Richardson Report

 We had back-to-school photos taken...senior pictures for Logan.  Here are some of my favorites.  I loved our photographer.

For our birthdays this year we decided to sneak away for one night and do something we've been wanting to do since we moved to Grants Pass...explore some of the Oregon coastline. We miss the ocean so much, so it was really fun to soak up the sunshine and the beauty. I think the most fun we had was the dune buggy ride we did.  It was wild...like a roller coaster on the sand!  Definitely something we want to do with the kids someday. In Yachats we got lucky with a super low tide and cool rocks covered with anemones, mussels, and starfish just outside our hotel room. It was gorgeous! Happy Birthday to us....   Recently we discovered a new meatless meal.  Kenna read this is a cookbook and insisted on trying it.  Potato slices that are roasted in the oven and topped with a meatless taco filling (it's pecans!!), cilantro, and green onions - followed by the salsa of your choice.  It was AMAZING!  Poor Kenna made them for herself for lunch one day and we all g...

 There are two reasons I like to travel.  One, I like to see things; and two, I like to get away from normal life.  I'm always planning a road trip in my mind or contemplating possible places I'd love to visit, checking flights, looking at maps - this is what I do for fun.  But in spite of my passion for a good vacation, I also LOVE to come home and after a bit of time away it's something I desire.   Always, I want to come back home.  Is that analogous to our mortal journey?  Maybe!  I'll leave that to you. Recently our family was gone for 16 days.  That's a long time, especially considering we spent the bulk of the days in the car together driving somewhere (and the non-driving days were spent surrounded by lots of other people). Here are some thoughts from this particular trip: 1.  Water views trump all.  We rented a little house on a lake so we could play better (Bryan's idea) and the Robison's went in on that with us.  Waki...

 Two weeks ago a bunch of moms in my area got together to talk about the upcoming school year and what we each were planning.  COVID has made life a challenge for many and the idea was to exchange ideas, see if we wanted to do anything together, and just generally provide some moral support.  I was one of two veteran homeschoolers in attendance.  As I listened to the various plans - some people had really firm ideas of curricula they were using or which school program they were signing up for, others were totally adrift.  I began to get anxious about MY curriculum choices for MY children.  I began worrying about my writing program for Kenna and Natalie.  I really got concerned.  I started looking up a really renowned  homeschooling writing curriculum and thinking about buying it. But something wonderful happened a few days later.  I was out on a walk with one of those moms and some sort of question she asked prompted me to reflect and ve...

 It's almost the end of summer and I've really got to keep updated here.  The kids have been growing by leaps and bounds. Maybe a mid-year update is called for. FAITH - she did Junior Golf this year for the first year ever and she did pretty dang good.  I honestly think we have a potential golfer on our hands.  When we golf as a family she gets tired and bored quickly, but her swing is consistent and she loves it until she's done.       She also learned how to ride a two-wheeler this year and she is loving that freedom and grownup-ness.       She is thiiiiiiis close to being  a swimmer.  She's getting stronger.   Looking forward to reaching that milestone next. NATALIE - Natalie is growing up!  She is counting down the months until she can attend mutual (next January).  She's always got her nose in a book and if we can't find her, chances are she's on the porch swing in the backyard reading Percy Jackson or Range...