The Day We Could Have Done Without

Hola!

Can't believe we're up to Friday already -- and it's July! We've had an eventful week :)

3rd FIREWORKS. Our friends live in Needham, a couple of towns over, and they do their fireworks on the 3rd of July. After a BBQ with them, we walked to the high school and saw their show. They do a great job!

PIONEER LIVING. Kara is on Trek right now. As in "Pioneer Trek" -- every 4 years, the summer Youth Conference for the kids in this region is "Trek." They get to dress up like the pioneers, and push handcarts through trails and fields, to get a feel for the lives of the pioneers, 150 years ago.

They are also supposed to do a little research and bring the name of one of their own ancestors, one they can try to get to know better. During the 3 days they cook their own meals, walk a LOT, play pioneer games and learn more of the inspirational pioneer stories. So many pioneers wrote in journals, and told of learning and growing through trials and leaning on God for strength. The youth are encouraged to write in their own journals and are given time to ponder and pray. It's a unique experience, very organized and thoughtful.

Kara with Sam, Halle, Don (Halle's dad)--all
family friends...so glad she could go with their
stake and be in their "family" for Trek!

Here is Kara, in pioneer garb...(and you know how fashion-conscious Kara is...she let me take the picture, ONLY giving permission for it to go on the blog, hahahaha :) :) :) ) She's a good sport!

Oh I should also say, that Kara chose this sunflower fabric, and made her own skirt!

ITALY OUTINGS. Here are some pics of David, in Bergamo...he sent them last week.

JULY 4th. Just some highlights, or should I say "LOW" lights...our 4th of July was really lame! Working in the backyard, Frank dropped his trimming shears on his knee. It made a gash on his kneecap, and bled all over the place, but was probably only 1/2 inch long. He went to Urgent Care and got some stitches. He's limping around on it now. Ugh! 

Timing is just bad, of course...next week we have all kinds of fun, outdoor reunion activities planned, in Park City. Lake Day, ATVs, hiking...Well, don't count him out of things just yet! We are baby-ing it like crazy, and hoping the swelling will go down and it will at least half-heal by next week, and he can participate in some of our play activities :)

gross, I know. That's his knee, swollen
so you can't really see his kneecap

He got home from Urgent Care and Kara texted us. She spent a few days with a friend on Cape Cod, with her friend's family. 

She texts us: "Somebody just rear-ended me..." (REALLY??!?) Luckily, nobody was hurt. Another teen driver was behind her, maybe distracted, and Kara put her blinker on to turn left and slowed down, and the girl behind her did not slow down until it was too late.

Kara's friend's dad helped her duct-tape the bumper, and somehow they got the hatch shut, and she drove it 2 hours home.

The insurance guy came yesterday, and thankfully for us it was NOT totaled. It came close, with their numbers and formulas, etc., but we CAN repair it and keep it! So happy about that! Otherwise they'd have given us a bluebook value check (another formula), and they would have taken the car to sell for parts. Blah!

A day we could have done without, but what do you do...?!?

Time has gotten away from me.

Have a good weekend! Kari