Catching Up...July

So July 1st brought a huge adventure to fruition...I went to Young Life camp as a leader, again!  My friend Jen brought Grace and I (and three HK teens we picked up from the airport on our way) to a beautiful home north of Seattle where our group was gathering for a picnic.  What followed was a rapid paced tour of Seattle, filled with the Starbucks Corporation, Boeing Factory, the Gates Foundation, University of Washington, an MLS Sounders game, and ended with an epic 4th of July celebration on the water with a clam bake and fireworks.  It was amazing!!! The morning of July 5th, we boarded a bus and drove 6 hours to Antelope, Oregon where Washington Family Ranch is located.  We had a fabulous week with 38 teens from HK, hanging out and having awesome conversations.  Lives were changed as we got to share the truth of Jesus with them, and we all came out of the experience bonded...and tired:) Here are a few other highlights of July...

Visits from Ron and Rebecca Werner and Paul and Linda Puffenberger!  It is always so wonderful to visit with the Werner's...we our forever bonded, not just because Ron knows Andy almost as well as I do, and thus appreciates me:) and Rebecca and I share tips on how to love our similarly type-casted husbands well, but they have spent the most time in HK with us and understand that part of our lives.  We had a great time with them, and even got to spend a beautiful day at Hershey Park.  Andy's parents came a couple days after the Werner's left, and it was so nice to catch up with them. They are in the middle of transition, as well, so our time was short.  But we crammed in as much quality time as we could, and even did some shopping and a trip to the trampoline park.

The following week, Andy and I were out catching up with friends every single night.  We had some wonderful meals and enjoyed catching up and having quality time with people we miss during the year.  During the midst of this week, the kids were doing Wipeout Camp.  I volunteered a few days as well...and yes, by the end of each day we were all wiped out.  Another highlight of this week was Andy and I got to go to New York City with three friends to see U2 in concert.  What a fabulous day!!  Luckily, we went with people that knew how to get around.  We also went with out an agenda, but after getting up there, decided we wanted to see the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. What a powerful experience.  I couldn't believe how fast it takes you back to that day, as I clearly remembered holding/nursing a three month old Grace while I was glued to the tv as the events unfolded.  After the Museum, we got a quick bite to eat and then we were off to Madison Square Garden to watch U2...what an amazing concert.  And the kicker was that Jimmy Fallon made a surprise appearance!

My final highlight was a week's vacation in Myrtle Beach with my family. We left at the crazy hour of 4:30am and it still took us 13 hours, but it was worth it.  We had gorgeous weather and it was wonderful to spend the week with my parents, and my brother and his family, and our dearest friends, the Hertzlers.  We missed my sister a ton, but was so glad she was able to meet us when we got back.

All in all, our summer was another crazy circus.  I changed locations more than five times, and I spent time with countless people.  It was great to be connecting with the community that we will be a part of again, but it is nice to be home in HK.  We won't be able to call HK home much longer, but for now, we will soak it in and enjoy and appreciate every day we are able to be a part of life here.