Hi everybody,

Hope everyone is enjoying Summer and doing all the fun things that you only dream about when it's not summer!

I wanted to talk about our trip to NW Arkansas, which included almost all of May.  Our  main purpose of the trip was to be in on end of school activities with Luke and Hannah.  It was a busy time, but loads of fun!  Luke graduated from Haas Hall Academy in Fayetteville, AR and received two academic honors!

We were so proud of Luke!  As Scholar Council President, Luke gave a marvelous speech as part of the graduation ceremony which was held at the University of Arkansas student ballroom.  We were bustin' buttons, for sure!   The area friends and kinfolks turned en masse! He is such a wonderful young man and God has something very special in mind for Luke.  We just know it!  He has been accepted at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR where his parents graduated, as well as his Uncle Art and Aunt Merritt!  So we are happy for him and can't wait to see how well he likes college life. He will live in the dorm; the school is only about 30 minutes away, so that's a good thing.  Not too far to bring laundry home to mom over a weekend!

Luke mentioned in his speech how an experience in 2001 had helped shape who he is today.  He recounted how he was  involved in a very serious car accident in 2001 and was hospitalized for quite some time in Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR.   Just realizing that Luke might have lasting, serious effects from the accident was traumatizing for all of us.  But thanks be to God, he is just fine!  He does have some limitation in the movement of his right foot/knee area, but we are so grateful that there were no other serious injuries.  In his speech, he related how that he had never asked God why this happened to him; neither did he ever question why he was left with some physical disability.  He focused on the word attitude and how it is so important now and in his future. It was very inspiring to everyone who heard it.  I'm thankful that Luke knows at such a young age how important it is to keep a positive attitude about everything life throws our way!  No one loves a whiner!  When he was interviewed some time after his accident, he said, "I know God has a plan for my life."  We do, too, Luke.

We had a blast just loving on the whole family while we were there! That included doing laundry, cooking their favorite meals, putting up shelving in Karen's school office (Daddy Bill gets the credit for this!), attending Hannah's choral concert, and just hanging out with them!  Feel the love?  It is such a joy to prepare food when you know it will be enjoyed!  Well, most of the time.  I'm sure I bombed out on a few things!

Karen surprised me - actually tricked me one Saturday morning.  After luring me to the local mall, before I knew it I was securely seated in a wonderful chair that massaged my back, neck and shoulder areas, while a nail technician was transforming my toe nails into a work of art! (if you haven't seen my feet, they are a piece of work!) A super pedicure!  What a relaxing experience!  Then she bought me several luxurious bath products at Bed, Bath and Beyond and so I am all set now to look good (at least my toe nails!) and feel good with good-smelling lotion!  Can't beat that combination!  I highly recommend the aromatherapy eucalyptcus spearmint stress relief lotion!
We enjoyed Hannah's violin practice session(s).  Of course, to me she did not strike any wrong notes!   She is one busy gal and studied for her finals almost the entire time we were there.  It paid off because she made top grades on all of them!  It was worth all the hard work.  She is a rising senior at Shiloh Christian School.

One of the best visits while we were in the NW Arkansas area was a visit with Lynette Duncan, Ruth and Ian.  Peter was working that morning, so we were sorry to have missed him!  Ruth and Ian kept us entertained, for sure!  They are just precious, and it is very evident that Lynette and Peter are doing all the rights things in the area of parenting!  It is always great to sneak in a visit with them.  Lynette is also a JBU grad and hails from Kentwood, so we always enjoy a bit of Louisiana when we get a chance to see them! Lovely family!


All in all, we had a delightful trip which also included a lovely visit with our Memphis friends, Ralph and Peggy Jones.  Always fun digging up old memories and making new ones!  They took us to a sweet little town, Collierville, TN,  where we strolled around town and Bill found a neat leather shop!  The best part though was his discovery of a genuine, old-time hardware store! Hog heaven!  They are becoming extinct among all the "You can do it, we can help" box stores!

We did have one minor inconvenience very early on our trip.  Our truck was chugging really hard trying to make it over the mountains just as we got into North Carolina.  It was towing our 5th wheel and as hard as it tried it would only go about 30 mph ...... so, God is so good!  Our roadside service folks through Good Sam's Club (RVers will know what this is) directed us to a repair shop and a lovely RV park where we were quite comfortable during the day and a half our truck was in the hospital!  A new fuel pump got us going again and we continued on our journey with no further problems.  We left our camper in Arkansas parked on Andy's property where it will await our next visit in October.

We appreciate the prayers and love of everyone who thought about us while we were gone! I thought you'd enjoy a photo or two of the graduation night!



Andy, Luke, Hannah and Karen


Daddy Bill, Luke and Granny Vee



Beautiful cake made by a friend of Luke's Aunt Lori! It was yummy, too!