Lessons from France

I just had the wonderful opportunity to spend 9 days with my cousin and 19 complete strangers in France.  I was nervous and knew I would have a chance to grow and get out of my shell a little bit so I took some notes of Lessons is learned while in France.

1-It is difficult for girls to get along but they CAN do it.  Tolerence
2-Making new friends is hard, but everyone has a story and we can find things in common.
3-Kings and Queens weren't all its cracked up to be.  Dream of finding a man who can be your best friend and your lover.
4-If we are to find peace on earth we must start from within ourselves
5-Moms have a big impact on daughters view of the world (danger/safety), be kind to your mom.
6-Dont wear shorty shorts--its a bad idea.
7-The way they portray Christ is so different, with much sadness and despair, I love how our church shows the resurrection, and the hope that Christ brings to all mankind.
8-Hard things happen but the most important thing is our attitude.
9-Complaining gets us nowhere but on the misery train.
10-Comfort zones are hard to get out of but there is a world of possibilities when we do.
11-Wine/Coffee does not make you happier.  God gives us boundaries to make us happy.
12-Cell phones are OK to live without, we connected and enjoyed each others company.  It was marvelous.
13-Meditation and relaxation are good for the soul--no interruptions.
14-Be careful with your words, you never know how much they hurt.

France Part 2

This is a buckwheat crepe.  It was my favorite meal we had in France.  It was so authentic and also delicious.

My favorite day of the trip was the day we went to Normandy and to a very informational WWII museum.  I walked through the museum by myself and read alomst every plaque.  I was so into the information and it was a very spiritual experience for me reading all the sad things that went on and about how the Americans came to help get the Germans out of France, and what was expected to last two weeks took 100 days.  It cost thousands of lives and I was especially taken back by the amount of children that died.  One poster said that in one city there was NOT ONE child left after the war.  I could not believe it, it was heartbreaking.

This is Wendy Bennett.  Her and I became fast friends on the vacation.  This trip was so good for me to step out of the box a little and get to know new people and take time and effort to put myself out there.  She was so fun and down to earth and I feel really blessed to have had time to get to know her and feel her spirit.  She is a truly remarkable woman.

One of the girls was very talented in braids and this is how she fixed my hair one of the days.

This was the day we were back in Paris and were going to Versailles, a beautiful castle with amazing architecture.  Before we went in we had an hour to eat and I was able to try escargot.  It tasted like butter and really weird texture, slimy.  I am glad I tried it but it was a once in a lifetime thing for me.

This is my clan that I hung with the entire time we were in France.  I would have never thought until I was called into the young women that I could enjoy the company of teenagers quite so much.  They are insightful and kind and very intelligent.  What a wonderful trip I had and such and amazing opportunity.  I feel so blessed to have been offered this opportunity and for the things I saw and the people I met, it was truly amazing.

Where I am from

Where I am from
By Cameron Weston 3rd Grade
Dedicated to My loving mom 5/12/17

I am from quiet roads
and pumpkin patches
from 3 of Grandma's Tramps
and lacrosse sticks

I am from a fruit salad tree
whose fruit is so delicious
I am from goat toe shoes
and little cesears pizza
from Shane and Geana
and from swimming
and jumping on the tramp

I am from watching a movie and eating pizza on Tuesday
from chicken pillows
and crepes
from playing lacrosse
and from Tuesday scouts
I am from these moments
a family of 5 whose wild, crazy, and amazing


Cameron gave me this poem that made me cry for mothers dad 2017.  He is such a sweet little boy and it really made me realize what is important in the life of a child.  All of these things he mentioned are what makes us a family and I love my family and the memories we create together and the love we share everyday.

Boston Zoo

Shane had the opportunity to go to Boston to the Southwick Zoo to help Jake build a maze.  It was a great experience that he learned a lot and literally worked himself to the bone.  They worked 14 hour days non-stop for 17 days.  It was a short time to build it in,  but they did it and opened it on time.  It was like a side job/business opportunity for Jake and he took Dallas, Shane, Gus, and Randy along to help build it.  I was happy that Jake gave Shane such an opportunity to meet some great people and earn some extra money.