Week 3 – Done

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“Have you gotten into a rhythm yet with the new school year?” a dear friend asked me. “Yes and no,” I replied. Every week, we have had some kind of project or reason to not go full blast every single day. However, I feel like we are definitely into a school rhythm.

F-250 pulls trailer

Leaving our home to go camping; the roof top tent opens atop the trailer

Week 3 – no exception. We had to prepare for a camping trip, so Friday’s lessons got cut short. Also this week, my daughter and I got to spend some time with the middle schoolers from our co-op, in the National Park, while enjoying a back-to-school picnic and multiple games. Continue reading »


My Favorite Week of the Year

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Of all the activities my children undertake, orchestra camp is my favorite. Every summer, we make the trek to Knoxville Monday-Friday so they can play in their respective orchestras and have fun while accelerating their growth.

Wacky Tacky Day

Our daughter dressed for success on Wacky, Tacky Day and she won!

Yes, it gets tiring for all of us, but it remains my favorite week of the year. On Monday, everybody gets together and starts playing their new pieces. On Tuesday, it is pajama or crazy sock day. Fun! Continue reading »


Orchestra Camp

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Since 2016, our children have been attending the Knoxville Youth Symphony Orchestra summer camps. We had to skip in 2021 because of the mask mandate and there was no camp in 2020.

Orchestra Camp

Our daughter on the first day of orchestra camp

This year, our daughter really enjoyed her time at orchestra. Our son, unfortunately, had a conflict. He attended a computing camp at Southern Adventist University and it happened on the same week. However, he was able to attend the concert on the last day of camp, to support his sister from the audience.

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Summer Camps 2022

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Now that summer camps have dropped mask mandates, we have decided to sign up for a few. Our daughter will attend Orchestra Camp, while our son will take an app-building Computer Camp. These two camps happen the same week, and our son chose computers over violin. He is 14 1/2 and we decided to respect his wishes.

Being silly

Silly moods allowed here

Then, they both will attend a summer youth camp in Georgia, through our church conference. It is called Cohutta Springs Summer Camp and it lasts a week. Our children have been there before and loved it. They have a lake and a pool, lots of arts and crafts, horses, paintball, BMX bikes, archery, ziplining, boating, and wilderness survival classes. The food is delicious, the counselors are selected carefully, and the worship services inspire the children to try to get to know God for themselves. Win-win-win. Continue reading »


Lessons from the 26th Week

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Last week felt very stressful. It was crunch time for several things and I felt overwhelmed. My husband helped me through it, so I am feeling better now, but I was pretty stressed out. I know not to make decisions when I am discouraged. I just floated through the stress and tension and made it a point to question our schedule, but that was all. Lesson #1: do not make decisions when you are discouraged.

Alicorn in the snow

Alicorn in the snow

We tested more boomilevers, or booms, as we affectionately call them. This event is hard to watch. So hard, it makes me want to go the opposite direction when our daughter tests her boom. But I have to stand there and film, so we know how it breaks and what its weak points are. Tough. Lesson #2: do not talk while your daughter is testing her boomilever. Continue reading »