One Year Difference!

Ok, I was going through the blog and looking at some of our old posts and found something really funny. Almost exactly one year ago, Patrick and JoAnna competed in a Taekwondo Tournament in Savannah. Patrick was a Purple belt and JoAnna was a White belt. One year later Patrick is receiving his Black Belt and JoAnna her Brown Belt. That in itself is great. But then I looked at the pictures. I have re posted them together.

My how we change in a year!!

May 2007 _____________________________________May 2008

Look at the height difference!

JoAnna Gets Her Brown Belt

JoAnna Tested after Patrick for her Brown Belt.

They did a fitness test and JoAnna was top in the class getting a medal for the most push ups, the most sit ups and the most punches.

Faster JoAnna Faster!

JoAnna had great forms. She stumbled on the very last move but recovered nicely.

Our Champions!!!!!!

Patrick Gets his Black Belt!

He has done it! Patrick has received his 1st Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. He graduated 5th grade in the morning and got his Black Belt that afternoon. Talk about a busy day. He was really excited. He now can attend the higher level classes reserved for Black Belts.

He did a great job in testing and was clean on all his forms.

He had some really high kicks in his sparring.

He had to break two boards which he did with ease.

Good Job Patrick!

We are All Proud of You!

Patrick's 5th Grade Graduation

Patrick has graduated to middle school! Where have the years gone? They go by so quickly!

Patrick and his best friend David. I mentioned David in an earlier post.

We are keeping him and his family in our prayers.

David has been out of school but was able to attend the graduation and walked on stage to a standing ovation. Because of the surgery, the headmaster gave him a school hat to wear and his entire class wore hats to support him. It was really great!

Patrick and his teacher Mrs. Porter.

Below is a video of the fifth grade band playing. Just remember that they only started playing about 6 months ago. Patrick will continue in band in the sixth grade.

The Wedding

My Mom Susan got married this past weekend in St. Thomas, USVI to Dan. It wasn't a large wedding but there were friends and family there. Marcotte my brother flew in from CA and I flew in from GA. My sister Elisabeth lives there so she drove. (LOL) Marcotte and I were able to get sky miles tickets which surprised me since all the fuel prices and over booked flights. It was a quick trip down and back over the weekend so the families weren't able to attend. JoAnna and the kids attended a large wedding in Savannah of some friends.

My grandmother was able to attend which was great. She is doing well.

The church where the wedding was is where my great grandfather was Canon (Archdeacon) for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. My grandmother grew up in St Thomas. It was really funny because after the wedding there was cake in the social hall and the windows were open and the chicken in the yard next door were having a good old time.

Aquira is a Japanese student that has stayed at my mom and Dan's house in PA while attending school. He flew down to play at the wedding.

Summer Weekends Begin

Well we have begun the summer weekend schedule with a bang. For some reason, we always say we are going have a relaxing summer and not do a lot but that never seems to happen. Between the weekly schedule and the weekends, we stay pretty booked.

This weekend kicked it off. We got up early and headed out. JoAnna took Patrick to Taekwondo and I headed to Hannah's school for the arts and science fair. JoAnna and Patrick met us after class while we toured the school. (See additional post)

Patrick, Hannah and I left and went to the hospital to see Patrick's best friend David who had to have an expedited brain surgery for a spot they found. They seemed to have gotten it all. (about the size of a tennis ball) He was supposed to go home yesterday but had a seizure yesterday morning so they are keeping him longer. They will be having hat day in Patrick's class until the end of the year for David. Please keep David and his family in your prayers.

JoAnna left the school and went to a wedding shower for the Taekwondo instructors there that are getting married this month.

Everyone met at home kissed and exchanged hugs and then departed again! JoAnna and Patrick went to the Cinco De Mayo celebration Demo (see other post). Hannah and I zipped off to Effingham county to South Effingham High School to see the student production of Godspell with some of her friends. It was a great show directed by the music director from our church.


So keep checking back, we should keep the blog going pretty well this summer.

Cinco De Mayo Demo

Here is the Demo Team at the Cinco De Mayo Celebration this past weekend. This one went better and longer than the one at the mall.

Patrick has some lightning speed on the moves he is doing. It still amazes me when I think back to when he started and could hardly do them. He will be testing for his Black Belt in two weeks.

Break that board Patrick!!

Art and Science Fair

Hannah's School had their Arts and Science Fair this past weekend.

Hannah did a science project on whether peoples reaction time faster or slower based on age. She thought that the younger people would have a faster response time. They measured it by dropping a ruler and the person having to catch it and then measured the time and the distance it fell.

She discovered that the older the person the better the reaction time.

This is Hannah's Classroom and teacher Mrs. Newton. Patrick had Mrs. Newton in third grade also.

Hannah's art work that they have been working on.

This is the gym and the hall way. As you can tell, they stay very busy. The hall was lined with all the science projects and the gym had art and other stuff from the lower grades.

Hannah and JoAnna work out their art creativity in the art room.


Here is Hannah in the Spanish room. Hannah loves spanish and has picked up a lot. The teacher emerses them in the language speaking only spanish in the class.





They attended a local Cuban reasturant this week where all the children had to order in spanish and eat traditional cuban dishes.

We have someone famous in the Family!

My sister Elisabeth's husband Rob, His sister Kristi was interviewed for an article on MSNBC.
She is a professor at Occidental College in California. Below is a link to the article.

Very Cool!!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24411081/