That Time We Went On Vacation During A Pandemic...

Up at 4:45 am to catch our flight.

A quick dip in the pool & a beautiful Mexican sunset after check in.

The next morning we woke to a hurricane.

So we hunkered down for the next two days, ate our Mexican Ramen and drank Mexican beer.

As soon as possible, we were back at the pool.

    

We spent one day at the beach on the bay side. 

 Kip got a hair braid, then we had lunch at a cantina, met a lizard, 

got ice cream and rode in a bicycle taxi.

Scott & I took our traditional hike to the  Pedregal beach and neighborhood...this time making it to the very top!

  

Last pool day.

After a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad travel home experience....we headed to the drive through Covid testing site in time for the all clear for school year 2020-2021.

And that's how you do a vacation during a pandemic, hurricane, travel disaster :)

Summer Lovin'

DETERDING SIDE FAMILY VACATION 
DEEP CREEK LAKE, MD

June 14-20

A glimpse of what family vacation looks like

All the essential sugary treats

Hiking at Muddy Creek Falls

Happy 19th Anniversary to us

Ice Cream after a 30 minute wait in line tastes the best.

Lots of swimming of all kinds

 

And...a bear sighting on the way out of town!

Now back to the grind on home improvement and organizational projects after work hours.

End of the (School) Year

2020. It's been a rough one.

For our family, it's been a steady stream of trials.

We detoxed off of Scott's restless legs meds, then launched straight into a pandemic lockdown.

We lost work deals and friends.

Now America is in turmoil, pain and mourning over our country's original sin of human slavery and its repercussions throughout multiple generations.  

I am spending lots of time listening and learning and lamenting the state of our nation, and finding a renewed longing for the return of the Righteous King who will set all the wrongs right and make all the sad things come untrue.

Come, Lord Jesus.

As we finish up this school year, I am also finishing up one career (I believe) and launching into another.  This might be my last year in education, unless something miraculous happens.  Friday was my last day at AACS and on Monday, I'll start transitioning to working at Keller Williams with Scott. Lots of emotions for me to process, but we feel like the Lord is leading us somewhere through this.

Here are some snapshots of the last few weeks around our house.

 

Science experiments

A garden decimated by an unknown foe.

Another online school project, stretching our technology skills.

Home improvement projects

Food, from friends & our garden

The opening of our roadside "flower stand"

Goodbye to Xenophilius, the rooster

Blooms

Movie night, with our almost teen

An extreme summer "do"

And finally, this week, being able to leave the house to shop and eat out!

Next week we're headed to Deep Creek Lake for some family vacation time with the grandparents and cousins.  I've got quite a long list of books to read and listen to. Here's just two of them. Join me if you'd like.

Finally, here one quote that's really resonated with me lately. I pray that I will be able to rightly teach my children about these things as I learn new insights every day.