A few years ago, we got some blackberry bushes (sticks, at that time) from a friend. They are contained in a plot next to the garage, or they would have overtaken the yard by now! These bushes produce some of the best berries, and we have been enjoying them for the last week or so. The kids had fun picking them--Sawyer picked a lot of green ones. . .and Daddy went out to buy vanilla ice cream to have with them that night. Yum.
Jeff turned 30 on the 14th, and on the 16th, I tried to surprise him with a party after a nice dinner at the Vintage Press. It was a lot of fun, though not really a surprise. :) Oh well. Jeff was a good sport and played along very well. Thanks to everyone that helped with food, decorations, baby-sitting, etc.!!
Jeff and the kids on his actual birthday.
Jeff and Olivia at the surprise party.
I have worked for the FIRST 5 grant program for 5 years. The last couple of weeks have been ones of finishing. Our Preschool had a 'graduation' on May 8 (see pictures--note the cute blond student :)) We also had our last Home Visits, Mommy and Me group, Family Fun Night, and a Collaboration meeting between preschool and kindergarten programs. Then I packed and brought my things home and tied up the last loose ends like turning my key and my cell phone in. So, I am done. My last day was this past Friday.
Some of the Preschool class
Congrats Olivia!!!
Olivia and I with Elaine and Maritza (two of my coworkers)
People have asked how I feel about being done. Mixed, I say. Strangely, I do not really feel sad. That may come later, but I think for now it just feels like I'm going on my summer break! There are people I will miss, but I plan to make an effort to keep in touch with them. I feel good. I feel like I completed what I was supposed to in Ivanhoe. There will always be more to do, and who knows, perhaps I'll return there someday, but for now the work is someone else's responsibility. And it feels good to know that I was faithful to my part. Beginning work this year, I knew it would be my last, and had specific goals in mind all year within that context. We made some program changes that I wanted to help implement before I left, which we did. I guess the word complete describes my main feeling upon leaving--and that is satisfying.
On Sunday we had the opportunity to share at Radiant Church. We had a great time of both sharing our passion and the Biblical basis for our passion for the poor, marginalized, and oppressed as well as what God is calling us to in Costa Rica. As we prepared to share we (Tracey and Jeff) decided to share together each taking a little section and then going back and forth between us. While this makes for a little disjointed presentation we wanted to communicate with our actions that we are truly in this together and see ourselves as being an equal team.
We are excited to have Radiant as part of our support team and look forward to watching how God will continue to weave our lives together. Thank you to the leadership team and the church body for so warmly embracing our family. We are indeed blessed.
Have you ever wondered why we call these things garage sales or yard sales? Neither the garage or yard us usually for sale. A more appropriate title would be junk sale or to be more optimistic 'treasure sale'. Anyway this past weekend the families at Olivia and Sawyer's daycare all pitched in to have a garage sale for us. Everyone contributed their unwanted treasures and we sold them with the proceeds going toward our moving expenses. All in all about $340 was raised.
More encouraging to us was seeing people, some whom we know well and others we don't, continue to come around what God is doing. It is yet another confirmation to us that God is the driving force of this journey to Costa Rica. Thanks to all who helped with this garage sale, especially to Mimi for being the driving force behind it and to Malina for helping set everything up at the crack of dawn on her prom day.
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