Teague’s job search

In the spring, Teague started talking about wanting to work this summer, so that is music to my ears! He is motivated and excited to become a lifeguard, like Troy. He and his friend Layne had a group interview in February. They said it went great and even though they were nervous, they feel like they have a good first impression of themselves.

Teague was hired! He has done weekends worth of training and inservice and has started picking up shifts. He is excited for school to let out so he can start working more frequently. First jobs are so important and teach so many great life skills and lessons! 

Teague has worked hard all summer juggling work and summer workouts and vacations. We found a great little Toyota Camry hybrid that Teague really wanted. It was a little more expensive than we wanted, but he said he could work hard and pay it off over three summers. As the summer comes to a close he did, in fact, pay this summer’s portion off! So glad he is a hard worker with the drive to set and meet goals!

Tech orientation and camp

Troy went to Tech orientation and Red Raider Camp. During orientation, we also joined in on some info sessions and parent happy hours and lots of free goodies. He got all registered for the fall and learned a ton of Tech history and tradition.

 

During camp, Troy was on campus the whole weekend and Richard and I got to explore Lubbock. We went to a few fun restaurants, prairie dog town, a winery and our hotel had live music each night to enjoy. We had a blast! When we picked Troy up on Sunday he said he had fun and made some new friends! I think he is excited to move in next month. 

Huntsville mission trip

Richard wanted to take the youth on a mission trip this summer. He wanted it to be a chance for them to serve and lead out in their faith. We always take a ton to camp and camp is a great time to get filled and have a lot of fun, but he wanted them to turn around and pour out on others. Unfortunately, only three kids ended up coming. He was a bit discouraged at first, but we had the best time! We helped with basketball camp and volleyball camp and leading devotionals. In the evening we mixed with 2 other youth groups for dinner and worship and Bible study and games. It was a lot of fun and I’m proud of the three that showed up and chose the hard work of the Lord! I know there will be a blessing for them! 

Punta Cana DR

For our anniversary this year we vacationed with Mark and Heather and Lacy and Josh. We went to the Dominican and had a great time. We had a butler that made sure we were taken care of all week. We tried different restaurants and night time activities. We enjoyed the beach and the pool daily. We even hit the casino and a small half day excursion. One our last night there our room was decorated for our anniversary, so that was special! It was a very relaxing vacation with family!

Glacier National Park

For Troy’s senior trip he chose to explore Glacier in Montana. We had the best time from start to finish. Each day was a different adventure and we ended up doing several things off the beaten path that I’m glad we tried! My high was definitely whitewater rafting and my low was not seeing any goats or bear. This trip was a once in a lifetime experience!

Our first day was half travel to get to Montana and then the other half of the day exploring. We checked into our cute Air BNB, put our feet in Lake McDonald and enjoyed huckleberry ice cream. 

Our first full day at Glacier was a full one! We started with a 2.5 hour drive to Many Glacier hotel to do a boat ride across two stunning lakes. Then we got off the boat and hiked Grinnell Glacier and Glacier Lake trail. The water was so turquoise. It was unreal! We saw a moose pretty far off but it was had to capture with the camera. We also saw marmot and chipmunks that were so cute. The trail up towards the top was closed because of all the snake so we didn’t get to go all the way up, but it was still worth it! After all the hiking and boating we enjoyed a huckleberry cream soda in the rocking chairs at the hotel before making the drive back and going to bed early.

One day we drove Going to the Sun road. We started early so we could do it all, but sadly our first stop on the list was already out of parking at 7am so we had to improvise a bit. We were able to do many on the list and get the stamps at both the east and west visitor’s center. After that we just started pulling into open parking spots to see what we could see. At one spot, kids were cliff jumping and Troy joined right in and had the best time. The water was 48 degrees so it was freezing! We also found part of a glacier to sit and eat lunch beside. All the scenery is so stunning! We ended the night with a star gazing session with the park astronomers.

The whitewater rafting was my favorite activity! It was challenging and fun and scary! Afterwards, we had the afternoon free so we ventured up to Polebridge, which was recommended by our rafting guide. It was much less populated and so cute. We visited the lake, got a huckleberry bear claw and a drink from the saloon. It was worth the unpaved road trip up there!

Our last day we got up at 3:30am to try to get to Logan’s Pass before it got too crowded so we could hike the Hidden Lake trail. It was cold and windy, but it was worth it to watch the sun come up over the mountains! Afterwards we loaded up and headed home. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful trip!