mmmm summer

friday completed our two week camping trip at hungry horse.  wow.  it was amazing.  i am always so blessed to do community with really beautiful women, watching and learning from how they parent, do marriage, and just live their lives.  thankful for our experiences together, offering me some times of peace and encouragement when i was under an attack of insecurity.


the wenke's took our camper to canada saturday morning, so i spent the entire day emptying the camper from the remnats of our two week adventure.  though i was beyond tired after making 782 trips to and fro, i was also appreciative of having an immediate need to get the camper cleaned.  otherwise, its a task i keep avoiding.

saturday was full of laundry and attempts to get the house to absorb all the things i took from the camper.  at night, brad and i got all dressed up and joined my sibs to celebrate the wedding of my step sister crystal carrie.  and sunday, well, we had a summer sabbath.

no agenda, no plans.  after the busyness of camping, and the chaos of unpacking, a day of rest was exactly what our bodies and souls needed.  god blessed us with some amazing weather and we took full advantage with weeding and walks and golf and bike riding all in our own yard.  home is so beautiful.

And later this week we experienced the freedom party of the fourth of july!

Celebrating the fourth of july is such a wonderful privelege, and the epotime of summertime. Morning brought a weighty responsibility to ensure that the adorables recognize this day is more than fireworks. my good intentions quickly evolved into a long morning of questions and explanations that brad thankfully came home during so we could learn from his vast knowledge as well as my own best guesses. We had the globe, some construction paper, glue, and the stapler, or stabilizer as the boys call it. There was some intense learning,  but I pray my adorables left our our morning school session with gratitude for being born into such a fabulous country.

We spent the gorgeous day enjoying each other's company outside with the new pups, grilling up some pork, and being mesmerized by the fireworks displayed in our very own backyard.  we even purchased a few of our own fireworks and they were an incredible hit with all the babes. Bradley's hero status ramped up several notches.

Soaking in this summer lovin