Jacob's Grad Party!!

Well, we finally made it to Jacob's grad party this weekend. I had some awesome helpers with this and could not have pulled it off without them. The day went well with no glitches...yeah! I told Ken that I love going to parties, but not necessarily hosting them:) It's our last little gesture of congratulating Jacob on all his accomplishments thus far. Now, it's time to register...yikes! Yes, Jacob officially got his mandated forms to become an official registered voter, etc. Time to get adult minded about life:) That's such a hard transition, but I know God will guide Jacob 100% of the way. And, of course Ken and I will be right there until he's ready to fly to coop:) This summer he's working full-time at his job and will have to put in a mandatory 50 hours of shadowing physical therapists for his upcoming classes this fall. He'll be a busy guy, but it will be good for him. Ken and I couldn't be more proud!
 
 
 

Akron Aeros Game!

Every year the baseball association in our area provides an opportunity for our baseball leagues to walk around the Akron Aeros field before game time. This year our team in particular raised the most money by selling the most tickets, so Seth's Red Sox team was privileged to warm-up on the field with the minor league team and stand on the field during the National Anthem. It's amazing observing these little guys watching in awe at these minor leagers. They had a blast and I'm sure it was a night they'll never forget!
 
 
 
 

~Beautiful Weekend

Ken had the privilege of marrying one of my very dear friend's daughter and fiance this weekend. They decided to do it outdoors and believe it or not the weather turned out super! It was actually quite hot, but we were thankful it didn't rain. We have known Athena since she was a teenager, so this was a very special day. Ken did a great job and the ceremony was so nice. Ken and I couldn't help but reflect on our "close to 20 years" of marriage. Wow! That doesn't even seem possible. Really...am I that old? Well, it is what it is, but I am thankful to be with my one and only and am thankful for our many years together and look forward to many more.


Athena & Bob Brown
 
 
 

~Good Times with Family

My brother, Bobby and his wife, Jennifer, and kids, Matthew and Makensie finally got the chance to see our part of the country this week. We were so happy they got to visit and spend some time with us. This week was perfect for hiking so we took them to a couple trails we love. Our first trail had amazing landscaping! There was an animal and nature center at this particular Metro Park and one of the workers took a snake out to show the kids and she taught us all how to identify poisonous versus non-poisonous snakes. I hate snakes, but this one wasn't too bad. Makensie was a little apprehensive but came around and decided to pet the snake. They also got to see the bee exhibit and were able to bird watch and see all the different birds in our area. After walking through the nature center, we hiked on one of the trails and just as I was telling them we probably wouldn't see a deer, low and behold we got to see one! That is always a treat. I have to say that I'm not a fan of this area in the winter, but this time of year is so nice and I love the hiking trails! It's such a peaceful retreat from the day-to-day busyness of life. Jacob, Caleb, and Seth enjoyed getting to visit with their cousins as we don't get to see them often. I just wish we lived closer sometimes, because it's always so hard to watch family drive away knowing it will be awhile before we see them again. We had a great time nonetheless and are grateful for the memories made this week.

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

I decided to take Bobby, Jennifer, Matthew and Makensie for a stroll down to our quaint downtown area. It was a beautiful day to enjoy the outdoors. After, we all went hiking again to a very popular hiking trail that had carvings of some history when the indians settled in this area along with some amazing rock formations. At the end of this trail they all got to see an awesome overlook view that was quite breathtaking. We ended our day watching Seth at his baseball game and a trip to Handels icecream shop. Fun times!!
 
 
 
 

Our Graduate:)

What a great week this has been...Bittersweet to say the least. The graduation ceremony was interesting to put it nicely. It was at an outdoor music center and all day it looked like it could rain and it wasn't until we got there that the heavens came down, and hard at that! Those poor graduates and visitors had to walk a ways to get to the pavilion and got soaked...ugh! The music center was beautiful though and by the time we walked under the pavilion the rain stopped..go figure! It was an emotional sight seeing Jacob walk up and receive his Honors Diploma. I know God has many great things in store for him and we look forward to seeing him grow and mature into adulthood. We love you and have never been more proud of you, Jacob!
 
Receiving his diploma!



 
Waiting in the processional line:) Anxious, Anxious!



 
Before ceremony jitters:)



 
Hats off!!!

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 

Congrats, Caleb!!

We had the opportunity to see Caleb receive several awards at his school's awards ceremony such as high honor roll, school spelling bee 1st place winner, district spelling bee finalist, regional spelling bee finalist and "Outstanding Male of 2010." The Outstanding Male award required him to be not only nominated, but write an essay and conduct an interview with the principal as well as other staff who were to judge on a variety of qualities, such as academic achievement, character, community service, and so on. We are so proud of him!! What a great week of celebrations!!