Road to Omaha

Baseball is life.  At least for this family.  And when we heard we were taking a baseball trip to Omaha, Nebraska with our team, we made a family vacation out of it.

We headed to South Dakota first to check out some presidents.  We booked the Mount Rushmore tour with our own tour guide and saw some pretty amazing things.  It's definitely the best way to sight see.  Plus, the weather was in the cool 60's and felt so nice!!!

We stopped at Crazy Horse Memorial.  It's been under construction for over 20 years and Craig and I probably won't see the completion in our lifetime.  But it still looks pretty cool. 

 

 

 The white sculpture is how the finished product should look.

 

Our guide took us on a very scenic route through Custer State Park.  We saw lots of wild elk and a couple of buffalo.  We were told the rest of the buffalo were on higher ground in the park due to the recent rains.  It was still so beautiful!!!!

 



The rains started and the fog was drifting in and out.  We weren't sure how much of Mount Rushmore we would be able to see.  Thankfully, just as we were getting to the monument, the rains stopped.  However, it made the former Presidents look like they were crying (perhaps they were?).

 

A flag for each state was represented along this walkway.

Our tour included a free lunch at the café and we enjoyed taking in the sights.  It was a pretty cool experience.

For dinner, we took in a local chuck wagon show, Fort Hays.  It was also the location of some of the scenes from the movie "Dances with Wolves."  Some movie memorabilia was housed on site.  We had such a great time.  They played music from all decades after we finished a delicious meal.  There was even an Elvis sighting!

We had a great time in South Dakota and it is such a beautiful state.  I wish we had time to check out more tourist attractions, but we had to head off to Omaha to start the baseball festivities.

We took in two college world series games.  Preston had a blast watching the games and hanging out with his teammates.  Even when it was raining, he did not want to leave.

 

 

 

Sadly, our first day of games got rained out.  So, our family took the opportunity to go across the river to Iowa and do some sight seeing.  We visited the Union Pacific Railroad Museum and learned all about the history of this railroad company.  Then, we toured a historic home and loved it!!  I always think the woodwork in these old houses are so beautiful. 

 

 

 

 

We ate dinner at Quaker Steak and Lube.  It looks like an old gas station with replicas of cars inside.  The food was pretty good.

 

 

The next day (after going 1-1 in our games), we went to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge and stood in 2 states at a time.  Then we headed to a local burger joint that was A-MAY-ZING!!!!

 

 

 

Baseball

We really traveled to the Midwest for a baseball tournament.  There was a bonfire where the boys traded pins, met players from across the country and participated in a skills challenge. After going 1-1 on that Friday, we won our game on Saturday and then won 3 games in a row on Sunday!  We won the championship for our division.  Such an amazing feat!!!!  The last 3 teams were all from Texas and were seeded higher than us.  It also got pretty warm, but our team pushed through.  Every single player did such a fantastic job.  We went home with pretty full hearts.

 

 

 

 

We made one more stop in Oklahoma on our way home.  I am a huge fan of Pioneer Woman and was dying to stop at her restaurant and store.  Craig was kind enough to make the detour so I can see it.  There were also public tours of her Lodge, which is where she films her TV show.  I loved it so much!!!

 

 

It was a very busy week, we drove many, many miles, visited 4 more states, and made so many new memories.

Choose Peace

We are halfway through 2018.  It seems like only yesterday was January 1st and before we know it, it will be December 31st.  The months have been flying by and I must say, for my family so far, this year has been good.

When God spoke to us at the beginning of the year and told us to live a life fulfilled every day, we truly took it to heart.  I saw each one of us embrace each day, take on each challenge, and enjoy some fabulous moments, big and small.  We have experienced some great things and made some unforgettable memories.

God has truly blessed us and I am so thankful for the life we get to live.  He provides our every need and we are never without.  However, the human side of me can't help but wonder when something dreadful will happen. I find myself waiting for something to go terribly awry or to find ourselves in a circumstance that we cannot get out of.

But God does not want that for us.  He does not want us to be robbed of our peace.  By allowing these little annoyances to sneak into my mind, I am not allowing myself to be fully enveloped in His peace and blessings.

Now, has everything been perfect?  Has everyday gone swimmingly?  No.  We have certainly had some challenges to face albeit all minor in comparison to what others are going through.  We've trusted and believed in God's provision and He always provided.  When we found ourselves with a hurting heart or mind full of turmoil, we gave it to God.

And He always gives us peace.

So as we finish out the year and experience all that these next few months has to bring, we will continue to enjoy each day, live life to the fullest, and give any little worry or problem to the One that will take care of it all.

We choose God.  We choose peace.

Preston's Birthday Letter

Dear Preston,

As I type this on my phone, we are traveling hundreds of miles away from home on another family adventure. These adventures always excite you and you love to help in the planning.

This past year, you have grown up so much. We realize our little boy is not so little anymore. 

Although school is not your favorite place to be, you have really made an effort to excel in your classes. You have found new interests, new ways to study, and are ready to challenge yourself in your upcoming middle school years.

You have found a new excitement when it comes to church. You are eager to go and even more eager to invite friends. 

You are still very passionate about baseball, just as you have been for many years.  This last year brought new challenges,  new friends, and a new team. As always, you fit right in and do what is expected of you. 

You are a mama's boy and try to imitate your dad. You're that pesky little brother but also the family comedian. Your personality is unique and you make no excuses. 

Stay unique. Stay strong. And try to stay little.

Happy  12th birthday, #12!

Love you, Dude,
Dad, Mom, and Kaitlyn 

School Life

The kids and I made it through another school year.  For them, they are headed to new schools with new teachers, new friends, and new challenges.  For me, I am starting my junior year of college with same teachers, same friends, but new challenges.

I think we all struggled at some point throughout this past year.  There were frustrations and tears.  Poor Craig was as supportive as he could be for his three students.  We muddled through and were overall successful in all of our studies.

After the new year, when God spoke to us about living a life fulfilled, we sat down together and talked about how we were going to face our school challenges over the next 5 months.  We agreed we would throw ourselves into our school work, we would tackle every new challenge, and we would enjoy every moment.

And we made it.

We saw Preston study even more for tests by creating his own flashcards, be creative and work hard on every project (and he had A LOT!!!), and his grades improved tremendously.  He was in so many after school clubs and was the top runner in Running Club for 6th grade.  He also practiced hard in percussion, enjoyed his private lessons, and received a I in his first Solo and Ensemble contest.  He is excited about staying in band and joining Athletics as he goes into middle school.

We saw Kaitlyn maintain very high A's in all of her Pre-AP classes as she had some struggles with Algebra.  She continued to seek tutoring when she didn't understand a concept and did very well on her Algebra exam.  She now has a high school math credit!!!  She did a fabulous job in her theater activities, AVID and NJHS volunteer work, and was even asked to be part of the Principal's Cabinet.  And when she hurt her shoulder in volleyball and could no longer participate in Athletics, she kept a positive attitude and enjoyed the things she could still do.  She is really looking forward to all of her design and art classes in high school.

I finally completed my 4 semesters of Music Theory and Aural Skills.  Phew!!!  I become a better piano player, developing my own accompaniment patterns.  I feel I became a better vocalist, really taking time to learn how to use my entire body to create the sounds I want.  However, there is still sooo much more to learn and to practice with all of my instruments.  I actually made it through the semester without ever telling Craig that I wanted to quit.  Most of all, I completely fell in love with my school, my fabulously talented friends, and my very understanding and helpful professors.  I wholeheartedly look forward to graduating (a very long time from now), but I will absolutely miss this school when I do.  I cannot wait to take more in-depth music therapy classes in the Fall.

We all excelled at our studies, received accolades for our hard work, and balanced our very busy schedules.  We enjoyed some really great moments and handled some really tough ones.  And we did it as a family.  We were each other's cheerleaders and each other's supporters.  We were each other's tutors and even each other's audience.  We were always there to pray for each other, asking God's guidance through each day and truly living each day to the fullest.

As we enjoy a long summer together, we eagerly anticipate a new school year as a 7th grader, 9th grader, and college junior.  But first, we rest.

Find Your Passion

We are two months into the new year.  Which mean we are two months into living "a life fulfilled."  We have embraced our phrase of the year and looked at the blessings in our lives in a whole new way.  Part of living a life fulfilled is being able to put a positive spin on any negative situation.  It's a whole new mindset, an attitude adjustment, and always seeing the glass as half full.

Last night, the four of us enjoyed a fabulous conversation over a delicious dinner.  I asked everybody to name their passion. Everyone was eager to share without hesitation.  Then, I asked them how were they going to grow that passion and have a life fulfilled.  It took some thought, but those answers soon came as well. 

In that moment, as we were embracing the passions that had long been on our hearts, we were also embracing what is to come.  God wants us to have an engaging, meaningful life.  He doesn't want it to be dull and full of dread.  God wants us to feel the joy, live a life fulfilled, and share our passions with others. 

God recently showed me my true passion.  Once I realized it, it made so much sense to my musician self.  I simply am not passionate about singing.  I enjoy singing, I love music, and I love to engage others in a song.  But, I'm not passionate about classical singing and the foreign languages and the proper technique that goes into becoming a true singer.  I am very, very thankful for the skills and opportunity to learn, but it's not a true passion.  Learning all of this made me realize why I struggle so much with practicing, getting through the lessons, and trying to get past German diction.  However, performing a Sing and Play on piano or guitar is completely different.  I am eager to practice and learn new techniques. I am eager to find new songs and play them well.  I am overjoyed when I get to hang out with preschoolers and have fun with music.  Music therapy is my passion.  While it is not my passion, proper voice training is a small part of music therapy and the voice lessons will help me become a great music therapist.