Miniature Golfing

One of the things I have enjoyed most about this summer is our relaxed and carefree schedule. I think our family is in for a shock when fall arrives and activities start up again. It's challenging to protect our schedule from becoming so overwhelming busy, but it's a high priority for Steve and myself to build margin in our lives. 

This summer, it's been difficult to be outside with the stifling heat, but on this gorgeous day, we invited Steve's parents to go miniature golfing with us. Little did we know, this was Lowell's first time miniature golfing - and he did a great job too!

 Amaya's technique has improved since last year too. She still gets a little frustrated and "helps" the ball into the hole, when she can't hit it right in, but she's getting there.

 

 

 A meeting of the minds... discussing the best way to angle the ball...

It was a difficult hole...

 I couldn't resist getting a picture of some flowers... this girl LOVES flowers!

 And I love my in-laws too! Thanks for the wonderful evening!

 

Choir Audition

Earlier this summer, there was a notice in our church bulletin asking for volunteers to audition for the church choir. On a typical service, we have a worship band with 4-5 singers, piano, guitars, drums, etc. But every quarter, both Steve and myself look forward to hearing the entire choir perform!

Growing up, I was in the children's choir and youth choir, and in college, I joined the Gospel Choir. And I played the violin for 4 years, so music has been a big part of my life. I love to sing - in the car, in the shower, cleaning, wherever and whenever. The problem is... I absolutely hate singing in front of anyone - with the exception of Amaya only because she thinks I'm the best singer in the world! :-) I've missed being a part of a choir and I felt God nudging my heart to audition.

My audition was on Wednesday evening, I was absolutely, positively TERRIFIED!! We have two music leaders and I would be auditioning in front of both of them. I was warned that I would have to do a little sight reading and some rhythm skills... but somehow that just made my anxiety level rise through the roof.

When I first got there, I was shown 20 different popular worship songs and was told to pick one to sing. Really? I have to pick a song on the spot? Which one would be the best for my voice? Which one did I know the best? I couldn't decide, so they picked, "Mighty to Save." - a song that I'm very familiar with and absolutely love.

First, Becky warmed me with with various scales to get a feel for my vocal range. She said, "You're definitely a soprano." Then she played four random notes together on the piano and I had to sing back each one. This was a little more challenging because the notes were so off the wall and at this point I was sweating profusely. And then... the sight reading... grrrr... I haven't looked at a sheet of music in over 14 years... I could find middle C... but oh boy... This was definitely NOT FUN! Finally, my performance of "Mighty to Save." I pretended I was in the car and belted out my best and was able to relax somewhat. I thought the worst was over, until the other worship leader, Don, took his crack at my vocal skills (or lack thereof). Now the rhythm part! I showed him I could clap and dance and sing at the same time and he was a little surprised and laughed pretty hard. When Becky and I had talked on the phone before the audition she said, "We need to make sure you can clap on 2 and 4 and move back and forth a little while singing." So... I showed Don my stuff! He meant a different kind of rhythm - singing difficult measures with rests in the middle, etc. Oh, well... at least he got a great laugh!

Finally, the audition was over. They told me earlier that they would call me the next day to let me know if I made the cut, so I was a little disappointed I'd have to wait. But as soon as I finished with the rhythm portion, Don said, "We don't need to call you tomorrow, we both agreed that you're in." To say I was little shocked would be an understatement. I know the level of talent that's within Christ Community, I'm just so excited to be a part of it!

Guess all that singing in the shower has paid off!!

Minnesota Zoo

Because we have a Minnesota Zoo membership, we try to get up to their 3-4 times a year and it seems like when we were up there in the spring, there was a lot of construction and new projects happening. We took our chances to brave a Saturday there, but with a chance of rain, the crowds weren't too bad. 

I was anxious to try out our camera and get some close up shots of the animals and flowers.

We decided to do the outdoor trails first in case it decided to pour, and the bears were our top priority. And this bear just seemed to be waiting for us to say hello!

 

Amaya in the "Bear's Den."

It was a lazy day for the Wild Boar.

We got so excited when we spotted the tiger - he's usually so hard to find! 

And as you can tell from this picture... it's no wonder he's difficult to find.

The Takin

These little prairie dogs always make me laugh... one minute they're there.... the next minute they are gone!

We heard that the zoo was offering Camel Rides... and shortly after the prairie dogs... there they were.

How exciting for Steve and Amaya! (I wasn't sure about riding a camel with precious cargo on board... but we did see another pregnant lady ride one... another time... maybe...)

They made a small little loop... it looked like it was a bumpy ride!

All smiles! Amaya loved it!

The zoo had a new Dinosaur exhibit that we had to check out. The clouds were looking quite gray - black and we heard thunder, but took our chances. (I was a little disappointed that the Dinosaur exhibit was an extra admission fee... but I'm glad we saw it once.)

The sound effects were very realistic, and Amaya was a little scared - what kid wouldn't be? The dinosaur exhibits were mechanical and made scary noises and even some of them spit out water!

The exhibit was located in a part of the zoo that we've never seen before, so it was fun to walk through the woods a little more. I couldn't remember all of the dinosaur names, so I took pictures of the plaque beside each exhibit.

We made it through the entire Dinosaur exhibit with just  a few little sprinkles!

We finished up the Northern trail with hopes that the rain would hold off just a wee bit longer! The next thing we saw were the Dholes - a type of dog. And the mama Dhole just had pups!

The moose was out and about, but looking a little thin, don't you think?

Just as we headed inside... it began to pour! Thank goodness we finished all the outdoor trails!

We grabbed a quick snack and then decided to go on the Monorail. Then, we did the Tropics Trail.

No zoo experience would be complete if we didn't get a picture of Amaya on the turtle.

The monkeys were showing off quite a bit... caught this little guy just hanging around...

The Tapir...

They just finished remodeling this part of the trail and it looks a lot better...

The Red Panda...

 We got some incredible pictures of the mountain lion? Cougar? Puma? We can't remember now... but regardless - amazing!

 

 

 Cheese!

And this Candian Lynx... he was getting ready for supper!

 We closed down the zoo and went to Perkin's for supper. We ended up sitting in a booth next to one of the Twin's Announcers! Great day - exhausting, but a lot of fun!

Celebrating Father's Day

For Father's Day, Amaya and I found a great gift idea for Steve on Pinterest. We weren't able to wrap it, so we had Steve close his eyes and we put in on his lap. Since he LOVES candy - he LOVED the present! It was a lot of fun to make and there are countless variations using different kinds of candy. (And if you noticed - it's from me, Amaya and Herbert. No, we don't know the gender of the baby yet... it's just that this pregnancy has been so different for me, I'm convinced it's a boy. Therefore, I needed to call the baby something... so we affectionately named the baby Herbert. And no, we're NOT going to name the baby Herbert if it is boy. Unfortunately, we really haven't settled on any names - boys or girls and I think we'll just hold out until we find out for sure.)

We met up with Steve's parents for lunch to celebrate with them at Whiskey Creek. Ruth Ann had just returned from Colorado and we were anxious to catch up with her and  hear about her experiences.

For dessert, we had their speciality - SMORES! Delicious!

We missed celebrating Father's Day with my dad, since they were still on vacation and we missed them tremendously! I thank God daily for my dad, father-in-law, and for Steve. I am so blessed by their influence in my life and for the influence they have in Amaya's life. Thank you for all of your love, encouragement, and support! Love you all! Happy Father's Day!