We celebrated July 4th with our sweet friends, the Bass family.
After some yummy burgers...we got out the sparklers and fireworks.
Kenna
Lexi
Aleyna
Josiah
The whole crew!
God Bless the USA!!!
So thankful for the freedoms we have in our beautiful country and for the friends we were able share it with!
The back splash is FINISHED!!!
We are so close to being done with the kitchen - just need to finish the trip on top and the open shelves!!!
Some sweet friends offered us the use of their mountain cabin and we gladly took them up on it!
This summer has been so HOT!!!
But as soon as we pulled into Blowing Rock the temps dropped about 20 degrees!
This tree sits in the middle of Blowing Rock - it is called the Prayer Tree.
Visitors are invited to write out a prayer and hang it on the branches.
The branches were weighed down by countless prayer requests and there are several surrounding trees that are covered in little notecards.
Hailey shared her prayer requests for all of the AMAZING police officers!
Amy prayed for peace for our nation.
We spent the rest of the afternoon soaking up the cuteness and beauty of Blowing Rock.
The next day we set out to hike Linville Falls.
There are several different vantage points to see the falls...all of them were amazing!
Such a beautiful day for hiking.
That afternoon, Amy and I took our books and blankets to Bass Lake for a little R&R.
Our friend, Kailey Gott, told us about a place called Blue Deer Cookies.
They make homemade cookie and homemade ice cream - and put them together for the BEST ice cream sandwiches!!!!
The next day we drove through the mountains of NC to Todd, NC to go tubing down the New River.
The water was FREEZING at first...but got used to it pretty quickly.
We had the river mostly to ourselves.
It was a quiet (except for when I lost my sunglasses...and tipped over in the tube...and Jason thought we were lost) relaxed ride down the river.
The breathtaking Blue Ridge parkway!
The last night we snuck into Chetola - a resort in downtown Blowing Rock.
We loved walking around the grounds and enjoying the beautiful lake.
We were trying NOT to draw attention to ourselves (especially considering that we weren't guests staying at the resort!).
But the guys were throwing the football back and forth WHILE we were trying to take some pretty pictures by the lake...AND inevitably the football ended up IN the lake!!
This was AFTER one of the kids had to wade in knee deep and retrieve the football!
So much for not trying to draw attention to ourselves!
Thankfully we didn't get kicked out :-)
Crazy football boys!!!
We loved our time in Blowing Rock and cannot wait to head up the mountains again sometime soon!
When we got back from the mountains we celebrated Alex's birthday!!
So thankful for their friendship and the ministry they have serving at Carmel!!
This summer looked a little different for Tyler and Amy - with most youth events being cancelled.
THANKFULLY, the youth pastors worked hard to put some alternatives into place.
On Wednesday nights, they had game night and Sunday nights were small groups.
I co-led a small group and we went through a book called The Letters.
The pastoral staff each wrote a letter to the youth...sharing what they wish they had known in highschool.
The younger two also missed out on camp and serving in VBS.
We had a "fun day" during July that tried to incorporate some of the elements of camp.
The kids were broken up into different teams and led on a Scripture based scavenger hunt.
Which led them to different boxes hid around the campus of the church.
My girls did an amazing job...we didn't find all of the clues...but almost!!
Amy applied to Daphne's Bakery back in March - right before everything shut down because of Covid.
The bakery completely closed for awhile...and when it did open back up there was a hiring freeze.
But Amy emailed the owner each month to keep in touch and she is finally starting her first shift!!!
I am so proud of this little baker.
Jackson Phillip is ELEVEN!!!
We are so thankful for this sweet, goofy kid!
It is easy to celebrate his loving, generous heart...each day we are blessed with his hugs and smiles.
And his ginormous heart for everyone in his life.
His latest passion is basketball and...
floor is lava!
Floor is Lava is a game show that he has been watching and we wanted him to wake up on his birthday with his own course to conquer!!
We celebrated with presents...Olive Garden...and of course...
Louis Bash!
We haven't been able to see much of the Bash family since Covid hit...but we are so grateful they came to celebrate our guy!
Happy Birthday, Jackson!!
We love you!
We are in FULL summer now...but there are a couple of nights that the weather is PERFECT for a quick stroll.
