April to June 2024

April 2024

Eclipse

Nate was able to get some pictures of the eclipse by using his camera with a pair of eclipse sunglasses held in front of the lens.

Carol’s Birthday

Carol had a milestone birthday in 2024. The big 5-0! Happy half a century to Carol! Nate’s parents came to the house to celebrate the occasion and Nate grilled chicken, steak kabobs and corn on the cob. The key lime pie was delicious (thanks Village Inn!).

Re-Start of Horse Lessons

The kids decided that they wanted to do horse riding lessons again this year. Carol also enjoys the horses. This year Grant is riding Molly and Jenna is riding Cirrus.

Husker Spring Game

One of Nate’s birthday presents was two tickets to the Nebraska Football Spring Game. Nate asked Carol to go with him so that she could see the stadium and get a taste of what a Husker game day is like. It was a lovely day.

Random & Silly Pictures of the Month

Jenna cuddling the dogs, Scary Grant, Fell in a hole, One-eyed dog, a tool battery holder Nate made and Jenna gets an award at school.

May 2024

Daisy Pillow

Nate was sitting in the recyliner and Daisy climbed up behind him to cuddle, so Nate used her like a pillow.

Grant’s District Art Show

Grant’s art teacher submitted some of his photos from Photography class to the LPS District Art Show. He was also in the art show at his high school.

Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day, Carol!

Grant’s Birthday

Grant turned 16 on May 20th, 2024! Gramma and Pa came to celebrate with us.

Random & Silly Pictures of the Month

Jenna Smiling, Jenna cuddling the dogs, Nate closeup, Firepit, Garden flowers, Grant exploring a storm drain system, puppy cuddles, Grant showing off his tshirt.

June 2024

RV Maintenance

We got the RV out of storage and found that it needed some work. One of the things that needed to be done was to get its oil changed. Carol showed Grant how to change the oil in a vehicle. Papa (Carol’s Dad) would be very proud to see her passing on the knowledge. Additionally, Grant and Carol went through the RV to cleanup mouse poop, a few mice nests and two dead mice. And, after washing the old curtains up in the loft bed area, Carol spent hours and hours repairing the curtains because they fell apart after years of sun damage.

Nate’s Parents 50th Anniversary

Nate’s parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 8th. Nate, Carol and the kids went to Beatrice to their home to spend some time with them on their special day. And Nate’s brother, his wife and their kids were able to be there too. It was a special time to spend some time and a meal together. 50 Years and they still get along great!

New Rings

To celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary in May, Nate and Carol picked out matching rings online. The rings arrived in June and are beautiful. They are made from Platinum and Emeralds, which are the metal and gemstone representing 20 years. Nate and Carol will wear them on their right hands, so that their wedding bands can remain on their left. When Carol’s ring first arrived, it was too small, so she spent some time wearing it on various fingers of her left hand until it was resized.

Garden Flowers

Carol grew some really pretty flowers this year in the various garden areas around the house.

Lincoln Zoo Concert

Carol bought Nate tickets to a concert at the zoo for their 20th Anniversary. It was a really neat experience; the zoo was open for viewing but the tickets also included food and drinks and access to a concert by a local area cover band. It was fun to try out different beers made by local breweries and listen to the band play songs by a variety of artists.

RV Trip: Colorado Springs

We took an RV trip to Colorado Springs, which allowed the kids to see an area that they had never seen before. But before we headed out, we had to fix a little damage to the RV that was caused by backing into a tree branch in our neighbors tree. It was nothing that a new light cover and some white duct tape couldn’t fix. The clearance light issue should have given us a warning of how the trip would go, as we ended up having several other RV issues while on the trip. These issues included a need to have a RV repairman come out to the campsite to get our refrigerator/freezer working again and a need for Carol and Nate to unclog the black water tank. In addition, Grant had to repair the roof AC unit, and our windshield got cracked by a rock en route. Besides those issues, the trip was great and it allowed for time to visit with family. Everyone got to see and spent time with Nate’s Aunt and Uncle and one cousin (and family) that live in Colorado Springs as well as one of Carol’s sisters and her husband. The kids seemed to really enjoy camping in the mountains.