Summer fun!

After a day of swimming, we went to the famous Red Robin (read below) for supper. We were thrilled when they built one in Cedar Rapids, so of course we had to eat there with the Statens. Red Robin himself was there! (Lynn is deliberately hiding behind R.R.)

The girls enjoy the pool. (Haley, Alyssa, Jenna, Mikayla and Brittney)

Of course with every picture there is a story right. There IS reason why I have taken a picture of Duane with this juice box. When we lived in Michigan we would go to a restaurant with the Statens called "Red Robin". One day, Jeff ordered the Petite Burger. Well, he has never lived that one done. "Oh, little Jeffy, you can't eat a manly burger, but have to eat a wittle bitty burger." OK, so yesterday while we were eating lunch I noticed Duane, instead of choosing a gut rot Pepsi for lunch chose a JUICE BOX! So I had to capture that on picture to black mail him forever. The joke is on him now!!

We had a really great day yesterday with the Statens. I was up early to get the coffee going for Duane who is a coffee-a-holic. Duane is quite a miracle in himself. He has had many many many SERIOUS back surgeries from injuries on the job. I can't even think about all the stuff because it makes me queasy...(hey, I'm not the nurse in the family), like they had to drill into his back down through his stomach! Yuck!! Anyway... He is a firefighter near Detroit and has so many stories to tell of all the stupid things that people call in help for, and some really terrible stories too. Well anyway, after finally getting all better after several YEARS of back surgeries and not being able to work, (the Dr's. told him he HAD to retire-but he refused) he finally made it back to 100%. He was on the way in to work one snowy night this past winter (he was on call- and had to go in to the station) he was in a head on collision from the icy roads and went into emergency surgery. This accident almost took his life, and his words to Jeff on the phone, "Well, it could have been worse!" He really is a walking miracle. He was always dependant on God and trusted him with his future.

The pictures tell the story of the rest of the day. Today (the 4th) we are going to the Coralville 4th of July parade, where Jeff will use his "no fail ability to get candy"-read a previous blog about the N.L. parade if you missed this- and then we are going to hang out, grill out, make home-made ice-cream. And we will make our 4th of July Fruit Pizza that we make every year, in honor of the girls' Aunt Kim, who has passed away now with Cancer. She made it with them a few years, on the 4th of July, and now the girls have to make it, in honor of her. The Staten girls even remember this from 3 years ago, and were hoping that we still had this tradition. Then we will probably head into Coralville tonight and watch the fireworks.

Hope you all have a GREAT 4th celebrating our Nation's freedom! Remember to think of our soldiers over there right now fighting for our freedom from terror also!

Happy 4th!!