July 2025

 

Leah had a fun summer adventure of her own in July when she attended the LCMS National Youth Gathering. Our church sent 9 high schoolers and 3 chaperones to New Orleans for a week of sightseeing, worship, Bible study, fellowship, and service:  

Convention Center

Swamp Tour

Starbucks, of course!

Service Project: Assembling and packing meals for the hungry.

Superdome Gathering each night for 20,000 youth:

It was a special time for these youth to grow in their faith together and make memories!

Meanwhile, Mark and I snuck away for two nights to our favorite place. Old Edwards Inn, in Highlands, NC never disappoints, and we had a glorious time away filled with hiking, relaxing, fine dining, and luxury:

Luke and I also wrapped up his college tours in July with a visit to Wake Forest. I have a similar picture of myself on the quad as a high school senior, and it was a bit surreal to be doing an official WFU campus tour with my baby boy. Who knows where he will end up, but Luke has great colleges on his application list!

After weeks of traveling in different directions, this photo and moment are especially sweet to me.  Game night, with all of our chickens back home together = this mama's heart is full!

BB Krissy and her family came to visit us in July. We had a fun afternoon/evening at our pool and visited Winston-Salem the next day for a trip down memory lane:

"BB Kids will play together!" (As written in our BB time capsule in college)

All 4 of us are WFU grads: Coach Adam, BB Krissy, BB Carrie, Coach Mark

Freshman Roommates and BBs for life!

Donning their WFU gear! 

Our freshman dorm, where the BBs were hallmates.

There's a story here, but I'll let you use your imagination about the origin of these fur-lined boots:

Cugino Forno lunch...

...followed by Flip Cup!

Each year for his birthday, we gift Luke 2 tickets to Night Beat, which is held in July in Winston-Salem. Night Beat is one of the premiere events on the DrumCorps International Summer Tour and attracts over 10,000 spectators. This year, Luke invited Jacob, his friend and fellow drum major, to attend with him, and these guy had a great day watching the performances. 

We also hosted the NW Viking Band Leadership Team at our house for an evening in July.  These 33 musicians are the leaders of our band this season and are a great group of kids:

Mark and Millie have birthdays one day apart at the end of July, and we tease Mark that his birthday is now known as "Millie's Birthday Eve":

Celebrating our Big Boss

Presents

Homemade Doggie Ice Cream

Our new 6 year-old, but a puppy for life!

Also, all the Senior Year things started happening in July, beginning with Senior Yearbook Photos. These behind-the-scenes shots of what you don't see in the formal yearbook pose make me giggle:

No Pants = No Problem

The signing of the Spirit Rock is another milestone for the Senior Class. We are going to soak it all in this year as we celebrate our special senior with gratitude and joy! 

As our marching band says, "Last Rep = Best Rep!"

Let's GOOOOO! 

GAPP Exchange: Germany Edition

 

In June and July, Luke traveled to Germany with the German American Partnership Program (GAPP). The two German students that we hosted this spring welcomed Luke and he stayed for a week with each of their families before traveling as a group around the country. In total, NWHS sent a group of 11 students with 2 teachers:

Off they go!

 

Everyone felt a sense of comfort and familiarity, knowing that the American travelers would soon be reunited with their German partners who had visited North Carolina in April. 

These guys were excited to see their friends, and it was so much fun for the German and American students to be together again:

First lunch in Germany

Luke stayed with Stephan's family for the first week and met Stephan's older brother and parents. Thankfully, Luke's German mom took lots of pictures and sent me updates daily via Whats App. She wrote to me in German, and I wrote back in English, and we both were very thankful for Google Translate and modern technology that allowed us to communicate.

Family Dinner

Luke's bedroom at Stephan's house

Our foodie was delighted by all the German cuisine

Luke & Frau Humbert (Stephan's mom)

Luke and Stephan rode e-bikes to school each day (the driving age in Germany is 18), and Luke really enjoyed experiencing life as a typical German teen. This group was quite social and kept him busy with lots of fun activities:

Wake Boarding at TurnCable Wakepark

Pizza and Poker Night

Roasting brats around the bonfire

Stephan's family also planned excursions to local favorites in/around Augsburg.  One afternoon, they visited a climbing/ropes course:

The Augsburg Ice Canal is a whitewater facility was built for canoe slalom competitions in 1972 Summer Olympic Games  and is now on the UNESCO World Heritage List:

Luke concluded his first week with a trip to LegoLand Germany. His host family packed so much into Week 1 and he had so many amazing adventures:

Week 2 was spent with Tim's family. Tim and Luke rode the city bus to school each day, and they also had some uniquely German activities planned:

Soccer golf

Traditional German Food at a Beer Garden 

GAPP Garden Party at Tim's house:

Celebrating the 4th of July in Germany:

Historic Augsburg:

"Little Venice" (canal district of Augsburg)

Luke was so lucky to have such wonderful experiences with both of his host families, and we are so thankful for the bonds that he made with them.

During the week, the group had many field trips:

Kuka Robotics Tour:

Ulm, Germany:

Old Town District along the Danube

Ulm Minster: the tallest church in the world

Luke & Treyton: Bros! 

Riegele Brewery Tour:

German Life Saving Association: DLRG (Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft):

Too tall to fit in the emergency vehicle

New favorite drink: Spezi

German School

Munich:

No air conditioning in homes/at school, and it was HOT!

During the final part of their stay in Germany, the group traveled by bus to explore different regions of the country. They stayed in a youth hostel and had some awesome adventures sightseeing and traveling:

Linderhof Castle: Palace and Gardens

Mittenwald:

Treyton and Luke provided comedy for this group daily!

Room with a view

Neuschwanstein Castle:

Partnach Gorge Hike:

After an incredible few weeks, it was time for our travelers to return home.  There were some tearful good-byes and priceless memories for them to cherish:

Group Farewell Photo

This photo of our American GAPP travelers was published in the Augsburg newspaper

On their way home!

Back in NC:

We were so happy to have our boy home, and thrilled that he was able to be a part of such a wonderful program!