June 1 - and all is well!

June, already?  Another high school graduation season  - Class of 2014!

• Willie has been officially serving a mission for 14 weeks.  He has been in Lithuania a little over a month.  He seems good - his emails are positive and he is smiling in the pictures he sends us.  He is in a little city in north central Lithuania, Siauliai (Shou-lay).  If you want to learn about the city you can follow the blog, Baltic Avenue, of a Fulbright Scholar teaching at the University there http://balticavenu.blogspot.com/2014_05_01_archive.html.  If you would like to know what this person thinks about the missionaries, visit the post called Street Gang, written on May 3 http://balticavenu.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-street-gang_3.html.
• We celebrated a bunch of birthdays in May.  Three of my five little grandchillins have their birthday in May - Wyatt, May 12, Molly, May 14, and Jack, May 30.  Annie and Ross also celebrate birthdays in May.
• Karl and I are keeping busy watching little ones do things -- Elliott and Wyatt in baseball, Molly in a dance program, Molly and Jack in their pre-school program, and Quinn just being an almost 2 year old.
• Karl coached a grades 7-8 AAU basketball team this spring.  So, from mid March through the first of May he worked with a dozen or so boys trying to teach them how to play basketball and more importantly how to be tough and strong basketball players.  It wasn't the most talented group of boys but definitely the nicest. 
• Grandpa is still in the rehab center and making progress every day.  He fell March 17 and broke his neck - #1 and #2 cervical vertebrae.  After surgery, unexpected urological problems, and eating through a feeding tube, he is ready to get home.  His house is ready thanks to my sister, Cindy.  The two bathrooms in the house have been completely remodeled to include walk-in showers, high sinks and toilets, and solid rails and bars throughout the house.  Dad's been out to the house a couple of times and seems anxious to get home.  He hasn't passed the swallow tests to the satisfaction of the professionals, but he is eating pureed and thickened food a couple of times a day in addition to 10 hours on the feeding tube.  He's lost some weight but looks good.
• The family swimming pool is about ready for swimmers.  It is open and getting its chemical balance adjusted for a few days.  I think this is the earliest we have opened the pool for many years.