Praise Report on the Fourth of July: Family + Friends!

This has been an amazing week! 

Filled with milestones and blessings galore! 

I am so grateful to be keeping track of all of the goodness that is in our life. 

Yup. That's "Mr. Debbie" up above. He truly is the eternal optimist. This week we had the chance to start the week amid friends and family and we conclude it on the exact same channel. 

At the top of my list, and especially on the Fourth of July, I think of my dear hubs and all he has done for so many. We are pictured above last Sunday at our 'grand-niece' high school graduation slash family reunion. Allen doesn't think a thing of driving for 12 hours to attend such a significant event. Get in the car and go! He adores being surrounded by family. Me too! So great to reflect on what's important in life. 

Every national holiday, as I see the stars and stripes being displayed with pride I stop to appreciate his service of active duty aboard the USS John F Kennedy air craft carrier. Earlier this afternoon WonderBoy was reading to me from his book of individuals who serve, protect and defend. He found the picture of the air craft carrier and then went on to tell me about Grand-Dad's job. LUV that he is aware of the sacrifice made decades ago. Fills me with pride. 

You can read my previous thoughts about the Fourth of July here, under an earlier article entitled, "Freedom isn't Free." I have had a VERY long-standing appreciation of those who serve.

Last Sunday, at the driving midway point, we stopped to have breakfast with one of my friends from elementary school. We went to Bible School together. We sang songs of faith. We were both in Girl Scouts too! All of those early faith and character building groups. You might have heard us shrieking. You probably heard us talking at 87 MPH as we strolled the parking lot, trying to catch up on the last forty-two years of life. Thank goodness that the service was slow at this unnamed breakfast haunt in the midwest. We got in a solid hour before the eggs arrived. So awesome to visit the way back machine. Mom and dad: would you have recognized Jayne? {We were nearly neighbors!} HALLELUJAH! HUGS! 

We no sooner got to WonderPeep central, than we loaded everyone in the car for the first summer three generation #roadtrip of 2015! Destination: 

MAMMOTH CAVE! 

We had done our research and had reservations for tours and hikes. EXCITEMENT running high! A six hour drive can have quite a few sung renditions of, "I'm going to Kentucky, I'm going to the fair, to see a senorita with flowers in her hair!" 

No doubt this was some sort of penance for songs of yore. 

Having the GPS announce the arrival time, takes the edge off of the proverbial, "Are we there yet?" How fortunate to spend quality time together. 

Here we are for a planning cuddle the evening before the BIG adventure! 

How did we get along before Google searches? 

For two boys that LIVE for the Minecraft adventure, 

the thought of going underground in REAL life

delayed sleep in the manner of Christmas Eve. 

Did I mention that they were excited? 

I think one of my favorite things about being a grandparent is being able to follow through on promises and see the unbridled joy errupt -- when the promise comes to fruition. We've been talking about this trip for AGES! We've been looking online and talking through the details. We are true to our word. 

That means so much to them at this age. 

#PromiseKept! #BOOM! 

Our next day has memories just as amazing. 

Cloudy skies couldn't keep us from the fun. 

BUMPER BOATS? 

Since we were the only ones at the Fun Park, the peeps got an unusually generous amount of time to laugh their heads of!

AND SOAK EACH OTHER! 

Hearing them laugh so spontaneously is my fave memory. 

 

        

There were so many victories! 

Rock walls scaled! 

Chair lifts ridden over mountain sides!  

Backwards flips on the serious trampoline!

That would have been enough for one day......... but no. 

THE BIGGIE WAS SAVED FOR THE AFTERNOON! 

Yes. That's me bringing up the rear: wearing my helmet at the customary angle.

This adventure was like watching fledglings leave the nest.

They started as wee ones. They returned victors.

So much can happen in an hour. 

And ALL of that would have been plenty to have in a week. 

BUT NO! 

This would also be the week of our first anniversary of the Twitter chat I envisioned and launched. 

WE TRENDED! 

We were able to gather up very nearly $5000 worth of teacher gifts to give away in an hour. 

That gets people's attention. 

We had over 3000 tweets-in-an-hour! 

Our hashtag was second only to Women's Soccer. 

If I told you the DOZENS of hours I spend every week on #TeacherFriends you'd probably come to the conclusion that I had some ulterior motive or was just a tad bit eccentric. 

No. In one year, I have not made the first penny. 

What I have done is seen hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of teachers take a risk, jump into a new social media format and improve their professional skills. 

That my friends is worth it in the end.

We gather every Tuesday night. 

Here is our outline for the coming month. 

Yes. Those are some pretty heavy hitters in the educational world. 

It is a thrill to rub elbows with such contributors. 

My vision wasn't LARGE enough to have guessed what would unfold in a year!

I couldn't do this on my own. 

I have three fellow hostess' that help me keep the whole thing running like clockwork: Kim, Maggie and Kristen are each such a class act and ALSO willing to go above and beyond to improve classrooms around the country and well beyond our borders, too!  

Our little 'austerity-plan hotel' didn't have adequate internet to keep up with all of the awesomeness of our tweeting. So it was very fortunate that McDonalds had both a plug, a soft chair and wireless to share! Memorable. Memorable. Memorable!  

 There's sooooooooo much more! 

I hope to get back here to add some scripture reminders. 

~~ Debbie ~~