Things are Lookin' UP!

So, things are lookin' up!  (Note to self:  Don't reread past blogs 'cuz they will make you cry.)

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Vic is home!  She had a MAHHHHHHvelous time at camp, er Kamp.  She spent the week at Kamp Kanakuk, which is a Christian sports camp.  This is a camp that several of my choir kids had attended, but I didn't know much about it.  Well, this past spring, SEVERAL people at different times suggested that we find a way to send Vic to this Kamp.  It is very expensive, but the Lord provided and we sent her.  I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about it, but it was needless worry, as so many things in life are.  Needless worries.  She LOVED it.  She kept busy the entire time, whether it was canoeing, kayaking, rock wall climbing, tree top zipping, swimming, blobbing, flag football, whiffle ball, or just having quiet time in devotions with the Lord.  I LOVE that on the way home from Kamp, she said SEVERAL times how she feels like she's changed!  "Who are you and what have you done with my daughter???"  She feels like her relationship with the Lord has deepened and she DESIRES to spend time in THE WORD!  Wonderful, soothing words to this mother.  She had 2 college aged counselors who impacted her life in a dramatic way.  She wants to model their habit of waking up 30 minutes early to be in The Word, and to let that be what she does 30 minutes before going to bed at night.  Thank You, Jesus!  Sometimes, it does take more than a mother suggesting these things.  Vic made friends, she sought after kids who looked like they were sad just to cheer them up!  She never put herself or her needs first, and always looked after the needs of others!  I LOVE that!  Well, obviously, I could go on and on....  Just know that this week was very impacting on her life.  And I'm a grateful mother.

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I spent the weekend looking over Home School curriculum.  I think we have it figured out.  We will choose a core curriculum that is literature based.  Vic loves to read and so do I!!!  It's Sonlight curriculum and we'll choose Core 200, which is history based on Christianity and how Christianity has affected history.  Included will be History, Literature, Grammar, Spelling, and Bible.  We'll add their science curriculum, which for the sophomore year will be biology.  I LOVE biology!  Truly, I do!  We will add in Spanish for her foreign language, especially so she'll be ready for Cabo.  We will add PE, time at the gym, and piano lessons for her fine arts credit.  Our plan is to get our day started at 7, have devotions, breakfast, straighten up around the house and start school at 9.  The first couple of hours will be instruction with me, and then she will have independent studies, which will be overseen by me.  She will have a level of accountability that is self-motivating.  She's excited and so am I.  God is good.

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We are lookin' for a puppy.  Spent a lot of time last night on Craig's List and have made several inquiries.  Lots of cuteness out there.

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Today is Mom~n~Meg Day.  Gonna go hang out with Megz and Kenzie... pool time awaits.

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And that's my life so far.  And it's all good.

For There to be a Testimony, There Must Be a Test

Yup.  I suppose so.  I'm hoping to have a really great testimony after the summer I've had.  Blog Therapy Time is warranted.


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Victoria & I took a trip to San Antonio in July.  It was fabulous!  It was our first Mom-n-Vic roadtrip.  We stopped over in Oklahoma City and stayed in a very nice hotel downtown.  We walked to their Brickyard area, like a river walk, and had a nice time.  We ate dinner at a nice restaurant...  had a great time!  This is the first time that Victoria has stayed in a "nice" hotel.  

The next morning, we got up early and headed to the Oklahoma City National Memorial to the bombing victims.  I wanted Victoria to see that people go through tough times and that through their faith in the Lord and perseverance, good can come out of it.  

 Looking out over the reflective pool and memorial chairs commemorating every person who died that day, and the chain link fence with tributes.

Then we headed to San Antonio, TX and stayed for a week with my cousin, Leslie and her horses.  This is a picture of Buckshot, the horse that Vic fell in love with.  She took care of him and got to ride him, too!  Buckshot is a rescued horse.

While visiting Leslie, my cousin Chuck's wife brought out a puppy who was rescued.  Victoria decided that she wanted to keep her and she named her Iris.  As long as I've known Victoria, she's always wanted an all-black puppy who had some lab in her.  This is Iris.  We all fell in love with her.

The trip was a good one.  It was good to get away from Kansas City.  It was good for Victoria go get out of town for a little bit and learn to have compassion and care for others.  We got to hang out with my cousins, their kids, and even one of my aunts!  It was a mini family reunion, and just what I needed.  Vic and Leslie developed a close relationship, which is good.  Vic would love to go back someday....


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On our way home, we stopped by the hospice where my dad had been moved to.  I ended up staying the night and Don had driven down to bring Victoria & Iris home.  Sad time.... My dad's life would end just two short weeks later.  Dyan & I were able to drive down there and be with him when he passed away.  Sad times....  I will miss my dad.


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So, here we are.  The beginning of August.  I'm in such a funk, and can't seem to shake it.  Perhaps it's part of the grieving process.  Victoria is at Kamp Kanakuk right now, which is a good thing.  When we brought Iris home, we had her first set of immunizations done.  Then two weeks later, she died.  She had developed viral encephilitis and could not recover.  She is wrapped up in a beautiful hand towel with pink crocheting on it, and placed into a designer Italian shoebox.  She was buried in our perennial garden.  So sad....  


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Still coming to terms with leaving our former church.  It's hard wondering how people are reacting to our leaving.  It hurts not seeing people that I love every week.  I know we were supposed to leave and become active in a church closer to home where Victoria can be active in a youth group that doesn't know a thing about her past.  But leaving friends that I've had for 14 years is difficult.... and makes me sad.  Sometimes I wonder how many people really care.  And I'm dealing with not having the children's choir ministry anymore.  That is a tough thing.... and I've grieving at the loss of this.


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I know we will survive the Summer of 2012.  And we will be stronger for it.  I just need to remember to keep my eyes on the Lord, my husband and my family, because together, we can make it through anything.  I am grateful to my friends who care and who are constantly lifting us up in prayer, and those who send me little notes of encouragement, whether it's in the mail or thru cyberspace.  God is good.  Always.


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And that's my life so far....