Horn Creek

Another year of fun, relaxing, connection, and encouragement. It was wonderful to be at camp with both sets of grandparents and long-time friends including Rich and Cheryl Stiebens and Mike and Sheila Thomason. 

Highlights:

• Cabin at the bottom of the hill right by the dining hall
• Our amazing counselor, Julius Lee! He was so kind, especially to Colton
• River rafting with Big John and Julius
• Grant helping Julius fix the air conditioning in his car
• Date night where we got to connect unexpectedly with Brandon and Kristin Bjork
• Telling jokes with Colton at Talent Show night
• JR falling asleep at dinner, yet again, at Cheddars in Amarillo
• Third year in a row with hosts Brad and Lisa Clark and the Prestonwood crew
• Every single family registered for next year - 100%!
• Ranger getting to play with best buds Cademon and Jackson, and also with Wren
• Blessings for Nina and Papa and DD and Big John on the last evening - all the kids wrote their own messages that were so sweet and I did a blessing for DD and Big John and Grant did one for Nina and Papa

Cadie rode to Horn Creek with Nina and Papa so she could go visit Aunt Marcy. Jack Ranger rode with Nina and Papa on the way home, Colton rode with DD and Big John, so Grant and I got to be with Cadie on the way back to Dallas. We all did the trip in one day so we could get back home and get settled.

Chapman Boys in Big D

Bethany and Nathan got the opportunity of a lifetime to go on an all-expense paid Mediterranean yacht cruise with other professors, which means we got the Chapman boys all to ourselves for 2 weeks! Nina and Papa drove with the boys in their red mini-van from Georgia and arrived in Dallas on July 11. Since they arrived on 7-11, of course, we had to introduce them to free slurpies!

They spent a few days in Dallas and Nina took the boys to the Perot, they swam at the UP Pool, and settled in. Papa Ron drove the boys out to the farm on Thursday evening and the CRC fun began! They boys did go-karting, swimming in the late, and exploring the tree house. On Friday afternoon, Nina and I took the boys to Splash Kingdom and we stayed until it closed! Josiah especially loved it and he played a lot in the foam and did every single ride. 

Saturday, my parents went back to Dallas to get Cadie from her DR trip. That didn't work out because she didn't end up getting back until Monday! Grant and I stayed with the boys at the farm until Sunday evening and had a relaxing time letting the kids explore. Grant and I took the boys to check out Sky Ranch on Saturday morning. They got to play a bit at Treetop towers and did mini-golfing. Grant did shooting with the boys and I let the little boys play with some small fireworks. 

Monday we were back in Dallas and Cadie finally got to join in for cousins camp. Highlights of the week included playing games at Cidercade, Mission Impossible marathon and seeing Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 at the movie theater, and Six Flags with Uncle Grant. Grant took all the kids to Six Flags in this crazy summer heat. I guess the good news is that they were some of the only people crazy enough to brave Six Flags and they said it wasn't busy at all. They liked doing the Roaring Rapids multiple times and Uncle Grant bought them all souvenirs. Josiah was excited because he rode his first roller coaster and then got a Texas Giant t-shirt!

Friday morning we had to say good-bye, but we made the most of our time together. The boys were so funny, respectful and well-behaved. I am so grateful for this awesome group of fun cousins that laugh and love each other.

Happy 45th Birthday!

My day started out with a special breakfast birthday treat delivered by Nina and concluded with White Chocolate Mousse. It was so fun to celebrate with Josiah, Samuel, Nina and Papa! I also felt special when my team showed up for our daily team meeting with hats on to celebrate (Thank you Megan, Niki, Yasmine, Kia and Erika). The pic of me in the head wrap is me modeling the hair turban which was a birthday present from Bethany.

The cards were classics this year! A few of my favorite snipits:

• "...You are my favorite mom. You also cook very good food." - Ranger
• "thank you for making me. Love your littlest" - That is the full card from Colton
• "I'm so glad to have you as an aunt. I hope you have a wonderful day! Thank you again for having us over. I have had a great time! Again, thank you and happy birthday. Josiah 2023" ~ Josiah's was so sweet and he included the year with his signature
• "...Thank you also for everything you do from making lots of Bacon to taking us to water parks." ~ The word bacon was underlined 3 times and capitalized as it appears to be a core memory for Samuel of our time together. He did not sign his name, but he did draw 3 small balloons and a horn with confetti
• "...The only thing that makes me happier than us being friends for 20 years is our daughters being such great friends. You make my life fuller and more fun. Now that is a good friend. I am luck to be a part of your tribe! Love you, Shauna"
• "We found this sweet card at the Chelsea Flower Show in London. It just shows that no matter how far apart we are, you are always in our hearts and minds. Happy 45th Birthday. Love, Mom & Dad" ~ This card came with a beautiful little wood carving of Larkspur, my birth flower
• "What a wonderful friend, mother, wife and leader you are. It is so amazing that you joined our family over two decades ago. We are blessed! Love, Big John"
• "Thank you for loving us so well through the ups and downs of our sometimes crazy life. Your love is steadfast and unconditional. You bless us over & over. DD ~ Dawna" ~ Dawna's card also included a sweet message with key words underlined, a DD trademark

Happy halfway to 90 for me!

Cadie in Dominican Republic

    I went to the Dominican Republic (DR) to serve the community in the Cielo Neighborhood. I didn't know many people going into the trip, but I got to become better friends with my roommate, Zuri, and a couple of other girls. The person I got to know best was Holly Kate. She's going to be a senior at TCA, and is writing her own book. It was fun to bond over our mutual love of reading and turtles. 

    I saw God's work almost everywhere throughout the trip. His presence was especially clear as we were blessing the house we helped build, and during our final night of worship. It was amazing to bond with the families whose houses we were building. One person who deserves an honorable mention is Carlos, we worked on his house all week, and our whole group grew very close with him. By the end of the week, Carlos was insisting that we all call him Abuelo. It was very difficult for us to say goodbye, but the knowledge that most of us will be returning next summer lessened the parting blow. 

    Some of my favourite memories of the trip include taking a tour of Santo Domingo where we learned about the island's history, getting to know Carlos better, and observing the crazy antics of the boys on the trip. These antics include, but aren't limited to, getting stuck in elevators and/or bathrooms, bleaching hair, piercing noses, angering hotel guests/staff, causing minor car accidents, and being overall menaces to society. 

We were supposed to get back to Dallas on Saturday evening, but had multiple travel delays and finally arrived home Monday afternoon. Unfortunately, we were stuck in Miami for 2 nights and ended up having to fly to Houston and then take a bus to Dallas.