Starting off with a BOOM 💥 A Jam-Packed July

July was one of those months that seemed to fit an entire summer’s worth of memories into just a few weeks. Between holiday celebrations, swimming, 4-H, volleyball, baseball, family time, and plenty of travel, we stayed busy from beginning to end.

We kicked off the month at the lake for the Fourth of July. We celebrated the Fourth of July with a trip to a Cleveland Guardians game on an incredibly hot and stormy day. When the boys asked if we wanted to wait for seats near the field, we girls decided to give it a try. After standing in line, we spent the second inning in the bullpen—the first inning wasn’t available—and while it was certainly an experience, it probably isn’t one I would repeat! Around 10:00 that night, dark clouds rolled in and the game entered a rain delay. We worried the fireworks would be canceled, but they finally lit up the sky around midnight. The following day, the guys went fishing while the girls and Isaac watched Toy Story 4 and had water balloon fights during the hot day and whiffle ball tournament during the evening. All in all, it was a pretty great holiday!

We quickly returned home for a 4-H meeting and to finish projects before judging. Isaac also organized his own whiffle ball championship tournament, complete with grilling out and fireworks. Maw and Paw joined us for the big event, and, of course, Isaac took home the trophy! He also got to light fireworks that Paw had bought for the occasion.  I was pretty sure the neighbors were going to turn us in, but after our 15 minute award-winning display, we weren't arrested. 

Swim champs were held in Kenton this year. The parade theme for our Wapak team was Scooby-Doo, so Isaac dressed as Fred and Olivia went as Velma—even though neither of them has really watched the show! The parade is always a highlight because every team chooses a different theme and puts its own creative spin on it. This is one of our favorite events of the entire year. The kids compete for different summer teams, but many of the swimmers train together at the Lima YMCA throughout the rest of the year. It is always fun to compete against—and cheer for—the friends they practice with year-round. Both kids had a great meet. Olivia came home with three first-place finishes and two seconds, while Isaac did well considering he had practiced only once a week throughout the summer. Swimming really isn’t his thing, and he informed us that he won’t be swimming next summer. We shall see! The kids also had some of their biggest supporters in the stands. Grandma Barb, Maw, and Paw came to cheer them on, and Joey, Olivia’s boyfriend, joined us to watch Friday’s events as well.

Next up in July, Olivia, Grandma Barb, and I headed to Lancaster for scrapbook camp. I updated most of the scrapbook I have been creating from these blog posts, which means I am finally caught up on this year! Olivia took scrapbooking as a 4-H project this year, so she worked on that, which was her 2026 swim championship season. Grandma Barb skipped around doing Olivia's dance seasons throughout the last 10 years and also her recent trip to Alaska. So many fun ladies at scrap camp so there were plenty of laughs and loads of creativity! Scrap camp didn’t mean a break from swimming, though. We visited two different YMCA pools so Olivia could keep up with her training as she will compete in USA States and then Zones at the end of the month.

Midway through the month, Jeremy had his colonoscopy, and thankfully everything went well. They found one pollup, but it checked out enough that he doesn't need to go back for another 5 years. Afterward, he had just one request: Dairy King! 

Isaac also planned a family game night. Maw and Paw visited, and Joey joined us for an evening of playing different board games together. It was a simple but fun night filled with plenty of friendly competition and laughter. He had a casino-night theme tied into somehow too, but really it was about just having a 'quiet' night at home when we don't have to be anywhere. 

We also stocked up for the colder months by purchasing a burlap sack full of corn from Suter’s. We worked together to husk it, bag it, and place it in the freezer. It was a little taste of summer saved for us to enjoy throughout the winter. I was thankful that Olivia was willing to help me husk the corn while I boiled it before cooling to put in the bags. Even with her help, it still took us nearly 3 hours to get our 17 quart bags ready to stick in the freezer. 

July 16 found Jeremy and I at Old City Prime celebrating our 21st wedding anniversary. We left the kids at home and headed downtown to celebrate our special day talking about how the last 21 (25 together) years have flown by.  Also how we would still choose each other! 

When we returned home, it was a sprint to finish everything before 4-H judging on Monday, July 19. The night before judging, Isaac completed a cookout project that had to be somewhere other than our home. We chose the park across from Maw and Paw’s, where Isaac cooked dinner for all of us. Aunt Sheri was visiting from out of town so she got to join in the fun. It didn't start off so great since Paw and Isaac didn't have any gas in their gas grill so had to go out and get a new propane tank...but after that glitch the rest was smooth sailing. 

Both kids did incredibly well at their 4-H judging. Isaac took three projects (Cooking, Movie Making, and Feelings Matter) and qualified for the state fair with two of them. Olivia took four projects (Scrapbooking, Shopping Savvy, Relationship 101, and Cooking) and also qualified for the state fair with two. We were so proud of all the work they put into their projects! More to come with state fair in future posts and Allen County isn't until the end of August, so next month's post will feature their projects on display. 

Olivia also played in a freshman volleyball tournament at Allen East. We played in pool play and did very well, splitting with Columbus Grove, Marion Local and winning both sets again Allen East. In the tournament team did very well, winning in three sets against Columbus Grove.  The next game we lost in two close sets to the eventual tournament champions, Marion Local.

Her summer swimming season continued at Ohio State for the Ohio Junior Olympics. She competed in the 50 freestyle and the 50 and 100 breaststroke. She dropped nearly half a second in the 50 free, earning herself a spot in the B final. The last day she totally tanked it.  Her legs were shot and she said she couldn't keep up. I was watching them physically shake in the car on the way home. She did well overall and it was fun to swim with the best in the state. Trying to stay hyped up to head with team Ohio in a few days to Central Zones. 

After Columbus, we headed north while the boys headed south. We enjoyed a boat ride with Grandpa Ron. We had planned to go perch fishing, but since it was just Grandpa Ron and us girls, he was worried we wouldn’t be able to throw out the anchor. Instead, we spent a random Monday cruising around and relaxing at the lake. Grandpa even showed Olivia how to drive the boat and let her take us around Cedar Point. Meanwhile, the boys traveled to Cincinnati while Jeremy completed internship visits. They planned to attend a Guardians-Reds game, but the first night was rained out. That turned Tuesday into a doubleheader, which they attended together. The Guardians won one game and lost the other.

On the final Wednesday of July, Isaac traveled to the Ohio State Fair with Maw and Paw to compete with his 4-H Feelings project. Olivia was supposed to go with her Relationships project, but she opted to head to Evansville instead. Although he didn’t receive any special recognition, he said he had a lot of fun—and that is what matters most. He went to see the butter cow and hauled Maw and Paw from one end to the other. After awards that evening, they said they had enough and headed back home. 

At the same time, Jeremy, Olivia, and I headed to Evansville for the USA Swimming Central Zone Championships. Olivia qualified to represent the Ohio Zone team after earning a AAA cut in the 50 freestyle. She entered the meet ranked 47th and finished an impressive 27th! She also competed in the 50 backstroke and 100 breaststroke as bonus events. 

After three days in Evansville, we headed home exhausted, proud, and ready to welcome August. July was hectic and occasionally felt like one long sprint, but it was also filled with accomplishments, celebrations, family adventures, and memories we will always treasure.