Summer Camp 2024 and the 'Pay' Phone.

Sid joined the youth group for summer camp this year.   They attended a camp in Oregon.  It was a 6 hour bus ride.  They kids were excited, because they were getting a 'charter bus'.  Sidney sent me this hilarious picture of the 'charter bus'.  Not exactly what they were expecting.

Never a dull bus ride with a load of teenagers.

I did not get too many pictures of camp, as they did not have their phones most of the time.  I suppose that is a great thing!

The last night of camp, the kids snuck out of the dorms to hike a mountain in the dark.  When Sidney first told me this story, I kind of freaked out inside.  As I listened, it became clear that it was a planned sneak out by their youth group leader.  Okay, I can live with that.

Funny story about summer camp:

Sidney called me the first day to let me know they had made it.  She had turned off her cellphone, so I received the call from an Oregon number.  I asked her where she was calling from and she told me, "An old fashioned pay phone."  I said, "Oh, did you have to get coins to put in it?"  She said, "No."  Me...confused.  Sid, "It is a pay phone, but you do not have to put money in it, but it cuts off at a certain time."  Needless to say, she was excited that first night, so we did not bump into the 'certain time'.  Later that week, she called to catch up.  At exactly the five minute mark, we were abruptly disconnected.  I started laughing, and immediately referred to it as the 'prison' phone.  She was able to call me right back (four times), until finally I told her Kendall and I were headed into the store.  

A few more pictures:  

Baths, Balls and Buddies.

Kendall did some dog and horse sitting for the neighbor.  She talked me into giving her a hand one of the evenings.  She is such a cutie and so willing to have fun in every situation.

I decided to take advantage of the warm weather and give the horses a bath.  By myself!  Of course, within seconds after putting them in their stalls they both proceeded to roll in the dirt.

Levi and Pigeon are becoming fast buddies.

I brought out the Parelli ball to see what they thought.  Levi was super curious.  Pigeon would only come over once and ran away when the wind blew the ball.

Jayde got on Levi for a ride in the back arena.

Claire came out and had a ride on Pigeon.

I have been doing a lot of the groundwork exercised with Levi.  It is going quite well.

My mom brought Dani out to meet Levi one evening.  They were adorable!

Oh, and we cannot forget the ranch sunsets!

One more sunset, from our neighborhood this time.

Dog Days of Summer.

It has certainly been a hot one this summer.  Sidney has been getting her fair share of hikes and water days in.  She took Bella on a hike up in the Military Reserve.  Bella loved every minute of it.

She and her friends have been enjoying some hikes.

Oh and many ice cream outings.  Have I mentioned to anyone how much I despise these pictures with tongues hanging out.  Yep, hate them.  BUT - I will take what I can get.

Paddle boarding with Kianna.

Hiking with Hannah.

Rafting with Claire.  Sidney said she would never float the Boise River again (see blog a few years back).  Well, never say never!

Swimming at a secret lake with Claire.

Parties and Piercings

Dutch Bros had their annual company party at the Boise Hawks Stadium.  Kendall and her co-workers had a fun evening topped off with a fireworks show.

Oh, and face painting!

Not sure about this one, but interesting to say the least.

Kendall decided that she did not have enough holes in her head, so she got a few more.

Before:

After:

The center hoop is supposed to be a piercing that helps with migraines.  That is NOT why Kendall got is.  Now Sidney is considering it.  However, when she learned that it was one of the most painful piercings to get, she is rethinking it.  Kendall actually cried during that one.

Father's Day Flowers.

My flowers have been blooming really nicely this year.

Kendall decided to cut a bouquet to take up to Kevin for Father's Day.

We miss him so fiercely.  We talk often about how proud he would be of us for living life to the full!

Jonny & Hallie Visit.

My niece Hallie's husband, Jonny, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.  Thankfully, they caught it early, but the treatment has been brutal.  He received his first treatment and could not get the second treatment due to low white blood cell counts.  They decided to head down here for the weekend to get their mind off things.  They surprised my mom, and we were there to capture the moment.

It was a pretty low key weekend, as Jonny's mind is much more active than his body will allow.  On Saturday, he was feeling pretty good, so we took a trip to Scheels.  My dad got a picture with Abe.

Okay this shirt of mine is such a fun conversation starter.  I literally had three complete strangers come up to me to remark on the shirt and tell me their funny stories.

Jonny and I rode the ferris wheel.  

Of course, we had to take advantage of the photo opps.

We polished it off with a trip to In-n-Out burger.