Happy, Happy Fathers' Day...just a few days late!

TO ALL THE FATHERS RELATED OR IN SOME WAY CONNECTED TO MY FAMILY ~ BOTH NEAR AND FAR: I'll list everyone randomly...not by age, importance, or anything like that...Jim, Safa, Alan, Greg, Don, Roger, George; then there's Scott, Marcus, Nick, Herman, Gabe, John, Brian, Dave and several other distant ones beyond the realm of this communication link.

Happy (belated) Father's Day to each of you!

More Birthday Celebrations, Camping, Swimming!

LILLY TURNED 11!

Unbelievable...she said when she woke up on June 17! Lilly actually feels a year older, as she told everyone at her camping, picnic, swimming, birthday party at Crab Orchard Lake. It was supposed to be a surprise, but she got wind of it. Our friend Jessica made the best ever strawberry shortcake birthday cake decorated like the American Flag...because Lilly's favorite songs are the Star Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful.

Our friends and families came to enjoy the swimming and fishing. Even Dr. Nick bought a fishing pole and was determined to catch the biggest fish in the lake! Juliana, Gabi and Diego went swimming with Beth and Lilly for the first time in a lake instead of a pool. The BBQ was interrupted by a 15 minute rain shower that forced us to take shelter in our cars and cover the food. But, no one was willing to throw in the towel, so when the drops lightened, we just continued on under the umbrellas and shortly after, under the sun again. Even Baby Gabe loved the party, rain and all!


Beth and Lil spent the evening swimming and having a ball...see photos below.

Unfortunately, we all paid for the experience the next day with all the bug bites. Even the spray didn't seem to help. Everyone here tells us it was chiggers(!!?!!??), tics, mosquitos, and who knows what else. All I know is we're still itching!

THANKS TO GREAT GRANDMA AND GRANDPA HOLLAND!

A couple of days before Lilly's birthday, a package came in the mail for both Beth and Lil. The girls were surprised and happy to get presents from their great grandparents in Michigan. See the collage pictures below of each girl with their gifts. You'll notice how the early morning mail can wake up two girls before they are really ready to face the day!!!

SUPER THANKS TO AUNT KRISTIN!

Both girls received online gift certificates from their Aunt Kristin for Fat Brain Toys. Can't imagine who ever thought up that name! Anyway, both girls are sure taking their time searching for what they want to use their gift money on. Whether it will be a perfume making kit or some scientific experiment, they are sure to enjoy it. They feel so empowered just being able to "shop" online by themselves!

That's it for now...we're getting ready for Heartland Baha'i Summer School, and then off to Six Flags in St. Louis after that. In the meantime, I'm having some spinal injections that will hopefully help my back "aches", and Jim continues having various procedures treating his glaucoma. Aging is the pits; but, the girls keep us young at heart. As Jody says, "life is good." I'm trying to adopt her outlook on life.

Later....

Birthdays, Picnics, and More are Planned, Too!

Lilly's 11th Birthday
It's only a couple of weeks between Beth and Lil's birthdays, but it seems much closer than that. Here we are planning a surprise party for Lilly for this coming weekend. Watch next week for the recap on that. Since it's a surprise, I won't say anymore now.

Race Unity Picnic

After planning for months, we finally held a successful (without rain) Race Unity picnic on Sunday, June 11, in Carbondale. With lots of food, kids games, music and just plain talk, it was an afternoon that truly was the "human family reunion" it was meant to be. After running ads in the newspaper, having a full page feature article of coverage and TV interviews on site, it turned out to be a very successful public event proclaiming race unity for the Baha'is of Southern Illinois.

Bethany's 12th Birthday
Do you remember you're 12th birthday? I'm sure Beth won't! She sprained her ankle jumping on the trampoline. Her party was at Ultimate Gymnastics and everyone had a blast. Such a blast that our resident doctor in training friend Nick had to manipulate Beth's foot and put ice on it to get her through the afternoon. It didn't dampen her spirits though...she made it through the cake, ice cream, and of course, presents! Oh yes, and that little spanking and pinch, too.

Our Summer Begins!

This weekend really is the beginning of our summer. Bethany decided to delay celebrating her birthday until the weekend when "everyone" could come to her self-planned party. It's to be at a gymnastics center. How fun??? Anyway, her party is the kick-off to our jam-packed summer of running all over the midwest for the next two and a half months. We had hoped to make a trip back to California, but health issues and that old never-ending problem of money kept hindering our exhuberant plans. So, instead, we have several short trips planned including...

Lilly's 11th birthday celebration in Paducah, KY, Baha'i Summer School in Springfield followed up right away by going to Six Flags in St. Louis, then later camping on Lake Carlyle, a few weeks later spending a week in Chicago, then several other shorter camping trips, and to top off our summer...we'll be going to the Baha'i Conference in Greenlake, WI this year.

But first, we'll be celebrating Race Unity Day with our Baha'i Community in Southern Illinois on June 11 at a park in Carbondale where we've invited everyone. Flyers are posted all over towns around here; the Interfaith Council is supporting the event, we have live entertainment performing, our ads are set to run and we even have t-shirts printing. So, if you're anywhere near us on that date, come on over, hot dogs are on the grill!

A couple of other summer activities the girls will be involved in this summer are: Lilly is taking horsebackriding lessons at the Southern Illinois Equestrian Center. It is a week long camp sponsored by John A Logan College. She is so excited. It was one of her dreams when we moved here to get her own horse. This is on that path. Beth will be taking tennis lessons at So. IL Univ. on Saturdays for eight weeks. She started lessons before we left California, and is anxious to pick them up again.

Looks like our summer should zip on by...but then, like everything else in life, it could change...just like that! Check back, if for no other reason than to see if we can keep on track!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COUSIN RAZI!"