NEWS WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!

Allen called me this morning with some exciting news. Our kids have an appointment at the US Embassy in Manila for their visa interviews on October 14. USUALLY it takes a week or two to grant the visas, but after that, we can go to get the kids! Whoa! I sort of can't believe it! We will be looking for travel dates at the end of October or possibly the beginning of November. (Thank you, God!)

This is going to be a short post... but... well, great things come in little packages, right??

MARLYS HEALY

Marlys Healy was in Cambridge last week. She and her husband heard a calling on their life (29 years ago) to start an orphanage in the Philippines. They answered that call, started a shelter for orphaned and abandoned children, and are still helping to rescue children from a life with little hope. She understands the meaning of putting your faith to work.

Marlys gets to see our children every day. She is able to share stories with us about our kids and makes us feel connected. I am inspired to think of all the children she has touched. Ours are only three of hundreds... I thought I would introduce her to you because she means so much to me and my family. If you think of her, her husband and the ministry at CSC, pray for a blessing on their life and their work in the Philippines. Roselyn, Romeo and Rodrigo would not be coming to live with us without the vision and faithful efforts of Marlys and many other people like her. It is called "the ripple effect" and it is changing lives. I would definitely consider her...a hero.

GRIAK

Kristin ran in the Roy Griak cross country meet this weekend. It is a big meet on the U of M campus. The fun thing about it is the HUGE number of people. The meet hosts about 37 teams from all over the midwest. Kristin's race (Division III) included 485 runners. It was very exciting to HEAR the runners come down the course all at once. It truly sounded like a stampede and looked very beautiful with all the team colors. Our top Bethel runner placed 2nd and the girls team placed 8th! Kristin did well and took about 20 seconds off her time from the same meet last year. It is pretty fun running around the course with all the other fans as we try to catch the runners at various points on the course. Look for Kristin in the third picture. Can you find her?

BIRTHDAY LUNCH

Some of my friends were over this week for a birthday celebration. Well, actually we celebrated two birthdays! My friends Barb and Adie reached an important milestone, so we had good reason to celebrate. I have been celebrating with this group for quite a few years now. Although it is sometimes very difficult to find a date and time that we can all agree on, we manage to find a time that works well for most of us. It is a good reason to get together and we always have fun.

I am very lucky to have wonderful friends. It is certainly not because I am such a good person. I just try to hitch my wagon to really great people! Each of them bless and inspire me in very different ways. They challenge me and make me think. I can only hope that I might encourage them in some way as well. Anyway, I had a great time on Friday with my (mature) friends. (I might just mention that I AM the youngest in this particular group!) I can't wait until the next birthday party!

STARFISH

These thoughts come from a book...Fields of the Fatherless- Discover the Joy of Compassionate Living.

A YOUNG MAN COLLECTING SEASHELLS NOTICED AN AGED FELLOW WALKING ALONG THE BEACH. HE SAW THIS OLD MAN WALK A FEW STEPS, BEND OVER, PICK SOMETHING UP, AND FLING IT INTO THE SEA. HE REPEATED THIS OVER AND OVER.

FILLED WITH CURIOSITY, THE YOUNG MAN MOVED CLOSER UNTIL HE REALIZED WHAT THE OLD MAN WAS DOING. HE WAS PICKING UP ONE OF THE MANY STARFISH THAT LAY DYING ON THE BEACH AND THROWING THEM FAR INTO THE WATER.

THE YOUNG MAN THOUGHT THIS TASK WAS AN INCREDIBLE WASTE OF TIME. SO HE ASKED, "SIR, WHY ARE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO TRY TO SAVE ONE STARFISH WHEN THERE ARE THOUSANDS LYING ON THE BEACH? YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE!"

THE OLDER MAN SMILED, BENT OVER, PICKED UP ANOTHER STARFISH, AND FLUNG IT INTO THE OCEAN. THEN HE SAID, "IT MADE A DIFFERENCE TO THAT ONE!"

I love this illustration. It is meaningful to me as we think about our adoption. But it sure applies to every other part of my life as well. I can get pretty overwhelmed with all of the bad things that happen in this world. It it so much bigger than I am. But when I simply think of where God has placed me at this moment in time, it helps to know that the best thing for me to do is to make a difference in my corner of the world... one person at a time.

Personal weakness provides a great opportunity for God's strength to come through! He's just waiting for us to call upon Him in our weakness so He can show Himself strong on our behalf. What a great position to be in!!

"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses...for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong." II Corinthians 12:9-12

THE BLACK HOLE

I have been wanting to give you an update, but the last week has been anything but clear cut. If you read my last update, you know that we were told that our paperwork was sent to the US Embassy in the Philippines on September 5. We were looking for something in the mail indicating a time that we could travel to Manila. Well, a few days later, Allen just couldn't stand it any longer. He called the US embassy in Manila to see if anyone might know the status of our paperwork. After numerous recordings, he FINALLY was able to talk to an English-speaking person. This person confirmed that our case was indeed in the computer, but they hadn't received the paper copies. After receiving the paperwork, they would process it and send ANOTHER packet of paperwork back to the US for us to fill out. The process (according to this person) would normally take three months. THREE MONTHS??? This can't be! All I can say is that Allen was rather frustrated after speaking with this woman. It was evident that he seemed to understand the process much better than she did. In other words, we are not sure she really knew what she was talking about.?? It feels like we are in a black hole. Allen has tried to talk to someone else at the embassy, but always gets caught in (what he calls) "phone jail". It is next to impossible to talk to a real person. So...here we sit. Allen has been very tenacious in trying to connect with someone in the Philippines to see if there is some way to move things along.

NEWS FLASH!! - I just talked with Allen. He has made a few more calls today and managed to make some headway. He had been trying different numbers that were listed on the State Department website to see if he might have any luck. After navigating through "ten portals of phone options" (his description!) he talked to someone who was actually quite helpful. This person was evidently located in Washington D.C. She pulled up our data base which includes all that has happened to this point regarding the immigration. We now have case numbers for all three of our kids (which will be very helpful if we need to reference them). She also said that "No, you do not need to fill out another packet of paperwork." (YEAH!) All paperwork from here on out will be completed in the Philippines. The bad news is that it could still be several weeks until we hear anything. She said to call her back in 7-10 days.

As an aside, today I was at the high school pool when a girl on the middle school swim team came up to me and asked if we were adopting three kids from the Philippines. Her name is Angel and she knows Roselyn from when she lived at CSC. Angel and her sister came to Cambridge about 1 - 2 years ago. I knew of her but had never met her. She looked so sweet in her little swimsuit and cap. I am so glad that she introduced herself to me! I will look forward to the time(s) when she and Roselyn can get together. Very cool.

Wow, if you made sense of all of that, you are amazing. I know that what I just wrote is confusing...but that is my news for the day. Thanks for checking and thanks for being interested.

LIFE AND DEATH

Last weekend I was in Wisconsin at my friend's lake home. I go with a few friends every year to enjoy the fall colors. We spend time hiking, eating, shopping and relaxing. We all enjoy playing games. It is often the last chance to enjoy warm weather before fall really sets in. It is a beautiful place!

This year was unusual because two of my friends experienced life-changing news within the same 12 hour period. My friend Deb's first grandchild was born during the night (on Thursday). My friend Sherri's dad passed away a few hours later that same night. He wasn't well, but it still came as a surprise. To make matters worse, Sherri's brother-in-law has been diagnosed with an unusual cancer only a few weeks back. He is quite ill and needs to be in Rochester this week to determine what treatment, if any, might be most helpful.

The beginning of life and the end of life...both events make us think about what happens in the middle of life. It makes me think about what's important...and what I am doing about it. I am so happy for my friend who is a new grandma. I am so sad for my friend who is grieving the loss of her father. More importantly, I'm thankful that God has given me friends and family who I can share life with. I have once again been reminded that life is so fragile and that I am so blessed! I am also very secure in knowing that God is there smiling with us in the happy times and showing us mercy, compassion and comfort in the painful times. It's a great thing.

It was good just to be together last weekend. In spite of everything going on, we had a great time, laughed a lot and felt comfort in just being together. Thanks Sherri, for your kind hospitality. We are praying for you.

MOVIE PICKS

I have two movies to recommend. Both are based on true stories. Maybe you've seen them.

WAR DANCE - This movie highlights three children who have been abducted from their families who are living in a refugee camp in Northern Uganda. They have the opportunity to go to a National Music Festival and the story is both interesting and redeeming. I am not usually very excited about documentaries, but this one is great!

JOYEUX NOEL - This movie is about WW1 troops who declare a 24 hour Christmas Eve truce. I have heard of this story before, but had never seen the movie. If you have a chance, check them out!

SWIMMING

Last Saturday we made the trek up to Hibbing for a swimming invitational. It is always a fun meet and we look forward to it every year. We have been going for quite a few years starting when Lindsay was on the team. Steph did well that day and the team won the meet! It is a great group of parents and lots of fun to just hang out together. After the meet, we (swimmers and parents) head over to Sammy's Pizza. What a great tradition! Good job, Steph! We had a ball!

TODAY'S NEWS

Allen has been trying to make some phone calls this week to see where our paperwork is at. He called me this afternoon after finally getting through to some LIVE people. We learned that our paperwork was sent to the National Visa Center (which is part of the US State Department). On September 5th, they forwarded it to the US Embassy in Manila. That, of course was almost two weeks ago. We were told that we should receive a letter any day indicating the appropriate travel times. One person told Allen that she was a bit surprised that we hadn't received that notification yet, but told us to watch for it sometime this week. We still don't have any concrete dates (and this information is still a bit vague), but it sounds as if things are indeed moving in the right direction.

Thank you for your supportive and kind words as we wait. Please keep praying for this to be over soon. We are trying to be patient, but not having very much success. We'll keep you posted!

SKYPE CALL

Tonight we had a skype call with our kids. They all looked great and had just started the school day. We talked to each of them one at a time tonight. Sometimes it is easier than trying to engage all of them at once. As much as we love doing these calls, it is becoming more difficult all the time to do them. We usually carry the conversation and try to ask questions about their life in Cebu, but it is often challenging to know what to talk about. They talk a little bit, but sometimes the audio is not the greatest. They are also a bit unsure about their English. I really hope all this waiting will come to a close soon.

Romeo's birthday is on November 4. We asked him what he would like for his 12th birthday. He said that he would like a kite. I loved that answer! There is something so pure and simple about asking for a kite. At CSC the kids make their own kites out of the twigs in a broom and plastic bags. I suggested that when he comes home with us that we must bring a broom so he can show us how to make a kite. In the meantime, maybe I'll start looking for a kite.

We sent some pictures and Bluejacket t-shirts to our kids when Joel Reasoner went back to CSC. I had to guess on the shirt sizes and it appears that I was a little bit off. Rodrigo got the smallest t-shirt that I could find. He is swimming in it. Romeo's shirt is a little snug, but I think that Roselyn's shirt is JUST right. It was fun to get this picture to see them in their Cambridge-Isanti shirts. We will surely invest in some CI sweatshirts when they arrive.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

"Do not withhold good from those who deserve it
when it is in your power to act." Proverbs 3:27

THEY HAVE ARRIVED!

No, not the kids. Sorry! However, Allen's new glasses DID make their debut appearance this week. Thursday afternoon, Allen looked at me and said, "Mary, do you notice anything different about me?" I turned around to get a good look at him. My first thought was his hair. His hair does grow very fast and and it seems that he goes to get it cut about every 3 weeks.

Just as I was about to say something, I caught myself and took a second look. Thankfully, my quick thinking saved me from giving the wrong answer. It wasn't his hair, it was his glasses! I said (with much enthusiasm) "YOU GOT YOUR NEW GLASSES!!! WOW, I REALLY LIKE THEM!" He smiled and walked over so I could get a closer look. Ever so gently, he said, "Yes Mary, I have had my glasses since Monday and have been waiting for you to notice. I decided to give you until today to say something." Well, once again, I failed to notice how great my husband looked...with his new and different specs. I apologized profusely...again. Allen is truly a good person because he didn't seem too offended or rattled about the whole ordeal. I suppose he is used to it! Anyway, if you see my very handsome husband, take a look-see at his new glasses. They are very COOl...just like him!

TWO FILLINGS

My last visit to the dentist was not a good one. He found two cavities. Bummer! I hate it when I get cavities!! I grew up on a farm where their was no fluoride in the water. At that time, there was no fluoride rinse at school either and I probably wasn't that great of a brusher. It wasn't uncommon for me to have 5, 6 or 7 cavities when I went to the dentist. I know that is really sick and a bit embarrassing, but it is simply the truth. Needless to say, I am no stranger to Novocain and needles in my mouth. My dental hygiene has improved over the years and it has been quite a while since I have needed a "drilling". But my time had come. Yesterday was the day and I'd like to tell you about it.

I arrived a bit late because of a really slow car in front of me.

I walked into the front door and was immediately escorted to Room #2 and my special recliner.

They didn't waste any time putting my bib on and swabbing my mouth (which was fine with me).

I usually close my eyes when they ask me to open my mouth. I wonder if that is what everyone else does??? They have that nice seagull mobile hanging from the ceiling, but I prefer the darkness.

"This is going to pinch a little bit." That's my cue. Here come that GIANT needle. I try not to look, but usually peek just to see just how GIANT the needle really is. It's a wonder I don't pass out. And yes, it PINCHES, all right.

Somewhere in there, the cotton ball and a clamp is placed to keep my lip out of the way. It's humiliating and yet, necessary.

Next comes the drill...that high pitched noise that we all have nightmares about.
Drill, drill, drill.

"This will VIBRATE a bit." Thats an understatement! It's a nice way of telling me to prepare for the jackhammer. Whoa! The cavities must have been pretty big because the jackhammer part seemed kind of intense.

Oh- don't forget the water spray and vacuum tubes. The assistant operating these tubes was quite good. My cheek got sucked up in the tube only two times!!

Back to the drill. Drill, drill, drill. Jackhammer a bit more...drill, drill drill.

Finally, they start filling the tooth with that bad smelling stuff. Push, squeak, squeak, push, squeak, push again...harder.

I know that I am almost finished when the clamp and the cotton comes out. Yeah!!

"Gently bite and grind your teeth back and forth." At this point, I feel nothing on the left side of my face. It is totally numb...and I kind of like it! I'm always kind of sad when the feeling comes back.

It's over and time to get out of my recliner.

Last instructions: "Don't chew on the left side of your mouth for 24 hours or we could possibly have to go in and do it all over."
Yikes! You can bet that I followed instructions on that one to a tea. No way was I repeating that.

Not sure why I decided to blog about my trip to the dentist. Make no mistake, this little essay has nothing to do with my dentist. I'm perfectly happy with my dentist and I think he is a very nice guy. For those of you who have never had a filling...maybe this has shed some light on that matter. For the rest of you, I feel your pain.

OUR KIDS

Today I sat down to waste some time at the computer. I am amazed at how often I run to my desk during the day to check for messages, or catch up on blogs, or look at the latest news... or blog. I know that I am spending more time in this chair now than I will a few months from now. It does help to give me a good understand of why kids spend endless hours on Facebook. It's addicting! Just for the record, my kids have forbid me to have an account on Facebook. I guess I am too old or something :) All of that is to say that... today I spent several hours just rearranging pictures...looking at blogs...checking the news... and this and that. I spent most of my time looking at the CSC website. I hadn't been there for a while and I started sifting through bunches of pictures...mostly looking for our three darlings. I found some that I hadn't seen before. It's so great to see them in different places doing different things. These were a few of my favorites. I love finding pics where the kids are together. Anyway...enjoy!

A DIP IN THE POOL

The kids at CSC recently had a reading contest. The children had a goal of so many pages to read within a certain amount of time. If they reached their goal, their reward was to throw Uncle Paul into the pool. As we have communicated with our kids these last few weeks, they have given us updates on how many pages they had read. They were very excited about the contest. Well, the kids did their work and the reward came to pass. Here are a few pics of Paul being thrown into the pool. I think it is so funny as the pool is quite small and Paul is quite tall. I'm sure it was a challenge trying to pick Paul up and THROW him into the pool, but I know it was a big hit with the kids!

DID YOU KNOW??

Did you know that our kids already have relatives living in the States? It is really kind of interesting to me. Roselyn, Romeo and Rodrigo have two nieces and one nephew that were recently adopted to a family in Wisconsin. Our kids know that Edmon, MaryBeth and Mariemea live with a family in the United States and have asked how far Wisconsin is from Minnesota on several occasions. Because of the age similarity, it seems like they should be cousins. I guess it doesn't really matter. We are excited that they have relatives in the Midwest and we will plan on making connections with them as time goes on. We have been in touch with their family and look forward to meeting all of them!

The big kid in the back is Joel Reasoner. His family lives in Cambridge and he recently went back to CSC to work with the children at the shelter. We sent a few things for our kids with him. A big part of me was jealous that he is now with them, seeing them, touching them and spending time with them. I kind of wanted to grab Joel, give him a big hug and lots of kisses before he left (so he could pass it on to our kids, of course!) but I thought that might be kind of weird, so I just shook his hand, thanked him and said goodbye. That was Thursday night. Now he is in the Philippines. Amazing how small our world is, isn't it?? We are so fortunate to have people THAT WE KNOW who work with and love our kids. It will be so great to see Joel when we go to pick up our kids! Knowing that the next time we see him will be at CSC... it gets me pretty fired up!

THE ROOMS ARE READY

A few of you have asked to see the new completed bedroom, sitting room and bathroom. Well, here they are! Ta-Daaa!

THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL

Most of my blogging friends had pictures of the first day of school. It was so much fun for me to see everyone else's pictures from the first day of school that I thought I should do the same! Well, the first day of school was just fine at our house! It was easy as easy can be with one child. Steph gets herself up, chooses what to wear, makes her own lunch and decides what time to leave for school. The only thing I really do at this point is to get in the car and drive her to school. Even picture-taking this year was easy. It took less than a minute...maybe even thirty seconds! We stepped outside, I snapped the picture and Steph was on her way to school...all this before 7:15a.m! Pretty impressive for a Mork, I'll have to say! It is a very different scene from say... five years ago. We will revisit those days next year so stay tuned!

Swimming is in full swing. Every other year the varsity swim team makes a two-day trip to Grand Rapids and Virginia, Minnesota. It is something that the girls look forward to as they all stay together overnight at the Saw Mill Inn (It's a tradition!). It is just a fun adventure for everyone that goes! Mr. Sholund, the head coach (for 39 years!) is from the Iron Range and loves taking our swimmers to his old stomping grounds. This year, the Virginia meet was cancelled due to pool repairs. They didn't notify us until Wednesday afternoon. So...the weekend get-away turned into a long bus ride to and from Grand Rapids on Friday night. Steph asked if some of the girls could come to our house after the meet on Friday night to spend the night since their other plans were cancelled. On our way to Grand Rapids, I texted Steph to see how many girls would be coming. I waited a few minutes for a reply expecting her answer to be...maybe 10 - 15 girls. She texted back saying that..."its about 25 girls counting me." Whoa!! Allen and I just laughed and started to think if we had any food in the house. Basically, they brought their own snacks for the night and we made cinnamon rolls for them this morning.



The girls stayed up well into the night watching movies, using the hot tub, running around the house and talking, talking, talking like most teenage girls do. We went to bed around 12:30 a.m. When the girls finally did go to sleep, they were sprawled out everywhere downstairs...beds, couches and the floor. It was quite the scene when I went to rescue them from Bernie this morning. Today, they came up the stairs for breakfast in shifts. The girls in this picture are a part of the first seating. There were two more after this. I am thankful that we have a house than can accommodate so many kids. It's always fun to have them. I'm also thankful that Steph is a part of the swim team. They are very nice girls and are welcome at our house any time.


Notice the feet sticking out...

THE GREAT MINNESOTA GET-TOGETHER

Last weekend I went to the State Fair with Lindsay. It was a great afternoon. I can't say that we did anything out of the ordinary, but we just enjoyed walking around looking at everything from art to animals. The International Bazaar, the Miracle of Birth building and the Arts building were especially fun and all swarming with people. The food, of course, was a highlight. What did we eat? Well...there was the old standby pronto pup to start with, a caramel apple, Australian potatoes, a raspberry shake from the dairy building, a strawberry and cream filled crepe, and my personal favorite, a fried Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. Lindsay and I talked about the success of the Minnesota State Fair. Not all states have such a great event. Why is it so popular in our state?? Maybe it has something to do with the people in Minnesota...? I'm sure some of it has to do with the organizers. I personally like the idea of capping off the summer with this great tradition. We plan on taking our Filipino kids next year, but I appreciated the chance to go with Lindsay because it was relaxing to not have an agenda. As fun as it is to go with a group, it becomes a bit more complicated. Anyway, thanks LIndsay for a fun afternoon!

My friend shared a funny story with me about the fair. I didn't exactly ask her for permission to share this, so I will do my best to protect her identity (if it matters). My friend and her family were in the Miracle of Birth building. This is where pregnant animals (i.e. cows, pigs, sheep...) are brought to deliver their young. People who might never have the opportunity to watch a live birth can witness a delivery first hand. There are many newly born babies to look at as well. My friend was trying to get a good view inside one of the pens...which is usually pretty challenging with the crowds of people. She bumped into a man who was also trying to see what was going on. She notice that he was wearing a Bethel University shirt and started to make small talk with him. She explained that she had attended Bethel College and knew several students attending Bethel. Of course, she asked this gentleman if he was a Bethel alum or had kids going there. He smiled, hesitated as he looked over at his wife and said, "Well...actually... I am the president of Bethel University. My name is Jay Barnes." In that instant, my friend recognized him from newsletters and mailings she had received in the last few months. He was very gracious about the whole thing. I suppose they chatted for a few more minutes and went their own way. I love stories like this! Moral of the story: You never know who you might bump into at the birthing barn AND really, it doesn't matter who you are, everyone LOVES the Great Minnesota Get-Together!

A HAPPY PLACE

I have been putting a book together for each of our kids with pictures of places and people in Cambridge. I plan on sending it with Joel Reasoner (a staff person at CSC) who will be traveling back to the children's shelter at the end of the week. It has been fun to gather pictures and notes from teachers, administrators and people at church. I have also included pictures of our house, the medical center, the schools and our church.

Last night, Allen and I went on a little adventure on the Rum River. Whenever he gets a chance, Allen loves to take his canoe down to the river and do some fishing. He often tries to get one of us to go with him, but sadly...we usually decline. I went with him last night because I wanted to get some pictures of him in his canoe for our new kids. Also, it was such a beautiful evening for a DATE. How could I pass that up? Allen had been down earlier in the day and caught seven fish! Naturally, he was so excited for me to come so he could show me his fishing expertise! I had great hopes of capturing a great picture of him and a BIG fish. We paddled through the back waters to the river. (Actually, I didn't exactly paddle much at all. Allen did 90% of the paddling and 100% of the fishing. I was taking pictures and enjoying the scenery.) We went down the river to an island that Allen frequents when he takes the canoe out. He often stops at this spot to fish so we both got out. It was so quiet and peaceful . Although I had been there before, I had forgotten how beautiful it was. No wonder he likes to go to this place! It is a safe place... a happy place.

After our "photo shoot", we headed back up the river toward our home. We didn't really talk about anything. We didn't need to. It was enough to just listen to the sound of the paddle pushing through the water and to enjoy the beauty of the river...together. I suspect that next year this time it will be easier to find a fishing partner for Allen. I think our kids will LOVE it. I think I LOVE it! I just forgot how wonderful it was...and to think that it is right in our back yard...! By the way, Allen didn't catch ONE fish on our little excursion! He was a little disappointed...but not me! I had a GREAT time and I have a great excuse to go out with him next time!

THE END OF SUMMER, THE START OF SCHOOL

Wow! Can it be true that school starts tomorrow??? Yep, it's true. The crazy thing is that we don't have anyone at our house going to school tomorrow. Grades 1-9 start tomorrow in District 911. The upperclassmen at the high school begin on Wednesday. So... Steph gets to sleep in one more day. This will be the first time in 16 years that there won't be any Mork kids at our house running off for the first day. Of course, Wednesday starts a new year for Steph and THEN the school year officially starts. Just for the record, Lindsay and Kristin start tomorrow as well.






The transition from the end of summer to the beginning of school has been happening very slowly over the last few weeks. Swimming for Steph started three weeks ago and we have already had three meets. It is very fun to reconnect with other swim parents and exciting to watch the girls in the pool again. Cross country for Kristin also started a few weeks back. Bethel had their first duel meet at Augsburg last Saturday morning. It was a beautiful morning and a good excuse for us to "run" (a manner of speaking!) down to see Kristin.








I'm quite sure that you will see more swimming and cross country pictures in the coming months. I get a real kick out of dragging my camera to almost every event. It's fun to experiment with my camera and...it gives me something constructive to do with my nervous energy!