Concerts in Rachel's "studio."

What would the summer have been without Rachel's awesome songwriting, beautiful voice, and cool new Martin... We are still singing along to RR-Double R on our ipods. :-)

Summer visits - the BEST EVER!

Of course the best part about this summer were the visits from Tommy and Caroline (we missed having Seth...) and Matty and Lindsay. The walks, the zoo, croquet, Ashley's awesome firepit where we cooked s'mores, and the impromptu jam session. I think I could sit for hours watching Tommy play and discover everything - and - listening to Matty and Rachel play the guitars and mandolin.

Summer Highlights: National Camp in Your Backyard Night

So, we thought we'd give you the highlights of our summer. We started out with the best night sleep ever. NCYBN was in June and proved to be way too much for Rachel, Katie and Ashley! Ashley could not stop yelling out to Katie about the bugs crawling on her blanket. Katie could not stop screaming each time. It took Rachel forever to stop climbing over everyone and finally settle down (as usual) but for me - it was the one night I slept totally alone - courtesy of a mummy bag. By 5am both Katie and Rachel had disappeared into the house and Ashley had slid off the tarp, and me? Well, I woke up to a beautiful sunrise.

Came across this today and felt compelled to share it.

"The forbearing use of power does not only form a touchstone; but the manner in which an individual injoys certain advantages over others is a test of a true gentleman (man, woman or child). The power which the strong have over the weak, the magistrate over the employed, the educated over the unlettered, the experienced over the confiding, even the clever over the silly; the forbearing and inoffensive use of all this power or authority, or a total abstinence from it, when the case admits it, will show the gentleman in a plain light. The gentleman does not needlessly and unnecessarily remind an offender of a wrong he may have committed against him. He can only forgive; he can forget; and he strives for that nobleness of self and mildness of character which imparts sufficient strength to let the past be but the past. - General Robert E Lee

Rachel's tattoos

So.... Rachel has decided that she has never done anything edgy.  She's been talking about several options so she can experience "the wild side."  One choice was a tattoo.  This conversation was taking place in the car while we were filling up at the gas station.  Needless to say, Mom was pretty frustrated with how the whole conversation was going. So while paying at the register, mom found some very large, colorful, and not so conservative tattoos.  She bought them and brought them out for Rachel to "feel" what it would be like to have a tattoo.  It was funny when Rachel came out of her room with these huge tattoos wrapped around her bicep.  But it was even funnier when she couldn't get them off in time for church and had to wear a sweater the entire time!  Rachel still has it stuck on her arm - well at least large, unsightly remnants.   

Rosarito, Mexico

Rachel's Birthday

Happy Birthday Rachel: