School starts again next week- how in the world is summer already over? Since the beginning of school is looming so close to the future, I thought my first "real" post could be the classic Summer Vacation paper... with a few (read: too many) pictures for fun. :)
Summer Vacation 2015 started out with a whirlwind of excitement- end of school meetings wrapped up on June 3rd, and on June 6th, my husband and I said 'see ya later' to the two kiddos, and headed to Long Island with our youth group for a mission trip.
Let me first say that I am so thankful for all of the adults that joined us on this trip. There is no way that we would have survived the driving (let alone 15 kids) without all of you!
Our youth group is rather fantastic (am I allowed to say that? I think I am... even if I am slightly biased). Mr. U is in charge of the youth at the church where I grew up, so I am extra partial. Several of the kids in our HS group are like my younger siblings... crazy. We all spent the week working on a home and a community center that were impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Here's the group that I spent the week working with:
Our church family is made of wonderful people that always take care of us. One of the members of our congregation always makes sure that we are treated to ice cream when we venture out away from home on these trips. [also, yes,, I used a selfie stick on the trip. No shame.]
The hubs and I got to spend our anniversary on the beach (with our youth group). Four years and counting!
The last day of our trip, we went into NYC for the day. We got bus tour tickets (totally the best option in my opinion- no walking, and we got to see a ton!) and spent the day checking out most of the sights in the city. Plus, I got to have my street vendor hot dog, which was a requirement.
The hubs and I on the bus.
World Trade Center Memorial- a volunteer was placing roses in the names of people whose birthday was that day, That's an experience I'll never forget.
I am thankful for the wonderful workers that gave up their summer to spend time in a new city. I know that this group was able to make a big impact on the city and the lives of people they worked with. We love you guys!!
On our way back home, some of our long lost friends (and their church) let us crash for the night. They had their youth group come in and we did pizza and games, then got up for worship with them in the morning. We are incredibly thankful for them!!
I was also in charge of (with help from one of my long-time best friends) VBS at our church. The theme this year was hillbilly, so that made for some lovely dress up outfits (I assure you, my husband is the best sport for doing things like this!)
The next month or so of our summer was spent at home, just enjoying one another. Lots of time was spent outside, taking walks, chasing boys, watching movies, napping, and eating good food. I will always be grateful for summertime and the extra time I get to spend with my boys!
My baby sister is getting married this fall (on Halloween!), so I got to be in charge of her bridal shower. I'm pretty sure this is the only decent picture of us from that day.
Mid-July, we had TWO WEEKS of church camp. Never in my life have I been so exhausted.. but so, so content. Our first week was spent with high school/college age campers, and if you had the chance to be there, you would have been amazed by the amount of spiritual growth that happened. I love BKK, and am thankful that we get asked to participate... especially since I never actually went as a camper myself.
The second week was grade school camp, but a lot of our older kiddos stayed with us to work JJHC. Relationships were grown, several accepted Christ (Yay!!!), and so many were able to grow in their relationships with Christ, which is the best news. These four girls were so helpful to us by helping with the boys (along with several of the older guys). There is no way the Ukena clan would have made it through two weeks at camp without them!
Fast forward to this week- working on my classroom and prepping for school. As much as I love my job, I sort of hate getting back into the swing of things - especially this year. Summer just wasn't long enough! However, the best thing was that I had some surprise visitors (plus a sweet tea- my not-so-secret addiction). I appreciate their help, even if I might've been a slave driver! ;)
Once I get my room all together (hopefully Friday... but maybe not), I'll do a classroom reveal. I always love getting to see shots of other classrooms and trying to steal their ideas (borrow?) for my own students. Also coming soon- how I stay motivated to stay in The Word, how we get ready for back to school at our house, and a day in my life. Any other requests? ;)
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