Grandpa's Zipline

Grandpa continues to find new ways to bring more and more fun for the grandkids.  This year he successfully installed an epic 200 ft. zip line and let me tell you, it did not disappoint!  We all (yes, all three generations of 'kids') thoroughly enjoyed trying it out and not one person was disappointed.  Truth be told, I felt like a stuntman from the experience!

In addition to the 200 ft. zip line, he also built this smaller ride for kids to enjoy 24/7.  Lillian LOVED it and was often heard yelling "BOING!" when she reached the spring at the end.

Quick side view of one of Geoff's runs

Lillian surprised us all by going twice!

Eliana was not interested in trying out the zipline, so imagine our surprise when she voluntarily asked to give it a go!  She wasn't up for a second run, but I was so proud of how she handled the daring experience.

Thanks to the four brothers with their strength and healthy backs and a 4-wheeler, Janna was able to experience flying on the zip-line.  When asked if she liked the ride Janna replied, "I most certainly did!"

Thanks for making this amazing thrill ride, Dad!  Up next...roller coaster?

Helping Out at Grandma and Pap Pap's

 We spent one morning at Grandma and Pap Pap's helping with a few projects around their house.  We got a lot accomplished and had a ton of fun in the process.

Nelson Family Reunion - July 2021

 On the Fourth of July weekend, we packed up the van and headed to Grandma and Grandpa Nelson's for an action packed week of family fun!  Being with the entire family was a wonderful treat and we made many beautiful memories that we will reminisce about for years to come.

Dad spruced up the ol' Dunk Tank--the hot weather sure made it easy to find plenty of willing volunteers!

Lillian asked Grandpa to try to hit the target

And she was quite appreciative for the cool splash!

No trip to Grandma and Grandpa's is complete without a few spins on Grandpa's swing

The highlight for me was being able to spend so much time with these two--in person!

10 Year Anniversary

 During our family reunion, Geoff and I reached a special milestone--our 10 year wedding anniversary.  I don't know how ten years flies by in a blink of an eye, but it certainly did for us!  We are so thankful for all of the experiences we have shared, for the children we have to love, and for the future we have before us.

For our special day, we decided to sneak away from the reunion for a quiet walk.  Since we were in PA, I thought it would be nice for Geoff to see where my Great-Grandma Usenicnik lived and was the place my Grandma Furin grew up.  Because someone else now owns the home, we just stood at the foot of the driveway.

This driveway is a sweet memory for me.  We drove up this path every Sunday to visit Great-Grandma and would get here as early as we could on days it would snow because we would try to arrive before my Great-Grandma--at age 90--would shovel the driveway so we could walk up to her home!

Growing up I would often hear people declare, "Marriage takes work."  I never understood what that meant and wondered why people rarely elaborated on that comment.  After ten years of living in a marriage relationship I will agree, that marriage does take work.  Anything worthwhile and with imperfect people is going to require focused effort.  Effort to communicate effectively, effort to understand how to best help and support one another, and effort to know how to navigate the tides of change.  Every day is a different day with different challenges and different joys.  Being in a relationship isn't about following a manual or living by a checklist--it's about following your heart to be able to nurture each other's hearts.  I'm so thankful for how Geoff has cared for me and my heart and am thankful for the fact that we have many more years ahead of us to continue to figure out how to grow in love and patience.

10 years, 4 kids, countless tears, and countless laughs later I can still sing, "Nothing's missing, nothing's missing, nothing's missing."

Father's Day 2021

Anytime we have an extra excuse to express our thanks and appreciation for Geoff, we take it!  The girls especially get excited planning what to do to make sure their Dad knows how awesome he is.  Here they are presenting him with breakfast in bed on Saturday morning.

Geoff not only works hard to provide for our family, he also works hard to spend time with us.  We're grateful for all the laughs he brings, the lessons he teaches, and the love he gives.  The kids still look forward to and often have count-downs to "Daddy Day" (Saturday) where they know they'll have a bunch of quality time being silly, reading books, and playing video games.  I'm grateful I have this guy by my side as we figure out this parenting thing together.  We have our ups and downs and I'm thankful he is willing to learn with me when we're down and cherish the laughs when we're up. 

The girls helped design his shirt...I think he likes it!

Lincoln Zoo Trip - June 15, 2021

 

Geoff took a day off from work and we all piled in the car to enjoy the day at the zoo!  It was a beautiful, clear, and even a little cooler day.  Absolutely perfect for our wonderful outing!

Hylie showing us how to get a 2 year old to look at the camera, ha!

Can you find the frog?

I love being in this city!

Last Day of School - June 3, 2021

 Waiting with Joshua Ding to get picked up by Mom at the Car Cone.

Indeed, we were grateful we had the opportunity to attend school and even have in-person school in April and May--but I must admit, there was a sigh of relief when the craziness of this COVID school year came to an end!

On June 3rd, Hylie finished her 3rd grade year and Eliana completed Kindergarten.  It was a hot, hot day full of sweat and smiles and we even threw in a birthday dinner for me at Red Robin that evening!

Kyron and Eliana with friends Joey and Tony

Eliana with the wonderful Mrs. Klimes who was amazing in guiding us through this extremely different (and sometimes pretty difficult) year.

Mrs. Grimm with Eliana