Summer Part 1

Our summer started a bit differently as I had a second neck surgery on June 2nd.  The first time, my neurosurgeon went in from the back (posterior approach) to remove bone spurs. This surgery was done from the front (anterior approach), and the surgeon replaced the discs at C3-5. This recovery has been a lot easier than last time—even though there’s still some pain, I’m feeling better overall than before the surgery. Seth and Lydia have been awesome at taking over the household chores. I am getting so spoiled not having to clean, cook, or do dishes! Since I also had a lifting restriction, I couldn't even get groceries by myself.

I know they look weird, but I love these lazy glasses that let me read without bending my neck.

Incision looks good!

The week after my surgery, Cloverdale held a Family Ties VBS, Monday to Thursday evening. The event started with dinner prepared by church volunteers, followed by praise and worship in the sanctuary. Kids then attended their activities while adults remained in the sanctuary to hear presentations from local ministries about how we can support them. Seeing my own kids involved in Family Ties (Seth chose the music and played piano for the praise and worship time, Lydia and Anna helped teach, and Joshua led the outdoor activities) was such a blessing, as I was unable to assist in any way this year.

I love the intergenerational aspect of church.

Two weeks later, we drove to Faith Heights in Donnelly for our annual church camp. About 80 church members gathered from Wednesday evening to Saturday morning to enjoy fellowship, play games, share meals, and hear teaching on the Gospel of Luke from Rev. Paul Lindemulder.

In between surgery and the above church activities, the kids (with supervision help from mom) cleaned out closets and kitchen cupboards and helped Russ repair and paint the back porch. They spent many hours practicing piano and violin for a wedding in July.

 Summer wasn't all work, though. Lydia spent lazy afternoons on the porch reading, and Seth had several outings with high school friends back home for the summer. Other activities included pickleball, ultimate frisbee, and yard games in the park. Lydia also flew to California to visit Aidan in mid-July. When Lydia returned from California, they had a fun outing with Joshua and Anna paddleboarding near Ritter Island. The kids also attended three plays at the outdoor Shakespeare Festival, including The Twelfth Night, Noises Off, and Sunday in the Park with George. 

Celebrating Ascension Day!

Wish we lived closer so we could have watched Josie play Mrs. Hannigan in Annie.

Track and Field and Other Spring Happenings

We can’t attend all of Seth and Lydia’s track meets, but we’re grateful for live streams, stats, and post-race updates via calls and texts with Dad/Coach Herman!

After nearly three decades of track and field coaching, Russ decided this year would be his last. His growing commitments with the church and other ministry obligations have made it hard to juggle coaching and all the administrative tasks that come with it. Russ coached about 75-80 athletes, making sure every one of them felt valued, no matter their skills. He knew each athlete by name, remembered their best times, and tailored training so everyone got a chance to improve. With a talent in coaching relays, hand-offs, and middle-distance events, Russ has always put his heart into helping his team grow. When it was time to fill out those tricky meet line-ups, he loved strategizing to give as many kids as possible a shot at making it to State. I knew that during track season his mind was often in "track mode" and learned to be a patient coach's wife!

With his state-winning and record-setting sprint relay team.

Russ announcing his retirement. Yes, I cried.

Although Caleb is a full-time busy medical student and Mikaela is busy with her full-time job, they always seem to find time to relax and invest in each other, their church, and friends. Caleb calls every week to give life updates and often sends pictures for us to enjoy, getting a glimpse of life with C&M.

Caleb's artwork "just for fun"

Spring hiking near Estes Park

Russ, Lydia, Seth, and I drove to the Portland area for a wedding in May. This was the first of four weddings Russ would officiate this summer. (We did 4-5 sessions of premarital counseling for five couples and loved every minute.) This wedding in Portland was Anna's sister-in-law's (Joshua's sister). Anna played the piano for the wedding, and Joshua was a groomsman.

I love this scenic drive, and we even managed a stop at Multnomah Falls en route

April Trip to Iowa

Russ had the Board of Trustees meeting at Dordt at the end of April, and I went with him to spend time with family. By this time, my nerve pain was such that I didn't really have many good days and spent most of my days lying on the floor, as that was the most comfortable position. I was able to watch Myles two of the days that I was out, and thankfully, his favorite thing was to army crawl around and climb on Grandma as she was lying on the floor! I had imaging before I left with plans to see the surgeon when I returned home.

While in Iowa, we attended a track meet at Mount Marty to watch both Seth and Lydia run. It was so cold, but we loved being able to share at least one track meet in person with them.

We invited Seth, Lydia, and college friends to Grandpa and Grandma's for Pizza Ranch dinner. It was great to finally meet the people Seth had talked about all year.

I was also able to have coffee and reconnect with a dear BSF friend, Tammy, whom I met in Bible study about 25 years ago. Rekindling a relationship as though no time had passed reminds me that studying God's Word together is what defines true Christian fellowship.

On Sunday afternoon, all the Bleeker ladies met at the coffee shop, Kweken, in Orange City to celebrate two family brides-to-be, Miah and Brooke. Since everyone has such busy families, it was amazing that we could all be together on a weekend that we were visiting.

I also joined Mom and Dad on a trip to Knoblochs to buy garden plants and flowers for planters. It was fun to pick out flowers for an ISU themed birdbath planter.