New Bikers

Last month, Leah and I decided to get our licenses to legally drive the motorcycles.  We took the written test (and passed) and then decided to take the safety course.  That is a 3 day course over a weekend and if you pass it, you get your M2 (which allows one to drive the motorcycle after dark and with passengers).  The weekend we did our course was a very wet and cold one.  It rained hard both days and we got wet and cold!  However, we persevered and passed the course.  We learned a lot and are very glad we took the time to do the course.  And, since we took it at the local community college, we both have two course credits there.  Leah is enjoying the freedom to take the motorcycle to school, but must choose the warmer days.  Looking forward to spring!

Hannah's Graduation

Last Friday, Hannah's school invited all of the 2012 graduates back for the commencement ceremony.  It was a pleasure seeing her up on stage receiving her diploma with her classmates.  I am still confused, however, why they do it in October of the following school year instead of right when they graduate.  Many of her classmates could not attend  the commencement due to being in university or other fall activities.  Maybe by the time the last one in our family is done with high school, I will figure the Canadian graduation thing out?  Anyway, we are very proud of you, Hannah!  Congrats

Kitchen Cabinet Renovations

Here are some before and after pictures of my cabinets.  Last winter, I started a new project of re-doing my cabinet doors.  I took all the door off the cabinets, and glued a piece of trim around the edge of each of them.  Then I repainted everything (except the interior).  I also put on new hardware and backsplash.  I chose a risky color (bay leaf), but I really like it.  It gives the kitchen character and goes well with the paint on the dining room walls.  Overall, I am very pleased with how it turned out since I am not a carpenter!

And. . .he returns!

After two weeks out west, Andrew decided that he was going to return home.  He felt like he had lots of time to reflect on his decision and decided that working in the oil fields was not what he was supposed to do at this time.  He also was a little short on the $$ side, so that helped him make his decision quicker!  We are glad he is back and that he kept seeking God's will for him out there.  Andrew is chalking this up as a great two week vacation to western Canada!

Andrew's (and Victor's) New Adventure

 Victor

On Sunday, Andrew is moving out to Alberta to work in the oil fields.  He will be gone for???  He has decided he will be relying on his good friend Victor to get him there.  I don't know if we will ever see Victor again, due to all the missing/damaged parts he has.  We will miss Andrew a lot, though!  However, we are excited to see him begin a new adventure in his life.

New Wheels

The new wheels we recently brought home had only two.  This is Jim's ride to work since we have 4 drivers and only two cars.  While I don't think he plans to ride it in the snow, he will try to go as long into the winter months as he can.   It is a Yamaha Majesty, and is all automatic.  I think I will have to get my "M" license since it is so easy to drive!

Happy 12th Birthday

A big happy birthday to Julia who turned 12 the end of September!  She asked for homemade pizza for her birthday meal and received a surprise bmx bike from Daniel as a gift.  We are very proud of you, Julia!

Mr. and Mrs. Bond

 On Saturday, Ali Martin married Steve Bond (Jim's step-brother) in a beautiful outdoor ceremony.  The location was on Steve's Mom's horse farm, which is where the bride and groom met.  Ali enjoys horseback riding and chose to ride her horse to the ceremony.  The above photo is her coming to the ceremony on her horse and her dad is walking beside her.

 Steve and Ali after taking their vows.  Bently, their dog, was right there with them during the ceremony.

 All the children with Ali after the ceremony.  The dress code for the day was pretty casual, since it was warm and outdoors  AND on a horse farm.  The boys chose to dress pretty casual!

Julia Playing Softball

This summer, Julia has had a lot of fun playing softball with a local girls team.  She is new at it, so learning the rules and techniques has been challenging.  However, she did manage to get a couple of hits and bring in some runs.  She is one of two who are under-aged so next year their team will be more competitive.

Good Eats

Whenever we are in central Illinois, we try to make a trip to Monical's at least once. Can't get enough of their yummy pizza!

More Illinois pictures

 The kids all stopped long enough to get group picture

 Leah, Hannah, and Daniel enjoying looking through  Grandma and Grandpa's high school yearbooks 

At Grandma and Grandpa's new house

St. Joe's Trip

 Andrew was invited to go with David and his friends on a weekend trip to St. Joe's trip.  There were 11 that went and each brought along a quad or dirt bike to ride.  Even thought it was hot, that didn't stop the riders from having fun and Andrew enjoyed making several new friends.

Note to self:  do not open the tool box up side down 

2012 Illinois Vacation

 The last week of July, our family struck out on our annual trip to Illinois.  The kids had a great time with their cousins and spent a LOT of time in the pool due to the HOT weather.  Here are some pictures of them enjoying the Princeville pool. 

While in Illinois, Linda and I were able to arrange a last minute dinner with some fellow Valley girls: Lisa, Deb, and Julie.  We had a great meal at Flat Top Grill and had to be shooed out of the restaurant when they closed. Very nice to catch up on the news on everyone's families and lives.

Graduation

Congratulations to Hannah for graduating from high school.  She has done an amazing job keeping up with her school work and holding a part-time job.  Not to mention finding time for shopping, hanging out with friends, helping at church, and completing projects at home.  We are very proud of you, Hannah, and look forward to seeing you continue to grow into the woman God has purposed you to be.  

Happy 17th Birthday

17 years ago, a little girl was given to us.  It has been wonderful to have her in our family and we wish her a very happy birthday.  Can't believe time has moved so quickly. . .it seems like yesterday she was just a baby!

Boating in NC

One activity I decided to do with LuAnn and the Baurer family was boating.  We rented a speed boat from the local marina and LuAnn borrowed a large tube to pull behind it.  We spent a great morning making lots of waves while trying to flip the person on the tube off of the tube!  We had lots of laughs and vitamin D, but ended up with a torn tube.  (Not so good when it is borrowed. . .but the owner was very gracious about it).  Jim spent that day exploring a local park on his bike, something he really enjoys.

Charlotte, NC

One evening on our vacation, LuAnn took us out for supper at The King's Kitchen.  This resturant is downtown Charlotte, NC.  The owner donates the profits to help the homeless and hires former homeless people to work there.  This gives them the opportunity to learn job skills and gain experience in the resturant business.  We also took time to roam around downtown to see the sights.  One of the places we went to was the Nascar Hall of Fame.  It was quite impressive from the outside which was all we saw since it had already closed for the day.  Jim did go out to the track later in the week to check out the real thing!

Fixit Man

On our recent trip down south, we had a minor issue with the van.  Jim was able to temporarily fix the problem, but had to do it in 100 degree heat.  Thankfully, LuAnn had made some good ole southern sweet tea so I brought him a tall glass of it on ice.  The van was quickly put together again and we got home without a problem (other than no gas or open rest areas in W. Virginia due to the storms)

Julia's Track Meet

Recently Julia went to a local track and field meet with her school team.  She did very well and received second place in both the 80M and 400M relay.  Great job, Julia!

Tigger

Good-bye to Tigger, Leah's last project horse.  He was quite the project and taught her many things about training.  She learned that training horses is NOT what she wants to do to earn money and that selling horses is REALLY dependent on the market.  While we hope he has a good home, we are not sorry to see him leave our property! 

SLI Graduation

Sat. night was the big night for Andrew as he graduated from an awesome year of SLI. Each of the students had to give a speech about what they gained from the past 10 months.  Andrew had a very touching speech and it brings me so much joy to hear his heart for God and other people.  Great job, Andrew. . .I am so proud of you!

Prom

Last week was Prom night for Hannah and her date, Josh.  Since Josh goes to a different school, they were off to his prom.  The day of the event was unfortunately the day we were putting in 1100 bales of hay.  We did ask her to text us when Josh came to pick her up so that we could see them off and take photos.  They had a good time as they went with 2 other couples from church.

Just a few pictures of Leah and Julia's last show.  Leah took Izara and it was her first time doing stadium and XC.  She did really well and only had a couple of refusals the whole day.  Julia did excellent with Jackson and took second place overall in her level.  It was great weather and fun to watch them both succeed at their goals with their horses.

Jim's New Bike

 Last fall, Jim purchased this dual sport bike.  He wanted something that was road legal, but also something that he could ride on the trails or track.  He has really been enjoying it this spring since it has been so mild.  The kids really like that he has it because that means another vehicle is available for them to use since he rides it to work.  When we take Leah to horse shows, he loads it up in the trailer in the second horse stall.  When we get to our destination, he rides it around the area until it is her time to show.  We could probably assume that this will be his "favorite horse!"  

Glen Oro

         A couple of photos from Leah's first show of the season at Glen Oro.  She did well, but did get eliminated on the XC course because Blaze refused the corner jump 3 times.  I guess he needs more practice on that type of jump.  It was great to watch them showing again.  Jim enjoyed coming too and packed a second "horse" in the trailer. . .his motorcycle!  He rode that around the countryside while Leah was warming up/practicing.

Caledon Clinic

Just a few pictures of Leah at her clinic on Monday.  She participated in the stadium and XC events.  It was good to be able for Blaze to school over some jumps he normally would see on the course.  Especially water. . .he seems to be a bit of a wimp with water.