Jeannie Performs in
the Annie_jr Musical
 

Jeannie played a maid in the Oliver Warbucks household and a New Yorker in the "NYC" scene.  She was also the off-stage radio announcer.  Our friend and neighbor Kara Smith played the orphan Pepper (below left) and also Sandy, Annie's dog.  Kara has become a multi-talented performer -- a very polished singer, dancer and actress.

After the performance I burned 40 CDs with 294 of my best photographs for the kids, as well as providing a 5"x7" cast photo for each of them.  I've become one of COSTCO's best customers.

College Suits Annie
 
Annie's freshman year has come to an end.   She was late arriving at her dorm room as I was there to help her move home -- so I ended up carrying all but one load of her things to the van. 

But perhaps she needed the rest.  She has completed her freshman year with another 4.00 average.  She has become very active in literary circles.  One of her poems was published in SPU’s student art magazine Lingua.  She is also on its editorial board. She's also a very active participant on a young writers forum web site.  And she developed an online forum for the ladies in her  University Scholars cohort to keep in touch over the summer.  

A Statistic I Appreciate

Sheila Vortman, Director of SBE's Center for Applied Learning, shared with me an interesting fact.  Students completing their required  business internships were polled and one of the questions was, "What course in the business curriculum was most useful to you in your internship?"  She said they answered BUS 1700 Spreadsheets by three to one.  I've known that solid spreadsheet skills are essentials to business people.  My students agree.

Dr. F. Dale Bruner at FPCB on Acts ― June 10th

Dale Bruner has been my favorite Bible Teacher for many years.  He was on the Whitworth College faculty for 22 years and has written one of the best commentaries on Matthew ever penned.  He is a particular friend of Dr. Dick Leon and Dr. Earl Palmer so we've heard him regularly at FPCB and UPC.

I managed to get out of going to SPU's commencement exercises in order to attend this one day conference at FPCB.   I enjoyed his comment that the world changed between these two words, "Maria" and "Rabboni!" (John 20:16.)

Men's Bible Study goes on Summer Break

On June 23rd  I led the men through Psalm 21 and into a bit of Psalm 22.  These two psalms parallel the contrast between Palm Sunday and Good Friday.  We will return to finish Psalm 22, but not until after we complete our next book, Exodus, which we will start in on after Labor Day.

Phil Voigt led on two Saturdays this month but reports that his tumor has again grown.  I will be preparing to lead the group for the foreseeable future.

Washington Intensive, Nine Mile Falls, WA
 
On Saturday, June 24th, I drove five BCS wrestlers to the Spokane area to begin the week-long Washington Intensive wrestling camp at Lakeside High School.  It has been described as being as severe as military boot camp.  Running in 90+ degree temperatures and wresting 20+ matches in the week.  The ten BCS teammates arrived a day ahead of the rest of the campers and set up their tent camp.  Oscar Del Moro, father of David (senior) and Matt (sophomore) handled most of the details. 
 
I learned that Nate won his first two matches.  I will make the cross-state drive on Friday the 30th to bring home the wounded and watch the final run and championship matches on Saturday July 1st. 

From the "Why am I not surprised?" Dept.
 

Nathanael is the genuine article.  While the kids milled around waiting for their full number to arrive for the photo shoot, Nate introduced himself to his peers from Cedar Park Christian and engaged them in conversation.

Michelle Teng's mom Susan brought her husband Leland's Nikon D50 camera and took a picture of Nathanael and I.
I had my Nikon D70 and the professional photographer had her Nikon D200.  Susan and Leland were the strongest parent supporters of the Track & Field team this year, in which all three of their kids competed.  Their son Andrew won the State triple-jump.

The photographer let me use her ladder to get a better shot of the Seattle skyline. (Click the image of Nathanael for the shot I took.)

No Rest in June
 
Monday, June 5 ― "Night camp" training sessions at UPC for Nate and Nancy, me at home helping Susan make DVDs from her videos of a mission trip to Africa.
 

Tuesday, June 6 ― Jeannie's Chinook band concert.  Will it be her last as she transitions to Bellevue Christian School for 8th grade?

 

Wednesday, June 7 ― BCS Honors Night at FPCB. Nathanael was inducted into the National Honor Society.  He was also listed in the BCS Honors Program on the "BCS High Honor Roll" and as one of only nine sophomores with GPAs above 3.5 who are Multi-Sport athletes.  But most satisfying to Nate's Dad was his three departmental awards.  He received these in Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.

His History teacher singled him out from the six other Social Studies recipients for his presentations in costume, one as "a South American Revolutionary" and one as "a Nun!" (He has dressed as St. Scholastica, the twin sister of St. Benedict.)  It was the lightest moment of the evening.

The comment from his Math teacher to the assembly was that his quizzes were consistently the highest in the class. What she told me privately the week before on the State Track & Field weekend, was that his great quizzes compensated for less than perfect homework.  What he does he does well.  Finding time to do it all is his problem.    

Thursday, June 8 ― SBE Graduate Banquet

I'll never loose weight if I keep attending these.  I can't say no to free food.

Friday, June 9 ― Nathanael's BCS Choir Concert

Remind me next time I think Nate should take computer programming instead of Concert Choir that he'll have his whole life to play with computers. Choir is soul building.

The Taproot Theatre production of The Foreigner was great comedy.  Managing Director Scot Nolte was a riot in the lead role of Charlie Baker, the visiting Brit - "Foreigner".

The family enjoyed these DVDs this month: Annie, Grease, and Batman Begins (from the library).  Our DVD player is on the fritz, so we watched these on Nathanael's computer.

I also managed to sneak in a visit to the Cinerama Theatre to see X-Men: The Last Stand.  I did enjoy the movie, but was disappointed with the pace that did not allow for character development.  And it's never much fun when the good guys die.

For reading, I finished a short textbook on the history, culture and theology of Islam.  I was tired of being so ignorant about such an important people and religion.

I also read The Unknown Shore by Patrick O'Brian.  This is the companion novel to The Golden Ocean (1956) which I had read earlier.  The Golden Ocean (better read first) follows two Irish boys.  Peter Palofox, second son of a poor Irish parson, sets out with a young peasant friend on the voyage of a lifetime when they seek their fortune as midshipman and seaman in Commodore Anson's flotilla in 1740 which circumnavigated the world.  The Unknown Shore (1959) tells much the same story, but of two English boys. Jack Byron and Tobias Barrow, aboard the HMS Wager, are shipwrecked and presumed lost with all hands while rounding the horn of South America.  The curiosity of this novel is that it employs the same characterization that the author used beginning in 1970 in his Aubrey-Maturin series.  Instead of a midshipman and a surgeon's mate, his later books began with a lieutenant and a surgeon.  And their personalities and interests were also the same. 

Annie got me Patrick O'Brian's book of short stories The Rendezvous and Other Stories as my Father's Day gift.  It is a reflection of how well she knows me.

At the end of June I am reading Exodus in the NKJV.