The Segeberg Scoop - July 2008
I can hardly believe that July is already over and August has been here for a week! I was thinking back over our month and I realized how far away that first week of July seems.
We ended June and started out July with a great trip to Seattle . We all love to spend time up there! Between the beach cottage, play time with cousins, ferry ride, Pike’s Place shopping, park adventures, and just spending time with family, our vacation was jam-packed. We enjoyed every minute and didn’t want to come home when it was time.
It was a good thing we came home, however, because Ryan was able to officially propose his thesis two days later. The down side was that Ryan really had to scramble for those two days to put together a presentation that normally takes a month to prepare. Those two tough days paid off, though, since the committee approved his thesis. (As Ryan said, you know it’s going well when the committee is coming up with marketing and pricing schemes for your idea.) We were hoping that this would mean he’d be done by December. But, in order to do that, he would have to complete all of his research, write his thesis, and have it be reviewed and accepted by the committee by the end of October. While any one, (or maybe two), of those things could potentially be completed by that date, it’s nearly impossible that all three of them will be. So we are now looking forward to a December completion date, with an “official” graduation date in April. (Although we hope to move to wherever Ryan has a job well before April.)
Ryan also received a new church calling in July. He was called as a Primary Worker. Does that surprise anyone else like it surprised me? J Although I wasn’t sure what to do with him at first, (since I wasn’t planning on having anyone new called to Primary at that point), I’m very excited to have him in there! He’s going to be a great asset to our Primary.
I have decided that one great thing about living in Provo is the 24th of July Pioneer Day holiday. Not everyone gets the day off, but BYU always shuts down for it. This was a great bonus this year, as Ryan and I were able to clean out our storage unit that day. We figured we would probably be moving in the middle of winter and thought taking care of the task would be easier in the sun than in the snow. We put the girls in the car with a movie and finished the job about when the movie ended. It’s nice to know what is (and isn’t) in there and know where it is now, too!
That same day, we took the girls swimming at my Gramma’s pool. Kallie was a little fish! Her favorite thing was to say “1, 2, 3!” and then dunk herself in the water. The next day, we went to Seven Peaks , (the local waterpark), and Kallie LOVED sliding on the small kids’ slides, dunking in the water, and just thoroughly soaking herself. It’s a good thing we have a season pass because promising Kallie we would come back was the only way we could get her to leave! About a week later, we went back to Seven Peaks with my sister-in-law and her kids to be “models” for some advertisements. A photographer took pics of the kids while they played at the various attractions. (My niece, Jessica, came along to help with the kids—and it was so great to have her there!) I have no idea if they will use any of our pics, but it was fun. That time, Kallie went down some medium slides all by herself. Next time, we hope to take her down the big slides with mom and dad!
Whitney’s newest thing is…drumroll please…teasing her sister! She will quite often take toys, food, anything within reach that Kallie is using. It cracks me up how the little one can tease the older one—but I know I used to do the same thing to my older brother, so Whitney is in good company here. During July, Whitney has also turned into a little Myna bird. She will repeat almost anything we say. But, the great part is that she’s gaining new vocabulary words almost daily. She is at such a fun age—learning new things and new ways to express herself every day. It is so fun to watch her explore and discover the world around her.
As for me, besides the things already mentioned, I have just been enjoying being a mom. I just finished reading “The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis. It’s a book that has been on my list for years, but it took the neighborhood book club choosing it for me to finally check that one off my list. And, I loved it. What a great commentary on Christian life!
Well, I think that’s it for the month. We hope you’re having a great summer!
Love,
Ryan, Amanda, Kallie, & Whitney