If Home Is Where Your Heart Is. . . .

Maggie made it to camp and she is in the same cabin with one of her best friends from when we lived in Branson. . .and they are bunk-mates! Yea for Maggie & Emmy!!!

Lesley did another great hair do for Gabby! Thanks, Les!

Look at these ADORABLE pinatas that I am sending to the girls at camp! I am SO EXCITED about them! (Ashlynn and Kathryn are my cousin's kids.) They are filled with fun camp treats and I cannot wait for the girls to get them! If you want to order you own, go to Posh Pinata (click on name to go to site).

Okay, so this word picture came to me the other day as I was driving. I thought it was a pretty special word picture, but when I told Andy about it, he didn't see it as very special. . .you can be the judge (in fairness to Andy, at the end I'll tell you what part he didn't like about it). I feel like our marriage/relationship finally hit the fine wine stage (I do realize that we may have like 60 more years together, but fine wine gets even better with time). I feel like we started as grape juice. . .and grape juice is really yummy and sweet. . .nothing at all wrong with grape juice!! Skip forward almost 2 decades of knowing each other (the fermenting process) when everything isn't always sweet and I feel like now we have become fine wine. I feel like we have reached this safe and comfortable place and it is a very good place. I feel like this is a real place and a open place and a fun place. I feel like all of the imaginary people will be asking for the inaginary

Thanks, Lesley, for Gabby's cute new do!!!

I'll say it again, what a week! Stitches, chicken pox, impetigo, poison oak, more stitches and a broken bone. Goodness! I understand that all of this is very common with children, I really do, but what a week! My poor friend (and doctor), Valerie, is going to quit answering my calls! Hays busted his knee to start this whole week of injuries out. He got a couple of stitches. The picture doesn't do the injury justice, but it is a little glimpse (I need to bring my good camera to the ER and not just my phone). Then Maggie with her weird disease. I have pictures but I can't get them to upload. That is probably a good thing because I'm not positive that Mag wants her infected body posted for the world to see! It is pretty nasty. . .poor girl. But the medicine is starting to work and I can see that they are getting better daily. . .and no more spreading--thank goodness! Yesterday was Tiki's turn. He smashed his finger in a mountain bike break and sliced it abou

So, Braner Party of 7 is down! Hays is gone. Maggie has some weird virus that looks like a nasty mix of chicken pox and poison ivy that has been creeping (at a fast pace) across her body for the past two days. . .added to that is throwing up and pain. Tiki and Dax both have fevers and tummy aches. Gabby isn't sick (yet?) although she really wants to be because of the special attention the others are getting. And then there is Andy with his messed up neck which seems to be getting worse every day. This is a down in the dumps post, but we would love your prayers! Such amazing things are happening here at Camp Kivu and I think the Enemy is just trying to get us down by striking us (me) where it hurts. . .HOME!

Well, Hays is in Missouri for the rest of the summer! He flew to Branson this morning by himself and he was so excited! My mom (and dad?) picked him up at the airport and he was headed to my Gran'ma's for a couple of days before camp starts! Gran'ma has a house full of relatives, but I know that she is excited to see Hays. . .he cannot wait to play checkers and scrabble with her! Monday camp starts. . .his seventh year! Wow! Sweet Melissa Houston packed his trunk for him and I am SO VERY grateful for that! The house is different without the big brother and everyone was a little distressed today (in their own way). Dax and Tiki THREW DOWN this afternoon. . .punching and mean words and everything! Maybe they're trying to figure out who is the alpha male while big brother is away. Who knows. The tears are dry for the day. . .we'll see what tomorrow holds! We took Gabby's braids out and the afro is back in full force. I'm going to try a couple of new &

The Nimrod family was in Durango for the last few days and we had a great time! Thanks for coming out guys! We love you!!!

Happy birthday to my sweetie and the love of my life and my best friend and the father of my children, Andy! I wasn't around when he was born and I don't really have any extra special birthday memories of him, but I adore him and I am very thankful that he was, indeed, born! (Thank you, BeBe and PaPa!) He is wonderful and he is so dear to me! I love him with all of my heart and I am so blessed to be married to my very best friend. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, sweetie! I love you and I wish you weren't in Wyoming on your special day (the above picture is Andy in Wyoming today)!!!

This darling 5 year old needs loving parents! She is in China and her story is darling! Please go to Show Hope (click on the name to get to the article) and read about sweet Carissa!

Yesterday one of our camp leadership guys took us to Baker's Bridge (my favorite spot in Durango) for some family pictures. THANK YOU NATE!!!

Yesterday was SO much fun! Jordin Sparks had a day off from her tour and she wanted to spend it at Camp Kivu! We had the best time playing at the lake and laughing! My kids love her and we are so blessed to be able to call her friend! She wanted to go to the lake, so that is where we headed! Then the boys insisted that she watch them bike on their new "BMX" track that they have been making out in the field. . .they are so proud that they can now ride their bikes! I love my kids! Jordin recording while her boyfriend, Steph, preformed a song he wrote for her. :)

One of our camp photographers from three years ago just ran across these two pictures of Dax and Jake on her computer. They are so adorable and such a sweet reminder of a much younger dog and my little guy in diapers, Dax!!!

No, Andy did not take me out to a nice sit-down dinner. My amazing manny, Dalton (who has all five children BY HIMSELF for the next month) cooked dinner for us. And it wasn't just any dinner he cooked. . .he grilled steak and lobster and shrimp. . .he also had the kids shuck the corn. . .amazing!!! Thank you, Dalton!