Family Updates~ Summer 2011
Where has the summer gone... it seems like it was just May, and now it's already August! I reflect on the summer 2011 that has been filled with many memories, fun times, and life changes.
Our oldest, Kelsie, Graduates from High School with honors!
May 2011
Kelsie graduates as Salutatorian with friend Cassidy, Valedictorian. (Their High School had approximately 250 graduating Seniors)
Kelsie did awesome on her speech. She didn't share what she was going to say with us until we heard it first hand at the graduation; her speech was heart warming and God honoring. We are so proud of her and the woman she is becoming.
Kelsie's Grandma and Grandpa came from Oregon state to share in her special occasion!
Joe, our youngest, turns 7!!! July 9.
Fun Times at the Beach!
Kelsie and Jessie have morbid fun. (hint: one big hole, one smaller hole, and just the perfect camera angle)
...feeding the seagulls is always fun.
Kirk and I celebrated our 23 wedding anniversary this summer...
Can you believe we met on a blind date in the summer of 1983 and have been together ever since!
(a total of 28 years)
First Day of School, July 18th.
Jessie (4th grade), Joe (2nd grade), Andrew (10th grade)
Kelsie not pictured, will be starting college classes August 24.
Our little fixer upper house is surrounded by farm fields; this season the harvest is cotton! We took a bunch of pictures to include one in this year's Christmas cards.
Kirk ends his 20 year military career with his last flight as a Navy Pilot/Flight Instructor on July 22. The last flight is called a "Finny Flight".
Kirk ends his Navy career in a TC-12 with a total of over 5,500 multiengine flight hours.
His multiengine time as a Navy Pilot also includes flying the P-3 and T-34.
The tradition of a finny flight is to water down the pilot as he departs the plane; usually with a fire hose as we did here. As his family, we took the honor to hose him!
Another tradition is to spray the pilot down with champaign. Kirk's Navy buddies did this honor.
After all the hoopla outside, we went to the hanger for a simple retirement ceremony. Kirk's "official" retirement is October 1, but since this was his "finny flight", he opted to have his ceremony at this point to include his Navy buddies from the Reserve Department.
Kirk is honored by his Squadron~ he receives several certificates, a Meritorious Service Medal, a Photo Board signed by his Navy buddies, and this very neat shadow box.
We all got certificates of recognition, but the man of honor is Kirk Roman Wymore!
We are so proud of you, Kirk.
Now that Kirk is retiring from the Navy, his hope is to continue to fly as a civilian pilot (God providing the perfect flying job for him). We also hope to invest in rental properties and possibly a couple flip houses.
Remodeling our "fixer upper" has consumed much of our time in between our family events this summer. The day after Kirk's "finny flight" (Sat, July 23) we began demolition on our kitchen which has turned into a project much like a full-time job! ...thank goodness Kirk is on paid vacation for the next couple month so we can work on the house full time!
In two truck loads we discarded our entire kitchen (minus the appliances which are all in new & good condition and will be re-used). Renovation Updates- "AFTER" pictures on Living Room, Hallways, Dining Room and Kitchen will be posted on this blog soon.
Kelsie getting ready for her road trim to College; she willll be attending Lee University in Tennessee. God blessed Kelsie (and us, her parents) with a "Centennial Scholarship" (full tuition paid for qualifying ACT test score). Kelsie has also been accepted in the Lee Honors Program (1 of 22 students out of 900 incoming freshman). Kelsie plans to explore the Medical and Christian Ministries fields- double majoring in Health Sciences to someday become a PA and also in Spanish, minor in Theology.
...getting her bedroom packed up.
will it all fit in her car? It's a tight fit, for sure!
Tennessee or BUST~ Kelsie and her Dad hit the road early (6:30 am) Wednesday for a long 2 days of driving. Kirk will attend parent orientation and several other events while Kelsie registers for classes, meets her new room-mate, and gets settled in her new college life. Kirk will fly home Sunday morning.
Kelsie loves her new school already!
Classes for our new College Freshman begin August 24, 2011.
Kids crashed out on the lonnnnnngggggg flight.
We get to Seattle, and the kids enjoy the cold weather; they can see their breath! 
"Cozy quarters" - kids' sleeping arrangements.
...time to help Grandma & Grandpa Eccles decorate the Christmas tree.
A stop to buy a few scratch off lottery ticket...
We wanted to drive up the mountain (Mt. St. Helens) to see if we would find snow. We drove about 20 minutes- NO SNOW on the way- but we did have fun seeing some sights. 
Very cool! Castle Rock has a tradition... the city fire truck rolls around town blowing the siren, seeking out young children for Santa to visit.
...me and my man!
My mom pulls out the vinyls and 8 tracks to show off to the grandkids! They have never seen either (a vinyl record or 8-track tape) before now... 
...an mom still has a sterio to play both!
Dancing to Elvis... mom is in her element!
mom and dad... so sweet!
Grandpa Eccles and the Wymore kids.
Believe it or not, this is only a sampling of all the Elvis stuff mom has. We joke with her that when the day comes that her and dad are in heaven with Jesus, us kids will eventually have a huge eBay business selling Elvis collectibles.
...the road trip between Castle Rock, WA and Hood River, OR is about two hours. Kirk and I both grew up in the Hood River Area (Kirk in Hood River, me, across the Columbia River in Bingen/White Salmon, WA) ; it feels good to be back home.
The beauty of the Pacific Northwest...I MISS THIS!!!
Multnomah Falls,Oregon
SNOW!!!
Andrew doesn't care to be shopping... can you tell?
Happy to finally be getting out of there!
Anyone up for a snowball fight?
...some sledding?
...eating a snow ball?
Christmas Eve, Jessie and Joe pick out cookies for Santa...
All tucked in ready to wake up for Christmas morning. 
The kids sort the gifts.
...then all of a sudden, a noise started playing music~
Andrew finds his new cell phone sitting next to the TV ringing a cool tune Kelsie had picked out (one of Andrew's favorite songs). Andrew kept complaining about being "the only 9th grader without a cell phone" (which wasn't quite true-but almost)...
Mom and Dad Wymore with our family.
The kid's cousin, Adia.
Bob making our prime rib Christmas dinner.
Andrew and cousin "Robo" (Robert)
Jessie and Evyn playing with Jess' new curlers.
Lots of fun and games...
Grandpa brought out his polar bear for the kids to see (he shot it over 55 years ago when he was in the Coast Guard (in Alaska).
Evyn is not too sure about it!
Rudolf?
Joe showing off his new Nintendo DSI...
Back home, our pets were glad to have us home.
