June is almost over.

It's been wonderful and terrible and everything in between; July promises to be a little more stabile.

Recap:

Week 1-2 Jared was in Chicago; RM and Anne spent a week in Austin and taught around the edges at home after being in Minneapolis the week before
Week 3 We were all home and then found out Jared's grandmother was dying and so went to Oregon to say goodbye for the week. And then we taught around the edges.

Which brings us to week 4.

Sunday morning we put Jared on a plane headed to Chattanooga where he was teaching Dalcroze at a chamber music camp for the week.  Anne and I taught at home on Monday.  In Gig Harbor on Tuesday.  At home on Wednesday.  And then piled in the car after dinner and drove back to Oregon.  There was not much sleeping on Wednesday or Thursday nights.  Thursday and Friday Anne hung out with Grandma and Grampa while I went over to watch the final two days of the Oregon Suzuki Institute at George Fox University.  I logged fourteen hours of teacher observation, met a couple of new-to-me teachers, and chatted at length with several violin teachers about teacher stuff.  It was VERY worthwhile and inspiring to watch some real violin magic.  Anne did well with her grandparents.  However...

As you may remember, Jared's Grandma died the week before.  And then Jared' Grampa had a brain hemmorhage the Monday after and is in the hospital in a rather impaired and helpless condition.  This is too much for Jared's parents and the other siblings to deal with.  Friday Jared's parents and Anne went up to the hospital in Vancouver, WA and then on the way home they all swung by the Portland airport to pick up Jared.  Saturday morning we went up to the hospital again to visit and briefly saw Jared's uncle who was in town overnight from California to visit his dad in addition to a local aunt and uncle. Here's something Uncle Brad posted:

Visiting my Dad in the hospital after a brain hemorrhage and also thinking about my Mom who passed away last week. Yesterday I met their great grandchild Anne for the first time. Suddenly the obvious thought came to me that so many lives, families, and positive things have happened in the world because of my parents.

The Cole family has had too much tragedy lately, and Anne has been the little ray of sunshine in the midst of it.  She has been a gift to so many people, not just her dad and me.

We spent Sunday morning picking berries in the yard (about eleven gallons of blue berries and another gallon of raspberries) and eating a bunch along the way.

Blueberry snacks with Daddy

Looking at the little green apples which will ripen in the fall

Picking raspberries

On the way home, we visited Jared's Grampa again in the hospital (he was so happy to see Anne although he can't really talk much now) and rolled north toward the month of July.  A few block from home was a house with smoke pouring out from the eaves.  We called 911 and they said they were already on their way.  I worried that there was someone trapped inside.  I looked at the news this morning and learned that the only man who had been home had been burned and gotten smoke inhalation but had escaped with his life to the backyard by the time the fire department arrived.