Happy Father's Day!

A quiet day to relax and reflect. Just what he needed....

 *photo coming*

We are very grateful for the Father's and Grandfather's in our lives. We have some wonderful examples to learn from and follow. So many wondeful men! We have great appreciation for all of them.

***

About a month ago Emily's life took a turn in a very new direction.  That direction happens to be in a far-away land.  She was invited by family friends to come study in Brazil! This is the same family that Mark's brother stayed with when he was an excahnge student about 28 years ago.  They are wonderful people.  Emily was thrilled with the opportunity and so we have hopped aboard this amazing ride and are trying our best to prepare each other for this new and amazing experience she is about to embark on.

In a nutshell, she will be staying in a small town about 4-5 hours north of the Sao Paulo.  Matao.  She will be attending a private school (K-12).  There are about 16 kids her age in this school. She will have the opportunity to help teach English as well as dance.  She will be totally immersed in the Portuguese language.

We find it hard to believe that she is bave enough to do this.  It is something that we NEVER would have dreamed would be happening.  It will be hard for all of us, but hopefully a very rich and wonderful experience as well.  We are really impressed with her desire to do something that will be harder than anything she has ever faced before. We have put much prayer and thought into this decision and feel it is a good thing for her to do.  I think we will become stronger parents to her through this, which seems like an odd thing to say considering the distance. All of sudden you look at each day in a different way.  Big changes...

If all goes well with the visa, she we be boarding the plane at the end of July. She has been working with a friend who is visiting from Brazil and getting a taste for the language.  More to come....

Camber's birthday gift to Em was a ticket to a concert...

Ray LaMontagne and Brandi Carlile.  

This is a photo of the two of them enjoying themselves very much at the concert Sat night.

We love these beautiful girls.

A Visit to Liam and Elsie's House!

Because, as they say...
A picture is worth a thousand words!
xo

Free picture slideshow made with Smilebox

Diploma In Hand

Graduation week is full of activities and parties.  One highlight is Candlelight, held the night before graduation. Teachers are honored, there is a key note speaker and then all he graduates light a candle and walk around campus and listen to students reminisce about memories at Logan High.  This year the graduating class decided to purchase a bright yellow bench in honor of their sweet friend and classmate, Jocie Garlick. You can read the sweet tribute here, that Jocie's mom gave. A fitting remembrance  to a beautiful girl we all dearly miss. The bench is perfect. Our computer crashed with photos of that night.  I have a few I had printed that I scanned in so they are a little grainy. We helped the Garlicks make Jiggy Sticks to hand out to all the graduates...limited edition ~ Grizzly Bear Balm.  

 

Thanks Em, for the festive Lei!

Hugs and well wishes before graduation...

 
 Good friends and great memories...Rayann was Camber's counselor who really helped us out after her ski accident.

 Not saying that graduations are boring...but they are long.  Thanks Grandpa and Grandma Firth for taking the time to come be with us.  We loved having you! (We know you were happier than this photo shows ;)

 Find Camber.            (Big Hint...center aisle fourth row back third one to the left)

See Camber whooping things up? 

Look at the two guys looking at her on the left.  

She must have really let out a holler!

 We love you, Camber!  What a wonderful time of life!!

Technical Difficulties

Sadly our Mac is going to have to visit the doctor for some time...she will be getting some much needed updated memory and hopefully come back home with lots of fresh new energy and....some of our lost photos recovered.  We will be hoping for the best! See you in about a week or so.