Bragging Rights

I have just to take a post to brag about this very special couple. Let me introduce you to Grandma and Grandpa (William and Charlotte) Nork. They have just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. 

Think about that for a minute.
70. 

Here's the family celebrating our togetherness with a Friday Fish Fry which includes Shirley Temples for the kids and Old Fashioneds for the adults. 

Grandma thought she'd get some mileage out of this whole "70 years" thing and mentioned it to the waitress because she knew good and well that she'd get a sundae out of it. How? Because she already played that card with a different waitress a few weeks earlier. Yep. That's my Grandma, God love her. You can also catch her stuffing saltine crackers and whatever else she can find into her purse. 

Grandma is my personal mentor in all things domestic. She is the queen of baking and cooking. She shares with me her Taste of Home magazines when she's done with them. Some of my favourite recipes I make came directly from her. 

She has showed me the value of opening my home to friends and family. She has modelled hospitality and warmth. We laugh when we're together and tease each other in good humour. 

Unfortunately, neither my mom nor I have inherited her green thumb. Shouldn't it at least skip a generation? But I got the short end of the stick on that one. I had my neighbour take care of my flowers and plants while I was away and I came back to better looking and healthier plants than when I left. I planted flower seeds in a barrel and have been watering them all stinking summer. Things have grown but they haven't been flowers. They're green though so I keep watering them all the while wondering if I'm really watering weeds. Which would be just like me ...

I may be taller than them now but they'll always be larger than life to me!!

We celebrated this momentous occasion with a party. It was a lovely affair with their closest friends and family in attendance who could make it. 

Aren't they adorable?!!!

They were married when they were 18 and 20. That puts them at 88 and 90 today. They are still mowing the lawn, shovelling snow, growing beautiful flowers in planters scattered around their home and making sweet and savouries enough to nourish heart and soul of all who enter their home. 

Grandpa used to work for the telephone company. As in, "Hey, kids! Wave to your grandpa up on the telephone pole as we drive by!" And there he'd be all strapped into his climbing gear as he worked on the telephone wires. 

Grandpa also used to fly planes for recreation. As in, "Grandpa's picking me up for the weekend (from boarding school). Can you drive me to the airport?" And I think I had about the coolest grandpa ever who flew me to their home on weekends I needed a respite from high school dorm life. 

Which makes sense that I'd name my first born son after the man. So began my grandpa being known as "big Will" and my boy being referred to as "little Will". 

Which makes this picture too comical. Whose big and whose little now?! 

First and foremost, Grandma and Grandpa have passed on their faith in Jesus to their 2 girls that have continued this legacy onto their grandkids and great grandkids. One of my very favourite things to do is to take communion with them and know that just as I share with them in the body and blood of Jesus through a common faith here on earth, I will share eternity with them beyond this life! 

They also influenced all of us in their love of music. This was witnessed in the program we had for them at the party. Hosanna played Amazing Grace and my cousin (also adopted from China), sang the words. Amazing grace, indeed!! 

My mom, Will and I played together Let All Things Now Living. We all participated in singing How Great Thou Art. 

It was hard to find a dry eye when we sang with the help of my Aunt Wendy, Will and the MC, a dear friend of theirs, How Great Thou Art. 

Will and I had been tasked leading up to this event to compile video messages from all their grandkids since most of them were unable to attend. Their grandkids and families are very literally spread out all over - 2 in Alaska, 1 in China, 1 in Canada, 1 in England and 1 in Germany. It was a treat to surprise them with a gift they weren't expecting! My cousin and his wife in China announced in their video message that they are expecting their first baby in November! It was the perfect ending to the video. 

Speaking of which ... 

Check out the size of that video camera! Grandpa has always been passionate about all things video, camera and tape. He has shot countless Christmases, Easters, my high school graduation, Will's baptism, my high school senior play, my wedding and reception and hours of footage driving.

Mainly through Alaska.

It's not for the faint of heart. 

So it should not have been surprising when he showed up with the old VHS video camera, having assigned someone ahead of time to take a movie of the anniversary party. 

Apparently he never saw the advertisements for the smaller, newer digital cameras out there now. But why take a chance when "Big Bertha" has always shown her trustworthiness? 

Thanks for letting me brag a little about these two precious people in my life and join me in celebrating a love that has been honoured for 70 years! 

Cheers to Grandma and Grandpa!!! 

Living with Purpose

I was about 19. I can remember saying the words out loud to my mother that up until then I had only dared to speak to myself.


High school had been a great experience for me but I struggled with what to do afterwards and where to go. My Senior yearbook showed my smiling face with a list of extra curricular activities I had participated in over the four years of attending MLPS but my college choice listed directly underneath my senior photo was the word that plagued me - undecided . 
I had finally chosen to follow my good friends on to DMLC to study becoming a Lutheran grade school teacher. I envied their confidence knowing that they were meant to do that. I wished I had that conviction. Maybe I hoped it would rub off on me.

By the end of my first year of college, I knew I wouldn't be back. It was knowing that truth that made me utter those words to the only person I knew I could confide in - Mom.

I'm good at a lot of things. But there's not one thing I do that makes me shine. There's nothing I can do that's special. I'm not special.

I don't remember what her immediate reaction was at the time but I do remember what she brought the next time we were together. She came with a manilla envelope - filled with highlighted clippings, Bible passages and proof that I was someone special. Unfortunately, I don't remember the specifics of the contents and I wish I still had that manilla envelope which was her answer to the lies of my inner critic. She would later be the one to suggest hair styling, having recognized my interest and seeing the wisdom in pursuing a flexible career that would allow me to work and maybe one day stay home with a family. How grateful I am for her guidance to my 19 year old confused self!

I am embarrassed to admit that over 20 years later, that same inner critic is still spewing her lies. I never dealt with her. Maybe I got busy pursuing my career, falling in love, being married, having babies and raising them.

But the inner critic remained.

So when one of my favourite bloggers announced that she was going to lead an online mentor/accountability group for four weeks this summer, I took notice.

"​​​​​​​How do you know if this group is right for you? Well, I'll tell you.  If you're struggling with fear and doubt and insecurity about where you currently are in your life,  if you're unmotivated and flat and needing a (virtual) cheerleader and mentor, if you find yourself sitting in the middle of a pile of bad habits that have accumulated because collecting them has been easier than figuring out what's causing them, if you are scared to death about heading into summer given your current state of mind? Then it might be a good time for you."

Was she talking to me? It hit a little too close to home. Sign me up.

The first week's theme for the group was: Cleansing- Removing Obstacles and Getting Unstuck.

She suggested a way to give my inner critic her voice in a way that I could control her time and see it for what she really is - ugly sin. By starting the day with confession to the Lord and being honest with myself to the untruths I've allowed to fester all these years, only then could I move on knowing that I'm forgiven and ready to start a new day in God's grace! 
We also implemented a new (for me) way to keep our thoughts organized and our to-do lists manageable. I can't believe I never did this method before since I'm all about being organized and making lists and checking things off! In all the transition from my traditional spiral bound calendars and fridge lists to the digital world of laptops and iCal and cell phones and reminders, I had lost my way of keeping it all together. I realized that digital helps but I still need a pen and paper. I need to write. I need to brainstorm. I need something that's in arm's length of me that I can quickly write down whatever just popped into my head if only for a fleeting moment. It doesn't need to be pretty. But it needs to be practical.

The theme for week 2 was:Right things out = Right things in.

Now that we had covered the part about getting all the junk out, we'd have space ready to fill with all the good and needful things. Namely, God's Word. I've already had the habit of spending time daily with in the Word but I had lacked the confession part beforehand. I can't believe the life-changing difference! What a weight off my shoulders and how much better is the soil of my heart to plant the Word in it!
We were also challenged to start better morning habits that would encourage us to have a more fruitful day with a better focus and clarity. I'm not much of a morning person but the results were so substantial that I've been getting up early just to reap the benefits!
Finally, we were encouraged to surround ourselves with good books and podcasts that would support our growing and understanding both spiritually, intellectually, etc. This happened to be an area I already feel passionate about and just fuelled my fire!

The theme for week 3 was: Calling and Giftedness. Yikes. These were the topics whose answers I had been searching 20 years for!

Up until this point, I was still asking myself the same questions I had asked my 19 year old self.
What makes me happy?
What can I do that makes money?
How can I get the most out of what life has to offer?
What do I want to be known for?
How do I bring more meaning into my life?
What am I SUPPOSED to do?

Good. Heavens.
How could I have got this far in my spiritual journey and missed the point? How have I been blind, not to the answers to these questions but to the problem with the questions themselves?!

We are called to love God and serve our neighbour. It has nothing to do with making me happy or making me money. It certainly isn't about getting something out of it for me or recognition of something great I'm able to do. I'm not even able to bring meaning into my own life!
What am I SUPPOSED to do? Love God and serve my neighbour. Not out of some compulsion to prove I'm really a Christian. Not out of any guilt. But out of a heart overflowing with thankfulness to a merciful God who has given me everything I need in this life and for eternity.

Now I'm asking myself different questions.
Who are the people in my life that I am here to serve?
What are my neighbour's needs?
How can I give of myself?
How can I better serve the people in my life in a more meaningful way?
What am I supposed to do with the people God has placed in my life and with the talents and gifts He has blessed me with?

Which led me right back to my inner critic ...

I'm good at a lot of things. But there's not one thing I do that makes me shine. There's nothing I can do that's special. I'm not special.

Now that I started asking myself different questions altogether, the blatant focus of these thoughts were clearly all about me. They were driven by an inward focus. They were also full of discontent for the way God has made me.

In my defence (here we go, you're thinking!), I've never actually contemplated what makes me unique and different. No wonder I'm frustrated with my neighbours (those whom God has placed in my life) for not being more like me - haha!

We were challenged to do at least two different online personality tests. While I've done one or two half-heartedly, I've never done any seriously or with much thought. After making an effort this time around, I was surprised how they had me "pegged". But what surprised me more was reading what I wasn't.

You mean not everyone likes to organize? What's this - not everyone plans ahead? Am I the only one who likes rules to follow? Why aren't others as emotional as me?

And through it, I began to realize how unique I am. Sure, there are other "Yellows and Greens" out there along with a group of "ESFJ - T Consuls" that maybe I could form a support group with.
I KNOW this sounds ridiculous - that I'm so dumb as to not notice that there are differences in people? I can see it between my own children for crying out loud. And although Wayne and I have been married long enough to finish each other's sentences or form the same opinion, we're still pretty darn different. I'll take the long way just to cross the street at the cross-walk and he has no problem jaywalking. That should be a clue!!

The fact is (and was) that I was so busy listening to the lies of my inner critic (and sinful nature) that I denied the good gifts God has given me and also failed to recognize it in others. Instead of embracing the uniqueness that we all are, I've been judgemental not only mercilessly to myself but in regards to others as well. Which is crazy ironic since I homeschool in part to embrace the uniqueness in which we all learn and not produce another cog in the factory of education but I digress ...


So now that I better recognize what makes me, me (which I still find hard to do with myself. I find it much easier to point to you and tell you where your gifts lie),  I can take that knowledge and better serve my neighbour.

I pray that if you've gotten this far in reading, you are not as clueless as I am and already know what's taken me years to figure out with the help of an online accountability group.

OK. So week 4 theme was: Sharing your gifts and Serving your neighbour. We talked more specifically about who our neighbour is (husband, children, church family, friends, etc) and brainstormed some specific ideas on how to better serve them. She also gave us a pep talk about serving difficult people. I think you know what I mean ...

Part of our assignment through this was to read two books - The War of Art by Steven Pressfield and A Million Different Ways by Emily Freeman.  The first book was a little crude but a kick in the pants - I can give it that.  But the other book is a gem!! I borrowed a copy from the library but I've already put an Amazon order in so I can have my own and highlight that puppy up!! I wish I could have given this to my 19 year old self. I know my mother would have given it to me in her manilla envelope, for sure! There were several different points I learned or were reinforced thanks to A Million Different Ways and they are:

• I have been underestimating the importance in what I already do. It's not what I do that matters so much as the heart that it's done with and who it's done for. There are a million different ways to glorify God every day in our lives! 
• I've been uniquely gifted to serve the people God has put directly in my life for a purpose. 
• I am special because He's made me special!!!
• I can look back as far as my childhood and recognize clues to my "art" in what I played, what I was passionate about, the things I imagined. Somewhere along the way of life, I lost some of that uninhibited childhood passion but it's always stayed a part of me. 
• I don't need to be the best at something in order for it to be meaningful and worth doing. I've set the bar high for myself and always ended up wanting. I've played the comparison game all my life and always fail.  Instead, something can be meaningful and worth doing because it serves my neighbour's needs according to the gifts I've been given.

Edie promises to do another one of these groups come the fall. I found it the best spent $40 and a great use of my 4 weeks. The lessons I've learned took a long time coming! I know I've got so much more to learn, too.

I am so thankful to have gained some clarity and purpose! I'm coupling what I've learned with a study on the fruits of the Spirit and I'm getting my groove back - or maybe a different one. I'm excited to continue developing my passions and talents and let that overflow to the people around me!

Summer continued ...

Yep. Still loving summer!
 I'm getting projects done around the house that have been building up over the year. 
I'm having actual quiet times in the mornings all to myself because my kids no longer get up at 6:30am to hit the ground running. (Puberty has got to be good for something!) 
I've actually bothered to polish my nails after 16 years of motherhood. Now I'm on a quest to find what will last the longest.
I love that we have air conditioning but I also love that I can sit outside on the porch. 

I have been cooking up a storm! I'm totally in mother hen mode. I cluck around the house sweeping the floor, pitting cherries and making dinner. Sometimes I'll be making lunch and dinner at the same time because somebody already starts asking what I'm serving for the next meal before we're even done with the one we're eating!

We're also going for walks, bike rides and making sure to include fun outings in and around town. This week Zanna's in a half day art camp. Will enjoys having an excuse to drive and gets out of bed just so he can drive her the 20 minutes there and 20 minutes back home again. Too bad I have to go with - he's got a learner's permit essentially. But then we have some bonding time! 

These are a few of my favourite things:

After picking a ton of local strawberries, I was desperate to figure out what to do with them in a hurry. I made two batches of freezer jam, strawberry waffle topping, frozen pureed cubes for smoothies, and 3 ingredient no church strawberry ice cream. Take my word for it - totally worth it!!!

Neighbours who give you cherries from their cherry tree. So one Sunday afternoon unexpectedly turned into a pie making day for me. I went all out and channeled my inner Donna Reed and made homemade pie crust for the two pies I made out of those red and juicy lovelies. With cherries still left over, I boiled them down to make some pie filling that I used later in the week for cherry cobbler. 

My 16 year old gopher - who ran across the street at 10pm to buy ice cream to go with the cherry cobbler I had decided to make at 9:45 that night. 

Vanilla Almond Granola - mixed with Greek yogurt and berries ... yum!

SunBum Lip Balm- in coconut and key lime because why wouldn't you want your lips to taste like dessert?!!! 

Wendy's 99 cent Frosty deal. 'nuff said. 

The local stripper bar closed down.  My mama taught me to always pray: Lord, please let that den of sin burn down but not so anyone gets hurt. Your will be done. Amen. There was no fire (that I know of) but it closed last March after what was advertised as a special St. Patricks Day celebration. Now the building has been demolished completely. Yay! (hopefully not to be rebuilt bigger and better) 

So I guess that my favourite things tend to lean toward food - except for that last one. 

Just so we don't sit around and eat and drive each other nuts all summer, I was mean and put Zanna in a spelling bee. Thankfully she likes to spell! It was her first one and she did a great job - she won in her division! FYI - her final winner word was perhaps. 

And I'm an equal opportunity mean mom so I signed Will up for four 10 hour days of National Lifesaving Society training. He's now a licensed lifeguard for both NLS and the American Red Cross. Now he just has to get a job! 

I've tried to explain to the kids that boredom isn't a problem for me - I always have stuff to do like make their next meal, for instance. But I loved the mentor/accountability group I was a part of for 4 weeks and am working on a post from what I learned from that. 

And Wayne has a job that doesn't take a break in the summer so he keeps going and I send him iCal notifications when he needs to schedule a family outing with us. 

Yep. Still loving summer! 

Say Cheese

Family photos became very important to me after we adopted Hosanna. I think it was because of the long journey it took to become a family of four that I wanted it saved forever and ever on film (or the digital version, anyway).  So the first month our girl was home, we had our pictures taken in our home. We were finally a family of four! 

It was very intimate to have the black and white on our bed, in our home. You have no idea how insanely happy and content I felt in that moment! Our photographer was sweet enough to come back once summer arrived to take some outside pictures. I love that we're photographed in front of the home we have been raising our children in. 

The next photography session came a few years later thanks to a local friend of mine who at the time was honing her skills. I was so thrilled with her artistic vision and I went along with everything she recommended... like taking our living chair and hauling it to the location where this blessed event would take place. Oh - and I failed to mention to dear husband until we were walking out the door - ah, could you grab that chair and put it in the back of the van? To which an explosion of words were exchanged between us that made smiling for pictures a slight miracle.

Don't you just love the sunset?!!! And the chair looks awesome, by the way. I can see how maybe it was hard for "someone" to see the vision ahead of time but he got it eventually. Don't worry, we made up:)

FYI - the quilt pictured is the one that my aunt made us for our wedding. It has maple leaves all over it in different fabrics of red. 

Wayne picked the location of the shoot. He had always been impressed with the size of this enormous tree across the street from the Agriculture Museum. It was the end of May - and it was freezing! I still wore sandals. 

Years passed and time was soon approaching to send Will to LPS. I had always wanted a fall picture taken and if we were going to do it, now was our last chance. So in the fall of Will's grade 8 year, we met my friend again this time at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec for an iconic Ottawa view of Parliament. 

You have no idea the stress it is to coordinate your family but not be too "matchy, matchy".  It is the hardest thing about family pictures. I am grateful that all my family members have been agreeable to being dressed by me when the occasion calls for it. 

I am so in love with these fall pictures! I love the fall colours. I love the beauty of Ottawa! In these moments my family is perfect despite our many imperfections. 

Which brings us to our most recent family photos and their debut (assuming you don't count Facebook). 

Since Will is now taller than any of us and Zanna is on the cusp of puberty, we thought now would be a good time to capture our family. 

My friend just birthed her number six so I thought I'd give the gal a break and not bother her. Pretty nice of me, eh?

After some light brainstorming, I remembered that a member in our church up in Poltimore, Quebec has a photography business. I contacted her and got the ball rolling. It didn't take long to agree on a location. We thought that since we've done the home pictures and the iconic Ottawa pictures, that it was time to capture some moments in the area of the other church that Wayne serves. 

Poltimore couldn't be more different than the city/suburban life of Ottawa and I kid you not - despite the extra work it takes, it helps to keep him sane. These people are the definition of salt of the earth. They're friendly and fun and laid back and happy to be in the house of the Lord's. Weddings up there are a blast and all about friends and family and starting a life together in the Lord. Babies are born and brought to the font of baptism. The sound of the little ones rock the country church on any given Sunday challenging Wayne to preach as loud as his voice will allow! 

Out here in the country of rolling hills and a little white church with a graveyard in the back would be our new photo shoot location. 

Unfortunately the day we had scheduled to trek up there the hour and fifteen or so it takes, we were due for a wicked thunderstorm threatening to roll through at exactly the time we would be out. All day we looked up at the blue sky and wondered if the weather channel really knew what they were talking about. After going back and forth about whether we should go ahead as planned, we got dressed and ready and prepared to head up anyway. 

We didn't get very far and it started pouring rain. It rained all the way up there along with the promised thunderstorm and occasional lightning thrown in for fun, I guess. Here in our vehicle we were nice and dry, our outfits coordinated and everyone on board to get their pictures taken. To reschedule would be so defeating!!! I prayed all the way for a miracle.

Turning the corner to follow the hill up to the church the rain stopped as if on cue. The storm moved off to the side and the now setting sun came out! Thank you, Lord!!

We met Shelley and hightailed it across the street to a field so we could get this show on the road! Off in the distance, a herd of scattered cows grazed and did their thing (whatever their thing is). We positioned ourselves in front of a fence and started smiling. The cows were apparently curious and all came over to get a closer look at what we were doing.

We got photobombed.

It was hilarious! And of course, they took turns peeing which is always a pleasant sound.

Next we went into another field. Although it wasn't raining, the grass was obviously wet. Considering how it was a half hour previous, I wasn't going to complain. But my kids are clearly city folk and so between wet, tall grass and avoiding cow pies they were put out. 

I was thrilled we weren't dealing with black flies (a local nuisance) or mosquitoes, etc. There were however, little bright green bugs in the grass that were jumpy. They didn't bother me but Zanna kept complaining that they were going into her cowboy boots. I told her to suck it up and keep smiling! 

Which explains the look on her face here that clearly reads "I've got bugs in my boots". 

She did in fact, have bugs in her boots I realized shortly. Her boots seemed to gap more than mine and sure enough - they were in there! She powered through and we got a few more pictures before she couldn't handle anymore!!

Finally we headed back over to the church where I could shake the green bugs out and were able to get a few more photos in.

So thrilled with how they turned out! And very grateful to have these photos that reflect another meaningful aspect of our life here! 

Summer Love

I am totally in love with summer. And even though the first day of summer only started this week, I'm personally a month in. I'm loving every minute of it!

I love that the windows can be opened and the house aired out. 

I love that I can serve pudding with a good conscience that I'm not heating up the kitchen and that at least it's a dessert with milk in it. 

I love that I can get up in the morning and have a whole hour to myself before everyone else gets up. I establish my quiet routine and sit down to write things I've been thinking and studying about for awhile - a project that's been part nemesis and part greatest gift. 

I love that things are growing in my backyard. And not just the weeds!

I love that Will's home and we're all together and I can enjoy what a great kid he is!

I love Zanna and her neighbourhood gaggle of girls playing on the slip and slide in the backyard and making pictures with colourful chalk on my driveway. 

Yes, Will is driving me around so just call me Miss Daisy. Except that I'm not elderly and I don't sit in the backseat but other than that...

These are a few of my favourite things:

• Spotify - thank goodness I have a teenager who lets me know about these things! Now I can avoid listening to the same music over and over again on the radio. I'm loving the "Dinner Music" and "Coffee House" mix for my salon. 
• Tim Horton's Maple Iced Capp. Just when I thought they couldn't really improve on the regular iced cap, they went ahead and added maple flavour, whipped cream and this lovely little crunchy topping of maple tidbits. Delightfully Canadian!
• Downton Abbey - getting in on this late in the game but oh.my.word. I'm addicted bad. Thankfully we don't have to wait a whole week between episodes or longer between seasons. Will calls it "Downtown 'N Crabby" and is not amused at all by it. 

I've stepped outside my own comfort zone this summer to try something new - an online mentor/accountability group lead by one of my favourite bloggers I've been following for years. I'm really, really loving it and can't wait to get to the end (in a good way) so I can glean all I can from it! It's been challenging, encouraging and eye opening for me. Dare I say, life changing? More to come on that! 

Otherwise, we're filling this summer up with fun, local outings in-between Wayne's work commitments, my salon appointments and whatever the kid's commitments are.  When we're at home the daily rule is no screen time until 4pm and that's after you've exercised your body, read your book and contributed to the household in some way. 

This past weekend our ladies church group hosted a tea. It was so much fun to transform the basement into a feminine space to gather ladies in fellowship and fun! We shared great conversation, multiple cups of tea and too much food - haha!

 It's hard to believe we've been here 14 years this summer. Surrounded by these precious women who have such varied backgrounds but connected by grace through faith, I am blessed to know each one of them. I am humbled when they open their hearts and share a bit of their past, their personal struggles and their greatest joys. In the absence of blood family, they've become our family through thick and thin. 

Summer also includes birthdays around here - mine and Wayne's - along with our wedding anniversary. Granted birthdays aren't quite as exciting the older you get, they are still a special day and an occasion to make the one you love's day extra special. We're approaching 18 years of marriage which pales in comparison to my Grandparents who are celebrating 70 years next week!!! 

Summer days are fleeting and if we only get "18 summers" a kid, the clock is ticking on the 16 year old. Trying hard to cherish the moments ... 

Beginnings and Endings

Another high school year finished and another niece graduated! Just a year ago we all sighed in relief that we made it through a year of such a huge transition. It was rough. Attending last year's graduation service put it all into perspective for me and reminded me why it was all worth it. 

Will made it through this school year with just one roommate (as opposed to the 3 he went through last year) who actually shared the same birthdate. Since their 16th birthday fell during the stress of final exam week, they went in on take out pizza and ate the rest of the York Peppermint Patties I had sent through Amazon. 

We were also impressed with how much Will liked his professors - regardless of how much he enjoyed the actual subject that they taught! His marks reflected how much he was learning and growing. He continues to enjoy football and even works at staying in shape during the offseason by participating in track during the spring and lifting weights and running in the winter. 

Most of all, we're just so proud of the young man he's becoming. We've observed his growth of character and knowledge of Biblical doctrine and it's application. We continue to be grateful to Luther Prep School for guiding his education based on God's Word, providing opportunities for students to serve in worship, and for an atmosphere of peer relationships disciplined by a healthy balance of law and gospel. Praise God! 

This year's graduation service was no different than last year's in the perspective and encouragement it offered in it's worship to God and it's message found in Isaiah 30:21 "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way; walk in it."'  The class hymn was Abide with Me which in and of itself is a tear jerker but add to that the fact that these 17/18 year old kids are singing it in four part harmony and I'm a wreck! The four class speakers were all full of their own personality and personal experiences but had a common message - we are here to serve: serve each and serve God out of a thankful heart for what Jesus has done for us! I was so impressed by the spiritual maturity that they showed and I know that the Holy Spirit has been active in their lives and in the lives of all the students through the means of grace offered through their education. 

After last year's packing debacle I encouraged Will not to pack ahead of time. I spent another 2 hours at the local laundry mat washing a Rubbermaid container full of all his stinky clothes and wondering why some of his clothes were missing, some of his clothes weren't his at all, and what is the great mystery of the mismatched socks? I guess having put in 5 years of dorm life myself, it's not such a great mystery but frustrating as a parent none the less. 

Unfortunately I still wasn't there to actually look over the packing of the suitcases. So he ended up bringing home for the summer his flannel shirt (I know we live in Canada but it's not cold ALL the time), left a stack of t-shirts that I had just washed and left his leather sandals in dorm storage. He did manage to pack his "slides" that he found and "refurbished" from the dorm trash. 

 Our Wisconsin trip overall was lots of fun! We stopped first at my parent's log home and spent a few days there sans my mother who's been in Germany with my brother and his family. That meant extra bonding time with my Dad that included evenings of Downton Abby and some fancy dessert martini that sneaks up on you if you're not careful - haha! My grandparents were awesome and had our crew over twice for dinner. I love that we can talk politics and who we think should win Dancing with the Stars. 

After the excitement of graduation, we spent one day in Milwaukee. Since we're pretty classy people, we choose to forgo the art museum and just go to Sprecher's Brewery. The tour took all of about 8 minutes and then proceeded directly to the sample bar/lounge. Since they make both beer and pop, we were all happy and had way too much sugar!

It was Zanna's mission to try all the flavours they had to offer! 

We celebrated Will's birthday once we got home. We picked up the obligatory Dairy Queen cake. He also went and took his driver's written test in order to start the long Ontario process of driving. Since then he's been driving us around which is weird!!!! He also doesn't stop eating. Yesterday he took a picture (with my phone, thank you very much keep your grubby paws off of it ...) of a sandwich he made that he was so proud of. Not for a meal or anything but for a "snack" in the middle of the day. I've been to Costco twice in less than a week! I'm not complaining ... it's worth it to have him home! 

Now it's the beginning of June - my favourite month - the start of summer and a new year for me!