Still playing catch up

I know that we are well into Fall and almost approaching Winter already, so I better finish posting our summer photos.  Hopefully this will be my last batch of photos, and then I can start blogging "in the present" instead of "in the past" :)

I've already posted all of the summer of 2021 baseball photos, and (to be honest), baseball comprised the majority of our summer, but there still were some other very special highlights....  

Here's the top 10:

1. Maria went to "girl's getaway camp" at Quinn's Hot Springs Resort with a few of her treasured friends
2. Dominic and Nathanael went to Catholic Camp at Legendary Lodge and had a blast growing closer to friends and to Jesus
3. Dominic turned 15!!!
4. Joseph's friend Garshon from Franciscan University came for a visit
5. 4th of July Family Reunion in Aberdeen, SD
6. Camping trip to Bozeman and rock climbing at Spire
7. Camping trip to Missoula and hiking to the big "M"
8. Getting 2 new outdoor kittens---"Oreo and Marshmallow"
9. Dominic running a half marathon
10. Taking Michael to college at NSU in Aberdeen, SD

Maria with a few of her best friends on a "Girls Getaway" weekend to Quinn's Hot Springs.  

It is fittingly located in Paradise, MT.

From left to right:  Melissa, Laura, Maria, and Beth

Soaking in the lovely Quinn's Hot Springs while having great conversation with great friends.

It doesn't get much better than this!

Nathanael ready for his first-time church camp at Legendary Lodge!

He had a LEGENDARY time! :)

Dominic getting dropped off for the High School church camp at Legendary Lodge.

He also had a fantastic time growing closer to Jesus and other great Catholic friends.

Dominic turns 15!!!

May God bless you abundantly this year as you start high school at a totally new school!

May he grant you great, holy friends and a fun Freshman year!

Joseph with his friend Garshon who he met at Franciscan University.

The two of them went backpacking in Glacier for a week and then came back to do some local hikes.

They even went to daily Mass while they were here and took our local priest out for pizza!

These young men are on-fire for their Catholic faith, which is SO inspiring!

 I am so happy that Joseph is at a college that has helped him find holy friends and grow so much in his faith!

It was such a gift to have Garshon at our house for a few days.  

He was a true gentleman and so awesome with our kids!

We hope he comes back every summer!!!

Joseph and Garshon playing spike ball with Michael and Dominic.

Isaiah, Dominic, and Nathanael playing mini golf at Wylie Park in Aberdeen.

Dominic, Nathanael, and Isaiah with their cousins from Oregon (Evan and Gwyneth) at Storybook Land in Aberdeen.  We all came home for a 4th of July family reunion.

Nathanael and Isaiah riding the rollercoaster at Storybook Land.

Starting the 4th of July fireworks at Uncle Mike's house.

Isaiah and Gwyneth still love sparklers!

Isaiah's crazy hair after a ride on the jet ski!

Our youngest three with Grandma Theresa and Grandpa Pat in Aberdeen for the 4th of July.

Nathanael rocking climbing at Spire in Bozeman, MT.

Isaiah getting braver and going higher every time we go rock climbing at Spire!

Camping in Bozeman, MT for a weekend baseball tournament.

So peaceful, so beautiful, and absolutely FREE because we found a spot of forest service land!

Isaiah showing off his muscles after winning a big round of Chuko! :)

Taking a snack break at the top of the big "M" in Missoula, MT.

This always reminds me of hiking to the big "M" with my mom when I was a little girl.

We camped and hiked in Missoula for a weekend baseball tournament.

Dominic with our new kitten named Marshmallow.

We named him that because his ears and his tail are reddish-brown just like a toasted marshmallow :)

Isaiah with our new kitten that we named Oreo (for obvious reasons) :)

The two kittens are brothers even though they don't look alike.

We got them from friends who own a ranch outside of town.

Dominic running in the Governor's Cup Half Marathon.

Dominic did amazing in the half marathon!

His final time was just under 2 hours...

not too shabby for a 13.1 mile run!!!

Taking Michael to NSU for his first year of college!

I am so grateful that he will be in the same town as my parents and my brother Mike's family.

I'm sure Michael will get to do lots of fishing with grandpa in-between his college studies :)

Maria with Nathanael and Isaiah taking a tour of the campus.

Leaving Michael with Grandpa and Grandma for his first year of college...

he will be in good hands :)

May St. Michael, as well as Jesus, Mary and Joseph watch over and protect him always!

Totus Tuus,

~Maria

Michael's Senior Pictures

Of all the changes that happened this year, I think our son Michael probably had the biggest adjustment.  Changing to a new high school his senior year is certainly not for the faint of heart, and he has handled it with grace and confidence.  Paul and I agonized over whether we were making the right decision to switch schools for our kids, but once the school year started and we saw how happy our kids were (especially Michael!), we felt like we made the right decision (at least for now).  

Michael has been more happy and talkative this year than I ever remember him being, which is such a blessing to this momma's heart :)  And this month he has officially made his decision where to go to college....  He picked Northern State University (NSU) in Aberdeen, SD!  Aberdeen is where Paul and I both grew up; it is where my parents and my brother Mike's family still live; in fact, NSU is my alma mater :)  I think it will be the PERFECT fit for Michael.  He will be able to hunt and fish with his grandpa and uncle.  He will be able to play cards with grandma and eat copious amounts of her cookies.  He will be able to play baseball (his #1 passion) while receiving a degree (of some kind) :)  

It's so hard to believe that another son is about to graduate.  I am so proud of him and I will certainly treasure these next 5 months or so while he is still in our home before sending him off on the adventure of college and beyond.  Please say a prayer for God to bless him and guide him on this next exciting chapter in his life---thank you!

Here are his senior pictures, taken by Eric Connolly, a talented photographer at our church.  He did a great job and I will treasure these photos always.

I love you, Michael!

I'm so proud of you and am excited to see what the Lord has planned for you.

Stay close to Jesus and Mary, call your mom and dad often,

and everything will always turn out fine! :)

Totus Tuus,

~Maria

Summer Summary (Part Three: Catfish, College, Countless Blessings!)

Here at last, the final installment of our summer photos!  Despite the Covid 19 pandemic going on during the summer of 2020, our family still managed to have a whole lot of fun.  This group of pictures shows the final month of our summer vacation and our final days with Joseph before he headed off to college in Ohio.  

Literally 2 days after Joseph and Michael ended their baseball season, we packed up the car to head to Aberdeen, South Dakota.  Packing the car was no small feat considering we had to pack everything needed for a 2 week vacation for a family of 7... PLUS everything Joseph needed for college!  

Every summer our kids love going to grandma and grandpa's house in South Dakota.  They love playing cards with grandma, fishing with grandpa, rediscovering Storybook Land, and having fun at the lake where Uncle Mike and Aunt Shawna live...  I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story :)

Michael reeled in a whopper of a catfish at Richmond Lake!

Not sure which is more wild, Michael's hair or this giant catfish :) 

A view from Uncle Mike's deck.

This is actually the house I grew up in and the neighbors are mostly the same,

so it's always neat to catch up with them every summer when we come home.

Joseph reeling in a big one that got eventually got away.

Michael having fun on the jet ski.

Joseph enjoying some peaceful moments fishing before the chaos of college begins.

Uncle Mike taking Nathanael for a ride.

Nathanael loves the water!

I love that sweet smile! :)

Grandma and Grandpa love watching all the action!

Isaiah so happy and proud to get a ride from his big brother "Joe-Joe" :)

Joseph is such a great big brother, and I bet he's going to miss these little guys while he's away at college.

Joseph and Michael enjoyed playing some indoor and outdoor games at Uncle Mike's 

(that is, in the rare moments when they weren't fishing).

The two of them have been practically inseparable for the past 17 years,

so it will be strange for them to be apart this year.

Many, many hours were spent fishing together...

Even Grandpa and Paul enjoyed some leisure time fishing on the dock 

(although I think Paul is actually texting instead of fishing) :)

While Grandpa took some of the boys fishing, 

Grandma and I took Dominic and Isaiah to Storybook Land.  

Kids are never too old for Storybook Land! :)

Dominic and Isaiah riding the roller coaster at Storybook Land.

It's only like a 10 second, herky-jerky ride, but kids still love it! :)

I love Isaiah's face...pure joy written all over it!

Dominic gets this ride spinning so fast it even makes spectators on the ground queasy.  

Best of buds at Storybook Land!

A llama taking a siesta at the Storybook Land zoo :)

Isaiah is not scared of the "talking trees" anymore!

He sure is growing up fast!

Joseph and Nathanael showing off some walleye that they caught with Grandpa.

After an amazing few days fishing and bonding with Grandma and Grandpa, Joseph packed up again and we started the LONG road trip to Franciscan University in Ohio--28 hours total one way.  We traveled through 9 states in the process:  MT, ND, SD, MN, WI, IL, IN, WV, and OH!!!  It was a very special road trip though---it was just Paul and I and Joseph, so we really got to talk and bond with our oldest son before sending him on his college adventure.  With Covid regulations, we weren't able to take the whole family---plus, the other boys definitely wanted to keep having fun with Grandma and Grandpa instead of spending 5 extra days in the car!

This is a special picture to me.

Joseph confidently venturing on his own into the great unknown,

with a bag of clothes, a backpack of school supplies, and his guitar :)

His dorm is called Trinity Hall and it's located on the very edge of campus,

sort of tucked away in the trees off the beaten path.

It has become his home away from home.

I am so very grateful that he loves it so far at Franciscan!

He has a great roommate and has made great friends with the guys in his dorm.

There's a chapel in his dorm with Jesus in the tabernacle, which really consoles my heart. :)

Even Joseph's RA is a huge consolation to me---he is the assistant baseball coach, a theology teacher, and even discerned the priesthood for a year.  I love knowing he is surrounded by good, holy people.

We arrived a day early to walk around the campus, and I honestly have to say that it felt so peaceful and holy.  I loved the small size of the campus.  I knew Joseph would feel at home here and be surrounded with such faith-filled people that it made it easier to leave him there, even though it is so far from home.

I am so happy that Joseph loves Franciscan so far.  He especially loves playing baseball with the team every day (except Wednesdays and Sundays).  He is a pitcher for the team, which was always his favorite position and his dream to pitch in college.  My heart just overflows with joy to know that my son is happy and thriving in college.  May God continue to bless him and guide him closer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus!

Paul and I both shed some tears as we said our goodbyes to Joseph...

Knowing that you're leaving your child 28 hours away from home is HAAARRRD!

He can't just pop in and visit for the weekend...it would take an airplane or a 3 day road trip to get him home!  But we truly felt intense peace and joy that overshadowed our sadness at leaving him.

We were able to go to Mass with the President of Franciscan University (Father David Pavonka), 

and you could clearly tell he was on fire with the Holy Spirit and had tremendous love for the students at FUS.  We didn't get to celebrate Mass in this beautiful church pictured above (Christ the King Chapel).  Due to Covid, we had to have Mass in the huge auditorium with everyone sitting 6 feet apart wearing masks, but it was still a beautiful experience.  Joseph is able to go to this chapel or a number of other chapels on campus to visit Jesus anytime---what a gift!  I love the large San Damiano Cross, which is now a symbol for FUS, because it is the cross that St. Francis was praying in front of when Jesus spoke to him and gave him his commission to "go and rebuild My Church" way back in 1205.

My favorite chapel at Franciscan is the Portiuncula, 

which is designed to look like the small chapel that St. Francis rebuilt

when he received the call from God to "rebuild My Church."

There is a tabernacle with the Blessed Sacrament exposed for people to do perpetual adoration inside.

I sure hope Joseph goes here often to pray and find peace when life gets stressful.

Before leaving the college, I was blessed to be able to pray and entrust our son to the Blessed Virgin Mary...  What great peace to know that my son is being taken care of by such a loving mother when his own mother is too far away to take care of him anymore :)

May Our Lady, the Queen of Peace, pray for Joseph and for all of us!

We could all use an little extra peace during these crazy times :)

Totus Tuus,

~Maria