Frankie's Birthday

In addition to it being Abigail's first day of college classes there was a much the important event today, Frankie's birthday! Little Ms. Frankie turned 32 today!  The Kirkwood birthdays usually begin with breakfast in bed, but today's schedule didn't allow for that. 

Instead, everyone got ready for our busy day and then we had pancakes and bacon in the living room where Frankie found her packages and cards.  

Abigail headed off to her first day of classes and Frankie and I ran up to the church building.  She thought we were there to babysit for the Mom's Bible Study, but I had made arrangements for a surprise including Little Mermaid cupcakes!  Frankie enjoyed everyone singing happy birthday to her and sharing her day. Plus she got to snuggle with the babies! It's a great day to be 32! 

The father said to his servants, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, 

and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, 

and let us eat and celebrate! Luke 15:22

The Baby is Off to College

As of today we have two college students, how crazy is that!  Abigail began today taking classes at Collin College.  She's knocking out some of the freshman basics for dual credit, meaning they will count as high school credit and college hours. 

The girl wanted to start last year because she was eligible with her SAT scores but I wasn't ready for a fifteen year old to attend classes at the collegiate level. But this year she's an experienced driver and has a little more maturity to handle herself.  

We have altered our volunteer work to free up her schedule for the classes.  She was able to stack her classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays back to back.  This means the remainder of her high school classes will be doubled up on Monday-Wednesday-Friday.  And somewhere in there we will make time for Varsity Softball, select softball, piano lessons, volunteer work, working and Bible Bowl.  It's going to be a busy school year! 

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might! Ecclesiastes 9:9

Cheering on Friends

Tonight Jon and Abigail headed to the ball fields to cheer on our buddy Malachi who was the starting pitcher for tonight's game.  

Malachi had five strike outs tonight!  I'm thinking the extended fan section helped! Way to go Malachi! 

The kiddos in the picture are some of Abigail's favorite kids to hang out with! 

Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Off to Spain

Today my heart took flight across the globe as Caleb and the LCU Global Campus group headed to Spain.  They flew our of Dallas for London, then on to Madrid for their final destination of Avila, Spain. 

Last year LCU launched its Semester in Spain program.  The semester-long program, held every Fall, will bring LCU students and professors to the beautiful city of Avila, in the heart of the Spanish countryside. The students will take 15 hours of University Core-type credits with LCU professors, while also studying the Spanish language.

The LCU students will be partnered in tandem with Spanish speaking students from the University in Avila who are studying English. Classes will run Monday through Thursday, the student will be able to travel Friday through Sunday.

Today the group will fly nine hours to London and then another two and a half hours to Madrid, followed by an hour and half bus trip to the University. I'm thankful we were able to see him off at the Dallas airport.  Godspeed for the next 4+ months, Caleb and group! 

Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. 2 John 3

Solar Eclipse

Today's solar eclipse was a total eclipse visible within a band across the entire contiguous United States. 

Prior to today, no solar eclipse had been visible across the entire contiguous United States since June 8, 1918; not since the February 1979 eclipse had a total eclipse been visible from anywhere in the mainland United States!

We joined our church homeschool friends for an eclipse party.  We all had our glasses and viewing boxes to check it out.  No eclipse party would be complete without snacks, so we even had mini-eclipses made from Banana Moon Pies and thin Oreos! 

In the coolness of the afternoon with the sun partially covered the kids played a little ball in the park. 

And when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; 

I will cover the sun with a cloud And the moon will not give its light.  Ezekiel 32:7

First Day of School

It's the first day of school pictures for the boys!  Every year they've taken their first day photo in front of the chap after chapel.  This year there were a couple of new additions to the photo, a wife and a girlfriend. Richard's wife Melissa and Caleb's girlfriend Sonny joined in the fun!  

In the lower right corner are the photos are the photos from their freshman and sophomore years.  Caleb has had a little fun wearing the same 'Future LCU Alumni' shirt each year! 

For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.  Matthew 12:50

Back to School

Summer ends today for Caleb as he heads back to Lubbock Christian University for his third year of college. It will be an incredible year for my kind-hearted, God-fearing Bible major.  I'm thrilled to see what God has in store for him but I am going to miss his warm smile! 

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you!

Thessalonians 3:16

Darius Rucker Concert

It's time for a little country music!  Abigail's sweet friend Gracie bought her a Darius Rucker CD a while back and we love his music.  The theater was so much nicer and cozier than the big arenas in Dallas. It was a family friendly environment. Yes, I said family friendly even though it is at the casino.  You don't have to enter through the casino and it's not the drink fest that Jon and I have faced at other venues. 

The opening act was a group named Midland, who were recently featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live.  They are a country act with a Dwight Yoakam sound. They toured last year with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.  They've got a great sound, they are still working on their stage presence. 

Then it was time for the main event!  Darius put on a two hour show that was incredible!  He stopped to honor a wounded warrior with house keys to a new home and a standing ovation or thanks to the veteran!  

Some of our favorite hits from the former Hootie & the Blowfish lead man are: 

This

Southern Style 

History in the Making

Comeback Song

Homegrown Honey

It Won’t Be Like This For Long

So I Sang

As a public service announcement for moms who think it would be a great idea to take your son and youngest daughter to a concert 12 hours before the son leaves for college and then out of the country. If you choose a country artist who happens to play a song with lyrics about the milestones of a young man growing up with a final verse, like:

No one believed in me as much as Mom

See, she worked overtime to buy my first guitar

When the angels called her home

My sister asked if I would speak

But there were no words to say how much she meant to me

So I sang, "It Is Well With My Soul"

And I played, "I'm So Tired Of Being Alone"

'Cause those were Mama's favorite songs

And what I felt would take too long to say

So I sang

You might end up a weeping, sappy mess! But still, so happy to have this one more sweet moment with the boy as he reached for my hand! 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 

in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 

Summer Fun

Our last big hoopla for the summer was a trip across the Texas border for the Darius Rucker concert!  It was the our first visit to the Choctaw Casino Resort, and of course the kids first visit to a casino.  Abigail and I had a little fun at the idea of taking the Bible Intern to the casino.  

The concert venue joins the casino but you don't have to enter the casino to go into the grand theater.  We did go into the casino for dinner before the concert.  We enjoyed burgers at Gilley's and enjoyed hanging out together.  

The casino was filled with guitars and memorabilia signed by lots of famous performers. We were excited to see some of our favorite Oklahoma performers including Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Merle Haggard, Vince Gill even Toby Keith! 

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

    surely I have a delightful inheritance.

Psalms 16:6

PEACH Kick-Off

Tonight marks the 13th PEACH Kick-Off our family has attended, and of course six of those years were as an officer or board member.  PEACH is our local homeschool support group.  The kick-off is the beginning of the school year event to help home schooling parents get plugged into the homeschool community.  

PEACH offers scouting programs, Jr. Toastmasters, a runners club, field trips and so much more to help new homeschooling families connected.  For the last 12 years I have helped coordinate field trips and for 4 years I maintained the website, monthly newsletter, Yahoo group and member data base.  

Now that Jon and I are on the last steps of our homeschooling journey it is nice to step back and let others take the lead.  Abigail continues her involvement in PEACH with the Jr. Toastmaster program lead by Twice Distinguished Toastmaster Ms. Vogel using the Jr. Toastmasters Program. She is also helping lead the Jr./Sr. Teen Program. Tonight at the Kick Off Abigail helped man both booths and answer questions for participants.    She enjoyed getting to see her friends and spend sometime together. 

the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant

Luke 22:26

Family Time

There is a good chance that the next several posts may include food!  With Caleb home for a short time he has a list of mom cooked meals he wants before he heads back to school.  Top on his list every visit home is bacon wrapped stuffed jalapenos.  

This kid must have an iron stomach because he can usually put away about eight jalapenos in one sitting! The lower right picture was him coming into the kitchen for a few more peppers! 

Jon snapped a picture of Caleb and the girls playing Monopoly while waiting for dinner.  

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. Genesis 9:3

Our Other College Kid

We now have two kids in college!  I'm not sure how time passed that quickly.  Abigail is taking dual credit classes at Collin County College.  Her college adviser at Lubbock Christian University gave her a recommended list of classes that she can knock out in high school and then begin college as a sophomore. 

I'm not sure she has finalized which college she will be attending but the advice was confirmed by a couple of the other schools we visited. 

Today she registered for the classes and ordered her books.  She stacked her classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that we con complete the remainder of her high school course work on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. 

Turn your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding—  Proverbs 2:2

My Personal Chef

Today Abigail was responsible for preparing dinner, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and fresh tomato slices!  Oh my, it was delicious!  And as if that wasn't enough later we enjoyed homemade blueberry cheesecake.  The cheese cake is an old family recipe complete with blueberries we picked and canned in the Spring.  

If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the Lord gives us. Numbers 10:32

All Together

The best day of the week is always the Lord's Day!  This is the first Sunday with Caleb home for the summer.  He's spent 10+ weeks working at the Lakewood Church of Christ in Baytown, Texas.  We just have a few weeks until he heads back to school for his junior year at Lubbock Christian University. 

Singing together, praying together, taking communion, reading scripture with the body of Christ the meets at McDermott Road, absolutely my favorite way to spend the day!  

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” When they had sung a hymn. Matthew 26:27-30

Wedding Aftermath

After the wedding all the family took some time to kick our feet up for a little bit before we began clean up duty.  I don't think any of us had cake or punch until this moment!  Whew, it went off with a hitch! 

A Time to Celebrate

The reception hall was standing room only!  So much love surrounding this sweet couple.  The girls and I hung out serving the reception line.  Even Jon joined in on the fun serving punch! It was a great spot to greet all the sweet friends that had driven up to celebrate Richard and Melissa.  Not only was there a caravan of friend that drove up from Plano, many friends also drove down from Lubbock Christian University and Oklahoma Christian University! 

Wedding Bells

The wedding was absolutely beautiful.  I didn't take any photos during the wedding, but here are a few that friends took and shared with me. The service was an excellent reflection of who Richard and Melissa are as individuals and as a couple.  We are so happy for them and pray God's richest blessing for their marriage.

It was wonderful to see the church building and reception hall filled with so many friends.  I think almost everyone who received an invitation was there, which is a testimony to how much they are loved.  Of course there were family members but there were also so many home school friends and church friends that drove up from Plano for the event.  

I love the picture of Melissa and her Dad walking down the aisle with her smile.  The photographer definitely captured her beauty and gracious spirit in this photo! 

Wedding Party Photos

Richard and Melissa had most of their wedding photos taken beforehand at Melissa's parent's home. These are just a few of my favorites. While they were taking pictures Donna texted me a few shots of the boys goofing off.  The pictures all turned out so wonderful! 

Pre-Wedding Fun

I have so many pictures from the wedding so I'm just going to upload them in multiple posts for today! The girls got ready at the hotel and then we headed to the church building for final wedding preparations.  Donna and I cooked five fruit cobblers for the groom's table.  Richard wanted cobbler instead of a cake. The girls finished up the decorations on the reception table.  While we were doing set up the wedding party went over to the Lowe's property for photos.  

The Boy is Getting Married

My blonde son is getting married.  I'm not even sure where to begin with this post!  Some thirteen years ago the blonde boy walks into Caleb's Bible class and Caleb introduces himself.  Caleb and Richard have been the best of friends since that day.   They have battled out many light saber wars; put together tens of thousands Lego bricks; and seen every Star Wars movie together.  

The boys have learned to drive together.  They have played basketball on the same team.  They have competed in Bible Bowl together for ten years.  The two have participate in years of drama club, speaker's club and book club with the fabulous Ms. Kathy. They have conducted song leading together with Mr. Jordan and LTC speech with Mr. Cooner.  

Together our families have been on probably 100 field trips together over the past decade.  That doesn't begin to include the trips to the Texas State Fair or Six Flags.  The two have spent summers working together at Hawaiian Falls, rooming together at LTC and somewhere in there we also went to church together. 

And now this young man, is getting married.  I can't begin to fathom how time passed so quickly! I can't say I haven't thought about this moment, you know wondering who each of the boys would select as mate.  Trying to visualize what that ideal woman for each of them looks like.  But there was no doubt in my mind that this red-headed beauty would be Richard's wife.  I knew before he did.  In fact, I told Abigail that she would be the one Richard married, before they were actually dating.

I can't explain it.  She is everything I would want for my son, yes even if he's not biologically my son!   Melissa loves the Lord with all her heart and it's a active love, one that compels her to action not just words.  She values family, seeks to build others up, she's genuine, she's smart and driven.  She brings out the best in Richard.  

I'm sure this post was supposed to be about the rehearsal, the reunion of good friends and the delicious dinner, that all goes without saying.  What I hope you take away from this post is how happy I am for my boy.  I'm excited for their future and their journey with the Lord. 

I'm beyond thrilled that tomorrow we will celebrate with the Gungans, with the Lowes, with friends from LCU, with church and home school friends from Plano the union of these two.  I'm thrilled that our family Kirkwoods/Gungans only grows bigger tomorrow.  I am excited for the new memories and experiences Richard and Caleb will share tomorrow as Groom and Best-Man.  

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her Ephesians 5:25

War of the Apes

Random facts about our family include that while the kids were growing up we avoided activities that but them in competition with each other.  They went bike rides together or played board games together or played putt putt golf together, etc. But they never raced or played to determine a winner. The primary reason was Jon and knew there would be a time when Caleb and Abigail's skills would surpass Frankie's abilities and we wanted them to interact as a team not competitor.

With that being said, some of things we replaced family interaction with less competitive activities like putting together puzzles, gardening and watching movies.  So when Caleb arrived home yesterday from Baytown, Texas we began to put together a plan for our time together.  One of the first things on the list was the latest Planet of the Apes movie.

When I was growing up I did not like the original movies, they scare the daylights out of me, but my brother loved them and we watched everyone of them.  In about 3rd grade one of Caleb's favorite movies was Ben Hur!  He loved Charlton Heston, who didn't!  With that, we showed him the original Planet of the Apes series of movies made between 1968-1975.  

When the series rebooted in 2011, our family eager jumped into the fun!  The movies are still just as scary, and War of the Planet of the Apes was especially violent but the girls and I screamed and covered our eyes as Caleb took in the action.  Today was a good day to just decompress from the boys busy summer and to just enjoy being together.