Guess what I'm pickin'

Not my nose...berries!

Grandma and Grandpa Gutzman have a raspberry patch. Generally, I don't care much for plain raspberries.

But there is something magical that happens with you are picking them yourself.

Twighlight anyone?

Just kidding....it's only blackberry smoothy...I got ya, didn't I?

Business in the front, party in the back

I had been rocking the mullet for quite some time. Mommy and Daddy loved the way that it curled up in the humidity. However...people were starting to complain that I just wasn't in style. How can you go wrong with a mullet? I know, right? So...they got out the squirt bottle. Which by the way was very fun to play with. And then the scissors. No trimming on the sides or top...but the back got sliced. Here I am...mullet free.

Erin's birthday weekend

Auntie Erin, uncle Kevin and Raegan came up for Erin's birthday.....I won't tell you which one it was. We started out at yet another parade! The famous Flag Day Parade.

You're a grand old flag, you're a high flying flag. My mom embarrassed me the whole time. She sang (out loud) to all the songs as the bands marched by. I think she inherited it from my Grandma. At least Grandma sings quietly.

Sorry West....you've got nothing on the US Navy Band or the Marine Corps Band. Not a foot out of step. Impressive.

Followed up by some playtime...which lead to getting dirty....then of course bath time. Don't worry folks...she's my cousin.

The weekend finished with so high class grill work by my Grandpa at Miss Sue's house.

Mmm Mmm Mmm.

Shedding new light...

In May, we took our annual Badger State Girl Choir spring tour. Last year, I ventured out with Quinn and my mom to St. Louis. This year, I spent my longest stretch of time away from Brian and Quinn. We headed overnight on a bus to the east coast. We spent our time primarily in Washington DC, with other stops in Philadelphia and Princeton, New Jersey.

I must say that as an adult I appreciated this trip to DC much more than when I went as an 8th grader. As I chaperoned girls who were my age when I was there last, I had come full circle. It is no surprise to anyone that I hold very conservative beliefs. As a walked closely with my 8 middle school girls, I saw so much of who I was and who they are and I realized that I had no idea during my last visit to DC what any of it really was about. I had missed the point completely. Like my girls, I was more concerned with the next shopping stop, the "foakleys" my friends and I had just purchased from a street vendor, the time away from school, the crushes I had on Justin and Ben and JT, and of course how I was going to manage to look cute in the panoramic photograph in front of the white house in the pouring rain.

This visit was different.

As we traveled from monument to monument, I saw something different. I saw my son in the military, my brother, my father, my students, standing for something that is important. I stood and read the words of our founding fathers written in literal stone and was saddend and amazed at how far away we as a nation have deviated from the original intentions. That while those words are actually written in stone, many in our nation wish to change it, to make it flimsy, making meaningless what has been so furvently and sacrificially guarded by previous generations.

I was reminded of my students who choose to sit down each morning at school during the pledge of alliegience...either because they don't care, are too lazy, or just want to be cool.

I was inspired to teach my children what is right, to appreciate what men and women have done in this country, to value family and life, to give of themselves, to believe in the original values of this nation, and to stand up for what is right...not for what is popular.

Even though we are a baseball family...

Daddy gave me a little flying lesson at Grandma's house....

This started a very bad thing for the shorter people in the family...aka...5' 3" and not as strong as daddy.

Summer lessons...

More time to play with Carter. This time he showed me lots of ways to play. First we surveyed the yard from our lookout.

Then he showed me the best way to climb a slide....shhh don't tell our moms.

Then we started training for the run.. Those fartleks his mom makes him run are really paying off. Shoot that kid is fast.