursing boards!
~Monday morning Liturgy of the Hours at Resurrection
~1 day catechist training at New Washington
~Road trip to Frackville PA with Michelle for Andrew Rall's wedding
~Church cleaning
~Clean outside freezer
~Freeze corn and cherries
~July 30th...an entire day at home...is it possible this is the first time all summer?

A highlight of July was my road trip with Michelle. She wanted to attend her friends Andrew and Annie's wedding but it was a 6 hour drive. I offered to drive along and Gary said to rent a car since the vehicles we have would probably make it but without having my favorite mechanic along it was probably best not to chance it. I was so grateful that I didn't have to worry about that and the vehicle we rented was a hybrid and got 40 mpg which helped keep our costs down. We had points for the hotel room so the costs were basically car rental, gas, and food. I attended the wedding with Michelle...it was a beautiful Catholic wedding... the church was packed...people sang and truly celebrated the Mass. What a joy to share in their celebration. Michelle went to the reception with friends and I enjoyed a quiet evening at the hotel. God blessed us with a hotel with an incredible view, and outdoor pool, and a lovely restaurant right next door. I ordered a chef salad to go and sat on the patio with the view and ate, swam in the pool, showered, went back on the patio to read and enjoy the sunset. I felt truly blessed. Shortly after sunset Michelle called and I picked her up and we spent the rest of the evening snacking, watching a movie and enjoying our time together. In the morning I finally found Mass at the 3rd church I went to. I am grateful for masstimes.org!  The pastor spoke of the feast of St Ann ( the day before) and the importance of having patrons of which St Ann is a treasure. He talked of the many miracles attributed to her intercession. St Ann please pray for my family especially Michelle Anne as she searches for a nursing postion.

                                                                          Going...

                                                                        Going...

Not quite gone!