Bandana's

Over spring break, Sylvia interviewed for a job as a server at the BBQ restaurant Bandana's.

She came out of the interview with a job--starting the next week!

She came home from her second night of work with a story about a literal dumpster fire!  And lots more stories came home with her over the summer as she learned about working in a restaurant, how people treat servers, and how to be gracious to her coworkers and customers.

I did a lot of worrying and praying and checking her location when she worked until closing time. She was even stranded in Bloomington one night due to not being able to get home via flooded roads!

We enjoyed visiting her and watching her in action, and have been really proud of her!

Tonight was her last night for the summer (she plans to work over breaks), so we all went to eat at Bandana's. 

We were her last table of the evening. It was bittersweet for her to say goodbye to her coworkers, not knowing how many will still be there when she comes back for Christmas. 

Though it's had a lot of challenges, Sylvia has learned a lot, grown, and persevered through her 4 months as a server. Thankful for the experience for her!

Driving!

I pretty much had to force Caeden to take his driving test, and he was SO nervous but he passed! He is an officially licensed driver now!

This is the photo he wanted—oh my! There were 3 guys standing right next to the car just laughing as we took this! I love this kid.

A few days later he still hadn’t done a solo drive, so we sent him over to Gibson City for some DQ. If you’re gonna convince this kid to do something, offering food is the way to go.

Milestones and things to be grateful for. Thanks, Jesus.

FJC

Brunches at our very favorite brunch place this summer...

June 29

July 2

July 13

Dorm shopping

Sylvia and I have been working on getting all the things she needs for college, and have had a few times we've gone "dorm room shopping" this summer. 

Her closet is getting very full!

We hit Amazon Prime Day pretty hard and made a couple big orders. Got her sheets, towels, storage items, command hooks, etcetera. She picked up a comforter at Meijer. Got the mini fridge at Home Depot.  Order the MacBook from Apple.

Today we hit Bed, Bath and Beyond and got her mattress pad and mattress topper. She has picked up some cute items like mugs, baskets, and other storage items at thrift shops. So, she is collecting items she needs and likes and will enjoy having around her. 

She also was jamming out with a loofah..."Yeah I'm freeeeeeeeeee! Free-fallin'!"