A little summa-time updating

so these kids are in the midst of setting up a crib together. Aren't they cute?? They get married in 30 days.
whoa.

Greenwood Freedom Fest friends...June 24, 2016

We had no clue what we were in for...but we love adventure!

Scott, Andy and Beck..Jinger was here somewhere too.

'twas simply a lovely day

My hubby with Nora and Molly.

Tom and Levi...buddies for life!

These bus pics were taken on the ride back up the road, after a full day out in the sun, in dirty river water. But we had such a blast. I'd recommend this adventure to mostly anyone.

Ok, so the pictures loaded out of order again and I'm too lazy to put them in the right order...Shoes were highly recommended in this river...I don't even know the name of the river we traveled down...but I did hear banjos.

Mel found a little butterfly friend.

Handsome Duncan, who got really sunburned on this outing

Charlie, contemplating life and handsomeness.

Phebe, Sylvia and Molly and Jinger's hand....the rest of our gang had to wait for the next bus. 

Piper and Levi, dolls.

Mel and Nora, beauties

The ride back to Indy was quiet...everyone crashed pretty quickly. aww.

So things and activities are picking up around here...in 30 short days, as posted above, our firstborn child, Will Franklin Young, will marry Joylily B. I don't know if any of us realize how much work is at hand but the pressure is on...in a good way. The kids sat here and planned some honeymoon adventures this evening while I gathered paper for coffee bar stars and pretended not to be melancholy about it all. We are honestly so excited for this and Joy couldn't be a more precious addition to our family (and not just because her name is Joy, you know??) 

The above pics are just some tidbits from June and July...I've got so much updating to do but for now, I'll give you a small list of what's happening. Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up on my dear blog over the next few months....

~David is working on a porch project that we've been putting off for about 5 years. We paid someone good money to tie in some soffits and roofing and it was never done properly so he's taking that on this week, with work being slow. Most of his work is head work, phone work so he's enjoying the challenge of carpentry again! Pics soon, I hope!

~Ethan is working lots up at Purdue University! The best kinda college education, if you ask me....He's doing our coating system on some restrooms/locker rooms at the Rec Center there. He is such a good guy. As I posted on FB and Instagram, he got me flowers last night. Refer to Relient K song "Marigold". love that dear guy. He's looking forward to being one of two of Will's best men.

~Will is obviously still song writing and leading worship when he can. He actually got to be a part of the worship team at our church last weekend, and it was otherworldly. The song he sang is called "Clear the Stage". YouTube it. We are thankful that he, Mel and Joy are able to partake in worship leading and thankful that our new worship pastor, Paul, has allowed that. Woo-eeeee! In other news, you know, Will will be marrying Joy in 30 days. what?

~Melanie is loving being a graduate...she's been working more with YFF and enjoys getting a paycheck. Her ability to lead in worship knocks my socks off and I love her close walk with the Lord. She inspires and encourages me daily. Super proud of her 50 lb (to date) weight loss too. More pics to follow, for sure.

~Levi, oh Levi. You know how they say, occasionally, you may have a kid that has a lot of your traits and sins? Welp, this is my kid. The issues and struggles I face are the same ones that Levi faces and I am praying daily and fighting the fight to help him overcome his weaknesses before he leaves our house. It is NO easy feat and I covet your prayers. On top of that, he will be having spine surgery in October. We postponed it because our MAT guy, Rich, wants to work on Levi's weak right hip before the surgery. Please pray for this guy...he faces so many challenges and I pray he makes it through. His surgery is scheduled for Oct 17. Levi is also one of Will's groomsmen, Junior G-man I suppose it's called??

~Molly is zesty. Y'all know this. She gets zestier by the day. She LOVES Twenty One Pilots music. She still won't sleep in her room (so we let Joy use it when she spends the night), and she still struggles with choosing joy when it comes to schooling. Shoot, both of my youngest kids do...Moo is excited to be the flower dame at the upcoming wedding. 

~David's lawsuit ended at the end of June. Praise the Lord.
~We've lost a handful of chickens this summer. We've extinguished a few raccoons. (who knew they would kill chickens???)
~I'm four pounds away from my goal weight with Ideal Health/Protein. Thankful to the Lord for this amazing program. 

Ok, Molly and I need to go treat the pool water but hopefully this update will keep you until the next one....

Until then...good-bye!!