We had a successful and fun airshow this weekend. However, it began with a terrible tragedy. The airshow was helping give a local motorcycle racer a platform and place to make an attempt at a Guinness World Record breaking jump. On his first practice jump, he fell short and was thrown off of his motorcycle, with his helmet flying off, and ultimately died. This was all in front of the public, and most of his family. Our youngest two daughters were directly on the frontline with me watching as it happened, four of our children were working at the airshow when it happened and saw from a distance, and Alexander was at his job on the field, so heard the news, but didn't see it. Rich, of course, had to be on the spot to take care of what they could and to keep everything else running in the meantime. Please pray for everyone. Please pray for Rich, who had to keep the whole airshow running all weekend while still processing what happened. Pray for Alex Harvill and his family. I will never forget his mother's screams, his wife and brother's sobbing, and his two little children who no longer have a father here, one of whom was an infant and will never know his father. What a sad Father's Day for their family today. Please also pray for Mariam and Nejat, who saw it happen live, and know that he died, but so far don't seem to connect the two, and haven't yet realized that they watched a man die on Thursday. I pray they don't ever make that connection. As soon as I saw it happen, and saw his helmet fly off, I put the girls back into our hatchback where they couldn't see the family's rush to him and grief, where they couldn't see the ambulance and EMTs at work, nor the life flight helicopter. We simply sat together and prayed. When Elijah and Jerome got off their traffic directing shift, they came to us and I had them sit and pray with their sisters, as well.

The airshow itself went off really well and was a fun time for everyone. It was wonderful to have something resembling normal again, to see people's faces and to see their smiles as they left, as Rich said. The pilots and demonstrators did an amazing job, and all went off pretty much as it was supposed to do. I am so thankful for that. The weather was hot and sunny, but not as hot as the one was two years ago. Although, I still got a little sunburned on my shoulders, which was a bit of a surprise for me. Now, we are on to dress rehearsal and ballet recital. Rich has taken Friday and next Monday off to recouperate, so we are also praying for no work emergencies that require him to head back then. We are holding him a little tighter on this Father's Day.

This week is supposed to be a scorcher again. It is projected to be in the mid to upper 90s most of the week, and then go back toward the 100s on the weekend. My meal plans are going to reflect that, because I just don't want to be eating lots of hot foods, or cooking in a hot kitchen for a lot of the week. My plan is to make salads and quick pastas and such, or to make meals that can be cooked in the morning earlier in the day or the day before, and heated quickly for dinner. We are still making meals that are safe for Jerome, so if you have allergies and need ideas, I hope that helps. If you have ideas for us, please share them! We are also keeping the Wednesday and Friday abstinent fasts.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs (Scrambled Chickpeas for Jerome), Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pulled Pork, Coleslaw, Fruit
• Monday
  Breakfast: Ham and Vegetable Hash, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pasta Primavera Salad with Chopped Salami and Mustard Vinaigrette (Gluten-free Pasta for Jerome), Fruit Plate
• Tuesday - Feast of Saint Alban, Protomartyr of England
  Breakfast: Asparagus and Goat Cheese Frittatas (Asparagus, Ham and Potato Hash for Jerome), Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Italian Sausage Skillet (using wine instead of beer), Rice, Green Salad with Marinated Asparagus
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Fruit Plate, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Creamy Lemon Asparagus Pasta (Gluten-free/dairy-free for Jerome), Green Salad, Fruit Plate
• Thursday - Feast of Saint John the Forerunner
  Breakfast: Apple-Coconut Breakfast Bowl with Honey Peanut Butter, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Grilled Chicken Salad, Steam Sautéed Asparagus and Garlic (using oil rather than butter), Fruit
• Friday
  Breakfast: Yogurt and Jam (Coconut Yogurt for Jerome), Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Grilled Shrimp with Parsley and Lemon, Vegetable Skewers, Red Potato Salad
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup (Gluten-free Pancakes for Jerome), Bacon, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Not Texas Chili with Chopped Onions, Chopped Jalapeños and Sour Cream (a dairy free herbed cream "cheese" for Jerome), Gluten-free Vegan Cornbread

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday. Linking to Menu Plan Monday

Labels: Church Year, Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Special Diet, Tales from the Kitchen