Missy has departed, at long last, for her Adriatic Odyssey! Wednesday morning the tour group left at about 8:30am, rolling out from the high school to O’Hare. It seems they arrived in plenty of time because they didn’t take off until about 4:45 Warsaw time. But they were doing currency exchange and all that, and checking in a big group, and keeping a bunch of kids together…so I’m sure “plenty of time” is a good idea for them. Anyway, finally! After 2 years of delays due to covid, Missy gets to go! She’s so excited. We’ve chatted a bit on WhatsApp so we know what they’ve been seeing so far. By now they’ve been in Italy for a few days and seen Rome (Colosseum, catcombs, marble stuff), the Vatican, Florence, Ovieto…and they even had a birthday celebration for Missy and 2 other girls having birthdays during the trip. The teacher leading the group has been texting photos…incredible. Such an amazing adventure.

We FINALLY have the van back! After over a week in the shop. And about $1700 worth of repairs to the suspension, steering rack, and brakes, plus an oil change. But it drives a lot better now…as it should. It has just been a good thing that we had the Honda this past week.

All this week Beth and I have been helping out at our church’s VBS. We were guides for a small group of 2nd graders; we gathered them together at the beginning for the opening and worship song/dance, then led them to the game and craft stations, with a snack and small group time in the middle where we had another activity. Really good time! We had as many as 5 and as few as 2 kids in our group during the week but we always had a fun time and we had good kids. Everything went really well and the kids seemed to really have a good time. I think this was our first VBS after 2 years off due to covid, or at least with an in-person VBS instead of virtual. Which I’m not sure how that went, but anyway. Fun times!

Softball was called off this week due to the heat! It was so hot and so humid this week that we had heat advisory warnings, and the league decided to postpone the games until July (when it could be even hotter, but anyway). I didn’t mind, since I was helping at VBS and unlikely that I would have been able to make it to the game on time anyway, so it’s all good. 

I have entered the Fresh Outta Bed and Head to Head Hall of Fame...again. I had quite a haul this week: initially on Tuesday I won 2 tickets to Indiana Beach, then an inflatable bowling set, a fridge magnet, and 2 tickets to a South Bend Cubs game. Plus, I was entered into a drawing for a $200 gift card at Country Cabinets & Home Furnishings in Nappanee, which I also won. So now I'm a 2-time member of the hall of fame and get to play again in the year-end tournament!

Today was the Father’s Day celebration at church! Saturday I went in to help get everything set up (tent for the petting zoo, tables & chairs, etc) and back again Sunday morning early to finish the setup (bounce houses, table services, canopies, etc). There was an outdoor service at 10 followed by lunch (grilled burgers and hot dogs, plus everything that normally goes with that). Then the inflatable obstacle course and bounce house, petting zoo, face painting, bingo, and general fun! Then I stayed after to get everything packed up and put away. Good time. And it wasn’t too hot.

No sign of Natalie this weekend.