We weren’t even 24 hours into this medical emergency, but Dylan, while very sick, Rob and I were confident he was in great hands, between the docs and The Lord. As for Rob and I, we had jumped into “emergency mode”. While Dylan was top priority, we also have four other amazing kids. Two were with us in Oklahoma, two were in Oregon.

I slept at the hotel for a few hours. I don’t recall the exact details, but I was back at the hospital shortly after 8. My physical body was a train wreck, but by brain was on overload. Genuine sleep and rest would come eventually, but the adrenaline was in full force and would be until more concrete answers were known. We were still in the thick of the fire.

It never ceases to amaze me what we remember - and what we don’t. I have no recollection of getting out of the ambulance. I just remember that Dylan was in the ER and I was standing at a desk, a nurse asking me questions. I fumbled through my purse to get Dylan’s insurance info and attempted to explain what had happened in the hotel room. The truth was, I wasn’t sure what had happened. I just knew something serious was going on.

It was barely 9 PM, but the hotel room was quiet and dark. One by one, everyone had showered and climbed into bed, happily exhausted from the day.

The drive from CA to OK had been seamless and we rolled into Oklahoma City on Thursday, June 30th. We had enjoyed fun pit stops in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, but now the real FUN was here!

The idea for the Six Flags Road Trip was born in the Spring of 2016. It was just another night at the dinner table. Dylan’s 8th grade graduation was coming up, which led to discussion about high school, which led to discussion about high school graduation celebrations.

I haven’t opened my website in awhile. It’s a miracle I remembered my password to access it! I haven’t published a blog since 2020 and, even then, a great deal of time had passed since I’d written regularly. As I type now, I want to believe I’ll be more consistent, but I don’t know. I know what God has laid on my heart and I certainly hope to fulfill the burden he’s put on it. Before I even started writing this blog, I counted and re-read about two dozen drafts or titles I’d previously started.

Dear Dylan,

This letter isn’t really for you. I suppose it’s for me. Maybe for the world. It’s the letter I wish you could comprehend. Deep down, I think you do understand, in your own way.

f you haven't heard by now, we dove into the world of homeschooling this year. The year has flown and I've been asked at least a 1/2 dozen times how it's REALLY going by those I'm closer too. It's a fair question.

So, let's get real. I've certainly posted a lot of pictures of our new adventure and, yes, they generally show the "positive's". 

As a little girl, I dreamed of becoming a teacher. My mom had an in-home day care for nearly fifteen years. Through my elementary school years, the kids she cared for where my "pupils" and we would play and dig deep into our imaginations. At one of my childhood homes, we had a huge shed in the backyard that I had converted into a "classroom". I "taught" every afternoon in that shed to any fellow child who'd play along - we read, colored, did art & anything else "school" related - it was my after school, play time bliss!