Our First 5 K

So two friends decided to do their first
5 K. We got to put on 'chips' and get
timed, run just as the rain was ending,
and celebrate finishing!! We definitely
didn't go for speed, but we never stopped
running; past the beach, up hills, through
Duncan's Woods and then home. It truly
was the "Kick Off to Summer" experience
we hoped for. Now to a bonfire and
brats on the beach.

A Day of Adventure

Yesterday we had an incredible day of fun, bonding and experiences. After working this year to 'pass' every class, our group celebrated our achievements. It was sad we left 15 students behind, but that is one of the lessons learned, and, hopefully, not to give up: ever. Thumbs up? Joy, Crazy? Not something I could ever do, but I loved watching them drop from the sky and swing out ove the lake. They absolutely looked like they were flying.
The day was perfect: 80 degrees, sunny and a good steady breeze. No crowds, no lines. And at the end, Zach finally did a roller coaster; thanks to Brian and Bill. I can't believe the year is ending.

Celebrations

What a night!! past, present, and future rebels gathered to celebrate 150 years of our school district.
I'll let the pictures speak, ........listen,

Soaring

So we spent the last week celebrating spring; watching a soaring eagle while canoeing, watching thousands of bikes during the annual blessing of the bikes in Baldwin, and watching student after student join the ranks of 'honor' for our school. Where else can we have so much to be thankful for, all in less than 1 week. Winter slows me down, but spring, the sunshine, and fresh air bring energy!

Oh my GOSH

I can't believe I haven't posted since September! I had to create a Google account - times are evolving!
I have been taking all kinds of pictures, but they're not available on this computer!
Friends, I will post again! A very hectic year - my oldest son got engaged last fall and planned and got married by Dec 2!
Life is on a roll - a constant celebration!

Who won Homecoming?

I think everyone won homecoming.
So there!
Sure class competition is fun, but part of me just wishes we could all have fun celebrating being part of Lee, not class against class. Isn't fun just to wear your hair crazy, or paint your face blue and gold? Shouldn't we offer face-painting from 7 to 7:30 am the day of the parade and game, just to get everyone in the school fired up for being part of Lee?
OK, So I believe everybody should win, that nobody should win - because that means somebody loses.
I LOVE PARTIES
So why can't homecoming just be a great big party, a celebration of LEE.
Nuff said, time to get off of the soap box:)

Lee High Homecoming

An Awesome parade showcasing creativity, school pride and community. Rebels Rock!

Summer's Swan Song

So my best friend and lover (yup - Andy) sat and talked and pondered how fast life moves when all you do is smile. I read 2 books in 3 days, listened to friends on the Red Dock, and sailed the lake. Just look at this sunset - what a glimpse of the wonder of the world. Brings tears to my eyes,... how in the world do we deserve all this? thank You thank You thank You.

Many Happy Reunions

We took a crazy 3 day road trip to Penna to attend Andy's high school reunion! What fun, and a double bonus was spending 24 hours in the car together talking. We have been much too busy and needed the time to connect.
We also visited my mother, who didn't know who we were, but loved the attention. So some of the weekend was spend rekindling friendships, and some time was spent just remembering. Praise God from whom all things flow, and may we live to acknowledge every minute of it.

Stars in their Eyes and Meteors above

Saturday we collected to hopefully view the Perseid Meteor Shower, but really just to sit around a campfire on the beach. The waves of Lake Michigan, the rustle of the dune grass and the slow soft conversation of friends and family. Denver, Livonia, Chicago and Grand Haven, scattered parts of a whole, family in the true sense of the word. Laughter, love and connections, that's sometime all we need:)

Celebration of Kids and the Coast Guard

So today was the kick off the the Coast Guard Festival week with the Kids Parade. And what better representation of the fun and joy than the young wonderful students who volunteer to dress up and entertain the children along the aprade route! Their goal - to get smiles and have their picture taken with the little kids! It was a HOT but beuatiful day - and our Crew that puts on the Kids parade was AWESOME! Every year they have more great ideas - save some candy and freebies to give to the families and children that are in the parade - so when the neighborhood floats come back to the staging area - there's Al - ready with treats and gifts to say thank you. Everyone on the Crew is a treasure - thank you Barb, Dawn, Carol, Al, Bruce, Ron, Bill, Branden (who sweats the most!), Jeff, Hank and Louann!

Virtual Geocaching

So another way to keep in contact, share in fun experinces and help each other is to geocache, but across half the USA! So Sean and Sarah found a webcam geocache and needed someone to 'capture' their picture to be able to claim the cache. It took 5 tries, (timing was an issue) but here it is - a picture captured on a computer in Michigan of a couple standing, holding up their GPS unit, in Washington. I should try it with Lisa in Budapest or Brett in Cologne! I love life - my kids- what fun!!

A bit of heaven on earth...

So almost every Wednesday evening, wonderful friends open their hearts and their boat to a loosely knit group of friends. We friends have in common three things; thankfulness, admiration and love for our captain and his first mate:) (also wine and great food)
They help make this, our life, a blessing in so many ways. Thank you G and S:)

Choose to be Positive

Today we celebrated a birthday, a bon voyage, and friendships. Every moment, every day, we can decide, between the happening of an event and our reaction to it - what our reaction will be. Should we be sad that dear dear friends are moving, or celebrate the adventure that they are starting. Should our heart hurt because hugs will now be missing, or find new ways to reach, teach and love across the ocean.

Exploring, adventuring, questioning is what makes us grow, mentally sharpening our perspective on life and how we connect with our world.

So that leads me to my next picture, a 'red thread' across Europe, pins showing where Brett has been so far, exploring our world, and hopefully sharpening his mind with the insights and awareness of the oneness of the human race. In his moments before reactions, does the Spirit inspire him to a greater understanding of the blessings of the diversity of this world?

Invisible thoughts of love

So this is my first attempt to merge pictures, what a mother will do to get a family photo! I really don't have to spend a lot of time with my family, or go on trips or celebrate holidays, I just want to 'chat' with them over a morning cup of coffee, or a late night 'talk' in the kitchen. Quality times that don't have agendas. Difficult in this fast paced world..... and I love them so much. The people in this picture love the world, others and special individuals. Mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, wives and husbands; now and possibly in the future. So much love....

The Jigsaw Family

It seems that as a mom, I feel one of my roles is to try and keep the pieces of our family connected. Actually, truthfully, I find doing it a great deal of fun and fulfillment. So we brought home Sean and Sarah from Seattle, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jerry and Scott came from Livonia, and we included Sarah's parent's and our 'travelin man's girlfriend and her family. So the resulting pictures show geo caching on Sunday and canoeing on Monday.

Brett's European Lodgings

So just for fun, I am posting two pictures to show how Brett's is living these days, the first proves that he is living in a glass house, and the second shows the kind of furnishings they have at hostels these days. Actually both were taken at the Lovre, and I could mention DeVinci and Napoleon to set the stage:) I miss him, and can't wait to hear the stories!

More on Flyleaf

Here's what they look like in concert. Check out
http://www.flyleafmusic.com/

Flyleaf visits

So our neighbor's son 'Hurricane' is driving the rock group Flyleaf's 1 million dollar bus around the country for their tour. They are a hard rock Christian group from Texas that sings about hope shining brighter than despair. They played at the Intersection in GR Tuesday night, and we were luckly to have Jared the guitarist and his wife stay in Brett's room on Monday. I went golfing for the day, and Andy, dear wonderful man that he is, told them to use everything, washing machine etc. I woke them at 10:30 the next morning, and they loaded onto the bus and went back to sleep until they got to the venue for set-up. 10 people sleep on that bus, with bunk beds, 14 TV's, black leather sofas, everything. Sort of like Brett sleeping on the trains in Europe:)
I wish we had more traveling groups to share our little spot of heaven with..., it's what makes us happy.

Shining Glory

This weekend was wonderful, as we sat on the deck night after night with good friends, the glory of this world was embedded on our brains. It seems in summer everybody's more positive, happy, healthy, and outside! To wander the town, eat greek for dinner, a choice of 7 places to walk to for ice cream - it's heaven here. We are so blest!