I am sitting in my livingroom and outside my window the grass is 8" high in some places! Why don't you MOW, you ask? Because Phil and the girls bring the horses over to eat it now and then. Yeah. So I have long grass a lot. Oh well.
We're enjoying three or four days of rain, so I am actually catching up on a few things! You know how those indoor to-do lists just get ignored when it's gorgeous outside? I have been able to cross off a bunch today!
All the students who are off for the summer have gone. Eli still has three weeks of school, so it's kind of weird- our summer has started but not officially. Our girls want jobs, but want to set their own hours, so instead of me gardening and selling to restaurants and grocery stores this summer, we have decided to pool our gardening efforts and start a CSA. (community supported agriculture) Maddie is our only college-bound child thus far (or so they've said) and they all have things they want to do but need to support themselves. So my hope is that they will take off with this thing and make it their own. Kind of like home-school-on-the-job-training! Our time with them is running short- Grace will be 20 this year, Ilsa 18, and Maddie 15. So the time with them is fabulous. Students have been enjoying the garden time as well- getting in a good afternoon of hauling and digging and tilling and planting! My camera has died (again, yes, again) or I would share pictures!
ALSO- we had a GREAT end of the year gathering with American and International students! We have had some of our students jokingly tell us to apply for Extreme Home Makeover because even though we have a 30x30 room we just don't have enough room. Trying to cook in the kitchen with 20 people just isn't working so well. So I have seriously thought about it. (haven't done it though!) So at this last gathering, we had probably 20 Americans and 20 internationals. Something like that. We cooked Nepali and Indian food, had an egg hunt (thanks to student Cody who bought and filled 450 plastic eggs!!) and then took the crowd down the road for a hay ride! It was one of those perfect early spring days....warm and bug-free. I just have never seen people so relaxed and having so much fun. It was almost nostalgic. Again, my camera is broken. But John took photos- I'll try to get them for you. They're on the facebook page for our international friends- if you're on facebook, shoot me a note that you want to be invited to that page. Then you can totally keep track of everything we do!
Otherwise, we have three weeks left before the big Triathalon.....yikes. It's been up and down, honestly. I am 90% sure we can finish the race, but I have NO idea how we will do. I am pretty confident for myself for the swim and the bike, but the run..... I still can't run very far. I can walk a pretty fast mile, though. That, coupled with race day adreneline, and all the training we've put in should get us through! I really don't want to come in last, but I guess someone has to :) But you never know, I might surprise myself!
Summer plans here include getting our girls working, a few trips to visit family, Friday Night Worship, Thursday night men's group, finishing the school of ministry (we're done in July), getting geared up for fall (which starts mid August for us!), some Sozos and Sozo training, and hopefully, many good times by the fire pit and on the swing. What are you all up to?
Love you family! Will post pictures as soon as I get them!
