Midget Tournament

Our big three covered all three baseball teams again this summer--the Jr. Pee Wees, Pee Wees and Midgets. Landen had his end of season tournament this past weekend.  It was the 2nd year in a row that a thunderstorm arrived on tournament day.  Since several games were left to be played, the rest of the games were moved to Sunday.  Northwestern won both of their games Saturday, so all we had left was the big Championship game on Sunday!

Our Wildcats got all ready for the occasion.

Landen usually plays left field. 

In the end, Northwestern took 2nd place for the tournament. They are a great group of boys and were fun to watch this summer.

As with every summer, I'm a little bummed that baseball is over.

But, now there is a new project to occupy our days for awhile . . . .

A Heavy Heart

Please pray for my dear friends as their mom, Marilyn Neuharth, passed away this morning as a result of injuries sustained in last September's car accident. She showed us all to never give up hope and that miracles really do happen.
She will be missed by all who were blessed to have known her.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord will award to me on that day.

2 Timothy 4: 7-8

Black Hills Adventure

It's been a week since the Joachim Family took a trip to the Black Hills to celebrate my parents' 40th Anniversary. 

We started our first day of touring with a stop at the SD Railroad Museum. This was especially of interest to Landen, who has come a long way since his first Thomas trains!

After that, we braved the 90+ degree day and visited Mount Rushmore.

It's always great to see these guys, no matter how many times I've been there!

After lunch, we drove long Iron Mountain Road and Needles Highway. The clouds covered the sun at just the right time to cool the day and allow for some climbing on the rocks.

The next day, we tackled the Harney Peak hike, which only my sister Amanda had done before. (Rachel stayed back at the cabin with Grandma Shirley.) We kept a pretty good pace and took a few stops to rest along the way. We saw people of all ages going up and down the trail. It is a hiker-friendly trail, even for newbies like us!

For a long time near the top, it feels like you are almost there, but you really aren't. Then you turn a corner and see that you are finally almost there! I took this photo as a "never give up" photo as the next turn beyond this corner was the top!

The view at the top was truly worth the climb!

We spent Saturday night with my uncle, aunt and cousin who live in the Hills. 

After mass on Sunday (where we saw some friends from home!), we headed back east!

June

I've been terrible at posting this month, if you haven't already noticed! We've been busy, and I haven't been the best at taking photos of our adventures.

First off, we have the bunny family waiting for homes! We have a home for the white one, but still have four available. They really are sweet and make excellent, low-maintenance pets. They've been a great fit for our kids. I even like to go out and visit them with a special treat from the kitchen. ;)

Two nights of each week are baseball practice or games. Landen's team is 3-2 in regular season and I'm not sure on the other two. Nathan tried pitching last week, but found he will need a bit more practice. I admire pitchers, as I've found it to be more difficult than I thought it was, too! 

Coming back from baseball games allows us to see some beautiful sunsets!

Last weekend was the annual Eureka Girls weekend. It feels as though we haven't missed a beat whenever we get together. I love these forever friends so much!

That's all for now, until next time, have a truly WONDERFUL summer!!

15 years

Taking a quick moment this morning to wish my husband a Happy 15th Anniversary! We dress up sometimes . . .

but, this is what we look like most of the time! 

15 years and I still feel like we're just getting started!