Summer is not over yet for most people, but for me it is nearing its end. I teach at a year-round school and we start back next week. So, I will be preparing for the start of the school year this week. I should be at school right now. However, here I am avoiding work at all costs. I guess as a teacher, you determine dates and seasons by school calendars. When school starts, summer is over. When school starts, a new year begins even though the current year is only six months old. I will forever live by school calendars!

So, summer. What did I do? Where did it go? Let's see.......

I saw many movies this summer. Between Scott, Caryle, and my sister, I have managed to see several selections this summer. We even did the drive-in this summer. Although it was showing a flick I had seen earlier in the summer, I still enjoyed the whole drive-in experience. They have the best popcorn. Ever. I enjoyed most of the films this summer, but I really enjoyed Star Trek and Angels and Demons, in particular. Both were unexpected hits for me. I have never been a Star Trek fan and kind of found its universe to be a little boring and slightly slanted for the nerds of the world. And although I am no stud or candidate for Mr. Popular, I have never understood nerd languages and nuances, so I never belonged to that club. I felt Star Trek catered a bit to this elite group of people. I knew enough, however, to enjoy this summer's tribute to the TV series. It was well done with all the right elements: comedy, drama, action, romance, and an uncomplicated plot. Sometimes sci-fi/fantasy films feel the need to present unnecessary plots full of complicated twists and turns that are inevitably uninteresting and load the scenes full of characters that are never fully developed and have incredibly unusual names like Kookamachakookhoo, and you can never keep everyone straight, or even care to do so. Less is more, people. And Star Trek followed this thought well without being too light or too stupid. I really enjoyed how the characters were central to the story, as well as the development of their personalities that forged together to form the crew of the USS Enterprise.

Angels and Demons was just a surprise. Scott suggested we see it and we both had heard it was good. So, we went. I loved it. Never read the book. Never read the da Vinci Code. Never saw that movie either. I just loved the the thrill of the whole Angels and Demons movie. I was literally on the edge of my seat throughout the whole experience. It was well acted, well written, and well directed. The movie moved at a fast pace and it kept you guessing right up until the end. I was really glad I took the time to go and see it. I wonder how many great movies I have missed because they just didn't seem interesting to me. The last movie I can remember feeling surprised by was Jerry Maguire. I went to that flick dragging my feet the whole way to my seat, but figured I would at least enjoy the popcorn. Surprise!

What else?

Well, I spent a great deal of time with Nash and Emerson. Surprise! They continue to grow and it amazes me every time I see them. They are looking bigger and older with each passing day. Both are crawling like crazy and their new found mobility has probably been the biggest change in our lives with them. And in the amount of energy it takes to watch them. This, I know, is only going to get crazier as the year progresses. Nash is bound and determined to walk very soon. I believe he will be by their first birthday in September. He loves to be moving. He doesn't like sitting in his car seat for too long as he wants to be up and moving. He is very smiley and screams at the top of his lungs when excited or happy. He also screams and pouts when things don't go his way. You always know how Nash is feeling. His easy smile, however, just makes me melt.

Emerson, on the other hand is not quite as physical as her older brother. She is moving too, but she is sometimes more content to just sit back and observe the crowd. In fact, that is what she does best. She is a studier. For the longest time, she would not smile at anyone right away. She would stare them down and study every facet of their being. She still does that a lot with people she doesn't know well. However, this summer, she has started to smile a lot and even better, recognizes me when she sees me! Whenever she sees me now, she will smile really big and even giggle a bit. Both her and Nash have been around me enough this summer to recognize who I am. I walked into their room the other day when they were playing on the floor and they both turned, smiled, giggled, and started racing over on their knees to see me. At that point, Nash started climbing over me and Emerson attempted to hold her arms out wanting to be held. I could just squeeze 'em both!!

I took two trips this summer. One to Michigan with Caryle and friends, and another short weekend getaway to Kansas City with Caryle, my sister and her family. Both were fun adventures. Michigan was a very relaxing experience. I do not know if it is the effect of water or what, but things are just a little bit easier and less hectic up there. I wish I could bottle that up somehow. I wish I could bring some of that laid back feeling to my home. I guess when you are in your own home you tend to see all the things that need to be done rather than taking the time to enjoy what is there. That will be a hard habit for me to break. But, I enjoyed the trip and took in the relaxing nature of the experience and had a good time with friends and family. My aunt and uncle are two very unique people who know how to entertain and pamper all those who visit them. My friends have been to Michigan before and absolutely love Lew and Linda. This time was no different. We laughed, swam, ate, laughed, ate, boated, laughed, ate, shopped, laughed and ate again. Good times all around. Once again, we managed to discover new vocabulary and fascinating things as we do on every trip we take together. We thought the albino anaconda was a good one when we were in the Keys in March, but this Michigan trip provided us with new insights such as conspiring and vcooter cut swimwear. Had to be there.

The Fourth of July had a very different feeling this year. No barbecues, parades, fireworks, or sunny days. This year was rainy, and gloomy. So, we ventured to Kansas City for the weekend. Rainy there as well but much hotter and humid down there. Now, we took Nash and Emerson along so we knew the entire weekend would be dictated to us by two ten month olds. We stayed at a nice hotel, shopped at the Plaza, ate Italian food, took the kids swimming, and collapsed by 10:00 that night. No late night fireworks for us. The heat and humidity, as well as the constant care for the children, wore me out. Good night, Margaret! Nevertheless, I enjoyed the trip and realized that Kansas City is not all that far from us. We really should take more advantage of this unique city. I would secretly love to go to Worlds of Fun again! I think I was 16 when I was last there. Wow.

So now it is back to school time and I will openly admit that I am not quite ready or willing to go back yet. However, I love the YRE schedule and I know I have only nine weeks to get through before a great three week break this fall. The break in the fall is always the best as the weather is incredible and I just love that transition in the seasons. So, I will start counting the days until September 18!!




Emerson looking all cute!





Nash looking all cute!





The Gang in Michigan





Hang on Tim!





Tube time with Little Miss Rebecca





Drive-In goodies!