crazy bike ride

The boys and I went on a bike ride tonight...I am going to pretend this is the photo from tonight, because I like photos and didn't take one today.  I told the boys they could go ahead of me because we were biking to an ice cream place and I wasn't going to eat ice cream anyway.  (I was just along for the ride.)

So anyway....on this bike ride, my handle bars went wonky (sliding down), I caught my shoe-lace in my pedal at a very wrong time and then got bit by a bee or some sort of mean bug.  It made me realize that I have rarely ever gotten bitten by anything other than a mosquito/fly/ladybug in my life (3 times that I can remember....one time was before 3rd grade, once was almost 20 years ago and today!)...thank goodness.  Although the bite did swell up for awhile, it has gone down already, less than an hour later.  The red spot, which grew rather large, doesn't even hurt anymore.  (whew)  I don't think the bee/bug had much time on my skin.

Some might think that this would make me not want such future adventures, but it really didn't.  I think more adventures are in order, but that I should travel with hex screw-drivers and my phone!  I didn't really need my phone, but it was close!  

The best thing is that Matthew volunteered to ride my bike home (I declined) and Joel (almost) fixed my bike when he got home.  (We need a smaller hex., but hopefully Ken can find one....he is out of town.)  It is nice to have nice kids.

Visit to Grandpa's for Father's Day!

Matthew made Grandpa Beef Stroganoff and Caprese Salad.  (Flowers from my brother Steve....I was supposed to send him the photo!  Will do right now!!)

 

First Pup of the summer

 We are dog-sitting Owey, my high-school/college friend's dog!

6/24/21 Joel's first college visit

 Can anyone guess where he went?

He said he did learn a thing or two!!  He is also going to go tour Iowa State, but I don't think they are having in person tours yet.  Hopefully by the end of summer!  (I wasn't there to request a posed photo with a Herky statue or something :0)

6/24/21 FULLY VACCINATED!

(old photo....I had already used the picture I had originally posted)

 Now that this girl is 2 weeks post vaccination....we are ready to party!!!  

(well we didn't have a party, but now she can go to the crowded swimming pool and sleep-away camp!!!)

Vacation Bible School

 

I didn't get a good photo from Vacation Bible School.  Carolyn and I dropped off the girls so that Joel could go to Cross Country practice.  I stayed with his crew until he arrived and then left.  We were lucky to be joined this week by Anna's friend Ruth (my friend Anita's daughter).  We helped transport her to and from VBS.  She is very sweet and I think the girls had fun together.  They will bunk in the same cabin at Catholic Youth Camp too!!!  They also are going to serve on the Youth Ministry Core team!

First High School Experience

 

Anna had her first high school marching band practice yesterday.  I didn't try to take a picture, because I am sure that would not have been well received!  So I just dropped off and thought "the start of a new era".....sigh

I LOVE BOOKS!

Yesterday Matthew called me to say he found a great garage sale for me.  This translated to:  Garage Sale has books.  It is funny that Matthew and I sometimes spend a Saturday morning biking around for garage sales, because when he was growing up I rarely went to garage sales.

 Lately though, I have loved garage sales because it is a place to get good used books.  They have to be near perfect for me to buy them since I am going to turn around and give them away.  (I would never give away a book that didn't look very nice.)  Like I told Ken, kids with hearing loss often struggle to learn to read.  A couple of years ago, we started a book give away at work.  It started because I had about 100 books to give away that my kids had outgrown.  Anyway, since then I have bought books at the library (best deal 25cents for little kid books), Good-Will, Salvation Army, Stuff Consignment store, RheaLana consignment pop-up sale and garage sales!!

Today was one of my best days.  (except a RheaLana sale in 2019 when I filled a shopping cart.)  I bought 80 books for under $40!  Most were a 50 cents, 30 were 3 for $1, a couple were $1 and few 25 cents!  Can't beat it.

This morning was just so great.  Biking around with Matthew (who helped me haul the books home) was fun.  Two of the garage sales were at the homes of Anna and Joel's former teachers (kindergarten and 2nd grade).  I also went to Anna's friend's sale and she tried to give me the books for free, "you can just have these".....isn't that the sweetest thing?  I said absolutely not of course!  Also Joel's Eagle Scout buddy Levi's family had a sale.  I saw more people today than probably the whole of summer 2020 (not counting work and church)!

I figure that I have to take advantage of the season.  Garage sales don't even last the whole summer.  So I am stocking up! 

6/10/21 Why summer 2021 crushes 2020!

 I took Joel to get new running shoes.  We went whole hog this year since is is almost 6 feet tall and gained 15 lbs last year.  (Translation.....he needs good shoes to support his bigger body!  Previously, he had running shoes, but we got them at Kohls or Shoe Carnival.)  Anyway, we had to go to a nearby town to get the running shoes at a specialty shoe store to protect from injuries.  After making the purchase (I joked "Merry Christmas" to Joel as they were expensive.) we went OUT TO EAT...in a restaurant.  Matthew and I had eaten out 2 weekends ago with my friend Tammy, but it was Joel's first time eating in a restaurant in 15 months!!!

Later that same day....Anna received her 2nd vaccine!  HOOT HOOT....we are 2 weeks from worry about this crazy virus. (well for our immediate family members.....I think even all my extended family except my great niece and great nephews are now vaccinated!!!)

So much landscaping!

I have an new hobby.  I have so enjoyed planting new flowers and bushes and cleaning out my rock beds of all sorts of volunteer mulberry bushes.  The kids have all helped!!  (they might love it less than me)

 

Anna....turns 14 on 5/14/21

We celebrated with Applebee's takeout!  I think Ken might have picked Carolyn up from school on this day too!  (this is why I can't blog 1 month later!!)

Since this picture was taken Anna got her driver's permit too!  She took the test and didn't miss a question!  (She did a lot of practice tests....including one in Spanish....I think she even passed that one!)