Graduation 2008

Here we are, another year, another graduation. Amazing to me how fast the time goes. Can he possibly be that old? Has he finished college already? Didn't we just do this for high school? We had a great time celebrating Will's achievement. Friday evening was a banquet for the seniors. We had assigned seats. The family we sat with was one Will had spent spring break with in St. Augustine a few years back. It was interesting to learn a little about them and hear some of what went on that spring break! Some of Will's friends were at the table, too. A faculty member gave a charge to the seniors at the end. Two things he reminded them of that I thought were great: God is sovereign and His love is steadfast. Great things to remember when faced with uncertainty after college graduation.

Graduation at Covenant has a Scottish flavor. They don't march in to "Pomp and Circumstance", they march in to bagpipes and drums. (Sorry I know those aren't parallel ideas, but you understand.) I don't know what the slow piece was that they marched in to, but they practically RUN out to "Scotland the Brave" after it's all over! I think it was cool that he could celebrate his Scottish "heritage" at his college graduation. (Notice Justin Richards in the background.)

After graduation we met up with our extended family and went to a Mexican Restaurant for lunch. We were going to go to Olive Garden, but everyone at Covenant must've decided the same thing. The wait for lunch was an hour and a half! We had to scout out several other restaurants in the area before finding a non-chain restaurant that had NO WAIT!

Den was getting a cold by the time the trip was ending so he decided to drive all the way back to Omaha on Sunday. We left Chattanooga at 7am and arrived home by 9:15pm. That includes time change and going via Iowa City instead of Kansas City. We figured it added about 70 miles.
Back to work tomorrow...only Will's going to do the teaching this time. :)

Home at last

I'm just writing a quick note to say we arrived home on Sunday evening. We drove straight through from Chattanooga via Iowa City to drop off a former Cono student who also goes to Covenant. It only added about an hour to the trip. What a gorgeous day to drive, too! Fantastic scenery, lovely mountains, fields, sky. Nice to get home to Andrew again. I'll write more later; I'm off to get groceries!

Got Georgia on my mind

Here we are enjoying lots of warm sunshine and extended family time. After days in the car, we finally arrived here on Tuesday about 4:30. Den and I got to visit with his mom for awhile before driving a few miles into the country to his sister's. We're staying out here in the middle of the southern forest. Pine trees all around. Stars are bright, birds are loud and things other than that are quiet. It's great. Very relaxing and peaceful.

We had a lovely Sunday at Sycamore with Mom and our friends there. The pastor was beginning a series on the history of reformation at Sycamore. Max Belz and Bill Calhoun figured significantly in this week's lesson. I was even mentioned as one of their first teachers. Nice Sunday to be there. It's always nice to catch up with friends there. Several of their church young people are at Covenant, too. Too bad Harvest doesn't push that school like it should!

Monday we drove to Liberty, Kentucky to Celeste's. We had several showers, but overall a lovely drive. Arrived there about 5 ready for a good dinner! We don't feel too hungry while we drive so Rachael's blood sugar gets a little low by the end of the trip.....need I say more. However, after a most wonderful lasagna dinner and lots of laughter, thanks to Denny, I was feeling lots better. We had a super evening talking and laughing. Mom can't handle Denny after awhile, so she went to bed. Well, she was probably exhausted after our nine hour drive, too! The Peterson family appreciates Den's humor, though. Tuesday morning I practically had to drag him out of there. As long as people laugh, he keeps the stories coming!!!

What a beautiful drive on Tuesday through the Smoky Mountains! Through Kentucky, Tennessee and down into central Georgia. We're just outside Vidalia.

Pictures coming once I get home and can upload them! We go up to Covenant tomorrow for the big celebration. Will just called to say he got an "A" on his SIP! Yippeee!

Graduation is coming!

Next Saturday, May 3rd, is Covenant College graduation. My second and last (for college) is graduating. It is amazing to think that graduation has already arrived. He phoned yesterday afternoon to tell me that his final SIP (Senior Integrated Project) was turned in. Ah! He says he has a take home test to do and then he's finished. Yeah, Will! Congratulations! I can hardly wait to hear, "William Ian Spurgeon Minich, cum laude" as he takes his diploma! Thirty years ago, I graduated from college. And that time has flown. Now Will needs to find a job for the summer, and the year before he goes on to more school.
I'm really looking forward to seeing old friends again at graduation. Two of my highschool classmates, or maybe three, have children in Will's class. One is Will's roommate. I think that's cool, too. Then my cousin's daughter graduates, so I get to catch up with two cousins and my aunt and uncle then, too. Yeah! I love a party! I'm SO looking forward to it. And of course we get to see Linnea who is driving up from Columbia. The only bad part is that is gets over all too soon! Pictures will be posted when we get back.

Spring!

(I'm at school today, that's why I have so much time to write! :))
I finally got out in my yard on Tuesday. It was one of the perfect Midwest spring days. (Is there such a thing?) It was 70+ and NO WIND. So I trimmed all the dead old growth off the plants, got the backyard gardens cleaned up and part of the front yard. I think I lost another chysanthemum to the cold winter, but two of them survived. Do I cut the butterfly bush all the way down, anyone know? I don't know if I'm terribly out of shape or if it is something else, but everytime I rake, by evening my left arm aches like crazy. I could hardly sleep it hurt so bad. Makes me not want to rake! I still have leaves to get out of the tree gardens in both the back yard and the front.
We're getting our willow tree cut down, too. It is old and has lots of dead branches. The power company trimmed it back this winter and it looks absolutely terrible. It has been a good shade tree, but Den is afraid a big branch will blow out in some storm this summer. And also with the tree going down now, we'll be able to do some landscaping back there this summer. We'll see how it goes. Will would like a hot tub.....
Tuesday I also went to the school track meet at Ft. Calhoun. I love going up there because it is one of those country towns and it has my name! The throwing fields are right next to a farm with a big white farmhouse and a big red barn. So picturesque! Andrew came up, too, and cheered on his "students" that he coaches. It is also fun to catch up with other moms that I don't see very much anymore.

Faith, mighty faith

I've had several ideas cooking in my head for the last few days. I know I haven't written much, and not much is going on. But yesterday our school had a "Walk-a-thon" to raise money. I heard that it wasn't so well supported as it was last year. Sometimes we focus so much on the fundraiser and not enough on God, who is the God of the impossible. Our school has bought property, gutted a building and plans to remodel the building and build another building next to it. All before next fall. How can that be done? We believe that God can do it. Sometimes we focus on the obvious-the economy, the time, the distance, and we think that this can not be done. We need to focus on our God who wants to get glory for Himself. These students need to see what God can do. Their young faith needs to be strengthened. They need to set up "stones" in order to teach God's faithfulness to their children. This morning I read that after the death of Joshua there grew up a generation who did not know the Lord. Why didn't they? Why didn't their parents teach them? Where were those stones that were supposed to stimulate questions on their behalf to teach them God's steadfast love? Our school needs those stones, and we need to keep God in front of them all the time.
I'm hearing about parents who are not going to send their kids to our school next year. It is moving to a corner of Omaha that is farther away. Is Christian education only important to our family when it is "affordable" or "convenient"? Is that what we want to teach our children about following Christ? Are we not being like those represented by the seed that fell among stones that when things got tough, we give up?
I am reminded of the verse of a hymn that we sang in college:

Faith, mighty faith the promise sees and looks to God alone,
Laughs at impossibilities and cries, "It shall be done!"

To let you know I'm still alive

I'm subbing in third grade today, so while they are out at PE, I'll write a quick two sentences to let you know I'm still here. Last week I started with a cough about Tuesday or Wednesday. It quickly went into something worse like a low grade fever and bad cold, stuffed up head, achey chest and a rash on my right arm. Who knows what THAT is. Anyway, after lying about for three days, missing a graduation concert and party and dragging myself off to church yesterday, I decided that was all I was going to take and I'm at school today. I do feel better than I did last week, but not totally my energetic self yet. My brain is in low, really low, gear. Good thing it's only third grade! And there are only 14 and they are lovely! :)

Big trip starting this weekend. Andrew will have a week to see what it's like to live on his own. He'll be fine except that he'll have to find his own food! I'm glad he always has some place to go on Sundays. That's the worse day to be alone.

See I didn't have much to say. If I didn't talk to you much at church yesterday don't be offended. I couldn't think very well and even conversations that I did have I felt like I had to think of every word. Now, maybe that wasn't such a bad idea....