I'm Back in the Saddle!

I got a call several weeks ago from our friend in the Bahamas.  She was shocked when I answered the phone.  She said, “Well Mickey, I thought you’d done died and gone to heaven.  There hasn’t been anything new on your blog for so long I was sure you were dead so I was calling up to give my condolences to Kory and to tell him I got a whole line up of women down here ready to take him on.”  I couldn’t have laughed harder.  That woman is a total crack up.  When I asked her how she was doing, her response was, “Well fine, now that I know you aren’t DEAD.”  So I guess I'd better be more diligent in keeping my blog going or she’ll be on the lookout for a new wife for Kory!

It’s easy to get out of a habit that takes so much time to maintain.  I’ve been terrible about blogging lately because of all the exceptional activities that have gone on the past few months, but for the first time in over a year, our life is finally back to “normal” and our weekly routines will be nothing BUT routine!  It could be a good thing or a bad thing, but it does allow me a little time to myself here and there so I can write once again.  Hallelujah!

I guess I left off in August somewhere – after we got home from Mexico.  The only big event that followed that amazing trip were a few quick camping trips (photos above and below - that's Kaleb kayaking above!) to round out the summer.

Since most of Kaleb’s time with friends involves electronics, we decided to make a few new and unique memories for him with friends so we took our RV to Larrabee State Park in Bellingham for two days.  We invited Malik and Spencer to come along and it was a good mix with the three guys hanging at the beach, challenging each other on to physical stunts and running around the campground.  We had a wonderful time in the sunshine and even “discovered” a sand dollar bed at low tide so we collected a lot of dead ones, but there were thousands of ones still alive.  I’ve never seen such a thing so it was a big thrill for us all.  The boys could have stayed at the beach all day but we opted to go to Bellingham and walk the boardwalk there, having cool drinks at Woods Coffee and eating dinner out, so I didn’t have to cook.  We felt so blessed to have the weather cooperate the whole time and the boys got along so well.  Made me glad we bought our RV, as it’s such an easy way to travel and with Kory’s dietary restrictions, it’s the only way to go – having the frig and microwave at the ready.

Each day following that trip, Kaleb and Kory were busy on the outdoor pizza oven (above).  Kaleb had big plans for our social life when that thing got done, and so far, it’s holding out to be true, as we’ve had several pizza parties since then that were a big hit.  I just hope he masters the baking in it as well as he certainly mastered the art of making of it.  It was impressive to see him lay brick, cut the stone with a tile saw and chip away the old mortar from the bricks we had lying around.  He’s becoming quite the craftsman, in spite of himself.

Our final summer hoorah was a trip to Family Camp with the Covenant church down in Yelm for Labor Day Weekend.  We’ve gone several times before and always had a good time, so we squeezed it in before school started this year.  A few of Kaleb’s friends from church were there too, so he had some kids to hang out with, and our youth pastor was the main speaker so that was a big draw for him as well.  He loves that guy.

The weather couldn’t have been more agreeable and the atmosphere and activities were just what we needed for our big last breath before all the school routines start.  This year I’m giving Kaleb more ownership than ever with his schoolwork – letting him parcel out his homework and figure out when and how everything needs to be done.  I had much angst about how heavy a load he’s carrying, but on the other hand, he needs big challenges or his brain just wastes away in comic books or on “funniest photo” websites.  So far, he’s holding his own and carrying an A- or A average in all his classes, which consist of Honors Pre-Calculus with Trig, US History, English & Theology, Chemistry, Spanish and Piano.  He’s also still in scouts and goes to youth group.

Because these next few years really “count” toward college admission and obtaining scholarships, he started doing more intentional volunteer work so he’s tutoring younger kids two hours a week and he’s working his apprenticeship job as a research physicist four hours a week (below).  He’s had to do homework a few times in the evening and on weekends, which is new for him, but he’s not falling behind so I’m thankful for that.

The outdoor wood oven has been my new favorite “toy” in the last few months.  Just days after it was completed, there “happened” to be a conference just down the street, which included classes on how to bake in a wood fired oven!  A friend of ours got me in for free on a “press pass” (saving me the $300 entrance fee), so I wrote a story about the conference for our local paper -  win/win all the way around.  I was just sad Kaleb didn’t get to learn all that I did, but at least now we know we can bake more than pizza in it as it makes the best darn roasted chicken on the planet.  I even gave up being a vegan for a little bite of that delicacy.  It sure makes it easy to know what to cook when company comes over!  Yum yum.