Tennessee Decades Quiz...

I haven't had this much fun in a long time...

Our family actually got to quiz together this weekend...  And we loved it...  And we weren't too bad at it, either...  Well, OK, I kinda was, but that's not the point...

Some Highlights...

Zaxby's... Yum...

Skyping Ian and Miah:

You Might Be A Quiz Family If...

Your Hotel Room Looks Like This...

Or You Play "Marco Polo" in the Pool,

Using Memory Verses...

 

Ready to Start the Day:

Some Fun Between Rounds:

Team Huddle Before Finals:

First Place Team:

 We Might Be Crazy:

Time With Friends:

 
That's a wrap!

L.

Recording Studio, Part 2...

I'm pretty sure it's safe to say we had no idea what we were getting into!  It was a lot of work and a lot of fun and definitely a learning experience!

Grace recorded all of the vocal tracks for her EP, today.  Now on to the mixing, mastering, photo shoot, replication, distribution, etc...

Lovin' every minute of it! 

 L.

Happy 14th Birthday, Seth!!!

Funny how birthdays are an annual thing!  You just can't slow the passage of time!  

Today Seth celebrated #14, and it was actually a relatively relaxed kind of day.  He chose Pizza Hut for his birthday dinner, sprite cake, and cookie dough ice cream.  I'm pretty sure he was excited about all of his gifts, since he kept saying, "This is good.  I'm getting stuff that was on my list!"  I'm also pretty sure he was not thrilled about being stuck in a tree for some of his birthday pics:

Happy Birthday, Seth!  I love you!

-Mom

Living The Legacy...

It can never be easy...

But we aren't called to do what is easy.  We're called to do what is right.

And so our family set off in different directions for the first district quiz of the season...  Because every middle school student who wants to participate in memorizing the Scripture, learning what it means, applying it to their lives, and enjoying fun, friendly competition over what they have studied ought to have the opportunity to do so...

I Hated Missing This:

 

And This:

 

And This:

And This:

 And Maybe Especially This:

But I Wouldn't Have Missed This For The World:

 Or This:

 Or This:

 Or This:

Congratulations to "A Girl and Three Guys" on their 2nd place team finish, "Durand B Awesome" on their 3rd place team finish, Grace on her 1st place individual finish, and Seth on his 2nd place individual finish (silly quiz off, you'll get her next time) on the Michigan District.

Congratulations, also, to "Metro/Plymouth/Howell" on their 2nd place team finish and to Caleb on his 9th place individual finish on the Eastern Michigan District.

Quiz on...

L.

My Past...

... does not define me.

But the truth is, it has helped to form and shape who I am.  And I am exceptionally happy that this is the case.  It's not a tragedy if our journeys have made us into the people we are today.  The tragedy would be if we didn't learn or grow from our experiences.

That said, I think it should be relatively obvious that if you put me in a position that is nearly identical to something that was devastating (yes, I said it, I meant it, I am not being dramatic, and it's true) to my life; I am, naturally, going to take a fight or flight approach.  That's self preservation.  And even though I am more than willing to give up my own life, again and again and again, for the sake of Christ; I am not willing to give up my own well being and emotional, mental, spiritual, and even physical health for the sake of the drama on which other people seem to love to build their lives.  It's just not happening.

L.

First Steps...

Oh my goodness, I really had no idea what it takes to record an EP!  Just sayin'!

Grace and I had such an amazing day at the recording studio yesterday.  We booked four hours, because somehow I thought that might be enough time to record six songs... Uh... not so much! 

Grace did manage to get all of the piano parts recorded for her album, and they sound amazing (and we've only heard the rough copy)!  We have booked four more hours, so in a couple of weeks we will be going back to record the vocals.

I am so glad Grace was blessed to have this experience!  I can't wait to hear the finished product!

Here's some pics:

L. 

First Day of School 2014...

And so it begins again...

  

Some of us know exactly what grade we're in...

Miah:

Ian:

Caleb:

And some of us...  Well, cut us some slack...  We're homeschoolers...

 

Grace:

 

Seth:

 Here's to an Awesome School Year:

 

L.