For a few years now its been our grandparents plan to build a home on our property and it is finally becoming a reality. Within just a few days the site had grown from just a piece of dirt to already pouring the concrete foundation and walls. 

   Yesterday, when I saw the workers still working through the intense rain and thunder, I was really impressed. The storm was so crazy and big that the rain was coming in onto the front porch. When the rain finally let up our pasture was in complete disarray. The mud was so thick down by the road that one of the concrete trucks got stuck.

 

A few days ago the Keigleys invited us to spend the day with them at Carl Sandburg's home in Flat Rock, NC. From the beginning of 1878 through 1967 Carl Sandburg wrote poems, played his guitar, and wrote a biography on Abraham Lincoln. You can click here to read more about him. 

    Afterwards they and another family that they had invited took us to a barbecue place a couple minutes away. And if that wasn't enough we topped off the trip by going to Skytop Orchards.   

   Yesterday we had the last day at a Summer Good News Club. GNC is a sort of camp that our  church hosts each year. In the first half of camp two little kid teams and two big kid teams do relays and other games to win points for their team. Afterwards a group of four teenagers (CEF students) comes and sings songs, tell stories, read and memorize scripture, and many other fun games.   Throughout the week Me and a few other friends from my Youth Group helped referee games, handing out snacks and lunch, and lots of other things. This morning when we arrived, Travis and I were tasked with filling up over a hundred water balloons. From 9:00am to 12:00pm we oversaw many relays that had something to do with getting wet. When GNC ended with the the CEF kids getting pied in the face multiple times the Kyker fam headed home for some well needed rest. At around 3:30  Mom told us that our local water park was doing four dollars a ticket instead of twelve. She also told us that the our cousins were coming as well.

   The park consists of three large slides, a mini slide for younger kids, a large pool, and a splashing area. 

   When we left an hour and a half later we drove home and met up with Dad. Following our arrival, Dad told us that we were going to go out to eat. Hurriedly we changed out of bathing suits and into clean clothes. At least I did. I don't know about the three little boys. When we were in the car, Dad surprised us with going to see the new Disney Pixar movie Inside Out. Sadly the only showing was started thirty minutes before we even left the house. Finally we found a showing that started at 10:00pm. When at last we got home and crawled into bed it was past midnight. For what its worth I think that was a awesome day to end our summers awesomeness.

 
If you can believe it today is my parents seventeenth wedding anniversary. With grand ideas of hiking through the woods along a somewhat difficult trail in the Jones Gap state park, we left our house with backpacks and water bottles. When we entered Jones Gap we were dismayed to find out that they were at their full capacity and that we had to wait for forty five minutes until we would be able to go into the state park. Not wanting to sit there and wait we turned around and decided to go hiking at Table Rock state park. This time we were let in to everyones great delight. By the end of our hike I was really glad that we decided to go to Table Rock.

   Last month we had some really good friends of ours (the March's) come down from Saint Louis, Missouri to visit with us and a few other friends of theirs. While staying at our house their celebrated their son's first birthday. As a present from me to him I made a little video for him. Enjoy!

   Starting July 10th the Kyker clan embarked on a eight hour car trip to Pensacola Beach, FL. Starting last year, the Babingtons and us have made it a tradition to come down to Pensacola each year in the summer. Between our arrival and departure from the condo building we did several beach trips, a few pool trips, a obstacle course in the water, played a very intense game of Monopoly, and watched the Blue Angels fly over our heads. Ever sense I made the video of the 4th of July, Me and Trav have been planning to make one for our trip to Pensacola. This is a video that I pieced together using some parts from the original. I would have preferred to do the original video but the storage on Blogger is to small to accommodate it.  I hope you like it!                                                                                   

                                      

   Finally, the day has come! The party began at 3:30, but Dad, Travis, and I got to work much earlier setting up a slip n slide that started at the top of our hill and continued down to the bottom. Throughout the afternoon, we played corn hole, frisbee, basketball, football, slid down the slip n slide, ate BBQ sandwiches, and watched fireworks. Toward the middle of our party, I had the idea to make a video that documented our affair. We celebrated America's birthday with great gusto. 

   

Happy 4th of July!