LET THE PLANNING BEGIN!!

Peter asked Kristin to marry him...and we couldn't be happier!! Yeah! On October 2, after the PROPOSAL and a nice day together, the two love birds came back to our house for a little celebration. (Unfortunately, Peter's parents were out of town, so it was just the Mork clan.) Everyone was so excited when they came in! Hugs all around. The excited couple sat down and told us about their day and their plans. The cake and the phone calls came later!

We decided to have another more private celebration yesterday with only the parents. How fun to spend time with each other! Kristin is blessed to be marrying an incredible man. I would describe him as...TRUE BLUE! She is also blessed to be joining a wonderful family. And WE are thrilled to be adding another amazing son-in-law to our family! Welcome, Peter!!! Current Mork tally - 5 boys, 5 girls! The boys are finally catching up! Who woulda thoughtt!!!!?? Congratulations Pete and Kristin!!

The date has been set for July 9th. Let the planning begin!!

THE END OF A CHAPTER

It is the end of the fall sports season. For us, that means no more tennis, football, swimming and cross country. Tennis and football are two new sports to our family, but we have been doing cross country for a few years and swimming for even longer. (Eleven years to be exact!). Last Tuesday was our last CI Bluejacket swim meet. Weird!!! It was not only Steph's last regular meet, it was the end of a chapter for our family. In 1999, Lindsay started swimming. We never imagined that we would have such a long run with girls swimming. I didn't really think about it until someone asked how it felt... Then, as I sat there, I started thinking of all the swimming memories, both good and bad throughout the years. It has been a character builder for our three oldest daughters and it has been a connecter for our family. Steph has the section meet coming up next week, but for all practical purposes, our days of girls swimming is over. Thanks to Lindsay, Kristin and Steph for choosing swimming. It has been a wonderful chapter in our lives!

Saturday was Kristin's last MIAC cross country race. It was the last race that we will watch her run in. We have SO MUCH fun trying to chase the runners around the golf course! It was bittersweet knowing that it was our last time! Kristin worked so hard and finished in the top 20!! Amazing! Good job, Kristin! We couldn't be more proud!

STEPHANIE IS 18!!

Last Friday, my baby... my FIRST baby... well, I guess she is my LAST baby...oh wait, she is my THIRD baby...ummm...my SPECIAL baby Stephanie, turned 18. 18!!!!!!!! Wait!! How does that happen??? It seems like last week that we brough Steph home from the hospital. Now she looks down at me, is so smart, wears makeup and has a boyfriend. Of all my kids, Steph has grown up the fastest. Maybe that just happens when you are the third and just get swept up in the busyness of everyone else's life. At any rate, we celebrated Steph's birthday this weekend. She asked for pasta and brownies...so that is what we had! Happy, happy birthday to my grown-up baby daughter Stephanie! You are amazing, girlie!! I love you!!

RUFA MAE

RUFA MAE. How many Rufa Mae's do you know? It certainly isn't a name you hear every day...at least here in the US. I knew a girl by the name of RUFA MAE. I met her in January 2008 for the first time. She and her brother John Ray have brittle-bone disease. Their little bodies are twisted and very, very fragile. Their family lives just next to the Children's Shelter of Cebu where our children lived for three years. Allen met and fell in love with this family in 2006 when he and Kristin went to CSC with our church. I did the same a couple of years later.

Rufa Mae was a very bright girl despite her crumpled little body. She was so, so sweet and always had a smile for anyone. She loved being with other kids at the shelter and being a part of the action! Last week, she was crowned QUEEN at CSC's United Nation's Celebration!!! It was a very happy day for her. The next day, she was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. Her weak little body just couldn't fight it off and she passed away.

We loved visiting them each chance we had. I spent an hour in their tiny home when Roselyn and I visited Cebu last June. It was a wonderful visit. Rufa Mae was in fine form, just smiling, talking and asking questions about our life in her tiny little voice. God blessed me by knowing this little 12-year-old girl. She had such a sweet and gentle spirit and was accepting of her life situation. She was an inspiration to me and many, many other people around the world. I wonder if she had any idea of what an incredible blessing she was to so many of us?? I know that it has made me think about my life and the things that I hold near. Every day is a gift. Thanks for reminding me of that, Rufa Mae!

I am so happy that Rufa Mae is no longer trapped in her crippled body. She is probably running around, jumping and enjoying the arms of her Heavenly Father! Please check the CSC website to learn a little bit more about Rufa Mae. Please pray for her family as well as the CSC family as they mourn her loss and celebrate her life!

VALLEYFAIR and STATE FAIR

The week before school starts is always an interesting time. This year, there just wasn't enough things to do. The days got kind of long for all of us. What could be better than a day at an amusement park and an afternoon at the fair? Well, ALL of the Morks (except Bernie) made the trip to Valleyfair for a final family get-together. It was a GORGEOUS day and the lines were relatively short. (I suspect that most of the people decided to go to the State Fair!) At any rate, it was a fine day.

I used to love to go on rides! Not so much now. I do it because I want to be with my kids, but boy...it just about kills me sometimes. I bowed out quite a few times on this particular day- taking on the role of the token "mom" who holds all the stuff and tries to get a picture. The picture-taking is usually futile, but I gave it a shot. For the rides that I chose to sit out on, I didn't mind NOT riding, but I did mind not sharing the experience with the rest of the fam. I hate missing stuff. Well, anyway, I had fun watching everyone, keeping track of all the "stuff" and have a few minutes of quiet.

I find it so interesting how each child reacts to wild rides. One of my children would just as soon sit and read a book. A couple of them love that feeling when your stomach drops out of your body. I have a screamer... and a couple of kids who just kind of go because everyone else is going. Who knows if they like any of the rides or not? I love the thrill, but hate the sick, dizzy, "I think I am going to be sick" feeling. And Allen, well, he is just a good sport and seems to be ok doing just about anything (including the POWER TOWER!).

Bjork was the rebel/hero for the day. ALL of us decided to take a ride on HIGH ROLLER, the oldest roller coaster at the park. He and Lindsay were in the front car looking back at the rest of us. Thinking it would be a cool picture, Bjork pulled out his camera phone and started snapping pictures as we made our way up the very first ramp. The intensity was building as we got nearer to the top of the first "hill" when suddenly, we came to a complete stop. This ride is old and quite rickety so my first thought was...malfunction. The loudspeaker came on and the ride lady said, "PLEASE, PUT YOUR CAMERA AWAY!!" The guilty party quickly shoved his camera in his pocket..and the train started up again. Whew, no malfunction! After the ride, we all made a quick exit as to avoid further scolding. Another Mork Family memory. We were all there to witness and remember it! Thanks, Bjork for the comic relief and the highlight of the day!

Lastly, Rigo was the lucky one to get a day at the STATE FAIR with Grandpa and Grandma. It was his first time, so you can imagine all the great things he saw and did. The best thing from the day was not the animals, or the food, or the water ride that they got soaking wet on. It was the BIG GREEN HAT that Grandpa and Grandma bought for him. Go figure! Life is good when you are 8-years-old. :)

WEEK OF FIRSTS

School has officially started and it has been a week of FIRSTS.

Tuesday was Romeo and Rodrigo's official FIRST day of school. Steph was in school but not in class. She was at the high school as a mentor to incoming Freshmen on their FIRST day. (Notice the LINK CREW t-shirt in the picture.) Roselyn was at home with me on Tuesday...and still in bed when the other three started off for the day. Rigo and I made our FIRST batch of chocolate chip cookies for the school year.

Wednesday was Steph and Roselyn's FIRST day of classes. It was my FIRST day at work. It was Steph's FIRST day of her last year. Our baby is a senior! The FIRST homework assignments came home.

For me, today feels like the FIRST day of school. Everyone is gone and it is very quiet around here. These FIRST few days of school always seem to be long at first, but it doesn't take long before they will become a blur.

3 o'clock will come around before I know it. Rigo will walk home by himself for the FIRST time today. (He's been begging since his first day of kindergarten!) Later today we have a tennis match, football scrimmage and an away swim meet. That is a FIRST too! It's divide and conquer for Allen and me, but it is a lot of fun, to be sure. Hope you are enjoying the FIRST week of the school year! It's exciting stuff! :)

VICTORY!!!

A couple weeks back, we had a little family ball game in our backyard. The challenge was between our family (Mork) and my brother's family (Robertson). We played regular softball last year and unfortunately for us...the Robertson family came up on top. This year, we decided to play whiffle ball instead. The game was fun, and quite competitive. We (the Mork family) were geared up to make a better showing than we did last year. The stakes were high. The dignity of our family was hanging in the balance.

We were down by three runs as we entered the bottom of the last inning. We were beginning to lose hope when Rigo hit a single home run. We managed to get two runners on base when I stepped up to the base. I really, really wanted to hit a home run. I really, really tried. I swung with all my might and hit the ball... right to the pitcher. Not too impressive. One out. Bjork stepped up to the plate. He positioned himself behind the plate. I have always liked this young man, but never really knew what a powerhouse hitter he was until he CRUSHED the ball out of the yard! It was a three-run walk-off home run!!! Our team went wild with excitement and the game was over! It was a proud day for the Mork family and Bjork was indeed the hero. Boy, am I glad he is on our team!! I am already looking forward to our annual ball game next year. It'll be sweet!