Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Times of Celebration!

I'm still working on catching up here and so there's going to be a whirlwind of posts on here! Hold on tight!:)
 
May continued to be an incredibly busy and full month! We had one celebration after another it seemed like, and all at around the same time!!
 
Friday evening, started the exciting cycle with Ashlee's Fox college graduation from UCI!:)
 
 Receiving her diploma!
 Congratualtions, Ashlee!!:D


 Ashlee's boyfriend Jon, flew out for her graduation!:)
 Afterwards we were all invited to the girl's house for food and fellowship!
 We enjoyed a yummy dinner of tacos......
 ...and had fun celebrating!

Cutting her cake!
After all the clean-up was done and most of the guest had left, we young people enjoyed visiting a few more hours before heading home!

The next thing on our schedule, Saturday, was Dad's birthday! A few weeks earlier Mom had gotten a call from Texas. Plans were made and the surprise was set, but we didn't know if Dad, being the smart guy he is, would  figure it out! To throw off his sense of direction, Mom blindfolded him, took him out of the house for the day, drove around for several hours and ran a few errands. At the appointed time they arrived at the restaurant....
 We held our breaths and waited....
 Dad recognized the familiar sounds and knew he was at Mexi Casa, but suddenly a voiced announced the arrival of a cake order for Michael Sebo! Dad was somewhat unsure and excited that it couldn't be what it sounded like, so off came the blindfold......
  .....and he saw his birth mom!!:)Surprise!!!!!!!!:D
 They had a happy reunion, as he hadn't seen her since 2013, when he first flew out to meet her!
 We got you Daddy!!!!;) Grandma Campbell had flown in and stayed with the grandparents and it had been hard not to let it spill out but, thank the Lord ,we all pulled it off!
 This was the first time we kids and mom had met Grandma Campbell!
 There was a lot of conversation for sure and we all got turns talking with her! We had a really special time getting to know her!
 We sang to Dad and presented him with the cake his mom had brought! Pretty soon it was time to go, so we dropped off the grandparents, as it was getting late, and then headed home to visit some more with Grandma Campbell.:)

The next day, Sunday, was Caytlin's graduation! There was a lot to do that afternoon after church and it was neat to see how the Lord provided-verything came together smoothly!
 The guys and Mom went early to the church to set up and prepare.....
 Caytlin arrived later and started getting ready! Pinning that cap....those things can be so troublesome!  She actually used my old cap and gown for her ceremony, which was fun to pass those down!
 The order of ceremony was like the guys, prayer, a few hymns, a special, a slideshow, a speech, some addresses and charges from the men, and the presenting of the diploma!
 Caytin and Amy sang a duet-Jesus, Thank You
 We definitely had a full house and were blessed by all who came to support Caytlin and our family on this happy occasion!
 Dad sharing......this is the fourth child of his to graduate! Time sure is flying!
Our good, family friend, Mr. Keller, a chaplain for the Pomona Police, gave a challenging and encouraging address on seeking to glorify Christ with every part of your life!
 Receiving her diploma!
Switching the tassel! Congratulations, Class of 2015!!!!! You made it Caytlin!!!:D
A hug from Daddy with some roses!
A picture with some friends who came, Maureen McNabb and Kristie and Joanna Tang!:) We miss those girls!
 Always good to see Uncle Johnny!
 We had so many people that we had indoor tables.....
 ...and outdoor tables! It was so nice to see the Tangs again!
 It was also really nice to see Oma, Opa, and Uncle Kevin and Aunt Diane!:)

Very proud of our sister!:) Unfortunately at both the boys and Caytlin's graduations we have been so busy we didn't get to take any family pictures but hopefully we actually can get around to doing that one of these years!
 Serving the cake....
 When tables filled up, we pulled out chairs!
 More friends and family!:)
  All the craziness of the weekend was releasing here....love how Jon's just smiling!:) Once again this was after most of the guests had left.....;)
Nothing like freedom, a slide and lots of energy after a packed weekend!:D
 
Monday morning we continued our adventure, driving Grandma Campbell back to the airport!
One last picture all together 
 We stopped for breakfast at the Jack 'N the Box, before dropping her off at the Ontario airport!
A morning selfie of us three sisters....:)This was the first picture we got with graduate since her ceremony!
Dad telling some stories before we had to say goodbye....It was pretty neat to see how Dad looked like his mom and carried some of her traits even though he never met her till recently!
It was one of those special treats when we didn't order off the value menu....;) As always happens time passed quicker than we would have like it to, and we all piled back into the van to head to the airport!
 A last hug! We were sad to see her go, and enjoyed meeting Grandma Campell, finally! We hope to see her again sometime!:)
 
Well, if you thought we were done, we're weren't! We had a rest for a few days and then Thursday was another graduation for a friend, Rebekah Bailey!:) We had met the whole family while working at Nehemiah this past January! This time just the eldest 5 went, as it was 2 hours away and would be a late evening!;)
Heading out to Temecula! Long rides in the car often teach a lot of character and you sure appreciate the scenery!;)
 Another young man was graduating that night wit her and it was neat to the testimonies of both homeschool graduates!:)
 Caytlin greeting Rebekah.....
 It was great to see the Bailey's again and visit for the evening!
 Displays and refreshments.....
 Rebekah has a real heart for children and hopes one day to be a wife and mother if God opens that door.:) It was neat to see this love displayed in her willingness to care for others around her and not just enjoy herself.
 Getting a piece of the cake her older sister Renee made!
 Catching up....
 Rebekah made this during her school years.....
 Cleaning up and putting away chairs....
 There were lots of extra balloons and the Bailey's graciously gave us some for the kiddos back at home. We  couldn't take all the remaining ones so the older guys and girls had fun with the helium...;)
 Renee and Daniel entertained us less adventurous folk, by filling their lungs with helium and singing for us!
 A few of us for a group picture before leaving! Renee, Myself, Rebekah, Caytlin, and Rachel....Both of our family's have 9 children and homeschool so we have a lot in common!;) Rachel, Renee and I would be spending the summer together working at Ironwood, so it was funny to say bye knowing we would see them in a few days!

We had finally come to the end of our celebrations, and yet we were still extremely busy as the guys and I would be leaving for Ironwood in a few short days, spending ten weeks out there.:)
 
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
                                                                                                       Ecclesiastes 3:11