Our family is busy as usual. I decided a long time ago that life is full and to just enjoy the moment, no matter how busy it is. I try to do that. I’m not always successful, but keep trying. Here is an update on all of us.
Chuck is keeping really busy still working for Boeing. He will start on a military airplane in September which he is looking forward to. He has had to do all sorts of tests and physicals and everything for this. He will do the testing for that big military airplane with the big radar thingy on top. You can tell I really keep up on all of this. He is also getting into real estate investing and has been doing a lot of training for that. He is a ward missionary and enjoys that calling in our ward.
I have a very busy summer. I still work for Forest Pharmaceuticals from home as an administrative assistant and love it. We just finished with our June meetings which are a huge busy time for me as I plan the whole thing for 2 different states. So it is nice to have all of that finished. I have girls camp coming up the last week of July. I was the Ward Camp Specialist and then just over a month ago the 4th year leader over the big hike they do got a job and isn’t able to make it so they called and asked if I would also do that. On one hand I am very excited because Sarah is a 4th year and it will be fun doing the hike with her. We hike up to a lake and stay 2 nights. The kicker is that we carry a 35 lb. pack. It is just a lot of work getting all these girls ready for this. We had a pre-hike with a 20 lb. pack and 2 girls didn’t make it. So it has been a lot of work. I have two assistants and they are great ladies, so that will be nice, but just a lot to do. That on top of my ward specialist calling keeps me hopping. I am also the Enrichment Leader in Relief Society, but I told them I would not be able to do much with that until after girls camp. Then Angie (my sister Angie) and I have been trying to get our big Family Reunion (which is the week after girls camp) planned and I am having fun with that. It is mom and dad’s 50th anniversary, so we are having fun planning a program and things for that. It will be a great week. We found a big lodge close to Yellowstone where we can all stay. So we are looking forward to that. I can’t believe mom and dad have been married 50 years. What I really can’t believe is that I was born a little less than a year after they were married, so I am getting close to that big “five o” myself.
Kevin is 26 and is working his tail off for a company doing field and land surveying. Because of his computer knowledge, he has become a very important part of his company. There are some around him getting laid off who have been there longer than him, but he works very hard to show them that they can’t live without him. Very smart, actually. They have sent him to training for different things and he picks up on that stuff quickly. He does most of their lasering stuff now. He enjoys it. He was dating a girl for quite a while, but they just called it quits and so now he is just dating around. He is very nervous about committing to marriage after his last experience, but I think it is wise that he gets out and dates others. He started dating this one young woman shortly after his divorce was final. Even though we really like her, Kevin has just been having a hard time and pretty skittish about everything.
Keri is 24 and is engaged to a really nice young man. He is not a member, but is very open to learning a little about the church. He is going to school right now and hasn’t quite decided if he wants to continue into criminal justice so that he can work in homeland security at the airport, or if he wants to go into counseling. They aren’t planning on getting married until next spring, but it keeps shortening, so who knows. She is not doing nails anymore, she just has a front receptionist job right now at a tanning salon until she finds something better. She rooms with Lisa not too far away from us.
Lisa is 21 and is still working as a dental assistant, but has decided and been told that if she really wants to earn some money she needs to get her certificate, even though she has been doing this for 5 years. So she goes to school in August for that. She had a lady that came in to their office to train them on this new machine that gave Lisa her card and told her to call her when she was finished with school as she always had dentists asking her to find them a good assistant. Lisa also works as a care giver and has a couple of clients right now that she does on Friday and Saturdays. She really enjoys it and these little ladies really hold a special place in her heart. She has the right personality for this and I have already told her that I want her taking care of me when I get old. She is very patient and tender hearted. The hardest part is that she has already lost a few as most of them are quite old and sick and so they die and it is really hard on Lisa when that happens.
Michael is 18 and just graduated from high school after quite a hard Sr. year for him. He is now working part time at a family run pizza place where he has been working for almost 3 years. They really love him there and rely on him a lot. He is their main delivery person. He hates to leave them, so instead of quitting and finding a full time job, he is looking for another part time job. He wants to go to school in computer designing, so he is looking into some options for that.
Sarah is 15 and is still as active as ever. She was on the high school fastpitch team and just loves that. She was also in one of the plays the high school did last year and loved that experience. She wanted so bad to do the spring one, but it conflicted with fastpitch. She just got back from EFY and had Youth Conference before that, so she has already had a lot of fun this summer. She is looking forward to a little more relaxing couple of weeks, however. She is so much fun to have around. I can’t believe she is 15. It makes me so sad to think that my baby will be driving in less than a year. She loves to read, hang out with friends, play any games, play sports and shop. And throw in a movie every once in a while.
Well, there is an update on all of us. Thanks Angie, for putting up with all of us slow pokes. Hope all of you are doing great. I have to remind myself to check out our blog every once in a while. Love you all.
Karen
