Yes, we are still alive! I can’t believe it
has been so many months since we updated. That definitely falls on me as the
main moderator of this blog. So I owe all of you an apology! Rather than make
excuses about why I haven’t updated, I will give you an update on each of us.
Then perhaps you’ll understand why we haven’t had many opportunities to post
these days.;-) (I’ll give you a hint: we’re living a day-to-day adventure
basically, and we never quite know what the next day will bring.)
Mark—Back
in November, Dad started working his new job in Oklahoma. We have had a lot of
drama involved with attempting to sell our house here in Texas. That drama has
involved switching agencies, the District Attorney’s office, and other legal
wrangles. Dad has been enjoying his new job, but wishes we could all live
together. He had a surgery done on his torn meniscus in February, and
unfortunately looks like he will need to have it done again. He is working on
cleaning up our new home in the central/eastern part of Oklahoma so that we can
hopefully all move in at the end of July.
Betsy—Mom
has been a trooper the past seven months! She has continued to work to
homeschool the four younger kids. It has taken a lot of patience on her part to
deal with the frequent interruptions to show our home and still maintain a
sense of order around here. It also takes a lot to keep up with 5 kids
single-handedly!
Bianca—I
have had a very challenging school year. I struggled to keep up with my classes
last fall while I battled a 6-week illness (sinusitis followed by the flu and
lots of misdiagnosis and issues with medicines along the way.) I worked as the
assistant to our new student/college pastor from November until May. That was a
stretching but very beneficial working experience. I was able to catch up on
school, and now am only 3 credits away from being a junior. I spent 10 days in
Ecuador in May, and 8 days in Guatemala with my family in June, doing missions
work. In July, I will start working part-time at a local soda fountain. My dog
Tex—a blue mountain cur that I acquired back in December--has kept me very busy
with the various scrapes he gets into. Generally, he finds a skunk once a
month.
I’ve had another big event this past year. ;-D
You can read all about my courtship over
here!
Ben—Ben
worked very hard this fall and spring to wrap up his Eagle Scout project
(landscaping several areas at our church.) Thankfully he completed the project
before Texas turned into a swamp! Many people came to celebrate his Eagle Scout
Court of Honor with us despite the monsoon-type rains we had that day. He is
still finishing up his high school math and chemistry, and should graduate at
the end of this year. He has been very busy keeping up house maintenance.
Rubia—Ruby
has continued to be diligent with her school work this year! She has been a
great help with taking care of our growing menagerie of pets (plus a few
neighbor dogs that need a little TLC.) She is faithful to run with Roma and
work out three times a week. She also keeps our refrigerator free of spoiled
food so that those of us with poorer senses of smell don’t accidentally eat
something bad. ;-P Rubia was ecstatic to go on a mission trip to Guatemala for
the first time this year.
Roma—Roma
continues to keep us all focused on the bright side of life. She has been very
helpful and positive over the past several months. Like Ruby, she has been
diligent in her school work, but also finds time to make treats in the kitchen
for the rest of us to enjoy. She has been the most interested in continuing to
blog, and you may see her start to take over some things here in the future as
my life continues to get busier. ;-) Roma loved going back to Guatemala this
year! She also went on a missions road trip through several large cities in
Texas over Spring Break, along with Rubia, Ben, and me.
Josiah—Josiah
has been busy this school year! He gets the majority of Mom’s homeschooling
time since the older kids are mostly independent. He has also been hard at work
in Tae Kwon Do. He may be able to test for his first brown belt before the
summer is over! He has absolutely flown through the belt levels and receives
lots of praise from his instructor. He had a blast on his first missions trip
(our trip to Guatemala in June.) This week, he is enjoying sports camp at our
church!
So there’s a small update on the family!
Hopefully we’ll be able to post a bit more frequently here over the summer.
Thank y’all for sticking with us during this busy season of our lives!