Summer Recap

Wow, the summer has flown by! Posting on the blog has been on my to do list for a couple months now, but we just seem so busy all the time. With this post, I'll try to give a quick recap of the big events we've been involved with this summer.


We've been at the cottage more than usual this year. Rae & Joeli both love it up there...just something very cool with the energy of being up north at the cabin. Jen and I, (and Jon!), taught at my mom's karate seminar there in June. We had our class's seminar up there in early August. Both were a lot of fun...a direct influence from the great karateka that take part! Jon helped me with reinstalling the boathouse railing (okay, so Jon did most of the work...I was way tired and moving slow that day). ATCAM did an awesome job on the railing's powder coat; all the neighbors comment on how great it looks! TJ came up with me on a later weekend to make and install a top handrail cap for the railing, and do some yard maintenance. I worked on the plumbing during a couple trips...we had a nagging problem with air in the lines and loosing the prime...should be all fixed now though. My mom had Rae and Joeli up for a couple days the other week, and is taking them back up next weekend. I'm so excited to have the opportunity to watch them grow up with the cottage that I did!! We still have a few more projects to tackle this year...ripping out the bathroom floor and running a new waste line to the toilet, installing a new storm door, and putting up the soffit on the boathouse.

We went to the outdoor theater in Freedom for Jen's birthday to see Kung Fu Panda. It was Rae's first outdoor movie...although she spent more time walking me back and forth to the bathroom than watching the screen. Jen loved the movie though!

We tested Lyle for purple belt on July 12th. He had a great 3 hour test and performed extremely well. Sensei Jean drove down and was an excellent addition the board panel.

Moose Jaw seminar was a great even this year. Lots of good energy all around. I watched the girls while Jen worked out for the day. It was the first camping experience for Rae & Jo...they both did great sleeping in the tent and playing outside.

Jen and I got involved with Rebel Alliance Theater this summer. They are a local theater group here in Omro that focuses on education, growth, and sustainable community. Mostly comprised of actors between 15 & 25, they are a wonderful group to be around. They were looking for Tai Chi instruction to use as a warm up. Friends of ours that have been frequenting their productions and becoming more involved with the group got us in touch with them. http://www.rebelalliancetheatre.org/

Matt & Jen got married on August 1st, then had their wedding on August 2nd. All the plans worked out great; both events were wonderful to be a part of. Jen and I are so happy to have another sister!! Interestingly, the family again has a Jennifer Lynn Vandenberg...exactly the same name as Jen's maiden name.

A couple weeks ago, I was a keynote speaker at the Green Globe Renaissance Gathering. It was a very fun event showcasing and combining aspects of the Renaissance of the 1500's and current ideas of Sustainable Community corresponding to the Green Movement we are now in. I had the opportunity to share how bodywork, and specifically, my business ties in with these ideas. High point of the afternoon included Father Joe, a local retired Catholic priest, skydiving into the show, Rebel Alliance performing Shakespeare's The Tempest, and inflating of a hot air balloon.

Last night we held our karate class around our fire pit in the back yard. It was the last night our yellow belt, Mercedes, would be with us. She is moving to Appleton and will be transferring to Master Nelson's class in Neenah. So we had a very nice evening sitting around the fire, having a couple drinks, sharing conversation, and saying goodbye. We'll be sure to visit her in her new dojo soon!

Well...I'm sure I missed a few, but that's most of the big events. I'll get some pictures on here in another post soon.