Parting Shots

The frousins head back home to Wisconsin today, after a fun summer visit.

We met up one last time for more swimming, video games, and talent shows.

Looking forward to the next return visit!

LPYC High School Choir Tour 2018

Finally Katharine got to go on high school choir tour! This year's tour headed to Chicago via St. Louis. The choir was hosted by several churches along the way, some of which served them breakfast, lunch or dinner. They slept on air mattresses, got very little sleep, took showers at lightning speed, ate lots of restaurant food, shared their love of song and music at assisted living homes, inner city churches, kids programs, met new people, and got to do a little sight seeing along the way. They came back tired, but filled with new experiences, friendships and lasting memories!

 St. Louis, Gateway Arch

Katharine, Abbey, Jim, the fabulous accompanist of our youth choirs and Macie

 Chicago!

 The choir visited and the Chicago Temple. The church is located in a "high rise" with a gothic steeple. It is the oldest congregation in Chicago, dating back to 1831, before Chicago was even a city! It is a Methodist church that has a sanctuary on the first floor and a chapel up in the lofty heights of 400ft, the Chapel in the Sky. The choir sang in two of the church's services.

 http://www.chicagotemple.org/about/#history

The choir tour is not just a fun trip, it is also a mission trip for the kids. One of the places they went to was By the Hand Club for Kids, an after school program for inner city kids. Katharine loved spending time with the kids there:  http://bythehand.org/

Katharine told us about a 1st grader who goes home after school to take care of  her siblings. These are things our suburban kids don't hear about every day.

They also spend time at the Breakthrough Ministries Men's Center, a center for men that are in recovery. Katharine said all the men were so grateful for the  songs they sang for them and to get to visit with the choir kids. The life stories of some  of  the men left quite an impression on her: https://www.shelterlistings.org/details/20530/

Another place she loved spending  time at was the New Mt. Zion Baptist Church, a church no bigger than our donut room at church, but filled with wonderful people. 

 Eating, again.

 Waiting to get up to the sky deck in the Willis Tower, Chicago. Katharine said they waited for 1.5 hours to get up. Here she is with Abbey, Lindsey and  Rachel. Katharine has known Rachel for probably 9, if not 10 years.

 Katharine and Abbey

Katharine, Kylee, Lindsey, Abbey,Rachel and Samantha (Katharine and Samantha have known each other  since they started Sunday School at 3 years old)

 Living Proof Youth Choir group picture in front of the Bean

 Hamilton! 

 They went to Six Flags St. Louis on the way home.

left to right: Abbey, Katharine, Carson,  Daniel, Hannah, Lindsey and Rachel.

Katharine for the most part hung out with the seniors.

 Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis

Choir tour wrap up dinner at Babe's Chicken in Frisco. Yep, that is a very meaty place, so biscuits it was for Katharine. Their salad, mashed potatoes and green beans were not that great, so I stuck to biscuits, too.

The picture above is the girls small group singing Magnify the Lord at the Breakthrough Ministries Men's Center, the picture below is the choir performing at New Mt. Zion Baptist Church (I could not figure out how  to insert them where they should go).

Hot Times at Moneygram Fields

Lennon played in a soccer tournament last weekend, where the temperatures were over 110 degrees.

Lennon got a goal, some assists, and hit a few posts along the way. 

He had a lot of fun, and was only dehydrated during the one morning game.

Just goes to show how that Texas sun can sneak up on you any time of the day.

Seven Frousins Sittin' On A Couch..

My birthday couch arrived this week, bringing home theater seating to my little corner of the man cave.

The boxes were put to good use as well!

Sleeping Over

We have three frousins over the house tonight. 

They are here for just two more weeks, so we are getting in as much time as possible.

The Lion of Summer

I took the girls to 'The Lion King' musical this Saturday, joining up with Kate and the Martels.

It was Kassidy's first big theater musical, and she had a great time. She kept shushing me whenever I asked her how she liked ti during the show- so she was well prepared and mannered for the experience.