This past week my church hosted Summer Splash - our summer Vacation Bible School. I had originally planned on helping but then with starting a new job and leaving Butler all day I didn't think I should run home, let him out and then run off for the evening - but I did help the last night (Thursday) when we served hot dogs to everyone. We had 500 hot dogs, chips and beverages for everyone and I think I opened at least 400 hot dog buns :) Below are a couple of pictures from that night. A highlight that night was the HUGE aka GIGANTIC fire truck from the DSM Airport coming to spray water on the kids before the hot dogs. I could not believe the power of the water - how high the arch of the water sprayed (they need to put fires out on airplanes, duh) - and how far the spray of water went - utterly amazing.
We had 132 or 136 kids the last night - almost double from last year's attendance I've heard. The kids are listening to Pastor Josh before the fire truck and hot dogs.
The white t-shirt guys are the good guys and the blue t-shirt guys were pirates or something - remember I wasn't there every night to know how LWF adapted Noah and the ark :) But blue t-shirt guys were sinners that clung to the ark and were saved from the flood and saved by God so they could go to heaven. The three middle guys are Pastor Josh, Assistant Pastor Greg and our Music Director Ben.
Remember the weekend when Dad was up in May to help me plant some flowers and start demolition on the enclosed front porch? Well my yellow hibiscus for some reason decided it wasn't going to bloom any more but finally this past week it started blooming again :)
Today was a hugely momentous (sp and is that even proper grammar) day for my niece Chrissy. After two long years she received her DOUBLE Masters degree from the University of Phoenix! The graduation ceremony was at Hoyt Sherman which is an awesome landmark in DSM. Marcia my sis-in-law (who just got back from a two week Alaskan cruise last night) and Chrissy's two boys were there along with three of Chrissy's halfsisters and their famies. One of Chrissy's halfsisters took this pix of us (me, Colton, Chrissy, Tanner, Marcia). While it was a great day for Chrissy - it was one of those bittersweet days wishing her dad and Marcia's hubby Ron (Mike's brother) and Mike would have been able to have been there too to help celebrate.
Mom is doing better - she was moved to the geriatric floor of the mental health wing of Lutheran Wednesday afternoon so Dad is back with me. She is getting around a lot more and eating a lot better Dad said. She is still using a walker to get around because her blood pressure is low making her a fall risk and while she was in the actual hospital after her seizure she wasn't out of bed all that much.
Finally - a Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there - especially my dad even though he's a stubborn, old fart at times and has made life interesting since "moving in" on June 1st. And I am my father's daughter so I have that genetic trait too :)
