Our big family vacation this year was a road trip to Oklahoma. We drove down in April hoping to find nice weather (and maybe a tornado :-), but were met with a large storm system which drenched Oklahoma City for the two of the three days we visited. Most of our plans involved indoor activities so the poor weather didn't limit our plans too much. We very much enjoyed visiting the Oklahoma City Memorial and Bricktown.
After Oklahoma City we drove up to Tulsa and then stayed one night in Branson. We wanted to scout out Branson in case we ever planned to visit again. Paddington Bear accompanied us on the journey, even braving the butterfly museum.
In June we had the opportunity to watch OUTDOOR baseball at Target Field. We had won/purchased the tickets at the New Life Family Services silent auction. We had four tickets so had to find someone to fill the last seat; we decided to bring Pookers (our niece Stephany). With Pavano on the mound the Twins were able to pull out a win.
In late September we received record rainfall, over 8" from a single storm. Much of our area was devastated by the flood, but we stayed dry. It was an excellent learning experience for Elizabeth. She was greatly impacted since she knew of many families who lost a lot of material possessions in the flood. Once the waters receded, Mike took her to Pine Island to view the devastation. Lake Shady is no more and the Oronoco bridge was severely damaged.
Elizabeth turned nine this year; her last year in the single digits. She continues school at home and simply loves it. This year she has really taken an interest in reading which is not only a great educational pastime, but provides solace for Mom and Dad. She very much enjoys her friends at church and in the neighborhood, though she did have to say good-bye to a dear neighbor friend who has moved away. She battled through the Chicken Pox in November, but came through it stronger. Beeker, as we like to call her, spends much time with our dog, Gretchen, and her two dolls, Kirsten and Naomi. For Christmas we bought many hand-sewn doll dresses from our niece, Dorothy, which we gave to Elizabeth. She loves imagining with her dolls and playing dress-up. Today we gave her our very old original digital camera. As I write this she is roaming the house taking pictures and making funny videos of pretty much everything in sight. ;-) Her next big thing is playing basketball in the Champion Basketball league. It should be a good experience for her. She certainly has the height, but does she have the tenacity? We shall have fun watching her play.
Mary continues the huge task of stay-at-home Mom and school teacher. She not only carries the load of schooling Elizabeth, but has created a small family coop with "the cousins." They very much enjoyed playing story seeds, learning manners, and experimenting with magnetism. It is also a great way to spend time with the "little guys" and encourage them. She took Samuel's graduation pictures and spear-headed his open house (which was hosted at our home). Nearly two hundred guests came on that rainy day; we all survived and have fond memories (especially of the pork butt - Mmmm). Earlier this year Mary twisted Mike's arm to purchase a Blendtec blender. At first Mike was quite hesitant, but finally he gave in. What a marvelous machine - it has cured our IntaJuice addiction, but has only worsened Mike's smoothie addiction! She has enhanced her cooking repertoire, mastering homemade pesto and bread. She is a wonderful hostess at our Friday night Bible study with the young people. She has provided stability to her nieces and others who have come for encouragement and direction.
Mike completed another year at IBM; he very much enjoys the work. He has recently transitioned to a new project which has eliminated nearly all early morning meetings. Ahhh, such delight! He enjoys leading the Bible study in our home; it is a great challenge and keeps him accountable to be in the Word of God. He enjoys tinkering on the guitar and jamming with Gabe. Once again Mike spent much time at the disc golf course this spring, summer, and fall. He enjoys playing with friends, family, and whomever else may want to learn the game. Mike also picked up the cleats and, after a seven year hiatus, played a season of church softball. It was a great family activity and a way to make new friends. On a hot July day his team played a tournament in the Cities and won their division. Very fun and plan to do it again in 2011. In September we purchased a weather station and started uploading the data to Weather Underground. He's excited to be the first (and only) station reporting from the metropolis that is Oronoco. Finally, Mike was honored to win a "burrito party for 20" from Chipotle's BOO-rito contest; the party was held in mid-December and enjoyed by all.
Thanks for reading our year in review. We hope to remain faithful to the Lord in 2011 and are excited to see what He has in store for us. God Bless.
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