Two days after Evie got baptized, Abigail and her family invited us out to Hart Ranch with them. Thumbs up with right Evie.
We had so much fun. Naomi, Julia, and Ezra are behind Samuel.
Ezra really took to falling in sideways after Evie taught them all how to do it.
She choreographed them all falling one by one into the pool. 😮😅
A couple days later we discovered a random present at our house. It was a Lego Bible (a kids Bible animated with Lego people and bricks)! Prae gave it to the kids who she rightly knew would love it. So sweet of her.
Now that July was ending, August and the Sturgis Rally were right around the corner. We had to be out of our house by August 2nd for our first set of renters. There were many jobs to do.
I worked in the middle of all that cleaning and organizing and left the kids a list of things to accomplish.
I worked a fair amount last summer due to one of the ladies being gone for maternity leave. It was rough filling in sometimes...just because I'm not there often enough.
We sold our Bowflex, thank the Lord. I really never wanted it to begin with and after a year and a half of mostly gathering dust I was only too glad to have it gone.
I also washed the dust from all the hutch dishes (and untold number of many other tasks).
I made enough breakfast burritos to last us on our upcoming five-fish day vacation to Colorado. I did the same thing for breakfasts on our sabbatical trip. And apparently two years was not enough of a break from them because the kids whined incessantly about eating them. 😤
We put an extra bed where the Bowflex had been. Trouncie enjoyed it.
Upside down he looks like he's smiling. 😂 That's certainly a new look for him.
Just one day later we went back to Hart Ranch for the youth group closing event of the summer. The littles played mini-golf, which they love.
It was unseasonably cold (like it had been all summer), and though it looked like it was going to pour all evening, the littles still had a lot of fun in the pool.
The hot tub was more like it though. I think it did rain on our way home.
Noah is in there with the big boys at the bottom right. Two days later we went to Shari's to house-sit while our place was being rented and Shari and Jesse went to Washington D.C. for a vacation.
On Friday and Saturday of March 22nd and 23rd, 2019, Terry did a youth fasting event at the church. Originally the primary purpose was to raise money for the family we're building a house for in Mexico, and I guess some people did get donations, but we also took part to learn about hunger around the world and what the Bible teaches about fasting.
This was our crew, a pretty good sized one!
Fasting just means not eating for a time. When the Bible talks about fasting, it's for a purpose, usually to seek God more urgently and whole heartedly or to express sorrow. But unfortunately a great many people around the world are forced to "fast" simply because they don't have enough food. We learned about one such girl in Africa from some World Vision 30 Hour Famine videos.
We started out the evening with some games featured in the World Vision videos.
There goes Noah. So tall and lanky!
Terry has done a 30 Hour Famine twice before, once in Gburg in 2010 and once in 2013 when we first moved back to Rapid. Both times I think the kids slept in cardboard box houses.
I crawled into one of the girl's houses to get a shot and accidentally caught the exact moment of Sarah cutting her finger with her knife while trying to cut a window out. If you zoom in super far I think you can see blood.
Nurse Eva took over and between me and her parents, who arrived later, we got her fixed up pretty well. She hardly has a scar now though she definitely could have had stitches.
Next up we played some more games involving handicaps to illustrate how difficult it is to do daily tasks when you're sick with hunger or injury.
The teams competed with one another in various silly little games, like knocking cans over with rubber bands. My handicap was a missing hand so this was incredibly difficult...impossible. I kept shooting with one hand after using my teeth to pull the rubber band around the back of my hand onto my thumb, and I never came close.
Hanging hangers.
Trying to toss a half empty water bottle and stick the landing. Noah is on the left end with his face covered.
I'm on the right side.
A lot of 9 Square in the Air was played a lot during downtime.
Our fast began on Friday noon, after lunch. Between all the fun and games, we had teaching and study time led by Terry or Steven to learn about fasting from the Bible.
The other side of the room.
Eric was particularly exhausted but we all felt like this. About 20-24 hours in I started feeling uncommonly cold, even if I was active. It was the hunger. Also I couldn't think or speak straight (more than normal, ha ha, since I'm always forgetting words). Plus, no one slept well. I think we're done with sleeping on the church floor for events. We're too old for that. At about 2am I went to try to sleep on the couch in the foyer but even that didn't help because I'm an awful sleeper. But then again, that's part of the experience. I don't think you usually sleep that well if you're hungry.
Near the end we cleaned the church. David mopped the entire sanctuary.
We read the Bible aloud for an entire hour on Saturday afternoon. That was my favorite part.
Getting ready to teach.
Steven did great!
We broke our fast altogether at 6pm Saturday evening. We made a peanut butter concoction meant for malnourished children called Plumpy Nut for us all to have our first bite of food after the 30 hours were over. That's what Sarah has on her fork. Sarah, Prae, and I made tons of pancakes for everyone to break their fast with but I didn't get any pictures since I was busy cooking. I was so glad to go home that night!
Meanwhile Evie was at Shari's with her cousins making silly photos. LOL. 😂
She made them all by herself and was adamant that we get the photos from Shari.
On November 3, 2018 two of our beloved youth leaders David and Jazmin were married. 💙
We've known David since 2004/2005 when we helped with the First E-Free youth group. David was a little middle schooler at the time. I have a very distinct 2005 memory of him and a couple other boys playing the board game Axis and Allies at our ranch house about a month after Noah was born. I went to bed with baby Noah at 9pm and when he awoke at midnight, the boys were still up playing! I think I went out to the living room and questioned when they'd be done.
We've known Jazmin since 2012 when we returned to Parkview. Her parents were a part of the search committee that interviewed Terry and brought us back. And ever since she's been intensely involved in everything youth group related. I've gone on so many trips with her, sat with her on so many bus and van rides, hosted bible studies at our house with her, lead her small group, discipled her, and learned how to mountain bike with her. I love that girl!
Like I said at the rehearsal dinner, I had wondered for a long time where their friendship was going. Ever since the 2015 Mexico/L.A. mission trip, I began wondering if there could be something there.
Both couples would say they weren't looking to get involved with each other during that trip, but I just wondered. I guess I thought it would be a good match.
I began hypothesizing about David and Jazmin the fall of 2015, especially at that year's fall retreat. I point to this photo when David quickly joined Jazmin in taping down the cords, as the point in time that I seriously began considering them as a couple (below). They were both such servants, willing to jump in to fill any need, and it struck me that as they had been serving for years, they would do very well to do it together. I thought they would be good together but Jazmin was only a junior in high school. David would say he wasn't thinking of pursuing her at the time so that wasn't even on his radar. As this photo indicates, they both have a heart of service and therefore have been two of our most faithful youth leaders. Jazmin has done every single event that Terry has ever put on. David has been there for just about as many. They were becoming better friends. I would talk Terry's ear off about them in the evenings.
The 2015 fall retreat was the year Ernesto came. I have a very strong memory concerning David and Jazmin from the car ride coming back from Camp Judson after retreat was all over. Ernesto pointedly asked Steven and David, "So why aren't the two of you married yet?" (since they were in their 20s, quality guys, and had no girlfriends). Steven replied that that was the question of the century. David said that he just knew one day the Lord would put a little girl on his doorstep. I was inwardly frustrated, literally questioning David in my head, "What are you talking about?! She's sitting in this car with you right now!" But he wasn't thinking of her yet. She was still a shadowy figure the future.
A couple months later a lot of mountain biking between David and Jazmin (and others) seemed to spring up. In fact it was that winter/spring that I got started shortly after this Snowy Mick Ride that a group of them tackled. Of course David and Jazmin were there along with a big group of others.
Around that same time was The Force Awakens midnight we went to with a group of youth leaders including newly dating Steve and Prae and David and Jazmin. At the beginning of summer 2016 Terry, Jazmin, Emma, and I ran that half marathon together, my first and only but Jazmin ran another two with Terry.
The following summer of 2016 was Lead the Cause with all of us together.
The following fall of 2016 was another half marathon for Terry and Jazmin, where David drove the two of them all the way up to Crazy Horse, 45 minutes one way before church and before the crack of dawn, just because Terry asked him. He was nice like that.
Later in November 2016 was another Fall Retreat and then more mountain biking. I should caution here that this is my perspective of David and Jazmin. They have a very different view on things since it happened to them! Also Denise probably had an even closer view of things, illustrated by this photo. Not long after we took this picture my bike broke and once we all walked out they continued their ride on Skyline Drive and sent me a picture.
Summer of 2017 is my final memory before they actually started dating. I think this was my first ride at Howling Beagle and I remember him being up there on his motorcycle too. It was later that summer around a fire pit that Terry asked David if he was interested in anyone. He gave Terry one guess (this was our chance) and Terry said Jazmin. "Yep. Jazmin Brue." 💙 She was finally on his radar.
Later that fall she went to South Africa and for some "strange reason" distance made the heart grow fonder and they grew closer very quickly. It was at this point that I didn't see as much of them because they were spending their time together alone without a group of onlooking mountain bikers, etc.
Fast forward another month and the big day was finally upon us! Reminiscent of Prae and Steven's wedding, Terry was working on something special for them.
I was seriously so incredibly excited. I love them both so much and they're just so dear to us. It felt like such a privilege to watch their relationship grow before our eyes and to have been involved.
On Friday, November 2nd the rehearsal finally came.
Steven, Zach, and Matt cheesing it up.
"What now?"
Steven was just cracking me up.
Jon escorting Jazmin.
Terry read a portion of scripture from Colossians.
More practice of where they would go for the song portion of the wedding.
I'm glad I took a couple pictures of them that night because I didn't get all that many good ones the following day
All ready to go!
SO ready to go.
Terry and I attended the rehearsal dinner at the Ramkota where Terry read his poem. He didn't have a song for them like Steven and Prae's wedding, but the poem was full personal insights, sweetness, and jokes. Jazmin used to be obsessed with the movie Inception so he bought her a spinning token like in the movie and spun it at the end of his speech. I also gave a speech but thankfully that wasn't recorded. I felt like a dingo but people said I did okay.
The following morning Frannie and I arrived at the church early to help Faith string together baby's breath for the decorations. It was tedious work but turned out great.
Beautiful!
Everything was ready to go.
We also hung more baby's breath on the stage railings.
Theirs was the first Parkview wedding to combine with a reception within the sanctuary. It worked great! Talk about saving time and money too!
Cute little centerpieces.
I loved all the bike tire decorations. Perfect. Pretty cake too.
Cute.
I was the church so late that I got a sneak peek of the bride and groom coming in from the cold to take pictures in the church. Too windy outside.
I went home to eat and get ready and then we all six turned around to go back to the church. We stumbled upon the groomsmen in the midst of a little mischief.
Jada is so pretty!
Jenna was too. I was looking for Jazmin was she was missing in action...I think praying with David before the ceremony.
From there Terry and I welcomed guests into the sanctuary and handed out programs. Evie even held the door for people. The ceremony was beautiful and I really did have a few tears out of joy. I was bursting with it.
Mr. and Mrs. Maxey came back in to greet their guests and dismiss them for food and drinks.
Glad they were able to get some food.
Visiting with the girls.
Jazmin looked so beautiful and grown up! She's come so far from the middle schooler I remember.
They look so happy don't they? And for good reason.
I had Steven take my picture with them. Duh. Had to be done.
Heading to cut the cake.
Watching the video Zoe and Chris put together. It was really well done.
Applauding and then they cut the cake.
Visiting with Matt shortly before they the toasts. I absolutely loved this bike tire art that Russ made for their table. It's in their apartment now.
Time for toasts. Zoe did great. I forgot to take a picture of Steven, whoops.
David then thanked everyone.
I like how Jazmin looks at him.
Right before they left we snagged a picture with them. I felt bad because many, many others wanted the same thing, but I had to have it.
Leaving amidst huge sparklers.
Unfortunately my dumb camera wasn't focused. Grrr.
I was pretty frustrated with the quality of my pictures, but it's not like I'm a professional, and they're better than nothing.
After moving away from home in 2007, I became weary of emailing recent photos of our kids to the grandparents. So I started a blog. And even though we moved back home in 2012, I still really enjoy keeping track of our lives!
