Nick graduates....Again!

Can you guess where we are in this picture?  Good old Clemson orange!  Nick is now a graduate of the USNA, USC and Clemson!  He received his Leadership South Carolina degree Wednesday night and I was there to record and observe and be very proud (in a Christian way of course ;) ).


Nick and I drove to Clemson on Tuesday leaving our "little one" in the capable hands of her brother and sister in law (sil).  She had a wonderful time and we did too.  We got to see Chad several times and Donna was a delightful bonus both evenings.  Nick had class obligations Tuesday evening and most of the morning and afternoon on Wednesday.  

That left me free to have a fun dinner in humming, downtown Clemson with Chad and Donna Tuesday night.  Nick then joined us for several rousing games of pool at Peppino's!  I landed some balls in the pockets and a few were the right ones!  Hahaha!  I was hilarious but thankfully it was not recorded for posterity.  Nick showed us all how it is done by handily winning the majority of the games even though his (unnamed) partner put a few balls in for the other team!  Donna knows her way around a pool table and had some very impressive shots.  Chad was a quick study and also had some 'goot' ones.  We had so much fun with them!  

Chad has been bonding with his new, classy car by taking it apart to fix various anomalies.  He and Nick worked together on it and they had good son/car bonding time as well!  They enjoyed the trouble shooting and came up with some good solutions.  The car is soooooo cool--just like Chad! Note the sunroof Ryan! You found a terrific bargain.  I'd say that's a pretty wonderful first car Chad!  You and Donna are planning on a visit to Aiken soon, right?

We're back home and continue to work on house plans.  We've turned them in for hopefully the final revisions.  We are so eager to break ground but will first have to submit them for bids with various builders.  We'll keep you posted on the progress.


God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline 2 Timothy 1:7  I hope this encourages each of you where God has placed you.


Love you all so, so much! 

Claire!

A tale to tell.  By Claire.

Your whispering is tickling my ear!

SAY WHAT?

REALLY?!  My uncles love me?

I feel like singing I'm so happy!

I can't wait to see Uncles Ryan and Chad home again ....just a happy thought.  Is it time yet?

Working Out!

This is the PERFECT weather.  Yes, even better than Coronado, Ryan!  It's cool in the AM and warms up nicely during the day...not to the stifling point we will see later in the summer.  I can sit on my deck and listen to the birds sing and some distant children scream.  Ahhh...the beautiful sounds of spring!  Truly, it is delightful to do any work I can outside.

Of course, need I add that this is perfect crossfit weather?  You say what, Ryan?  Any weather is perfect crossfit weather?  Why, may I ask, are fans stationed in the garage ready to use later in the season?  I beg to differ.  Crossfit is more fun in beautiful weather.  I love to workout in the cool AM.

I had an extra special day Thursday because Julia, with adorable Claire in tow, and Sarah came over in the morning and joined Julia and me for an early workout.  It was so much fun to have such great company to join me in torture!   We did deadlifts, sit ups and box jumps and it felt so much easier than that filthy 50 workout we did the day before in varying degrees of success!

Here are the workout girls.  We have been faithful and we're all hooked on Crossfit.  Thanks Ryan for introducing us to it and providing great equipment and excellent instruction.

See how happy we are....we finished well!

               Gotta love my early morning quirky hair!

Promises of God in Philippians

• He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (1:6).
• For those who know him, to live is Christ and to die is gain (1:21).
• God works in us to will and to act according to his good purpose (2:13).

Let God's work in you shine for others to see.  Live wholeheartedly and glorify Him in all you do!

Love you all so much!

Breaking News....Ryan goes professional!

In his own words folks....

"Just wanted to give you some good news here at the top of the hour.  Nickell has been powering through the quals and has some important flights coming up soon to test his thorough knowledge of the plane and the emergency procedures.  There are 2 tests then you actually go through the motions on the plane on a 'check-ride' its called where an instructor evaluates you on what to do in every situation (with no white T shirt to shield you from your peers' ridicule nontheless) like regular and three main types of emergencies (Ditch/Bailout/Fire of Unknown Origin).

In other breaking headline news... Nickell is now a semi-pro swimmer, no longer competing just for the thrill of competition but also for the dough factor.  The 100m breastroker extrordinaire won the event handily after beating out 6 other base-wide swimmers by a long shot.  The Navy Diver thought the race was close at the half way mark but Nickell lit up his crossfit-ness and powered through to take the gold and $50.  The poolside crowd cheered for their favorite and Nickell said he attributed his big win to his 'crossfit regimen.'  More on that Dave after we take a break.  But first, he plans on 'investing' it into the air crew guys - good times!

Final comments from the news team channel SIXPACK: "Love my fam!  Y'all know you're all amazing!"

How good to get your update Ryan!  You sound wonderful.  Thanks so much for adding to the blog!

Functional Fitness?

Hello All!

Spring break is over and I am cracking the whip once again.  We don't have too many weeks of school left and that is rather EXCITING!!!!  Summer break is always much anticipated.

But, let me back up just a little.  Near the end of the break, before some of my people returned, Nick and I were involved in some functional fitness.

Dad was working hard on leverage for his building project!

Lots of reps in his functional workout!

Box cuts (with protection for the box)

Even the whiteboard was used in his workout.

Giving Zack a bath was my 2nd workout of the day!

I bet it just wears you out seeing ALL we're involved in!  Whew.

Love you all so much.

Spring Break

How can I post with no new pictures?  Here are a "few" words instead.  Nick and I have been abandoned by those dwelling with us and near us...and I can't wait to hear all about their travels and adventures.  Cole and Julia are down in sunny (we hope the rainy forecast is wrong) Orlando.  The first half of the week was filled with primitive camping meaning no hot water and...gasp...no cell phone charging for the majority!  Today they are invading Disney World en masse.   We hope to see their suntanned happy faces on Sunday night.  Julia and Claire made the trek to Charlottesville, VA to hang out with bro and sil and Claire's cousins!  Photo ops galore I hope.  

Here on the home front I have had delightful time with friends and working on house plans.  I am seeing rooms and stairways and windows and ceilings and exteriors, ad infinitum, in my sleep.

We had Kayla over for dinner last night since she was in town for a cleaning job and it was so much fun.   She walked in the house and I immediately put her to work cutting and chopping.  Nick worked his magic on the grill and we added veggies and fruit to the menu.  Yummm.  Nick went to his South Boundary rehearsal and Kayla and I visited for a while.  We had such fun talking and I shared the Minnie Mouse Video with her.  She got a big kick out of it.

Today was gorgeous; sunny and in the 70's.  I opened windows, since rain had settled the pollen a good bit,  and enjoyed my devotions in the sunroom.  Later in the morning, after a good hard workout and shower, I finished Mountains Beyond Mountains out in the glorious sun.  Now that's what I call a spring break!  (By the way, it was an incredible true story of a brilliant physician who is changing the world one life at a time.)

Be encouraged.

John 10: 9-10  Jesus came as the good shepherd to offer his sheep rich pasture and fullness of life. 



May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip us in every good thing to do His will, working in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.  (Hebrews 13:20-21) 

May God's word be imbedded in our lives that we would know truth and express it in the way we live!  Love you all so very much.  See....just a few words. ; )

Easter!

Hello Family!  What a great Easter weekend we have had.  We have had the privilege and blessing of having Cole's friends from Covenant join us for the last 4 Easters!  Though they graduate this year we are hopeful that the tradition will carry on!  Chad and Ryan were so missed in all the fun.  Make plans for next year.....

Just to get warmed up for the weekend, on Thursday we had some Crossfit action including our two youngest members.

 

Reese was making sure she had proper technique by using the mirror!  Nice form for the ponytail exercise!

                                              

Friday brought extended play in the clouds of pollen out on our land.  Frisbee, kickball, and shooting as well as exploring the vast acreage were the highlights of our stay in pollen land.  After showering off as much of the gold pixie dust as possible (I mean hey, these guys aren't into fairies!) they descended on our Pine Needle Pollen Haven and had several dusty games of basketball.  Cards, Kool-Aid (or other liquids...wink, wink) and Julia's decadent brownies were the highlight of the evening hours on Southbank.  Good times.

Saturday included a rousing game of Ultimate Frisbee with much of the youth, a huge dinner at the elder Nickell hacienda and NCAA semi finals.

Sunday came with not a drop of rain in sight but billowing clouds of pollen continued to fill the air.  If you hadn't guessed Ryan and Chad, this is the worst year of pollen we can remember!  Church was marvelous with beautiful, worshipful music and an excellent message and general rejoicing that we love a Risen Lord and serve a mighty God!

Before the feast our hot, hot house was filled with hungry critters.

During the feast, the only sounds heard were the party fouls of metal scraping the plate.

Yes Chad, plenty of deviled eggs and ham and steak and rolls with the other unnecessaries (such as cough, cough,... veggies) graced the table.  See what you missed!

I got some excellent time with ADORABLE Claire!

What a beautiful family!

All the kids.

Yet another tradition.

To top off the day (get the pun Ryan?) Cole's Cuttery took customers.  Chris looks very apprehensive.

They may look cheerful as they watch Cole's first victim.  Jonathan braved the ordeal next but somehow James slipped away and hung onto his long locks.

Jonathan put on a very brave face.

I hope you all had a blessed Easter as we did.  God is good and He is risen indeed!  May your week be filled with gratitude for His goodness and grace.  I love you each so very, very much.