A GOLD MEDALIST!

And not just once, but twice!

Spencer participated in a regional Solo & Ensemble Contest along with many of his peers, schoolmates and many other schools. This was his first year participating in this contest, which is for 6th-12th graders. He sang in an ensemble and also sang a solo, receiving a gold medal for each performance! Way to go Spencer!!! Here he is proudly displaying both of his medals.

Spencer was nervous to sing in the ensemble, which was scheduled first. But singing his solo multiplied his nerves a thousand times over! Rarely do you see this boy nervous, and today was one of those times. His song for his solo was the fun "Supercalifragilistic-expialidocious!" Rick snapped a quick picture during his performance as I videotaped. We'd put the performance video on the blog, but Spencer has requested us not to. So I guess we'll honor his wishes.

Here's our nervous boy singing his heart out ... and doing a fantastic job!

Here's the PROUD family after all was done. Both my parents and Rick's parents were in attendance to give their support.

Congratulations, Spencer!!! We are so proud of you!!! Not only for how well you did, but for doing it in the first place!!! Way to go!!!

We'd also like to give a congradulatory shout-out to Alora and Katie (from our youth group) who also received golds for their performances. And Brittany, too!

Missions Trip

Just before New Years we headed down to Mississippi with some of our youth group kids and several other people from our church denomination from across the country. Our goal was to continue relief efforts started back in August of 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit. Our trip was going to be a very short one since the kids were due back in school so early, but we were anxious to go and make the best of the two days we would have to work. One of our first stops was at the beach in Long Beach just miles from where we were lodging and only a short walk to the home of Mrs. Hue where we would be working.

It was truly amazing to see how much devestation still exists after all this time. One woman in our group who was part of the mission team last January pointed out how there is still trash and debri hanging in trees. The lives of these people have been forever changed. But with the lack of media attention given after the shock is over, it's so easy to think things are back to normal for them. It's just so not the case. Many of the people who lived in the area where we were working could not afford insurance for their homes and belongings, so when we hear that they lost everything ... they truly lost everything - including jobs to make an income to replace what they'd lost. It's such a vicious cycle of bad circumstances.

Here is a picture of some trees across the road from Mrs. Hue's house, along with a home that is in the process of being rebuilt ...

We spent two days sanding dry wall. It was a cumbersome task, and quite tiresome work. We were fortunate to be traveling with a woman from our church and her two brothers who build homes for a living. Their wisdom and expertise were invaluable. They were so careful to do the best job possible for Mrs. Hue, who has been living in a FEMA trailer for over two years, and patiently and enthusiastically instructed us novices well. They taught us so much, and gave us knowledge we will be able to use in the years ahead.

Here is Spencer fighting with a shop vac that didn't work too well ...

Here I am sanding in the family room area ...

Here is Rick with one of the girls from our youth group sanding in one of the bedroom suits. Rick was taught how to tell a good dry wall job from a bad one - he loved learning this!

We were really bummed to not be able to stay the whole week to work on Mrs. Hue's house. There was a big crew who took our place after we left. They did amazing work and were able to finish sanding dry wall, mudded and textured the ceilings, and primed and painted the walls of the entire house! And let me tell you, this is no small house. There are three bedroom suites, each with full bathrooms! Mrs. Hue looks forward to being able to help house some of her family and others who come to visit. In fact, she told us that if we ever come back to the area we should stop by her restaurant and get her house keys to stay with her! She has such a big heart!

Here's an after picture. Isn't it beautiful?!?!

Here is a picture of Spencer with Mrs. Hue in front of her home.

During our trip we were housed in a church that had converted four upstairs classrooms into permanent volunteer housing. Here is a picture of our living quarters for the week ...

The bunks were three levels high and had either matresses or air matresses to use. Not the most comfortable, but of course it was just one of the many things that made the trip all the more memorable and created funny stories to share.

The church also had an academy on the small campus. Next to the church was the school building and cafeteria where we were fed fabulous meals. In fact, it was the first time I had grits (the ones we had were cheesey) and they were soooo goooood! On the other side of the school building was our shower building. Take a look at this ...

This is basically a shed converted into two shower rooms, one for the guys and one for the gals. Each had three shower stalls and one restroom and was unheated and not insulated! It made for a cold shower trip in the thirty degree weather we had!!! Not to mention the lack of warm water! But, as I mentioned before, it has made for some funny memories. Note the countertop and mirrors set up on the outside of the building for people to use. Let me tell you, they were not used while we were there!

Now, let me share one funny story from the first night we were there. I got a cell phone call from my youth group girls who had gone to take showers before we went to bed. They sounded hysterical and I thought for sure someone had gotten hurt. Come to find out, they were screaming and laughing, not crying. They wanted me to come save them from the gecko that was "trapping" them in the shower room - all eight inches of him!!! Too funny!

We would so love to go back some day, if God should call us. We would especially love to go see Mrs. Hue, who was able to re-open her restaurant, The Rusty Pelican, a few days ago. It was a grand event and over 100 people attended a party the night before. So, if you ever make it down that way, but sure to stop in and meet this amazing woman.

Our Birthday Boy

It's official ... we have a teenager in the house! We celebrated Spencer's 13th birthday over the weekend with dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant, going to the homecoming football game, a sleepover, and a birthday party with family and friends. At the Chinese restaurant, our favorite waitresses surprised us with a birthday cake for Spencer. It was soooo sweet!

For birthday presents, Spencer had most everyone contributing towards his guitar fund (or his book collection). He was so excited to learn he'd saved and received enough to buy the electric guitar he's had his eye on for the last several months. I took him to his lesson a little early today so he could make the big purchase. He was so excited ... and I was so excited for him. So, for all you who contributed, here he is with his new guitar and amplifier.

Now, if we could just bring Malia home so he can finally be a big brother!

Claws & Paws

For Kristin, who's tired of looking at beach pictures...

We decided to go to Claws & Paws to fill some time on vacation. We weren't quite sure about the place at first - it was rather rustic with dirt trails and outhouse restrooms - but it was actually a really nice place. The first attraction was the majestic lion who started the tour off on a good note. He was absolutely beautiful. Speaking of beautiful ... here is my over dramatic son, who acts more and more like his father every day - good grief!

Need I say more?

The petting area was a lot of fun mainly because of one very intelligent goat.

As soon as I put money in the machine he was up on his hind legs trying to get into the slot where the food came out - and he was as gentle as can be. It was so cute. Spencer got a kick out of getting more food.

Here are a few more pictures of our day...

The sink area outside the restrooms - notice the little pump peddle you had to press with your foot to make the water come out.

Glad this wasn't a spittin' camel.

The kids had fun discovering fossils at the archealogical site.

The new crocodile hunters ... aren't they brave?

Thought this was a cute picture of Rick and Luke even though I can't remember what they're looking at.

Can't help but point out the "Do Not Feed" sign. Way to go, Rick!

And here are the kids with their special gifts to help remember the day - with Spencer holding Malia's panda bear stuffed animal. How could we possibly leave her out?

Sand Surf and Sunshine

Since we were fairly close to the Jersey shore, we took a day to go play at the beach. This was Cassidy, Lauren and Luke's first ever view of the ocean, so it was a special event. Here they are, about to dip their toes in the ocean for the first time.

Spencer and Rick absolutely love the ocean, as does Amanda. Their family spent a lot of time at beaches when they were younger. I, on the other hand, am not a fan of salt water and not being able to see my feet when standing in the water. I'm scared to death of jellyfish and other aquamarine life that might sting, bite or feel mushy. But none of that bothers Rick and Spencer, so out they headed to enjoy body surfing the waves.

I love this picture of Rick, Amanda and the kids getting ready for another wave. It looks like a doozy is coming, doesn't it?

Luke enjoyed playing in the sand. It was right up his alley to be able to run wild, throw things into the water and use his "outside voice". He seemed to enjoy the beach more than any other place we went on vacation. He was so fun to watch. Here he is after running and then taking a dive into the sand. He did it several times and just smiled each time. What a cutie!

He also enjoyed being buried in the sand. Here is Lauren joining him.

A sand castle was also attempted, despite our not having any sand building utensils. Why does it always happen that right when things are looking really good the tide rises and washes everything away?

While Cassidy and Spencer spent time out in the waves with Rick and Amanda, Lauren used her time hunting for sea shells. She found some pieces with beautiful colors and kept making pile after pile on the blanket. Then she found a special surprise - a live starfish!!! He was quickly named Patrick - I know, not very original in this day of SpongeBob.

Lauren wanted to take poor Patrick home with her, so Kyle put some sand and ocean water in one of our empty water bottles and squeezed him inside. (Needless to say, he didn't survive the remainder of our vacation.)

Then we happened to notice a pair of sunglasses floating in from the ocean. We left them lay for quite a while, but the girls couldn't resist asking if they could keep them. Here's Lauren with the second great find. Nice pose, huh?

The funny thing is, when we got into our vehicles and started heading back to the resort, the kids noticed that the sunglasses started losing their shade - they were someone's prescription transition glasses! We felt awful for not trying to find their owner while on the beach, but we thought they were just a cheap pair of sunglasses! Ooooops!

The drive home from New Jersey was rather interesting. Jersey people don't seem to do well with politeness in the midst of road construction, which led to a great deal of "merging issues" as we termed it. What should have been a two hour ride home ended up taking much longer. Boy, were we happy to get back to the resort to just chill. Who new being on vacation could be so exhausting?

Stay tuned for zoo pics, coming soon!

Gettin' Wet At Camelbeach

We took a day and went to Camelbeach waterpark in Tannersville. It was a little cool - definitely not a perfect scorcher day - but otherwise a beautiful day. And honestly, the kids could have cared less what the temperature was like, they just wanted to get wet.

The first place we headed was to the wave pool, which was by far the most popular place to be. Every so often the waves would stop for few minutes and then a warning siren would sound to indicate the waves were coming back on. People would scream and cheer - they honestly sounded like they were on a rollercoaster! This is where Spencer, Cassidy and Lauren wanted to spend most of their time. Personally, I don't get it. I'm more of a water slide girl myself.

Luke was happy to spend time in the kiddie area that had some cute play stuff. This little guy seemed to have a fun time just being. And it was a good place to be able to use his "outside voice."

Here are all the kids (minus the big kid, a.k.a. Rick) just hanging out for a short while.

Then, Rick and I took the bigger kids to go on some water slides. Now, this is what I call fun. We went on the red, white and green slides. The black one was the most popular and had the longest line, so we avoided that one. It was a slide that had you riding in the dark the whole way down. The other ones were still a blast, so none of us went away disappointed.

Camelbeach also has a section called Camelback, which is a ski place in the winter. You can see the ski slopes on the hill in the first picture (of the kids with the camel) - look in the background. It was kind of a bizarre sight. They had the ski lift running, so Rick and I snuck away to go up and see the sights from there. A little restaurant was located on top and had a great lookout point. Here's the view...

And here's a picture of part of the park on the way down...

And my brave guy sitting beside me - ever so willing to keep me safe at all cost...

It was a full day and we were all whooped by the time we left. We'd definitely go back. There was a lot of the park we didn't visit, mainly because some of our group - and they know who they are - wanted to hang out in the waves all day.

Check back soon for beach pics!

Hershey Park

Since traveling to China in 2007 became a long lost dream somewhere along the way, we decided to take a vacation - not that we could really afford it. But, we were really longing for some time away from the all too familiar daily routine of life. On a whim, we decided to take a vacation with Rick's sister, Amanda, and her family. We were especially excited for Spencer to have kids to interact with on the trip. So, the morning after Spencer and I returned home from BYIC Convention we headed to Pennsylvania east of the Poconos to Shawnee on the Delaware. Before getting to our resort we stopped in Hershey to go to the amusement park. Rick, Spencer and I were just there last year, but were more than happy to revisit the place again this year. Here are all the kids (yep, including the big guy in the middle!).

Here is a picture of Rick's sister's family. They were waiting in line at the log flume ride - one of Luke's favorites. Plus, it was a ride that Amanda was actually willing to go on.

We were really excited to visit the Boardwalk (water park area) since it was only in construction last year. Look at this play area for the kids!!!

The picture below is of a ride that Rick absolutely loves. When this boat hits the bottom of the track there is no way to avoid becoming absolutely drenched! Plus, the spray is so intense that, if you're not careful about where you're standing, onlookers can get pretty wet, too. Rick, Spencer, Kyle, Cassidy and Lauren are on the boat in the picture if you want to try and find them.

And here they are waiting in line for the Canyon River ride. I took one picture of them smiling - except for Spencer who was "posing" like his father usually does. When I told them to let me take it again, this is what I got. At least Spencer is smiling nicely!

Okay, let me share a little something humorous about this Canyon River ride. I was able to stand at this point of the ride where people came to the first waterfall (see picture below). Almost every person screamed and tried to avoid getting wet. Most were very successful at staying dry and I could hear them saying things like, "Ha! Missed it!" But I couldn't help but chuckle because I knew what lay ahead - two waterfalls that stretched the entire width of the stream of water. There is no getting off this ride with any part of you dry! Trust me, I've been on it!

Here we all are after a long, tiring, wet, but super fun day.

Stay tuned for pictures from Camelbeach Water Park!