June

 June 1

JUNE 2

What a special couple days! I hope and can’t wait to come back. We had a big meeting/presentation of the family history center/classes. Donation of printers, ink, paper and each backpack has a laptop in it. They are so excited and so grateful. Thank you to all of you who made this possible for those in Soweto, South Africa to be able to move forward with their family history. I love their excitement! These beautiful people know 5-9 languages. (So much gratitude that most know English.) The conversations jump from different languages. I love and tried to do the click from the tongue and throat. It sounds so beautiful when they speak. I loved hearing them tell me their names, so much meaning. The history, tribes and stories came so alive. I’m so looking forward to getting to learn more of their stories and family history. #soweto #southafrica #familyhistory #dobsonville

June 3

June 4

Driving up the mountain to my home, looking forward to tomorrow. Closing out this day with greetings and hugs from my family. Can’t wait to be home

June 7

It’s nice to be home, but wanted to share a few little favorites can’t wait to go back and visit some villages

#madnesswiththemerrillbudz #livelifeactivated #southafrica #elephantsanctuary #monkeysanctuary

June 8

Harrison is determined to be a pilot someday! He actually did incredible for his first time on the simulator they said.

#cerebralpalsyhacked #youngeagles #civilairpatrol

June 10

… so funny my mom‘s been trying to teach me to sew for years! Anything I make I wouldn’t wear out of the house. Lol! I decided I needed to fix my own horse fencing, duct tape only lasts for so long. Lol! They had free welding classes at the college-NPC this summer so I decided to learn a new art. “ welding, it’s like sewing with Fire!” my kind of sewing #livelifeactivated #problemsolve #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #alwayslearning #art #annamerrillart

June 11

Planting trees with Harrison … he had lots of questions trying to understand how all the other trees on our property got there. I explained to him that I’ve planted over 200 trees and they all started this tiny. It seemed to blow his mind because now we have ginormous 20-year-old plus trees. I can’t believe I was young once, planting my first tree on our property. (I still feel young, actually younger

) #livelifeactivated #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #everyonehappierandhealthier #millennialacres #artistgarden

June 13

My baby girl is 16 years old today Happy Birthday Sweet Caroline!! She really is sweet with so much wit!! I just love her sense of humor and love for others. she’s at Girls camp so she hasn’t been home for me to squeeze her and celebrate her! We will be celebrating her on Saturday if anyone would like to join us, reach out she’s having a sweet 16 birthday party!

#madnesswiththemerrillbudz #everyonehappierandhealthier #livelifeactivated #sweetcaroline #birthdaygirl

Guardianship Court

My Book is on it's way!!!

Jay's Laura's Isaac's Pembers Momma

From Funeral with Family, to more procedures and appointments, keeping my kiddos together

June 14

…. a day of fun a girls camp! Thanks to their amazing leaders for creating a fun week! Love summer and all the fun and memories that comes with it Harrison tagged along with me today #girlscamp #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #grateful #cousins #friends

Sunday Funday

Passing out Grandma Burgoynes things, amongst the grandkids

June 15

I sure admire and love this girl and so do so many others!! Thank you for coming to celebrate my Sweet Caroline!! You are amazing Caroline and will continue to rock life!! (We got our mud mess and landscaping cleaned up just in time for her party, 3 am ) #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #sweet16 #sweetcaroline

June 16

Happy Father’s Day Loren!! Best Dad ever!! Keeping our kiddos active Grateful he’s willing to do this crazy life with us!! First time trying the slide this weekend, after lots of all-nighters, shoveling bentonite into the pond, filling 100 foot trench, saving our leach lines and finally the fun!! (Large art project ) wahoo!! #happyfathersday #timetotakeabreak #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #livelifeactivated #grateful #fun #firstweldingproject

June 17

Said my good byes and dropped my kids off at the happiest place on earth! Yes!! My kids say it competes with Disneyland. Camp Tatiyee is a wonderful camp for those with special needs of all ages!! They get to go there every year! I love that they’re inclusive because they invited Kalicia every year since she was young as well. The last few years she’s becoming a camp counselor! Harrison loves it because he gets to be in a cabin full of boys! At home, he has a bunch of big sisters/moms. #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #camptatiyee #lovepeople #livelifeactivated #grateful #everyonehappierandhealthier #istillgetkisses

June 18

While the kids played at Camp Tatiyee!! We snuck away!! I forget how much fun it is to get away and play with your best friend/spouse - not in work mode all the time!! Hot Springs and a beautiful hike were amazing#madnesswiththemerrillbudz #strawberryhotsprings #steamboat #ourownretreat #grateful #livelifeactivated #everyonehappierandhealthier

June 20

I’m so grateful for wonderful doctors in our family’s life who understand that and have a mission to educate others that healing is more than just medicine and surgery. Healing and being healthy is a lifestyle. Usually we take our children on these fun outdoor adventures but it was our turn to play!#livelifeactivated #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #natureshealingpower #everyonehappierandhealthier #fishcreekfallsnationalpark #steamboat #nature #healing #gratitude #play #merrillsworktogetherplaytogetherstaytogether Amy Leverant

Newest Consultants

June 21

Soooo much fun at Camp Tatiyee this week! A great place for inclusion, building skills, friendships, independence and confidence. Please let me know if you need help getting set up to go next year. (Charlotte had to check out twice to go to her college class) They are so supportive to circumstances. Camp Tatiyee becomes another family. Thank you @teamtatiyee for all you do for my kids and our community. #camptatiyee #grateful #loveyou #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #merrillsworktogetherplaytogetherstaytogether #inclusionmatters #playunified #everyonehappierandhealthier #livelifeactivated

June 22

Thank you Tyler!! We are having success with training our two year old guilding to be a therapy horse. So excited with his gentleness and listening skills. Max is the sweetest and Tyler has been wonderful at helping us train him. #equinetherapy #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #merrillsworktogetherplaytogetherstaytogether #hippotherapy #grateful #yay!

June 23

Our favorite souvenir from our trip was our cherry pitter. I think Harrison liked it even more than we did such a cool find! our cherry trees are producing so well this year! But my kids have had such a tough time because they cannot pit the cherries. Yay!!! So cool! Sunday Funday Now, how do you pick the cherries from up high? What are the tricks? before the birds get them!#madnesswiththemerrillbudz #coolfind #cherries #livelifeactivated #merrillsworktogetherplaytogetherstaytogether #sundayfunday #nutrigenomics #lifestyle

Sally Martin

In Wisconsin we used a paper clip. Jam it in, pull pit out. I used to do big buckets with just a regular paper clip folded open. The large part of the clip as the handle and the little part to pull pits. Messy!!! But effective enough.

I saw a pitter once after many hours of paper clip pitting and thought that it looked even easier!!!! Definitely a worthwhile purchase if you have cherry trees!

My favorite cherry dessert to make was a recipe I called “Door forest cake”. The cherries are from Door County and I would make chocolate cake with cherry pie filling as the center. Such a great way to use up cherries.

Now I want to make one! 

June 24

Silver Creek Farm Horse Camp with @lauriebrimhall and her crew was a great time with my kiddos and others today. Kalicia loved helping too!! For over 15 years we’ve been doing hippo therapy/Equine and now they are learning to ride and rein, so excited!! Getting strong enough to move forward #myheart #livelifeactivated #grateful #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #hippotherapy #equine #merrillsworktogetherplaytogetherstaytogether #gettingstronger #balance #cerebralpalsyhacked #abodyinmotionstaysinmotion #nutrigenomics #lifestyleprescriptions

June 25

Today we got to trot we have been working up to this moment for a long time through lots of Horse Therapy, building trunk control and stability. They were nervous, but they were awesome! (and they didn’t bounce off!) Charlotte said she was surprised she didn’t! So proud of them! Thank you @lauriebrimhall Tomorrow we get to move towards some trail riding! This has been lots of years coming! Part of the puzzle, just one of the pieces to keep my kids upright, lots of good muscle control, riding horses. (oh, and we found the puppies!) #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #merrillsworktogetherplaytogetherstaytogether #cerebralpalsyhacked #hippotherapy #equinetherapy #livelifeactivated #everyonehappierandhealthier

June 26

https://youtu.be/jL4z8kiRbEU?si=TGoss8bCar1-0D8f

Brain Food #Nutrigenomics Food as Medicine One of the every day tools my family/kids use for health and success Watch to learn more and please message me with questions or to get connected. #WellnessWednesday #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #cerebralpalsyhacked #everyonehappierandhealthier

June 27

Cousin time is the best time!!! … Beginning and best part of our road trip #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #cousins #livelifeactivated #Kikasgradtrip2024

June 28

“… because the greatest part of the road trip isn’t arriving at your destination, it’s all the wild stuff that happens along the way!”

Arizona to Pennsylvania -40 hours #roadtrip #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #livelifeactivated #kikasgradtrip2024

June 29

… such an incredible, unfolding vision of the United States I like what President Eisenhower said, “All leadership -political, economic, or moral -involves persuading others to do something now that will bring fruit in the future.” … spending part of our day on the grounds where the Declaration of Independence was started and signed, where the US postal Service was begun, Old Iron Sides commissioned, first transfer of power from the US presidency from George Washington to John Adams… the United States began in this Congress room in Philadelphia, the first Capitol of our country. We stood on Holy grounds and sat on “decision making seats”. Liberty Bell holds so much symbolism -freedom, independence, liberty! #loveourcountry #libertybell #declarationofindependence #philidelphia #rocky #congress #independencehall #livelifeactivated #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #kikasgradtrip2024 #benjaminfranklin #merrillsworktogetherplaytogetherstaytogether #SupremeCourt

June 30

We ended our humble, historical, unifying day with a beautiful sunset under the Pennsylvania Monument, being the anniversary of Gettysburg we spent time with those reenacting it and bringing it to life. Even though during the Civil War Gettysburg was a place of horror and death, it’s now a memorial to the spirit of peace, unity, and togetherness.

President Abraham Lincoln reminded us – so they did not die in vain.

I loved the Cyclorama, largest mural in North America, painted in the late 1880s by the French artist Paul Philippoteaux. He really brought it to life for us and helped us to understand what Union and Confederate soldiers, and the local people went through. I loved watching my children getting pulled into the details and feeling the tragedy and love for the soldiers.

I will always remember standing on top of Little Round Top with my family and seeing the battlefield stretched out before us and sadly but gratefully imagining the chaos happening all around. We had an incredible tourist guide who helped us, especially the kids understand the stories and sacrifices the soldiers and families went through to give us the freedoms we have today. I was amazed how peaceful and beautiful it is now. The events of Gettysburg did not just happen on the battlefields and impact only those fighting.

This battle raged across Gettysburg town, a small town of 2,400 people. We walked amongst the town and saw the bullet holes in the buildings. We were honored and blessed to discover climb the stairs down into the Dobbin House, Completed in 1776, by an Irish family and it served as both a home and classical school. In the mid-1800’s, a secret crawl space served as a “station” for hiding runaway slaves on the “Underground Railroad.” It also served as a hospital for wounded soldiers of both the North and the South.

We will never forget sitting together in the basement of a home and safe haven for so many for over 200 years. (There was even a couple tornado warnings and Harrison said we were in the safest place -the basement of a very old home. ) We loved Gettysburg #cyclorama #gettysburgbattlefield #madnesswiththemerrillbudz #grateful #loveamerica