Mid-summer check up

Wow....the summer is flying by, particularly since we do not have that long of a summer at our house. However, I have been bad at posting pictures, so I want to do a mid-summer catch up to share some of our pictures and events.

One thing that has been particularly fun for me was the fact that I, for the first time, have one of my children as one of my students in a college class. Yes, Wesley is only 11, but he was able to take my pre-algebra class for the summer. He has done amazing! Since he is tall and big for his age, he does not look totally out of place. He also has a friend joining him. Now, they want to take Elementary Algebra with me in the fall. I think that might conflict with their normal school schedule, though. He is off to an early start at getting college credits, but I really love his ambition! He has enjoyed having me as a professor, too :)

Over the weekend of the 4th of July, we took a get away to Orange County. It was quick, but it was an adventure! I do a calendar for the kids each summer, so they have activities to look forward to, and I have events planned out (which helps avoid the last minute "what are we doing today, mom?"). Enjoy the pictures!



Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

Indoor Go-Kart Racing





Irvine Spectrum---we all rode on the ferris wheel

Wesley at Univerasal Studios Citywalk

Each of the kids got balloons---they were the coolest ever! Andrew got a
spider. Wesley got Buzz Lightyear, and Brooke got a monkey in a banana tree.

Sunset at Balboa Island

One important thing for me each summer is to get a good challenging Bible book. I do Bible studies with my small group through out the year, and I really miss that in the summer. Our Sunday morning group started a study with John Ortberg---"The Me you were meant to be". I ordered the book and started reading it this week. The following paragraph really challenged me, and I wanted to share it with you. I hope you are finding ways to be spiritually challenged this summer. From the book, "Me: the me I want to be....becoming God's best version of you"

"God designed you to be you. When your life is over, He will not ask you why you weren't Moses or David or Esther or Daniel. If you don't pursue your own life, He will ask why you weren't you. God designed us to delight in our actual lives. When I am growing toward the me I want to be, I am being freed from the me I pretend to be. I am no longer trying to convince people I am important while secretly fearing I am not.

Only God knows your full potential, and He is guiding you toward that best version of yourself all the time. He has many tools and is never in a hurry. That can be frustrating for us, but even in our frustration, God is at work to produce patience in us. He never gets discouraged by how long it takes, and He delights every time you grow. Only God can see the best version of you, and He is more concerned with you reaching your full potential than you are!"