Emma at 2 months old

The N.Irish have gone home

Actually they are on the plane as I type. I hate goodbyes, I fall apart every time I have to do this. It was tough knowing that Jordan probably won't be back again. The teens are in the group for 2 years and then they have to be finished to make room for more. Jordan would like to come back during the winter months to see the snow, but money (the lack of) may not allow for that. And I would love to go there in February when the group from Maine goes over. When they 1st get here 5 weeks seems like a long time to bring somebody into your home to live. We are adding another person to the family who we don't know, they don't know us and they are in a foreign country. In our case this year we already knew Jordan from last year. But it had been a year. It didn't take long for him to jump right in where he left off last summer and we were all very glad to have him back. This is an experience that has lots of ups and a few downs. It throws a wrench into the entire household, schedules are off, another mouth to feed and will he like what I am serving? More laundry, not much time for office work and no time for horses. As if life wasn't busy enough! But with all of that said, this experience brings so much more to our lives than I ever expected. After 2 summers with Jordan, he really is a member of our family now. This has made me stop working, make time for fun and laugh at the things that really aren't so important. I hope we have been a positive impact on his life, giving him an experience he will be able to remember for the rest of his life. I've been asked how I can give up 5 weeks of my summer for this. I don't feel like I have given anything up, just the opposite infact. And to give the teens the credit they deserve, it can't be easy to leave home for 5 weeks and to move in with total strangers! They are pretty awesome kids.

New York City

David and I took the family to New York for a 4 day vacation. We were tourists in every way visiting as many sites, monuments and walking as much as we could. I loved visiting New York, although it took us a couple of days before we felt comfortable getting around without feeling lost. I would love to go back for another visit to see more, maybe to peek in some of the shops. There was no time for that on this visit, but we did see a lot of the city, including eating New York style pizza, riding a subway, taking a taxi, and lots of waking. We had a great time but after 4 days of all those exhaust fumes it was time to come home. The 1st thing I did when I was home was to run outside barefoot in the wet grass. You can't do that in New York City!