Where to begin???

So I'm getting a big fat "F" in blogging this summer, but I've decided not to beat myself up about it because I'm all about NO commitments this summer and I decided to file blogging under that category. Unfortunately several other things have fallen under the "nope, not doing it" category as well, so I'm in for a rocky rehab when our fall routine hits.

Anyway, it's been a MONTH since I updated this, so we'll go waaay back to a couple days after I last posted, when Grandma and Grandpa Roisum came for a visit. They stayed with us at Hart Ranch for a couple of days . . . and then we all headed up to Spearfish for the annual Arts in the Park festival where we shop shop shop and eat eat eat. All the cousins on the Horak side were together, which was one big barrel of laughs (for them, anyway). My mom is a saint for being so patient with 5 boys and 2 dogs tearing around her house for 3 days.

Bye Grandma and Grandpa Roisum!

Two days after they left, the boys and I headed up into the Big Horn Mountains with my mom and dad to some dear friends' cabin. Jack has declared their cabin to be his favorite vacation destination alongside Sanibel Island, FL. That's a big statement. I think it's because he can be ALL BOY there. They shoot guns, dig for worms, go fishing, look for wildlife, play on the homemade teeter-totter and play with one of their best buddies in the world - a dog named Pipa. :)

Here's the backyard:

And the front yard (this place is so incredibly peaceful I just want to pack it in and move here!):

Using the binoculars to scope out some elk . . . .

The boys were shooting guns in the yard, and all of the sudden this moose walks up. Totally not bothered by us - just sauntered up and started licking the salt block. It was AMAZING how close we were to such a majestic creature.

The boys and their buddy. This dog ROCKS. She adores them and they adore her. She stays by their side the entire time we're there. We've concocted a few kidnapping plans but don't have the heart to pull it off. :) Her owners are kind of attached. Hmmph.

Here's our gracious hosts. I've known them all my life - I used to come to this very cabin when I was little (their daughters were friends of mine) . . . so it's awesome that I can now bring MY kids there.

Three days after returning from Wyoming, we were off again . . . . this time to HAWAII. More on THAT trip next - but here's some preview pics.

A Glimpse Into a Roisum Summer

I have no idea where time goes. All I know is that it's going heart-wrenchingly fast. I can't stand the fact that it's already July 12th. I feel like the boys just got out of school two weeks ago when in fact we're already halfway through summer. Uggh. I've already started praying that God would prepare my heart for the start of school and our crazy routine . . . .

Anyway. We've been squeezing the most out of each day - spending a lot of time at Hart Ranch where the boys swim, bike, play mini golf and tennis and just enjoy the freedom of being a kid. Over the weekend of the 4th, we spent a great few days at the city campground in Spearfish with some dear friends. I love a small-town 4th of July. We then headed home for a couple days of house-cleaning and laundry and headed back to Hart Ranch for a few days with my side of the family. Now we're back at home again, preparing for the arrival of Mark's mom and dad later this week.

Some highlights:
Roasting marshmallows has turned into a favorite pasttime of the boys -

And they are now old enough to sit and enjoy a campfire conversation!

4th of July small-town parade - although we got rained out about 40 minutes into it. Great while it lasted!

On our way to the fireworks - Jack and his "new" buddy Lindsey. She's 12 and was SUCH a sweetheart to the kids.

Waiting for the show to begin -

Murphy hanging out on the couch in the camper. This dog is ADDICTED to camping. It's ridiculous. He knows when I start packing things up to head to the camper and he starts bouncing off the walls. He about drives me nuts.

A couple days after the 4th, all the Horaks gathered for a big group photo. My family was assigned navy blue.

All the cousins -

Moving on to Hart Ranch -

A trip to Reptile Gardens with the cousins -

Cooling off -

Jack getting attacked by his aunts. :)

Here's my CUTIE of a nephew, Aaron. In the past, I have not been his favorite person. Now he likes me!! Yeaaaa!

Everybody in!

Oh, to be a kid again . . . . .

LOVE This!

So I had to share it with you . . . .

The Choice
by Max Lucado

IT’S QUIET. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.

In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love . . .
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy . . .
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical . . . the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace . . .
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience . . .
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness . . .
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness . . .
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness . . .
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I choose gentleness . . .
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control . . .
I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.