Dates of the Up Variety

No, this post is not about dates, but you knew that.  The summer has been a little slow on the blog because I haven't had the PCs to keep me supplied with laugh-attacking, heart breaking, pull my hair out-ing moments.  Shoot, what HAVE you been doing all summer, you ask?

Well, there was that month of weddings…

After that, I came home for a couple of weeks and unpacked/did laundry/post travel stuff.  Oh, and I slept.  A lot.  I remember Cami Jones always saying that she slept a week straight after coming home from college in the summers.  Since I'm going to be in school schedule for a while, I probably will be doing that for years.

At the end of June, I ditched the desert for the country in northern Colorado.  You probably don't know how much I love the country.  And cows.  And fields.  And the smell of hay and horse.  And banjo.  And most things country.  We went to the Greeley Stampede and watched the rodeo a few nights and listened to some country music.  On the 4th, we decked ourselves in red, white and blue and watched the parade.  (And hollered our lungs out.)  We set off fireworks too, thanks to Preston and Elliot who went on a mission to Wyoming to get them. 

Friday morning, Dora dropped me off in Denver for my family reunion. 

A word about our family reunions…

My mom's side of the family is loud, competitive, crazy, and loves being together.  The logical consequence of that is our family reunions are LOUD, competitive, and crazy happy fests.  Aunt P organized a Minute to Win It Family Tournament, and she and Mal coordinated the food department.  There were a jillion details I don't even know who to credit, but let's just say it was an all-star family reunion. 

Oh, somewhere in there, I got a job.  I guess I should mention that.  This year, I'll be teaching 3rd grade at a little charter school near my house.  I'm so thankful to be teaching 3rd again this year, and ecstatic to have the details of licensure behind me (for now). 

Of course, as is the case in my non-summer life, there has been plenty of spending time with my community group from church, playing volleyball, dancing, and things that can be categorized as "general adventuring" like a roadtrip to Sedona with Bethany and riding wave runners with Mike, Jared and Chelsey (I'm still sore from that one). 

This week, I'll be finishing up decorating my classroom, and school starts August 5.  Am I excited?  Duh.  Also, I'm shaking in my boots, but that's OK.  There will be a more substantial post about the new year of PCs coming soon. 

I don't think I've left too much out.  The littlest bro is going off to *gasp* college and the older younger bro is happily married (and I get to reap the benefits of having a sister!). 

There's my summer in a nutshell,

-Little Miss Sunshine