Yes, we had a wedding! Jennifer and Danielle celebrated their union at Seascape on September 3rd, 2011. It was a beautiful setting with a beautiful couple filled with loving friends and family. Below are some snapshots of the rehearsal and the afternoon of the wedding - getting ready with hair and make-up and lots of tears of joy. Jennifer's two high school friends, Adrienne and Jill, were her brides maids; and, Amy was her Matron of Honor.

The weekend was complete with two bonfires on the beach, a breakfast with the Sheppard clan Saturday morning, and a farewell brunch on Sunday hosted by Jennifer and Danielle.

Jennifer carried Grandpa's referee timer, a handkerchief from her second grade teacher, Mrs. Olson (to remind her of Gram), and a blue wrist band from her sister. She looked snappy in those hot pink suspenders and glitzy silver tennis shoes!

I think the highlight of the wedding, besides the lovely ceremony complete with the blending of the sand by the mothers, was the flash mob dance. You'll see us practicing it after the rehearsal dinner.

Jennifer's Wedding Shower

On Sunday, July 31st, my friends in Roseburg gave Jennifer a bridal shower. Jennifer got to introduce Danielle to several of her "old" teachers, show her the house she grew up in, the schools she attended, and her old stomping grounds. We also got to visit Mufassa, our cat that we left in Roseburg when we moved to Bend. It was a wonderful day - Grandma, Aunt Janie, and Amy all drove down for the event. My mom was thrilled to finally see Sally's home! I was thrilled to have both daughters, Danielle, my sister, my mother, and my good friends all in one place! There is nothing more valuable than your life long friendships! I hope both Jennifer and Amy will have those relationships throughout their lives. I know they are both well on their way!

Rwanda

On the 4th of July, Amy and I left for Rwanda. Eighteen of us went there to meet some sponsored children and a new choir that was formed in the country of Burundi, just south of Rwanda. Little did I expect that I would find a beautiful country with beautiful people! The people of Rwanda are quiet, gracious, and respectful of others. You will see men talking and walking together on the streets and country roads. You will see women, with their children, at the river washing clothes or getting water for the day. They are all chatting and enjoying each others company. They are a happy people and very welcoming. Whenever we arrived at a home, neighbors would come pouring out of the nearby hillside to come and stand and watch as we visited with the family. Women let us hold their babies (and I even got to sing to them!)

The following pictures and videos, I hope, will enable you to see what I saw - a charming, picturesque country on the verge of becoming more modern. Rwanda has large cities, just like we do. And, just like us, they are working on their infrastructure to meet the demands of their people.

Yes, I was the one in the twin bed (see below!) You will also see me help in building a house for a grandmother and Amy carrying the stones on her head up from the quarry for the foundation. You will see us at Hill Top Academy, one of two schools that the African Mission Alliance has started. The boys first played a football game for us and then we joined in (yes! I did play!)

In the videos below, you will see first graders singing to us, children dancing for us, and people enjoying themselves just because we were there. I tried to choose pictures that would give you a good feel for what this country looks like.

Amy and Leo sponsor two of these children - Charlotte and Stephen. You will see them. We gave Charlotte two of the dresses that friends of mine made. I got to take 96 dresses to Rwanda and they were received with great pleasure. Some of them went to the girls in the newly formed choir in Burundi - they are all orphans. It was an honor to have taken them and I know they will be given out and used with much happiness. When we met Charlotte's family, we also met her grandmother who gave me a huge, long hug. We couldn't speak to each other, but we both knew how much this meant to our daughters.

I won't dwell on our 48 hour flight home (but you can certainly ask me about it sometime!)

And, lastly, I have to write about Amy and how much this trip meant to me to be able to take this trip with her. She is such a wonderful, caring young woman. So many of the group members came up to me during the trip to tell me how impressed they were with her. She truly has a gift to give to others. I am very proud to be her mother. The full circle moment will come when she takes Adi on this trip (and I hope she gives Adi the double bed!!)

America's Birthday Celebration

We had both girls home for the 4th of July! We crammed as much as possible into those four days - Jennifer was in a wedding in Sunriver (old high school friend) and Amy and family were busy horseback riding, hot tubbing with Papa, swimming, and, of course, getting ready for the annual Pet Parade in downtown Bend. We had games (with prizes!), a barbecue, and then a quick trip to the airport (twice!!) in order to get everyone off - Jennifer and Danielle back home, and Amy and me to Rwanda. I'm sure Papa and Leo were happy to see us all leave!