July Happenings

One of the eagerly anticipated events of summer 2011 was the American History Ball planned by a few families in the community.

Families were invited to come on July 1st dressed in period attire from United States history through the 1950s.

We danced the night away with original dances -- from the Minuet to the Twist and everything in between!

Maybe this will become an annual event? ;)

To celebrate Independence Day, we joined our dearest friends for a cook out and hang out, then headed down to the Bayou, to watch fireworks burst over the waters. One of the dads in our group works on military airplanes, so when some of these neat emergency rafts were deemed expired, he willingly grabbed them.

Memories that will never be forgotten.

A Wedding

Our dear friend, Hannah, was married this past weekend to the love of her life, Eric. After much excitement and preparation, we arrived at the church more than ready to see the first of "the kids" be happily bound in matrimony!

Emmy Xiang and her best friends, Olivia and Vanessa, were asked to be flower girls -- and beautiful flower girls they made!

Unfortunately, this is the only picture we took of the bride and groom the whole afternoon! But, you've got to admit that they look quite happy. And aren't those little people just precious! :)

Stevo and Jay amuse themselves at the piano while waiting for the (endless) pictures to ... well, end. We call this the Algy and Jack picture!

*sigh* We love weddings -- and each other! Bosom friends, for life!

MJ

The inseparable six -- MJ is second from the right, between Katie and Bee

Please be in prayer for our dearest MJ. She is undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor, possibly cancerous. We love her and her family so much, and we love our God! He is sovereign over all, and we rest in his promises. He holds us all in His loving, merciful hands. Praises be to Him -- even in this storm.

Bowling!

Ruth's birthday wishes were simple: Popeye's chicken, bowling, and us. We were very happy to supply ourselves for the evening!

We love this family so much! They're just awesome.

Our bowling skills on the other hand are ... not so awesome. Katie might have a titanium hip, but it sure didn't kick in its super powers that evening. Eventually, she resorted to desperate measures.

Meet Joel, one of Emmy Xiang's devoted young men. She seems to have him wrapped around her little fingers, but as Katie so aptly quoted, It's "mutual, I'm sure."

I think we're probably all a little in love. :)

Dancing Under Heaven

Bee, the filmmaker, wrote and directed another movie recently, and, of course, we enjoyed a fun premier! Do you think they were excited?

Looks like it!

This specific event, we even had fancy cakes featuring the crests of the good guys and the bad guys in the film.

And, obviously, no major event in our little circle would be complete without dancing! A fun evening to celebrate (yet another) production! :)

Everyday-ness

We dabble in modern art. (Meet Bruce, by the way.)

We plant delicious herbs.

We hide during scary parts. Though a little scary, Tangled is officially Emmy's favorite.

We drink tea. Lots of it. In pretty cups.

We smile for impromptu photo shoots.

We get goofy, too.

Are we weird or what? (This is Phil.)

The End of a Season

After falling in love with Cross Country and Track at the local Christian school, the Bug and the Bee stepped out and began their running at the large public school in town.

That is, until the Bug decided to develop a cyst in her femur. That didn't stop her from showing her team spirit, though.

And she remained a faithful attendee of practices and meets, building relationships with her crazy friends!

They enjoyed some really fun events like a scavenger hunt ...

and the homecoming dance.

Since her surgery forced her to step out of running for a while, Katie was able to work on the track and field team as a manager. She absolutely thrived in that role, putting all her administration and coaching skills to work. And, to be honest, there's no way that team would have accomplished all they did without her!

And all that hard work payed of, 'cause she got lettered at the banquet -- a high honor for a non-runner! Way to go!