Requiem for a camera

My hand-me-down 2 megapixel CyberShot finally gave up the ghost. Here are some of the last shots she took.


Ben at the State cross country meet. He ran hard! And I can now sympathize with that grimace and exhaustion, since this year for the first time, Steve and I, along with a friend, ran in the adult's fun-run race at this meet. The last quarter-mile was a killer. But I made it! And Steve even got a ribbon, finishing in 5th place, the studly guy.


This is at about the one-mile mark, when my friend Mary and I still had the energy to do a little chatting and hamming it up for the spectators. It was a change of pace to have the kids cheering for us instead of the other way around. Here I'm asking Aaron (the cameraman), "Who in the world ever thought FUN and RUN go together?" But it really was fun, in an insane sort of way. I hope to do it again next year, in spite of the pain.

The Graduate

Another big family moment: Matthew graduated last weekend.
Here he is giving his valedictory address. He got to be the first-ever valedictorian of the first-ever graduating class of Faith Lutheran High School. You can read all about it and see a slide show with better pictures here: http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2008/05/25/news/local/doc4839397ce6979035395626.txt (I tried to make it a link, but it didn't work. Sorry!)

It's enough to make a parent proud.

And here you can see that Steve and I were indeed very proud and happy.

Here's Aunt Ruthie being happy for the graduate, too.

And just look at all these happy people. Except maybe for Clare, still wiping sentimental tears away, and Mike, who cracked maybe one smile in the four solid years we've known him. Mrs. M.--science teacher extraordinaire-- looks like she doesn't know quite what she feels. Her smile is somewhat like a grimace, but your face would be confused, too, after an hour-long emotional wringer (laughing, crying, laughing, crying) like watching the kids you've poured your heart and soul into for four years finally walk across that stage.

But happiest of all had to be Matthew. Here you can see he was so thrilled he could have spread his wings and taken flight. Or maybe flapped his wings...er...arms...and crowed like a chicken. Either way, he was pretty darned chipper.

Runnin' On...

...and On and On and On--four laps. I was so busy taking split times that I almost forgot to take a picture, and when I did remember, it was almost too late. So this is a "press the button and hope for the best" shot. I'm lucky I caught him at all; Aaron was moving pretty fast here. Fast enough to earn a personal best for the year and a trip to the State meet. That's why he's all alone in this photo--he was out in front. :-)

Tulips on a Blustery Day

I took this a week ago. These tulips are all finished now. Next up are the iris, peonies, poppies, and dame's rocket. I love spring!

Tulips and Barberry

A friend requested pictures of my yard after I rhapsodized about how well the tulips are doing this year. Here's one of my favorite combinations: pink tulips and burgundy barberry. There are a few pale yellow tulips, too, left over from a "Monet pastels" tulip mix I planted a few years back, but the pinks have mostly taken over.

Should be dancin'--yeah.

Susannah (with a friend) ready for her very first dance recital. She was beautiful.

Here's the women's class stayin' alive with some Saturday night fever. Don't look for me in the photo--my only role was to sew the costumes. Moral of the story: never let it be known that you know your way around a pattern and sewing machine. :-)

Confirmation

Today, Aaron was confirmed in the faith. May God grant him grace to hold fast to the promises he made. One of Steve's and my greatest joys is to watch our children plant their feet in the firm foundation of Christ. And can you believe the kid is almost as tall as Steve?