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.