1st week almost down

School started for me on Monday. As always it has flown by. I feel like I'm in a frenzy to get things done but then I just have to say it's not that important and can relax. My 7th graders this year are fabulous. They clean up without asking. Line up at the door and wait for me. They are always helping other students without asking. Sometimes I have to pinch myself and ask if I am dreaming. Last year was so hard with students that were past high maintenance. I was exhausted every day. This year I have so far only had to tell the students to be quiet once and they do!!!!!

We just heard that a friend of ours has passed on this morning after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. She found out on July 24th. It was so quick.

Also, we received a phone call from Richard, Bill's brother, that Marilyn was in the hospital to get her thyroid taken out and they found that the lumps she was concerned about were cancerous. She will go through a little chemo but the Dr. has said this is a very curable cancer. I hope he is right.

And life goes on.........I am grateful for the joys that fill my life and help me to stop and look at the roses.

California

I will next to our trip to California on the 5th of June. I get so tired of being on the computer it hurts my eyes. We went to Phoenix to go to Charlie Kingstons funeral that was the end of July. We were actually there on July 24th. It was weird that there was no celebration. I went to Portland on the 8th of August to the 15th. But I didn't take any pictures. It was fabulous.

Georgia here we come!

This is a place where there are one on just about every corner in Georgia. It is a greasy spoon but we love eating breakfast here.

A mansion where thekids ran down the hill it was huge.

This was at a place that showed lots of Olympic things. This is the stand where the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners would stand.

Chris and Annie's new house. Not as much acreage as they were used to but the yard is very large and still lots of trees.

Sorry Idon't know how to put the pictures in order if I make them be out of order. I guess I need to learn some more about blogging. Heather!!!!!!! help. Stairs leading up to the mansion. The grass that the kids ran down is just in front of them.

Same mansion looking opposite of the previous pictures.

When we got out of the coca cola place on the grass they had games that the kids could play. Donovan adn Lucas are having a bag race. Chris is just to the left.

We could taste all kinds of drinks around the world at the coca cola place. You received a free coca cola bottle. Lucas is holding his.

CNN was amazing. This is everyone except me in front of the building of CNN

This is the exercise room at the Olympic museum. this is Lucas upside down.

Annie and Madi are trying their strength at one of the machines

This is a huge excalator that took us up several stories inside the CNN building. It was a little scary but not too bad.

Waffle house again.

Donovan and lucas racing again

This is at the coca cola museum I was in a wheel chair

Just inside the CNN building. This was a mosiac of thousands of stories that CNN has done over the years. It was pretty fascinating.

At the end of the coca cola tour of course you ended up in a store. Chris was the lucky one to push me around.

Jump roping was one of the games you could do. Go Lucas and Chris

Madi was really going fast. It was funny how this picture turned out.

Eating at Waffle house. Me and Lucas and Madi are just to Annie's left.

Annie was doing something. I can't tell what? Ha.

We left for Georgia on the 8th of July and returned on the 15th. We saw Chris and Annie's new house. It was fabulous. They had done a lot of work on it and the kids loved their rooms. They had chosen their colors in their rooms and they we so pretty. I loved Chris and Annie's colors in their room. Gee, they even have their own room with their own bathroom. Lovely. Here are a few pictures of the great time we had there.

Catching up on Summer Stuff

Yesterday I went and picked up Peyton, A.J., Kelly and Emma and took them to see Ponyo and to lunch. They spent the night except Emma, she stayed and her Grandma Rugg's house. They were so much fun. I had to finish painting a few things in the back yard and they all helped me.

Before we began painting. Peyton wore a big shirt of Bill's. She was cute.

Whoops. This picture somehow got turned the wrong way. It is a very good picture of Kelly posing.

I believe she is eating some leftovers from lunch.

Kelly loving to pose in front of the camera. I love this picture.

This is a milestone on Anthony's life. He is terrified of the bathtub. This is the first time he took a bath. He saw how much fun Samuel was having and wanted to get in. Now I can't keep him out.

Samuel loves to look at the camera.

Today the boys wanted to play the piano. Samuel reminds me of when Anthony when he was that age. They were having a blast.

Anthony was very patient with Samuel. Anthony loved that Samuel was playing the piano with him.

This picture reminds me when Forest Gump was by the lake fishing with his son. I don't know why but I love how this turned out. Sweet

The big event this summer; getting a back yard in. We have been leveling the yard and put sprinklers in last year now the grass. This is Gabe and Shawn and Bill. Bill did a lot of supervising

I thought this was Bill but it is his nephew Josh. His wife Katie is standing next to him. In the background in Gabe petting Junior the dog next door. Josh is fixing one of the sprinklers that was not in line very good.

Mr. Shawn admiring his work of putting the lawn in.

This is what was left of our apple tree. We later got a chopper thing and took the stump out. It is now covered up with grass.

Gabe and Shawn working hard and Bill doing ???? well something.

Gabe working hard. Thanks

These pictures were of a really weird storm that we had and these are the clouds. They were so beautiful

This one was my favorite one. The whole sky looked like this. It was a little eerie.

Lovely.


There are many more pictures I will add of Georgia. It's late and I have to start my first day back to work tomorrow.