Our spring break this year was a little underwhelming, but it did have some special highlights.
We stayed close to home this year, so I decided to plan a service project week. It was tricky to find volunteer opportunities that were one-time commitments, welcomed fifteen-year-olds, and fit into our schedule. It was easy and familiar to volunteer at a Special Olympics competition. The events were poly-hockey and powerlifting. Brett volunteered with serving lunches, Reggie and Bryan helped reset the weights for powerlifting, and Lydia and I worked in the mental health screening booth. It was also fun to watch the events! There are some very strong athletes! Next, we volunteered at a commissary kitchen. We chopped a lot of carrots and chicken for soup, and learned about food insecurity. We also visited a homeless encampment and distributed supplies with a ministry that is affiliated with our church. Finally, we volunteered at Today's Harvest. Today's Harvest is a food rescue that distributes mostly perishable and expiring foods at two free grocery stores. A while back, it had to close one of its locations and our church made room for it in the north wing of our building. We have been back several times to volunteer for more shifts.
We had one volunteer opportunity fall through at the last minute, but that made room for a spontaneous service project that was ultimately our favorite. When the volunteer opportunity canceled, Reggie asked if we could stop at the animal humane society. His guinea pig died in the fall and he had been searching for an available single female friend to join our other girls. Just the right one arrived at the shelter that day. She had been found hiding near a dumpster in an area state park. We named her Suzy Bean and she is the sweetest little piggy. At first, she was underweight and shy and didn't eat much, but that didn't last! She's plump and a good roommate now!
Lydia reached a big milestone over spring break. She passed her driver's exam and got her license! Uffdah! That was so much work! She also worked a few extra hours refereeing volleyball.
Over the weekend, we took a road trip to South Dakota. We stayed a night in Sioux Falls and went to a comedy show. We spent the next day with my sister and her family. My sister operates a woodworking shop and teaches classes. She showed the kids how to whittle a butter knife. I loved seeing my nieces and nephew and their growing families. We drove on to a South Dakota state park and stayed in a cabin. It was definitely the off-season, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We enjoyed a walk by the lake, a fire, and bowling!
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