Well, last year I got in trouble with just a few of you for not letting y'all know the kids' camp addresses early enough so here's my remedy:
Sarah attends Victory Center from June 29-July 3.
Victory Center Bible Camp
c/o General Delivery
Ft.Pierre, SD 57532

Caleb plans on going to North Dakota July 6-11.
Crystal Springs Baptist Camp
4848 36th St SE
Medina ND 58467

There, good Mama!

Last weekend we brought three dogs home from a Second Chance Rescue, one pointer mix and two beagles. We love Stella the pointer, who is well-trained and sweet. The beagles were quite frankly, awful! So we returned them back to Sioux Falls on Monday. A long twelve hour day was well worth the trade to rid ourselves of their presence. Oh, they stunk and didn't listen. But Stella is a star in our eyes! So Caleb has a new best friend again.

Sarah is reading voraciously this summer. Books just don't stand a chance around her. Several times we have called for her and no answer. So we telephone down to Steve and Audrey's to see if she went down there to play. After they say no, we have to do a physical inspection of her hideouts here at home. Yep, she always shows up quietly curled in a corner with a book!

Technically, Caleb still lives with us. However, we rarely see the manchild. He and a buddy or two are forever asking to go to the creek, go 4-wheeling, go camping, go fishing, go building an archery target, go shooting archery, go shooting varmints, go target shooting, go, go, go! He and two friends talked the one friend into going canoeing with Steven's supervision at a local lake a couple weeks ago. Mind you, we hadn't had too many warm days, less than five at that point. Caleb and Cooper are excited to go swamp the canoe. Seth isn't so sure and sits the adventure out on the beach. Sure enough, the boys paddle out to the little island area and swamp the canoe. Much laughter and now much swimming back, pulling the flooded canoe behind. They said the water was fine and not so bad. Unfortunately, they had to keep saying that in order not to freeze to death. By time they reached the shore, both admitted they couldn't feel their toes anymore. More laughter. They started talking to Seth and somehow (do not ask me how on the somehow) they talked Seth into going out with them and doing it all over again! So they went out, started tipping back and forth, booosh! You've never seen an Olympic swimmer swim as fast as Seth did to shore! Evidently, it certainly was quite cold water. Then they all tried to make a fire on the beach to warm up with, being as how no one had brought along a change of clothes and it was a calm 60 degree day with cloud cover. None had brought matches, lighters or anything along that line. They did try using a scrap of paper and the cigarette lighter to no avail. Eventually they trooped back home with high tails and long tales. Ah, the joy of boyhood summer!

Hoping you are having an equally delightful time, filled with laughter over disappointments.

Blessings enough,
Marcia for the Swann's

Oi! Oi! It's summer! Well, technically it snowed up in Bismarck yesterday a bit but we'll not digress on that.

We kick started our spring but spending a week down in Texas visiting my dear Grandma Carrie and enjoying their soft summer days. Wonderfully, we also got to spend time with both of my uncles and see some cousins, who all (who'll for native Texans?) helped us commemorate Grandma's 80th birthday with a shindig. Funny sign seen while traveling down there: At a monument company, you know for tombstones and stuff, they advertised a lifetime guarantee! Yeah, a lifetime guarantee! Their clients are already dead! So what could their slogan be? I have an idea:

If you stay under it, we'll stand behind it.

Not even a week later our entire family (I forgot to tell you that Steven had to stay home from TX because he has a real job and one of us needs to pay the bills. I certainly consider that a blue job. Traveling to exotic locations would be a pink job and, therefore, my domain.) drove up to Moose Jaw, SK. SK stands for Saskatchewan in Canada. We got to use our passports! Woo hoo! That makes us feel cool. Although we did have to make a special request to get them stamped at the border crossing. So we went to a wedding. Seeing others just starting out and totally in love is definitely a romantic way to spend a weekend. They both are God's slaves and wanting to serve Him together. Oh too cool! We love the family of Vetter's and I soooo love my Steven. Funny sign in Canada: As you know, we lost our dog a couple months ago in an highway accident; so we've been looking through online dog pounds, dog shelters, and the like. Well up in Canada they do things in a bit grander way. No lie. No exaggeration. This is exactly and only what the sign said:

Buffalo Pound ----->

So we thought about stopping and seeing if they had any housetrained buffaloes or any smaller, teacup-sized buffaloes or can they fetch?

Well, we came home long enough to tie up the school year. In a long progression of events, prayers, and decisions, we have decided to enroll Caleb in the public high school across the street next year as a freshman. That's a huge change for us. This free-spirited mama will have to deal with other peoples' schedules and demands, especially in sports. Ugh! However, Caleb is looking forward to playing football and basketball. He says he'll see about track whether they would make him do a lot of running or if he could just do the throwing sports. Sarah's plan is to stay home next year, although we are still considering a class or two for her, depending on the exact schedule.

Then we're off again! Not Steven because it was blue job to preach at the baccalaureate on who they are building their future with - friends or the friend that sticks closer than a brother, God. This time to Sioux Falls for a couple days gorging on garage sales with my parents and then to Lansing, IA area to see my brother Dave and his family. The kids each attended a Horsemanship Camp as a gift from Dave and Laurie. Much to my children's delight, they each passed their level and are official horse people. Laurie, Sam and I spent most of the time together (pink job to hang out). Sam loved to Skype with my husband and "knock the rock" over the connection. I think I have a picture of it on Facebook. I'm not so great at moving pictures and movies around on there but I try. If you don't know, Skype is sorta like a video conference and/or long distance phone call over the internet through your computer. If you have it and want to find us, we are swanntastic. If you don't have it, consider it. Speaking of phones, our number is about to change. The last four digits will now be 2365 instead of 2412. Sorry, way digressed. Anyways, Laurie rocks in my book. My brother couldn't have done any better; she's perfect for him and I love her tons. Yeah and my brother is cooler than words. Sam is fun to play hide-n-seek tag with. Little kid laughter is just plain contagious.

Well, we were gonna be home for almost all of June but we just planned on attending my husband's 20th Class Reunion on Friday in Sioux Falls. Oh no! (in a very mocked tone) "It's on a Friday and I might have to go to garage sales with my Mom!" (sing it loudly now) "Oh Happy Day, oh happy daay!"

Well, if ya'll (see? I really did visit Texas) happen to be anywhere close to our neighborhood this summer, stop in or have us come meet ya.

Blessings enough,

~~Mrs. Swann~~

"Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning,
Satan shudders and says,  "Oh no, she's awake!"