I'm an Artist!

Okay, well, maybe not so much... I'm a painter, that's true...but, I'm spending my time painting my grandparent's house and garage. I've spent the first week of my stay in Nebraska painting my grandmother's kitchen a new cream color...I've painted the trim on the garage, and the screen house a nice maroon color. Tomorrow I'll paint the door of the screen house and the picnic table. After that I'm not sure what will be keeping me busy. I'm sure something will come along.

I've been trying to keep the flowers alive that Mom, Heidi and Tim H. planted at the beginning of the summer. In this severe heat, it has been a hard task. We've lost only a few plants, surprisingly. I really need to weed, as they have sprung up in places that were clear not too long ago.

The gardens are looking good. We've been eating lots of Grandpa's good sweet corn each day. Grandpa has been picking some of the peaches off of the tree before the birds completely demolish them. Grandma has been preparing my favorite dessert with them: fresh peaches with good cream from the cows. YUM!!!! There might not be many pickles to eat this year though...Tim J.'s have been taken over by the squash, and Grandpa/Grandma's are just now growing little cukes. There aren't many beans either on account of the rabbits...hopefully they've had their fill and we will get some now.

Tim J. just got done with the second round of irrigating this weekend. We are praying for rain for the corn and also the gardens. It is very dusty around here and when you water, the water just dries up in a very short amount of time. Usually it cools off in the evenings (unlike in KS), but the last evenings have been just as warm as during the days. Thankfully the cows haven't been too stressed by it and are still giving a good amount of milk.

I'm a farm girl again

Tomorrow morning I leave bright and early to head up to the family farm in NE again. I'm not sure what all my time there will consist of, but I know I'll be busy helping, and doing at least a little painting here and there.

In other news, I've decided to go after a massage therapy certificate. I've enrolled at Butler County in their program, and start classes on the 21st of Aug. For the next year and a half I'll be found most evenings down at Bown Corby. This next semester I'll have classes Monday through Thursday nights, from 5:30 until 9:30 most evenings. I'll be taking Massage 1 (swedish massage); and an A and P course (anatomy/phys.). I'm excited, since this is something I've always wanted to do. I'm also excited about the possibilities for summer employment now! :) Let me know if anyone is interested in being a possible client!

Heidi and Tim have gone

Cousin Craig before he left for Omaha.

Heidi and Tim left last Wed. morning after a huge going away party on the 4th and very little sleep. Even though we were spending time together the last few weeks, it wasn't truly time spent together. It seemed that H and T were running in every direction, spending time with friends and other family members, and it felt as though we were kind of left out of the final days. This wasn't H and T's fault at all, and I know that they were feeling the rush just as much as I was. Between saying final goodbyes to friends from work and church, not to mention all the family in KS, it was only natural that we wouldn't be able to spend time together. It is just the way things had to be. I'm looking forward to traveling to see them. It will be several months though.

H and T are in PA right now for training before they continue on to Bammental. For some reason this is hard for me to wrap my mind around. I said my final goodbyes, and am fine with them leaving, but for some reason the fact that they are staying in the states for 2 weeks before leaving makes it harder for me. They are "here", but not. For me it would have been easier to say goodbye knowing that they were going directly to Germany, without the 2 week layover. It makes me feel like I've been cheated out of 2 extra weeks of spending time with them.

Here are some more pictures from the 4th of July celebration.

A very pregnant Carmen watches the firework extravaganza while B-rian teases Whitney about her recent injuries.

"Master Gardeners" Tim and Heidi share their potato harvest excitement with the rest of us. We promptly ate the baby spuds, earning Grandpa's saying "they eat the dirt and all in KS".

Buller family adoptee, Whitney L.

Friends of the family Matt and David enjoy the festivities.