Summer Vacation

I have discovered the miracle of sweat. I love it. I have been walking with a friend for the last few weeks. In the early days, I thought it might kill me, but I am now up to 5 miles a day. I regret that when school starts I will have to cut back. Anyway, after my shins stop throbbing and I get "in the zone" I could walk forever. I don't actually love sweat, it is actually kind of gross, but I love how my body feels when it is sweating. This is so personal.

Next week is girls camp. I am kind of excited. We have such great things planned for the girls, and I hope they like it as much as I plan on liking it. The lack of a shower is kind of distressing, but I guess that will be ok, too.

After that is a reunion I am planning for my family. I hope everyone can come. It means A LOT to my grandparents, they call pretty regularly to see how things are coming. Hopefully everyone can come.

Then, yea!!!! Time to get ready for school. I am so excited for this school year, I don't even know why. I am excited to meet the kids, their parents and plan fun things to do. I just love the whole educational process! I love to learn and to teach. It's only about 1 month, I can't wait.

Yes, that is the rest of my summer vacation. There is a little weeding, a block party, a few trips to Utah and maybe camping, but that's it.

Obsessions

So summer is here, the time for abandon. At least in my mind. The school year finds me running like "a chicken with my head cut off." In summer, everything slows WAY down. Instead of staying on top of housework, gardens, and other things, I wait until I can do a lot in one day. I love the challenge. Its ridiculous and I know it, but I can't help myself. I guess it is how I relax.

But this year is different, kind of. I am getting ready for camp. I have chosen a princess theme for our focus this year. I think it will be fun. I have been able to delegate and the women in our YW have really done an awesome job in helping the girls (and me) get ready, so I haven't felt really stressed about it. However, on Tuesday I remembered that I forgot to order the crowns. Luckily, I got that under control. I also was thinking that there is a small chance that we may be camping in an area that could have bears. It is, after all, called Bear Lake. So I devised a brilliant plan of getting the girls--and us a bell to wear for noise. OK, so I love the princess idea, so I felt like I needed to make the bell applicable. Now, bear in mind that I am not a clever person so this is somewhat of a challenge for me, but I came up with it... they will be called "TinkerBells." This is so cute, but the bad news is that I only get like, 4-5 clever and unique ideas a year, so there goes two. Camp and the princess theme is fast becoming one obsession.

The next and more unnerving obsession, bordering on addiction is Charlie's dumb Nintendo DS. He bought a game called Big Brain Academy. I can't stand that he has a higher score than me, so I spend alot of time trying to beat him. It's pathetic. Right now, I have the record score of 1630, or an A-. I have him beat by almost 40 points, but he hasn't been trying. While I am ahead I can rest easy, but I have the feeling that my score won't hold, once he gets on it again. It is driving me crazy. Luckily, I began tutoring this week, so I can get my mind on something else.

I have also been obsessed with my classroom. I always feel like I need the better part of the summer to be really ready for the fall. This year my room was painted and I got new carpet, all good news, except for the fact that I had to move everything out into the hall. Everyday for the whole time we have been on vacation, I have checked to see if the carpet was in. Finally, last week it was done, YAY!!! But wait, I still can't get in. Our custodians are on vacation so everything is still out in the hall. Now I'll have to go in daily to see if my stuff has been moved.

Oh, yeah. One more thing. I have become obsessed with Harry Potter. I love the books. I have ideas about how it will all end, is Snape a really bad guy?!?!?, is Dumbledore really a goner, and who will die in the last book. Less than ten days and I will know. I can't wait. Today I saw a picture of one of my friends holding a box of books, and I am like, I know that I could get that read before next Saturday and get it back in the box. I could tell her that I could "preview" it. . . I know that almost no one gets the same thrill out of the sound a new book makes when it is opened for the first time in the way I do, so no one would have to know.

OK, I feel so much better now. Maybe the AA people have the right idea. "My name is Kathy, and . . ."

Summer

So, in the spirit of the 4th of July I will now exercise my right of freedom of speech. First of all, whoever invented menopause and then invented 100 degree temperatures, can I just say--"For crying out loud!" OK, enough of that. Next, for the right to bear arms. My family has a tradition of having a huge fireworks show each 4th. Every year it gets bigger and higher and brighter and did I mention higher, and possibly louder than the year before. So the newspaper ran a story about the consequences of using a certain kind of firework, the kind that goes higher and bigger and louder than the ones you can normally buy at a booth. Those consequences include confiscation, fines or possibly even ...?!?!?! Probably not OK for a law abiding LDS woman such as myself. So, since we had quite a stash at the ready, and others in the family brought more, I believe I have developed an ulcer. I almost had an aneurysm when a police car came by and slowed in front of the house. Thankfully, we had some of the more legal type in a box by the road, which the boys quickly lit. It was sort of a miracle that we didn't get in trouble, just before he came by, my 5 year old grandson was holding a Roman candle. The night went without serious injury to any of the "fire marshalls" and a good time was had by all.