31-derful Days

July 1 - 31, 2011 Downtown Venice...The view from our front door... Sunset Happy Family Times... Sunset on 4th of July... Our dear friends from downstairs, CK & Kathy. No place like the beach to celebrate the 4th. Part of the beauty of Venice is that is unspoiled. No high-rise hotels. No boardwalks. Just God's glorious creation... Our summer home...the end unit center of the photo... Banyan Tree out back. One of the most interesting parts of the summer was the Sea Turtle nesting. Above is a "crawl" where a mama came out overnight to lay her eggs. One morning, we got to watch some of the personnel from the Mote Marine Lab excavate a nest and release the hatchlings!! Seriously, it made me cry! There they go.... What the nests look like when they begin to hatch. Notice the tiny tracks in the sand where the first turtles climbed out.... Saturday morning Farmer's Market trips. Smiling seaside.... Hanging out... Biking.... Along the bike trail.... The girls baked Randy a giant cupcake for his birthday on July 17. Sharks teeth which we finally got pretty good at finding. We brought a whole cup home with us...and Yes...they are shark's teeth. Randy was able to stay with us until July 18....and when he left, it left a big hole in our hearts. We missed him...especially at sunset...and in the early morning...and....well, all the time. Shortly after Randy left to go home to work, Mom came down for a short visit. She is a shell lover so we made the drive down to Sanibel. I am not sure what kind of shell Mom was really looking to find...not sure she found it...but she did find many...and we enjoyed sharing our newfound piece of paradise with her. Mom's niece lives in Ft. Myers and was able to drive up to Sanibel and meet us for brunch. We were all pleasantly introduced to Johnny Ann. Sunsets.... The absolute wildest thing we did.....attend the Siesta Key drum circle.....quite interesting. Siesta Key...the Gooch girls plus Haley. We met Haley and her mom, Angie, at Aldea Mar and they became instant friends. When Haley's cousin, Lindsey flew in, she became one of our friends too. Amazing that the sunset is never the same and that I never tired of watching each one. My b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l girls. So very glad I got to spend every minute for a whole month with them! My morning travels.... There was a very cute 13 year old boy who reeled this shark in just after sunset one night. It was really on his little brother's pole....I'm sure the fact that there were opposite sex 13 year olds around made it much more interesting to assist his little bro! This heron lives on Venice Beach. She was there almost every day. McKayla McKenzie Hangin' out with dad! He finally came back! How could we not smile?? and smile beautifully, I might add. Happy 13th Birthday!! Celebrated at Sharkey's and again at Busch Gardens - Island of Adventure!!! Sunset Friends..... A last look on the morning of departure.

• Words could not add anything to the blessing of discovering such a beautiful place and such beautiful things....how truly blessed we were.

Super Students

• The school year ended with McKenzie & McKayla on the Honor Roll ALL YEAR AND CITIZENSHIP AWARD WINNERS! We are very proud of their accomplishments. While we have always stressed academics, we have tried to place far more emphasis on character...and the girls are beautiful inside and out.

• And...while UK doesn't hold a ceremony for their Dean's List, we are still VERY PROUD to say that Madison completed her first year of college with a 4.0!!! Her dad says she has already spent more time in the library than he has spend his entire life!!! We know she is going to accomplish great things with her tenacity, drive, faith and character.

How blessed we are as parents and how thankful we are as children of God.

New Growth

Spring is finally arriving! Grass is green, trees have tiny leaves, flowers are blooming and the air is warmer. I can never be thankful enough for Spring! The landscape is not the only thing changing.... Marcie has been on a tremendous growth spurt since she joined our household in December. She enjoyed her first visit to the doggy spa...even the toenail trim.And my niece, Mira, has grown and changed even since Christmas. It was great to spend some time with her and her mom on their recent visit. Hopefully, Abe will be finished with exams and clinicals so he can come along next time. I hope everyone enjoys the warm, encouraging mood of Spring! It's a gift and a promise from God that all things can be made new again... I'll close with the same goodbye I recently shared with Mira: "In no time at all, I'll (hope to) see ya real soon!" Love, Kim

Star Performances

Saturday, March 5, 2011, McKenzie and McKayla participated in the SCC Teen Theatre Festival. McKayla competed in the Monologue competition and McKenzie competed in Muscial Theatre. McKayla's performed a comedic monologue. McKenzie sang "Imagine". Auditions were held at 10 and 12 and finalists were announced at 2:45. BOTH of them made finalists in the 7 - 9 grade group. They had to perform live in front of a packed theatre that afternoon while being evaluated again. They were both super nervous but THEY BOTH WON!!! McKayla came away with Outstanding Monologue in the 7th - 9th grade, and McKenzie took Outstanding Musical Theatre piece in the 7th - 9th grade. Technically, this was 2nd place and considering this was their first ever drama competition and there were hundreds of students there, we thought this was OUTSTANDING...appropriately titled! Randy and I felt so blessed to be able to see our girls excel at their unique talents. Our prayers are in thanksgiving and for God's continued blessing and guidance for their lives AND for our family and friends. Love you all, Kim