Summer 2025

 Hello.  Signaling the end of summer with Labor Day upon us.....hope you had a great summer....we had a good summer with lots of events to share, so here goes....

Abby worked as a lifeguard at our community Lake Heritage pool.  She worked a significant amount.  Earned some money, learned some things, and got to know some of the older kids from her school....all in all a good experience.

Abby participated in lacrosse club practice sessions.  Perfect for us...got some stick time and coaching without interfering much with work, summer activities, and field hockey.

The girls went to Georgia in June to see Rebakah's family.  They flew down and had a great visit with them and got to meet their cousins' small children....and got upgraded to a Ford Bronco rental :) 

We were able to go to Myrtle Beach over July 4th....we have done this past couple years.  We like it there and we had a good time and it coincides with our anniversary - 28th! We were challenged by an early hurricane nearby, but made the most of it by going to Charleston for the day (and Abby's friend was also there with her family)

Abby had the opportunity to go to field hockey camp at Shippensburg University with her team (and friends).  She learned alot and also was able to play and connect with her team for her upcoming Sophomore season.  She got the duck for exhibiting work ethic, play and being a good teammate :)

We took a vacation trip to the Finger Lakes with our family and Clark's family in the beginning of August.  We had a very good time staying all together in a farmhouse at the top of Keuka Lake.  We enjoyed Pan Yan, make a hike to a waterfall, Clark's dad rented a boat.  Good family time, food, and exploring.  A trip that we will remember for a while...

Madi and Clark took a trip to Peru and hiked Machu Picchu. It took some planning, had some challenges, but was a great experience.

Clark also completed a half Iron Man to go with his Full Iron Man last fall.

Abby has started her Sophomore year.  She has a good academic schedule set up for the year and is off to a good start.  Here is the traditional first day picture.

Abby's field hockey season is off to a good start for her.  She is a starting varsity midfielder.  They had some fun on media day.  We were able to snatch a picture from a site from one of her games.

Andrew continues his service at Fort Sill, OK.  He has completed some classes that were offered at the Field Artillery School house to increase his knowledge and certifications as well as being a platoon leader and, most recently, an executive officer.  He did have a mishap with some road water in his BMW that unfortunately totalled the car.....it was nice while it lasted.  He was able to navigate the insurance system, get a fair settlement, and got himself into a new used car....he is looking forward to heading to Fort Bragg, NC in Nov/Dec.

He was able to go to the Oklahoma Sooner opening day football game with some friends.

Best pic I could get from Andrew....

Madi continues her job at American University and will continue with grad school in the fall at AU.  She will have an opportunity to be a producer, writer, and editor on a documentary for public tv as part of her grad classes.

Abby will be playing varsity field hockey this fall and working on her school classes.  She is signed up to play some club field hockey this winter with a local club.  She is also continuing playing the cello as part of the high school orchestra, so we look forward to some concerts the fall.

Hope you are well....until next time...

Spring 2025

 Hello.  Hope you had a great Spring.

Abby had a busy Spring.  We finished out the last part of winter with a few more ski trips.

She started lacrosse practice in March.  She had a very good first season and developed alot as a player.  Here are some pictures from the season.

She will continue practicing with a lacrosse club team this summer, which will be fun.

She also participated with her high school team for off season field hockey practices and tournaments

She participated in fund raising for Mini-Thon at the High School to raise money for childhood cancer (Inspired by Penn State). FTK!

Abby also had a huge accomplishment, she completed her lifeguard certification over a very long weekend in May...30 Hours with exams!  She also got a job as a lifeguard at the Lake Heritage Pool for the summer with that certification....her first job!

And, Abby continues to play the cello with the high school orchestra.  She had a few concerts and we enjoy going to see her play with a great high school orchestra....tough to get pics, but here is one.

Madi continues to be very busy with work and grad school as she continues to pursue her Master's in Film at American University where she works as a media specialist for a department.  She got exciting news that her first documentary was featured in an event downtown DC at the Environmental Film Festival.  We travelled down to see the presentation, where they previewed the film and interviewed Madi on a panel. It was awesome, and excited for future opportunities and success.

Amongst her busy schedule, Madi also trained for and completed the DC Half Marathon in March!

We were able to meet up with the the Minges's in DC at Madi and Clark's church service for Easter.  It was a great service and it was awesome to be all togther for Easter

Andrew continues to serve at Fort Sill, OK.  He has served in a variety of roles and continues to learn the responsibilities of a 2LT training officer, including taking basic training to the field and on training exercises. 

Andrew is a big NBA fan (Celtics fan), but took advantage of his proximity to Oklahoma City to go to game 7 in OKC (vs Denver Nuggets)...cool experience.

Andrew was able to find a break and take leave to come home over Memorial Day for 2 weeks.  We were able to get the whole family together over Memorial Day.  We went to see the new Mission Impossible Movie ( a tradition ).  No pic at Memorial Day gathering, a major fail...

Abby started her job on Memorial Day weekend.  It was very cold and windy, so pretty much spent the day in the guard shack....no pics that day....but, here is one soon after.

(Pic to come)

This summer Abby will practice with the club lacrosse team, continue with her offiseason field hockey practices to include a team camp at Shippensburg University and work hours at the pool as a lifeguard.

Madi and Clark have trips planned for the summer, the big one being to Machu Picchu, Peru in addition to many other planned activities.

Andrew will continue his time at Fort Sill, but also begin to plan for his PCS move to Fort Bragg, NC late this fall.

Hope you had a great spring, and have an awesome summer.....until next time....

Christmas 2025 and Abby's 15th Birthday!

 Hello.  Hope this finds you well.  We had a busy, but, very good Holiday season for 2025.

Abby had her Christmas Concert.  An event we always look forward to.  Tough to get pics, but here is an attempt.

My new job as a Defense Contractor at the Pentagon office presented an opportunity to attend the Christmas party because I was not on active duty during the Christmas holiday the past 2 years.  Rebekah and I attended.  It was a very nice event and a good opportunity for Rebekah to meet some of my co-workers.  Also, trying out a post military retirement beard :)

Madi has been working on her Master's in film at American University, while also working full time there.  She led a team that published a documentary.  It was very good, and it was exciting to see her work.

Madi's Film Class Documentary

We were fortunate to have everyone home for Christmas.  The family, minus Dad who was working, took Andrew to see Madi & Clark and their place....and explored DC the a few days before Christmas.

We had a traditional Christmas for us.  We attended Christmas Eve service.  We opened our Christmas gifts at home on Christmas morning. Then, went to my brothers house for lunch and the afternoon on Christmas day.

Madi and Clark headed to Nashville for the Music City bowl game - a Minges family tradition over the holidays.

Andrew was here until New Year's Eve.  He flew back to Ft Sill.  He is doing well filling roles of Platoon Leader, Executive Offier, and duties as assigned.  He is learning.  He is looking forward to his next assignment that he should find out late spring and head there next fall.  

He did get out to OKC to see the Thunder vs Celtics NBA game.  What a cool adventure!  Here is a pic.

Andrew accompanies the trainees on exercises as needed.  Pictures hard to come by, but, here is a selfie of him during one of the exercises.

Abby has been attending open field/gym opportunities for field hockey and lacrosse.  Her first semester of high school went really well academically.  She is planning on playing lacrosse in the spring.

We did get some some snow and plenty of cold weather this winter, that means the slopes at Liberty Mountain nearby have been open and Abby and I have been able to ski multiple times this season.

And.....in late January, Abby turned 15!!  We had a gathering here at the house for family and then we took her and her friends to dinner.

Looks like winter is here for a while longer, Abby and I may get some more skiing in.  Abby starts lacrosse in early March.  Madi continuse her Masters in Film and American University in addition to workin full time.  Clark is training for a half Iron Man in addition to his finance job.  Andrew will continue to serve at Fort Sill this spring, he is looking forward to his next assignment....we may find out out his spring.

Hope you have a good start to your Spring....until next time.