USNA Graduation 09

Early last Friday morning, 4 of the kids and I went to Annapolis, MD to watch Matt Sealy graduate from the Naval Academy. We got there at about 7am and tailgated for breakfast with the Sealys. Since President Obama was speaking, security was very tight. The lines were long to get in, but we had our seats being saved, so we weren't in a huge hurry.
The Blue Angels did a flyover. Very impressive!

President Obama speaking to the graduates.
It was great to see Ryan!
Matt shaking hands with Obama.

Happy graduates!
After the hats are thrown, the kids run out to the field and pick them up. A lot of mids put money in their hats for the kids. David came back with $5 in his hat and Jonathon's hat had $41 in it! There was also a note inside. This is what it said.

"Below are a couple of quotes that have helped inspire and guide me during my time at
the Academy. I hope you find them as profound as I have. They are both by Winston
Churchill. Never, never, never give up. We make a living by what we get, but we make
a life by what we give."

Jonathon was quite excited by his "find", and David and Luke were genuinly happy for him.

Ensign Matthew David Sealy and his very proud mom.
After the ceremony, we went back to the Sealy van and tailgated for lunch. It was nice to not have to fight traffic.
Matt's roommate Chris came by the van to see us. Matt and Chris came over for church many Sundays. It was great getting to know Chris.

Later in the day, we went back to the house where the Sealys were staying for the week. We had a swearing in ceremony. Matt's grandfather, a former Navy captain, had the honor of swearing him in.

M'Cheyne Moore stopped by to see us. We'll see him lots this coming weekend when he gets married in Annapolis.
The view from the porch.


Hannah wanted Miss Ann to sit by her for dinner.

What a great day we all had! Matt, we are very proud of you and all the Lord is doing in your life. We have watched you grow from a little boy to a godly man. We will be praying for you as you begin a new chapter in your life. Thank you for your dedication to our country. We love you Matt.

Ben is 17!

Today is Ben's 17th birthday. It seems like yesterday he was just a baby!

Ben, it is a JOY to be your mom. I love you and am so thankful for you. This is my prayer for you....
"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and
admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in
the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

Colossians 3:16-17

2nd Annual CLS 5K race

Last Saturday was the 5K race at the school. For about ten straight days prior to the race, it had been raining....a lot. So much so, that an alternative course had to be designed. The forecast for Saturday morning was more rain, but God held it off and it was a beautiful morning! David ran for our family. Todd and Ben were course marshals, and I worked at the registration table. The above pic is of some of the course marshals.


Go David! He had a good time. I think it was 26:?? He had zero training, so his dad was pretty proud of him.

This year there was a Tot Trot. Hannah was so excited to be part of it. For days prior to the race, she would "practice her running". She would put on her race shirt and her shoes and run through the house. She couldn't go outside because of all the rain.
I just love this picture. Here she is assuming her "start position". She is ready to run!
Coach is here giving some final pointers.
And she is off!
Getting her ribbon and balloon at the end. She had asked me a few days before if she was going to win the race. I told her that no, she probably wouldn't win. She looked a little dejected. Then she said to me,"Mommy, will you still tell me that I did a great job even if I don't win"? So here we all are telling her she did a great job. I love my little girly.
Rachel and Sylvie. The whole Somerville family ran the race. It was inspiring. I think the Keelers should do the same next year!

When Worlds Collide

When my parents were here a few weeks ago, I had my dad bring up some Maurice's BBQ sauce. You cannot find mustard based BBQ sauce here anywhere! It is truly Southern. Well, Dad brought up a half gallon jar! It is the BEST sauce!!! So I decided to make BBQ while Tim and Sumi were here. Tim was quite excited because he can't get this in Japan, and of course Sumi had never had any.

Sumi's first BBQ sandwich! She loved it!!!

More fun with Tim and Sumika

While Tim and Sumika were here, Sumi(my nickname for her) wanted to cook some Japanese food for us. One day Eloise and I took her to the Asian market. It was great having her there to explain what certain foods were! We got an education!
This is one giant cabbage!
Thankfully she didn't buy this.
Sumi is here explaining to Eloise what to do with dried anchovies.
Sumi was on one side of the kitchen making a yummy Japanese dish. And Eloise was on the other side cooking our favorite Thai dish. I was taking pictures!!

I wish I could remember what this was called! It was like two pancakes(but not that sweet) and in the middle was chicken, bacon, and "assorted seafood", and cabbage. It was delicious.
Chopsticks in hand and we are ready to eat!

David was thrilled to find some octopus in his meal. He loved it.

Pilgrim!

Ben and Rachel just finished participating in the Youth Ministry production of "Pilgrim". Ben was cast as a lion and Irish shepherd. Rachel was in the crowd scenes and on the set crew. They both had a fantastic time being a part of this production.
Ben as the Irish shepherd with Riley who was Giant Despair.l

Vanity Fair
Rachel as a mannequin.
Alex did a great job playing the very evil prince.
Me and my lovely lion.
Friendships were made and strengthened during these months of rehearsals!
Faithful enters Heaven
Time for Irish step dancing!

Goodwill and the shepherds



What an amazing experience for us all! Everyone worked so hard! God was greatly glorified through this production. Cathy Mays and her assistants are to be greatly commended for the countless hours and the incredible sacrifice that they made. The students onstage and behind the scenes all worked to glorify the Lord in their work and in their friendships with one another. They greatly encourage me and spur me on to love Jesus Christ more. I am so grateful for them all.