Graduation Ceremony

Jake practiced for weeks to prepare for the Bynum School Graduation Ceremony. He played various pieces as guests were being seated, and then played "Pomp and Circumstance" as the graduates came in and again as the ceremony ended. The school is for special needs students, and they graduated six sweet young people. The valedictorian's speech was beautiful - very touching. The young lady's teacher stood behind her to help her follow her script, but every time he thought he would need to step in and give assistance, she was able to find her place and continue. Not a dry eye in the chapel! Jake was very touched, as well. It was a wonderful experience - and a personally proud moment for us as parents as we watched Jake use his gift of music to serve in this special way. (Luke was pretty proud, too!)

 

 

 

(I've tried to upload these videos off and on all day - my apologies if they don't work.) 

Bermuda Cruise

We had a wonderful time this past week on our cruise to Bermuda.

It was quite foggy when we sailed from the harbor in New Jersey/New York, so we did not get a good view of the Statue of Liberty.  

The shows each evening were so good!

We really liked our cozy little room.  Mal's bed came down from the ceiling and it was perfect for her.

Tim and I tried the Zumba class the first day.  Needless to say, once was enough for us.

Tim and Mason participated in the Ping Pong tournament.  Can you tell from the medals who got 1st and who got 2nd?

One night there were frog legs on the menu.  We thought of the Robertson gang, and didn't want to let them down.  We all decided to give them a try.

They were a bit rubbery.  Duck was also on the menu that night.  Phil, Willie and Jase would have loved it!

Not sure why Tim and Mason were hanging from the stairs...

This is the view from our balcony for the three days we were in Bermuda.  

We saw the most beautiful beaches!  The temperature was in the mid 70s.  In Bermuda the water temp is the same as the air temp.  It was a bit chilly, but we still enjoyed some snorkeling.  

Mal loved reading and resting in her private little cubby.

Tim enjoyed sleeping in his!

All the houses and shops are painted with bright colors - so fun to see.

Frisbee on the beach was a highlight.  As you can see, we basically had the beach to ourselves.  I had read that if you are going to Horseshoe Bay - the most popular beach - to keep waling about 1/4 mile and you will find coves that people just usually don't see.  

Fruit and vegetable carving demonstration...

There were two formal nights on the ship.

The weather was a bit better on our way back to the dock today.  We had a better view of the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, and the One World Trade Center Building.  (I'm still bitter that they didn't stick with the name Freedom Tower but that is a rant for another day.)

We had great family time, and came home with lots of memories we will forever cherish.