Hello,
Time flys. We have been busy this summer. We took two trips in June to visit family. I have included a few pictures from each trip. Our first stop was Mishawaka, Indiana.(my home town) We spent about five days there visiting family and friends. Incredibly, I was able to visit with people I had not seen in 20-30 years, and we still recognized each other. It is such a great feeling to talk to people who knew you when you were growing up. There is something so heartwarming about that for me. Maybe it is because I have lived away from my hometown for so long. There is also a group of friends that I get together with each time we visit and I would not miss that opportunity.
Our yearly visits to Mishawaka have become a tradition for Brian and Bonnie. They really look forward to it and enjoy it. They always want to go up to Lake Michigan and climb up the sand dunes, and other (now familiar spots) like Bonnie Doons, an ice cream/cafe that has been popular in the area for many generations. They also enjoy spending time with their Aunt Tracy and Uncle Dave, as well as Grandpa Case.
After our trip to Indiana, we drove home, spent two days working, then off on our second adventure to Minnesota (Napper's home state), for another five days. Our first stop was a party celebrating nephew Leif's safe homecoming from Iraq. It was a fun outdoor party with lots of laughter amongst family and friends ..complete with games and an award ceremony for Leif.
From there we drove up to Ely, Minnesota (another 5 hours) near the boundary waters. Napper's sister Colleen and brother-in-law Paul have an awesome wooded cabin on the lake. We love being there, it is so peaceful and relaxing with fresh air, the sound of the loons calling as you drift off to sleep. We enjoyed pontooning, fishing, canoeing and just hangin out.
Now back to life in K.C. enjoying a fairly mild summer so far. (heat wise) Both kids are having fun with friends & have started practice for their fall activities. Bonnie with cheerleading and Brian with soccer. Bonnie has her 12th birthday coming up this Thursday and she is very excited about it. We are too!
Napper and I are also enjoying our time at home . Our organic gardening is going well and we have had fabulous lettuce and spinach crops. Our cucumbers and tomatoes will also be abundant and beautiful. I'm thinking we might expand next year, we are getting pretty good at this and I would like to learn more about composting.
My health has been great. I survived the pre-scan jitters and thankfully had good news yesterday with my oncologist. My CTscan of the chest is unchanged from my last exam which was 9 months ago. My blood work looks great. Labor day weekend will mark my three year cancerversary. It has been a journey of faith and hope, and love, and I continue to be in awe of the wonderful people I have in my life and the lovely new people who keep showing up. We all have a story to tell, thanks for caring about mine.
love, denise
Time flys. We have been busy this summer. We took two trips in June to visit family. I have included a few pictures from each trip. Our first stop was Mishawaka, Indiana.(my home town) We spent about five days there visiting family and friends. Incredibly, I was able to visit with people I had not seen in 20-30 years, and we still recognized each other. It is such a great feeling to talk to people who knew you when you were growing up. There is something so heartwarming about that for me. Maybe it is because I have lived away from my hometown for so long. There is also a group of friends that I get together with each time we visit and I would not miss that opportunity.
Our yearly visits to Mishawaka have become a tradition for Brian and Bonnie. They really look forward to it and enjoy it. They always want to go up to Lake Michigan and climb up the sand dunes, and other (now familiar spots) like Bonnie Doons, an ice cream/cafe that has been popular in the area for many generations. They also enjoy spending time with their Aunt Tracy and Uncle Dave, as well as Grandpa Case.
After our trip to Indiana, we drove home, spent two days working, then off on our second adventure to Minnesota (Napper's home state), for another five days. Our first stop was a party celebrating nephew Leif's safe homecoming from Iraq. It was a fun outdoor party with lots of laughter amongst family and friends ..complete with games and an award ceremony for Leif.
From there we drove up to Ely, Minnesota (another 5 hours) near the boundary waters. Napper's sister Colleen and brother-in-law Paul have an awesome wooded cabin on the lake. We love being there, it is so peaceful and relaxing with fresh air, the sound of the loons calling as you drift off to sleep. We enjoyed pontooning, fishing, canoeing and just hangin out.
Now back to life in K.C. enjoying a fairly mild summer so far. (heat wise) Both kids are having fun with friends & have started practice for their fall activities. Bonnie with cheerleading and Brian with soccer. Bonnie has her 12th birthday coming up this Thursday and she is very excited about it. We are too!
Napper and I are also enjoying our time at home . Our organic gardening is going well and we have had fabulous lettuce and spinach crops. Our cucumbers and tomatoes will also be abundant and beautiful. I'm thinking we might expand next year, we are getting pretty good at this and I would like to learn more about composting.
My health has been great. I survived the pre-scan jitters and thankfully had good news yesterday with my oncologist. My CTscan of the chest is unchanged from my last exam which was 9 months ago. My blood work looks great. Labor day weekend will mark my three year cancerversary. It has been a journey of faith and hope, and love, and I continue to be in awe of the wonderful people I have in my life and the lovely new people who keep showing up. We all have a story to tell, thanks for caring about mine.
love, denise
