Jack Ranger - Sky Quest, Cabin 37 The Bridge

Matt Killingsworth snagged Ranger for his Bible study this week! So fun to have kids of someone I went to Baylor with, Mark Killingsworth, invest our kids. Ranger was not sure about going to Sky this year because he has only one night at home before he leaves for a month at Sanborn. But we are proud of him for still going and he reported that it was one of the best weeks he has had at Sky. Grant dropped him off last Sunday afternoon and me, Grant, and Big John picked him up this morning.

"Strong Will Award: Ranger! It has been an honor to have you in The Bridge. We have loved getting to know you and all the ways you've made camp more fun. Some thing we've noticed, and admired, is the way you stand firm in your faith regardless of what's happening around you. You are not influenced by the things of this world. For these reasons you will get the Strong Will award. You are such a stud, and we will miss you here at camp! Trust in God always! We love you. Matthew K., Hayden G., JR, Reese Trumbo"

Things he shared on the ride home. Last night they threw glow stick juice all around the cabin and they thought that was pretty cool. He ran out of clean clothes and was glad I had put a new Sky Ranch shirt in his care package. He really liked the driver of the banana boat because he went a big crazy and even dumped them all off and "flipped" the boat. There was a group of guys that were friends staying in his cabin but they accepted him into their group quickly and he thought they were really nice.

Memorial Day Weekend

We have had a busy and fun weekend! Friday night Grant and I went to Alpha night at Sky Ranch to commission the counselors. The weather was beautiful and evenings like this make me proud to continue to be a part of the ministry of Sky Ranch. We spent the night together at the farm on Friday night and I woke up early Saturday to head back to Dallas for a full day with the kids.

This was my last Saturday with Cadie before she heads to Hawaii for most of the summer. We got to spend the whole day together. She got a haircut, we went shopping, we ran errands including a St. Vincent dropoff and car wash, and we wrapped up the day picking up Nina and Papa from DFW. They have been on a river cruise in Spain and Portugal since May 10!

We went to church together on Sunday and for the first time Ranger sat with his friends and Eva instead of with the family. I remember doing that same thing at his age. After church we had a load of kids dropped off at our house and I headed to the farm with a full carload! Jax, Dez, Truitt, Kai and Logan came with Ranger and then Kristie dropped off Thomas at the farm to hang with Colton. The boys did go-karts only briefly due to a minor collison. Then that swam, we went to E&S for BBQ, they ran around in the dark with flashlights, and made rockets. A huge storm came through in the early morning and at 5:30am in the morning 4 of the boys were soaking wet in the shop! They said they were hunting for frogs, hmmm. Memories were made.

School's Out for Summer

The kids are moving up to 11th, 9th, and 6th. I can't believe I will have two high schoolers next year! The school ended with Grant chaperoning two Zion Field trips to the museum at the old Parkland Hospital and also to the zoo. Cadie inviting her theatre tech friends out for a spend-the-night at the farm. And Ranger starting to spend lots of time with his new girlfriend, Eva. There were also banquets and teachers gifts and stress over finals and Colton's missing work. But, we got it all done and I forced the kids to let me do a front porch pic.

It is pretty awesome having big kids!

 

HP Pres 5th & 6th Grade Retreat

By Colton, "So first my mom and I went to the bell center but it was locked so we went to the lobby and that was where every body including Thomas Betsy and Pax was. So we got ready and hopped on the bus. It was a very noisy ride but they played Ratatouille on the way. When we got there my Dad was waiting for us to get off the bus and I was exhausted but we unpacked and did session #1. Then we went to sleep. when we got up we went to breakfast at oak heaven it was delish after that we had session two then free time we did the free fall and the zips with the group and Jeb. After that was lunch session 3 and more free time. The second free time we went to sky cafe and to the yard and did maze tag then we went to the JPZ to jump then we had dinner and our last session we packed up. and went home on the bus home the movie was not working so all the boys where yelling the whole time but Thomas and I where just reading peacefully but we made it back all in one piece. 

Also my mom has been doing volunteering and it has made me very glad because she has been doing the boys group and it is a big difference than last year because last year all we had was a young volunteer that did not give away punishments so i am very glad my mom is there to keep them calm. 

That was sky ranch 5 & 6 retreat."

Another male chaperone was needed and Grant volunteered at the last minute which was fun to be together with Colton for the weekend. Grant was on his own with one full cabin of boys and I was on my own with a full cabin of girls. The weather was perfect, but there was a particulary rowdy group of boys which made things a bit challenging. But we made it through and I think the kids had a good time and hopefully grew a bit in their faith. 

I have enjoyed volunteering this year on Wednesday evening with the 5th and 6th graders and the retreat really helped me get to know them better. 

Mountain Biking Season

By JR

This year around the middle of fall, I joined the Scots Cycling Team. The reason I joined in the first place was because I heard about it from Truitt Young then William Crump and I decided to join together. When I first showed up to a practice, I met a ton of different kids on the team ad also knew I wanted to keep doing it. I wasn't planning on it whe I first joined but I decided that I did want to race this season. 

The Races are anywhere from 4.5 - 6.0 miles long. They are normally about half uphill and half tech and dowhill or flatter parts. The preride is always the day before the race and because they are about 2 - 4 hours away you spend the night near the sight.  We normally just go out do the pre ride then hang out and mess around for the rest of the day.

My favorite race was the 29 Pines race because it was an extremely well maintained trail and flowy all the way through it. Throughout just my first season I got closer with many kids on the team and was able to build frienships that will hopefully last into highschool. My first year on the cycling team I had a great time and I am excited to continue to get better through highschool and overall just get more serous about the sport.

Mom took me to a majority of the races this season even though a few ended up being rained out. Papa and Dad each also took me to one. My bike for the first season was a birthday present and was what helped me be able to jon the team. Eric came to my last race as well which ended up being a disaster for our team.

From Erin

This was the first traveling sport we have done with the kids and it was great. It was a big committment but the team and families were so nice and everything was highly organized. I liked the time with Ranger and I love watching him compete. He took the season super seriously and finished 7th overall in the North district. I also loved having Eric come for the State Championship weekend to cheer him on!

Cadie at Prom

By Cadie, "I went to prom with Faith, Bellamy, and Julia. In order for me to get into the dance, Faith had to put me as her plus one. Mom helped me go dress shopping, and then day of she did my hair. Everyone went to Faith’s house to take pictures, and then we had dinner at Perry’s Steakhouse. The dance itself wasn’t very fun because it was pretty loud and crowded, so we went back to Faith’s house after prom king and queen was announced. We had a great sleepover playing ping-pong, Mario Kart, and watching Zoolander. Overall, I had a great time and can’t wait to go again next year!"

I love you KC

By Cadie, "Mom and I went to Kansas to go see Grandma Margaret and Aunt Kathy one last time before the official moved to Idaho. We got to say goodbye to a lot of familiar places and see some extended family members like Jim and Denise. Visiting Aunt Kathy’s house one last time was bittersweet. I have so many wonderful memories of spending time with beloved family members there, and I will be sad not to be back. This move is a good thing though because it allows Grandma to have adventure and Aunt Kathy to not have to travel as much. I even spent both evenings we were at Aunt Kathy‘s house reading in the secret room she built for me when I was little. Grandma generously allowed me to take an heirloom pot home with me so that it’ll be safe because if I had to wait to retrieve it from Idaho, that would be a much riskier journey for such an old piece of family history. Another highlight of the trip was that I got to practice highway driving which allowed me to finally get my drivers license! Overall, my mom and I had a fabulous trip and we were glad to visit Kansas one last time. We even played one last game of foosball in Aunt Kathy‘s basement before leaving!"

Cadie and I spent 3 days of Spring Break roadtripping to KC. Cadie and I had a great time together and she drove for 3 hours on the way there and 4 hours on the way back which made a huge difference. We decided last minute to make the trip to see Grandma before she moves to Boise and to stay with Aunt Kathy one last time before she permanently moves out of her KC house to Boise. It was a wonderful trip, but emotional as well. I loved getting to see Jim, Denise, Aunt Kathy, Grandma, and Amy Webster! Once I got back to Dallas to the farm, I cried much of Wednesday evening because it was such a strange feeling to have all my firm ties to Kansas cut. I didn't predict it. I may go back for high school reunions or maybe a family event, but the firm ties that pulled me back there are gone. I loved growing up in KC and it feels like a part of who I am. I am so grateful for the quick trip and for a daughter that loves KC too.