Coast to Coast to Prairie

In just over three weeks, Kari and Sarah traveled from Laguna Beach in California to Cocoa Beach in Florida to Bryant, SD (that last is the ultimate tourist destination!).

Our family vacation to California thrilled us all, from Disney

and Hollywood

to the Golden Gate Bridge

 and the redwoods, thanks to the hospitality of Pete's cousins, Chloe & Gary Koslowsky and Russ & Ria Schaefer.  We also enjoyed riding the train again 

and relaxed for a few days at Dana Point.  Pete, Kari, Sarah, Andrew & Philip formed the crew - much smaller than our usual nine-person contingent.  We didn't get any stares or questions like, "Are they all yours??"  At the end of that trip we spent a short time in the frigid waters of the Pacific at Laguna Beach.

Kari, Joel, Daniel and Sarah flew to Orlando with thirteen others from Svea for a volunteer week with Give Kids the World in Kissimmee, a resort for families of children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses.   They work with dozens of wish-granting organizations to provide these families with a week of pure happiness.  Corporations donate money and goods, while volunteers man 1500 shifts per week, cleaning, serving, helping, feeding, playing with and interacting with the children and their families.  Our group provided 153 shifts during the five days we worked, driving 20-30 minutes (each way) twice a day for 3-4 hour periods.

On our off day, we surfed, swam and body-boarded at Cocoa Beach, where the air was almost 100 degrees and the water of the Atlantic was warm enough to spend hours.

Last weekend the Stadem family gathered in Bryant for the bi-annual reunion, with 81 present.  We were able to use the rebuilt (though unfinished) barn, which amazed everyone who entered.  The efforts of Leroy Stadem, Steve Stadem and Bernie Iserman, along with donated labor, time and money by dozens of relatives, have really paid off in a usable and beautiful meeting space.

Now we're ready to be home for a while.  Almost caught up!

We’re All Lawbreakers Now

When laws multiply to the point of insanity, sane people become lawbreakers.  I allowed my 15-year-old permit-only driver to drive alone (in the country for 2.4 miles).  I burn stuff that’s illegal to burn.  I go 5-10 miles over the speed limit regularly.  And so do you.  And we consider ourselves law-abiding citizens – which I very much want to be.  But these laws are driving us crazy! 

Now I’ve discovered a law that takes the cake – literally.  As part of some compromise over church potlucks, the Minnesota Department of Health has put a regulation in place that makes it illegal for fundraising groups or non-church groups to serve food in churches unless at least one server is certified and trains the rest.  This means that our 4-H club members, youth group fund-raising soup lunch servers, and even I, at our confirmation open house party for Andrew in the church basement, have been breaking the law.  Granted, certification is relatively simple – watch a video and complete some handouts – but the principle is still ridiculous, especially when you realize that the 4-H club, which is NOT open to the public or attempting to raise money, could serve food at any other location in the state without consequence.  However, it is a community event in a church and therefore subject to the regulation.

This points out the problem with these ever-increasing laws.  They target one group but invariably shoot another.

Minnesota has recently and rapidly passed another law called “Jacob’s Law,” which requires either parent of a child to notify the other parent if abuse of the child is discovered.  It has exceptions and so forth, but does anyone seriously believe that this won’t make someone, somewhere, a law-breaker in the best interests of their child, because the exceptions don’t cover their particular situation? 

it simply is not true that every bad thing should be “fixed” with a law – and in fact, it will NOT be fixed.  The proliferation of laws simply makes everyone take all the laws less seriously.