Jerry Story Weekend '09

It was SO. MUCH. FUN! This past Memorial Day weekend, Dad, Chris, Valerie, and I went to the Jerry Story weekend in Dubuque, Iowa. Jerry Story is a phenomenal caller (many say the best, and I won't argue) and the dancing was incredible.
Here are some of my highlights:

• Dancing with our "Wisconsin friends". That's fun no matter whose calling, and this time was no exception. At times, we had 2 whole squares of just kids (OK, my dad was in there too, and even in the square dancing world he's not a kid. But he keeps up.)


• The tip where we did 2 all-girls squares and 1 all-boys square. It was a fast song, too!


• The tip where we were trading like crazy between the two kids' squares!


• The tip when my dad and I was in a square with Bob Asp. We kept the same square for the "Killer Plus", and that was the most successful one I was in all weekend.


• Speaking of which: the Killer Plus dancing. That was my first time doing DBD, so I didn't know what to expect. It was fun!


• The afternoon workshops; learning new stuff. It's not every day that you get to do point-to-point diamonds, Left Coordinate's, and Stretch the Recycle.


• Staying in the same hotel as the WI kids and many other dancers (including Jerry Story!). It's neat seeing familiar people at breakfast.


• Seeing the couple of which the lady is in a wheelchair. We danced with her at the WI convention, and my grandma danced in her square at the Senior Olympics! So it was neat to talk to them some more this time and get to know them better.


• Going to Goodwill and Perkins on Sunday with the WI group.


• Ultimate Frisbee on Saturday night with the light-up Frisbee. Chris was doing great catches and impressing everyone. Ask him about the catch involving the invisible chain-link fence. ;-)


• Alex doing the Chicken Dance. :-P


• The good, good dancing, of course!

So. Much. Fun. Anyone who is reading this and does not square dance needs to learn how to immediately (over the next year, at least), so that you can come next year. :-)

Ups and downs

Up: Play ball! Chris is playing on the church softball team, and David and Brian are playing T-Ball. We have been having lots of fun doing batting practice and 5-person games at home.

Up: School! I really like Sonlight curriculum... we get to read some really great books! Right now it's The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis.

Down: School. It never ends.

Up: The weather! Admittedly, I like most types of weather, but it's hard to stay inside on these warm sunshiny days.

Up: Square dancing! (Always an up!) This weekend Chris, Valerie, my Dad, and I are going three hours away for three days of dancing that are going to be so much fun!!! Also, Laura just graduated from lessons, becoming the 6th kid of the family to dance (of this generation, anyway.)

Up: Sewing. Valerie and I have been enjoying our "sewing Mondays with Grandma" immensely. We finished several skirts (improving each time). Valerie also made a shirt, and we are working on another. I am also currently making a skirt for my friend Hannah - our first project without Grandma's help at all.

Down: Friends that are hurting. There is a dear older couple from church who recently lost their only son (I think they have a daughter) to a car accident. Another family, who we know from our other church, is also grieving. The wife was pregnant with their fourth baby, who was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a serious genetic disorder. A week or two ago, the baby died in utero.

UP! God is so good, all the time. He is my joy, comfort, strength, and best friend. .:Philippians 4:4:.