For those of you who don't know, Kyla, Kelsey, Baylor and I have joined the workforce. Baylor is in high demand with all the neighbors and he is becoming broad-shouldered, buff, and very, very, tan. From yard work and tractors to troubleshooting irrigation and pump problems, Bay does it all. If you need help--well, it depends on what kind--I would suggest giving him a call.
Kelsey, is staying true to her areas of expertise. She is a cook at our town's historic Balch Hotel, a piano teacher, and a "lark-angel"(her new nickname since someone told her she sings like a meadow lark and an angel). Between leading worship and playing for some of our High school's programs, Kelsey has no trouble getting students--every mother wishes their child could play like Kels. =) Oh yeah, Kelsey is also in the middle of recording a phenomenal CD (and I'm not just saying that because I am biased). Stay tuned! (No pun intended.)
Kyla was the first of us girls to have a job interview, the first to work outside the home, and the first to fill a half gallon full of quarters (I was beginning to feel like she was taking over my ice-breaking job). She has been working at Grinders Coffee in The Dalles for about seven months now and has given all of us kiddos good reputations. Of course, we aren't all as amazing as Kyla, but when people suggest that we are, I roll with it. Ky has people driving through the shop with job offers, but she loves where she works (for an awesome christian couple that goes to our church), and what can beat serving Stumptown?
I am having a blast working for my father and trying my best to help him stay sane. Part of my job entails being a project manager for our farm--renting equipment, taking numerous trips to Bryant Pipe:
("I need a thingy that bends like this, has a screw on one end, and a smooth part on the other end. It goes into those metal watering pipes that go deep in the ground so they don't freeze…" "Oh, a frost-free hydrant and a street L.")
Needless to say, I am learning a lot…and our dump trailer and I have become the best of friends. We get into trouble and we get out of it--together. The other part of my work, entails helping Daddy launch The Dream Manager Program for Azure Standard and CDC. That has been a growing process as well, and I am so blessed to have such an amazing man as a father, teacher, and boss.
The younger children have been loving bouncing on our new trampolines and playing in our dream-come-true: a pond!!! At the past few homes we have moved to, Daddy and Mother would pick out the place where we wanted a pond…one day. Now, with a 320D, our talented operator, and God's provision, we have gained permission from six different agencies and dug a 14-foot-deep hole in the ground! Although it's not completely landscaped, most of us are sunburnt and waterlogged from pretending we're fish. I see waterslides, rope swings, and zip lines in the future!
You'll have to come check it out.
Of course, there's a lot I'm leaving unsaid. It's hard to cover a couple months in only a few hundred words. This slideshow of our family's spring and early summer will fill in most of what I missed. =)
Blessings to each of you!
Kathryn Joy
