Have You Had Your HUGS today?

This cutie and I had a lunch date at Hugs Cafe.  It's a nonprofit organization in which the employees have special needs or physical limitations. Helpers oversee the food prep and general management of the Cafe, making sure accommodations are in place so these awesome workers can be successful. One gentleman wheeled a cart with our yummy sandwiches to our table while the cashier had a stool to sit on with a helper nearby to help tally up the order. The feeling here was one of warmth, love, friendliness, and acceptance. B and I loved how the possibilities of a bright future for her and others with unique challenges opened up to us. Have you had your Hugs today? 

Watch Out! Look Who's Driving!

A. successfully completed her driver's test and now has her driver's license! 

Hurray!!

We did the economical parent-taught program rather than a driving school. Driver's Education isn't offered through the schools here. Bummer.  A. watched every video and read every page in the not-so-exciting course. We logged every hour driven, night and day, and recorded it on every sheet. She practiced her parallel parking until she could get into a space in 3 turns. We drove the freeways, stopping at Braum's for some soul sustaining ice cream. We scheduled the driver's test 3 months in advance, because that was the soonest spot available.  We got the required documents including the form, proving she was a student. And then we went to the appointment at the Driver's License place to be told that the school document had expired. We were suppose to get it the last week of school, but instead had gotten it the 2nd to last week. Nope. Sorry. No budging on this, the oh-so-friendly (not) DMV person gruffly informed us. Not one iota of compassion for the plight of a nervous soon-to-be driver. EERRRRRRR! 

A vacation later (it only took that long for me to settle down and feel calm about the driving people), we decided to try once again to book the driver's test and get this elusive driver's license. All the places were booked out for 3+ months. I looked at 7-10 places in our area, seriously. No exaggeration! We finally found a place 2 1/2 hours away that had a spot only 3 weeks out. It was ours. We were determined to be victorious!

Victory! 

This girl got her driver's license! The DMV people were even NICE!

So who is driving to early morning seminary this year???? Not me!  A. is!

Way to go A! You did grrrrreeeaaattt!

First Day of School with a Senior and NO elementary school!

Today was the first day of school. This year we have no elementary students, and we have another senior. Eek!  How did they get so old??!

 L. ready to scramble from class to class 

and figure out his locker combination as a 6th grader!

 Cool and calm, X-man is top dog as an 8th grader this year. 

He already knows his stuff!

Miss A. is our Senior!  What!? 

 I can't say she is looking forward to school, but I know she'll work hard, study lots, and do great!

LOVE THEM LOTS!

I can report that for the boys, school was a success with the lockers opening and no one getting lost! Hurray!

Vacation Fun!

While we swelter in the heat of August, we find ourselves reminicing about our vacation days in cool, beautiful Colorado.   

A. was a huge help with the looonnnnnngg drive. 

She almost had her driver's license except there was a glitch in the paperwork which prevented my dream of her getting her driver's license. Soon though!

At a rest stop in the mountains, we found some ways to expend energy. 

Trying to squish together to take a photo of ourselves, except our heads are too big! 

Poor L. He's our Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc.

We arrived at my parents' house and went in search of wild apricots!

Yum!

L. treated us to music.

L., X-man, and Bumpa went adventuring in the mountain streams and caught a BIG Rainbow trout!

Showing off their muscles???

L. and Bumpa

L, A, and B editing the movie they created, "Marcus Picks up Chics...in Paonia (the small town).

The video had everything, action, romance, humor--I was in tears watching it.

Debonair Grandpa Mike in "Marcus Picks Up Chics..."

My parents' 49th anniversary. 

My dad didn't have light colored shoes to match his suit so he solved this fashion problem by putting white sport socks over his shoes. Stylish!

X-man a.k.a cool hippy guy in "Marcus Picks Up Chics..." 

The Chics were screaming for this handsome fellow!

B. ready for adventure.

We went to a local reservoir to swim. 

That's a hot tub the boys are digging. 

Bumpa needs a nap before joining the excitement.

So does Bumma.  Must be a riveting book!

The hot tub is almost complete!

Xman

A. letting us know how she feels about it all.

A. picking cherries.

I picked a few too.

Then X-man pitted them all.

And he, L, and Bumma made a tasty cherry pie. And cherry cobler.

YUM!

Of course we went on our annual camp out. 

Here's A, L, and X all clean and ready to go!

My sweeties. 

X, A, L, me, and B

Fishermen! See the fish?

A. and Bumpa went searching for fish.

And they found them!

Bumma fishing.

Now it's B's turn to find the fish. 

She stayed in the boat this year.

A is one tough mountain woman. 

If I had to be lost in the woods, I'd choose to be on her my mom's team. They would see us through. Note how she has that squiggly, slimy fish in her little paws, working the hook out of it's mouth. Not a scream or a flinch as that fish flailed and flopped. She even knew how to whack that fish on the head to put him out of his misery. Then she put that fish on a stick (after Bumpa gutted it) and roasted him for dinner! 

Here's the other mountain woman, my mom.

This fish had swallowed the hook, so trying to get the hook out took guts--literally.

Notice there are NO pictures of me holding fish. That mountain woman gene skipped me entirely.

A. thinks the world of her little brother and he thinks the world of her.

Yes, friends, THAT is how you catch a fish.

Fisherman X

Roasting hot dogs (fish were later). 

What's camping without a little smoke??!

Actually...I love camping. Camping, camping, camping.

Really.

Gimme s'more, man.

Yeah, I'm a fisherman. 

L with his catch.

An after camping picture--

tired, smoky, dirty, and well-worn out=camping success!

X-man now gives me tips on driving, because he drove the four-wheeler. 

#he cannot wait to drive #backseat driver

Fancy helmets.

Fun + Love=Family

Trying to crowd our heads in again--poor L!

We went to pick up T in the city 

and passed the time riding buses which the kiddos thought was pretty fun!

We then met up with my Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Brett for a fun evening of catching up.

Again it came to me, how blessed I am to have been raised by "goodly parents," to have been blessed with sweet, kind children, and surrounded by aunts and uncles, in-laws, grandparents, the best sister, and friends I consider family.