Regional Convention 2019

We went to our Regional Convention, and it was the first one we were able to take my step father to in 20 years. Since my mom died last fall, he has been able to get out again. She had been very ill for decades and he would stay home with her.

He was so excited to be at a Regional Convention for the first time in 20 years. He didn't recognize many people at first, because people change a lot in 20 years. But, I would point out to him, many of his old friends. He would ask some of them if they remembered who he was, and they would say, Of course we know you Brother Dunn! A few people I didn't recognize also came up to him and said, Hi Brother Dunn! One brother took me 2 days to remember who he was and place him in my mind.. I personally had not seen that brother in decades either! haha I don't know if it was a fluke he was at our Convention or not, but I hadn't seen him in probably 20 years either! haha Any way, he was just so happy and excited he had a great time, as did we all.

I was 9 months pregnant though so my feet were like sausages! And felt as if they would split open! But, I made it!

If you know me very well you will also know, that I go to many restaurant grand openings to get one free year of food. Well, I had did that about 7 years ago for a restaurant called Freebirds, I did not use all my points from that, and eventually they went out of business in Wichita. But, are still in business where are Regional was held. This year they announced points not used would be cancelled after one year. I had so many points left, I qualified to have a party for 20 people, plus a bunch more food, and STILL have points left over! So I held a party at our hotel for several of our friends too. That was a lot of fun.

Then on the way home, we stopped at Red Lobster, because on Mondays there is a reduced priced all you care to eat shrimp meal, and my step father loves shrimp. And the children had a impromptu education on lobsters, and were able to see one up close and even touch it.

There was substantial flooding though, both in Kansas and Oklahoma during this time.

Gus and Sofia

My nephew Gus, and my little baby Sofia! We went and visited my parents, and had to take a picture of these two cuties playing.

RJ's first drivers licence!

RJ and Belle, made RJ his first drivers licence at the meeting today! lol

Our good friend Shelly holding Simona.

You Get What You Pay For!

RJ: Ow baby! Don't pull my hair.

Belle: *speaking on behalf of Sofia/the baby* I'm your hair doer, I'm doing your hair, hold still!

RJ: But, I didn't even pay you to be my hair doer!

Playing with Sofia

Belle was playing with Sofia, she brought Sofia to me and said Sofia was hungry, because she had been so busy crawling, standing and being a secret spy.

To Russia With Love

We wrote and sent out letters on Friday to Russia. Such a good feeling to be able to help our brothers, even in such a small way. Lela wrote her own letter and did very well. I didn't take photos though, I forgot! So kicking myself about that. But, one line I remember she wrote that I loved, she came up with it all on her own, "We are a humble society.". I thought that was brilliant. So proud of her. We will keep praying that Jehovah will intercede for our brothers, and give them strength to endure what ever comes.

Then we had a wonderful assembly. Learned many good things, was spiritually nourished and was able to visit with many of our friends we don't get to see so often.

All in all had a wonderful week!

10 cent VHS

I have been sick with congestion and sore throat. But, I was able to go to the Fall Festival on Saturday and bought 82 vhs videos for my parents for only 10 cents each! They are in a nursing home, and currently only have a TV and VCR that the nursing home provides them. Til we can afford to them their own TV and DVD player. They have watched the nursing home's videos soooo many times now. lol They are sick of them. I think I will go to the library and see if they have more for 10 cents too! But, this should keep them happy for a little while. haha

Free chicken biscuits!

Chick Fil A had free mini chicken biscuits today at breakfast. So my good friend Angela Jacobs came and picked me and the kids up and took us.

I have known Angela's husband since I was like 7 years old. His mother saved my life quite literally on at least two occasions, once in the hospital when I was not being diagnosed correctly. She came to visit me, and asked me how I was... I could not even speak I was so bad, so I wrote it on a piece of paper, and she said, let me look in your mouth, I opened my mouth and she said, I know what you have! She told the nurses, the nurses wrote it down for the dr, and he said she was right and finally I was able to get treatment. Another time I was in a hotel room that the AC was not working and it was 115 degrees in the shade that day. I got locked in the bathroom and could not get the door open. It was just me and my 2 year old nephew in the room, so I told my nephew to get the keys off the dresser and stand outside the hotel room door til he seen some one he knew. He recognized Genny right away and told her I was stuck in the bathroom. I had began to think I literally may die in the bathroom, there was no ventilation and no AC, and it was getting hotter by the minute. Genny came and busted the door down, it was so hot in the bathroom, when I went outside in the 115 degree heat it felt like I was in air conditioning. And Genny said she was shocked I was still alive, because the heat that rushed out of the bathroom when she knocked the door down, nearly made her passout! Any way... yes so two times she saved my life.

Any way, after breakfast, Angie took us to the Derby Library, we stayed for hours. The kids put a puppet show on for us, and then dressed up as mail men and delivered us mail for a while. And then played restaurant with a few of the other children there. Then we played a few board games, one I really want to get now for home State Scramble was really fun!

Angie ended up getting a library card there, and checked out some books. I ended up checking out two homeschooling books, Homeschooling from Scratch, and Biblical Homeschooling by Ruth Beechick, I will just use what will pertain to me, and skip the parts that won't! I also checked out a Life of Fred book which is a VERY expensive math book, we'll see how the children like it. I also bought some novels including Loius Lamar, and a huge Miss Manners book for only 25 cents each.

Then I treated us all to donuts from Derby Donuts, which has the best donuts around!!!!

After that we went to my local Haysville Library and was able to get Angie signed up there too and she ended up going home with John Holt's book How Children Fail. And also she donated about 6 boxes of books to the library that they were VERY happy to receive!

We came home, ate lunch, and went ahead and did school for the day too.

Overall had a wonderful day.

Summer Party!

It rained like CRAZY down pour! But, we went to the drive in movies any way, because it was the first night of 13 dollar a carload movies. I decided I needed to go to the bathroom and buy a hamburger. I came back to the car completely and utterly soaked to the bone! BUT, literally only minutes after the first feature started the rain cleared and the rest of the night was lovely. On another happy note, because it was raining so crazily there were only a few other cars there, so we had most of the drive in completely to ourselves!

Sweet sister invited us to a childrens party at her daughters home. The kids had a ball, punch prizes, relay races, obstacle courses, bean bag tosses, pin the sunglasses on the flamingo, cupcakes, watermelon! The kids had a blast.

The funniest part was for the pinning the sunglasses game, RJ went first because he was the youngest. The sister put the blindfold on him, and kept asking if he could see. And he kept answering, yes he could still see. We were all baffled, til he started laughing and said, just kidding, I can't see anything at all! haha! We all had to laugh then!

My first cruise

Me and my aunt Gerry on my first cruise. She was my mothers older sister. And her and I had a special relationship. She loved me, and I loved her dearly. We even shared the same birthmark, in the same spot.