National Skills USA

This summer is flying by. Ha ha We made another trip across the country. This time down south to Atlanta. We enjoyed the direct flight avoiding wasting time sitting waiting in a random airport somewhere. 

The next day we headed for the convention center to spot Mark in this long line of participants. The man in the middle is Greg's past instructor Mr. Merle Saunders. 

We finally spotted Mark. I was surprised at how many people were competing. 

There were 15 stations.This was wiring a circuit, 

There was also a written test. 

We couldn't see all of the stations and they took a while so I walked around. I was delighted to see the other competitions this was the baking station. 

There was also hospitality where they set tables and made a salad at the high school level, and an alcoholic drink for the college section. I was surprised to learn that colleges also come and compete. They do different types of skills. In Mark's contest the college kids did a lot more with electric vehicles. 

This station spoke to me it was the building maintenance where they cleaned different surfaces. This was specifically for special needs students. I walked to an advisor and she explained some of the expectations. 

Electrical wiring. 

Checking back in on Mark. He finished early with most stations. This is around 3:30 the contest started at 8. 

A sample food offering from the chefs. 

Brick Masonry. Some were really well done and some were lacking. 

Welding fabrication. 

Welding artistry. 

Plumbing. 

Not all the baking products were perfect I was honestly surprised how many things were burned. I can only guess that elevation differences and different ovens. The saddest part of the day was all the food was just thrown away. 

Cabinent making was a team of three. 

A more tasty looking table. That was a lot of food to make in 8 hours. 

Another meal sample. We were very hungry by this time in the day thee were hard to just walk past. 

The next day I snapped this cute picture of little kids cooling down in a fountain shaped like the olympic rings. 

That day we headed to the Atlanta temple. They outfitted us and welcomed us very warmly. We really enjoyed our time there. I happened to hear a lady asking how to get an Uber back to downtown, she offered to share her ride. We crammed into a little car and enjoyed visiting with the driver while we waited in rush hour traffic. 

Later that evening after Mark learned he was not top 3 we walked to a chicken restaurant in the pouring rain. The storms really surprised me how intense they were how loud the thunder and lightning. Each night was a storm and often we were out walking in them. The rain was intense and soaking. The dinner was worth the walk.  

After that Mark insisted we go to a Nitrogen Ice cream place. They start with cream sugar and add-in's. Then they add nitrogen gas to freeze it. It was very good. Food was tricky this trip. It was very expensive about $60.00 per meal. Some were good and some were gross. I was so sad to not eat dinner one night because it was so spicy. 

A few final pictures this was another team of three that was building a mock house this contest allowed 3 days to complete the mock-up. 

Another welding section where they did a variety of welds on different metals. 

I was so impressed with the students abilities. I did not take pictures of the medical or computer skills. There were also job interviews, speeches, customer service, design, barber and hair dressing, cosmetology and the list goes on and on. There were 16,000 students competing. The competition was less exciting than National FFA but it was inspiring to see so many proficients kids. This is the future of our country. 

Greg and I have sincerely enjoyed our quick trips away from home. We have nothing to do but watch and decided what to eat for the meals of the day. Its hard to have so little to do, but we enjoy the time to rest and explore. The last night there was a terrible storm that knocked out the control tower at the airport. This led to many delays and cancellations at the airport which was still being worked through the next day. We finally left 3 hours later and were so thankful to get back to the west. 

May snapshots

Oh these ladies do love make-up. It is magical to them. One day while I was working on the computer Lia got the idea that I needed make-up. I figured why not? So the fun began. 

She would bring random pieces from my very random make-up collection ask where it went and then apply as she thought best. 

The most important piece of making up is the lipstick. They do love lipstick. She was impressed to learn about a lip pencil. 

Andrea also got in the action. 

And then some hse finished with the less controlled brush strokes. They enjoyed the 45 minutes or so of applying color and I knew exactly what they were up to. 

Addie works on the pheasant crew. After a morning of cleaning they took a minute to balance their drinks. Silly girls Addie, Lia, and Chenai.

Andreas hair fis finally growing I think it may be braided in a tiny braid in back. Unfortunately, she or Merle, or Lia likes to cut her hair in random places making hair do's a real challenge. 

A final senior tribute is dress-up day. Mr. Barnes dressed up as Mark. Addie helped get his clothes to Mr. Barnes. This is a fun recognition and many teachers are pulled in to represent at least 50 seniors. 

These hard workers took a few minutes to cool off and recharge before heading off to another chore set. It's so invigorating to have them around. I'm thankful for their youthful energy and enthusiasm for life. Addie is a reliable capable worker who gets so much done both on our farm and home, and for neighbors whose yards she works on. 

The pigs are growing well and getting use to the kids, and the kids are getting use to the pig responsibilities. Andrea is still on the watch and see list. The others who must feed and water them are less smiley about their increased work load. There have been many threats of who will and won't be attending the fair this year due to lack of follow-through on the chore side. We shall see. We are about 1 month out now. 

And my birthday cake made with love by Millie. Our chocolate maybe should be used a little more sparingly than the recipe dictates as this was a very dark chocolate flavor. Good yet really helped by vanilla ice cream. Millie is becoming a very proficient cook. We are grateful for her abilites, we just hope she will stop taking so many reading breaks and get the food in the oven with a timer before getting lost in a story. And remember to take the cooking food out before it gets toasted. All in all she does great and has kept us fed well for several months. 

Another year another chance to do better, become more, and improve my holiness level. We are thankful for health and strength and daily bread that keep us moving through our days and nights. Life is good and we are very blessed.


 

Mark American Legion Nationals

Most people know Mark as a farmer. That's true, he is passionate about growing things. This is a picture I snapped of him dropping off a strip-till machine that we used in his cover crop experiment.

 Not seen is the air full of cow smells which always transports me back to my growing up years spending time at the neighbors diary farm. Oh I have good memories of those days and nights helping with the cows. It makes me sad sometimes that my kids don't have neighborhood friends. But I'm pretty stingy with sharing their time, so it probably wouldn't be the same freedom I enjoyed even if there were kids around. 

Occasionally though Mark leaves the farm. This year we escorted him to Hillsdale to compete at the American Legion Oratorical Contest. 

This year we were not as confident in the judgements. Not that it matters but it seemed more weight was given to the content of the amendments than the primary speeches. The young lady on the left we met last year, and the young man on the far right is from the post in France he has grown up in Europe and hopes to remain there. The chinese lady in the pant suit went on as well as the young lady from Iowa on the left. 

It is so nice to see a family face. Jim from Oregon was there again to support us. He grew up in Michigan and returns for the summers. 

 
In the past there have been few kids that spend time on athletics. This year there were several student athletes. This young man from Pennsylvania was a fellow football player. His speech talked about the playbook of politics and he used sports methaphors to make his point. 

The young lady in the front in purple was a delight. We really enjoyed getting to know her parents from Missouri. A true highlight of the weekend is the people we get to meet and learn about. 

Anna came home to steady the ship. The kids really enjoy spending time with her. Andrea especially loves to sit with her. I'm thankful they have time to develop a relationship. It also made me feel much more comfortable being gone. 

Mark receiving his award and scholarship money. 


We returned to Detroit eager to share with Mark the wonders of the Henry Ford Museum. He and Greg explored and discovered. I visited with my missionaries from a bench in the museum. Unfortunately, the assembly line shut down half an hour before our tour. I was very disappointed because I knew Mark would be impressed watching it work. 

Back at home the kids went to my parents for dinner one evening. Apparently cousins also cam and they played games. 

Looks like chess was the game of the evening. Oh these smartie pants, but they were impressed grandma and papa had so many chess sets. 

And after a long weekend the weather was acting up and we got delayed and delayed. Thankfully we got into Boise around 1:30 in the morning. I drove us home thankful for hardly any traffic. 

And that kicked off graduation week for Mark. It has been so pleasant to take time with these older kids individually. I'm thankful for Greg's insistence that we go even though I would be happy to stay home. Each kid is distinctly different in how they travel and handle situations. We are blessed.