Summer of...

In an effort to recap the past three months, I'm recording some of the events that highlighted the summer of 2012.
*All-Star Softball- Annie made the all-star softball team and Eric coached her team.  They were in three tournaments and they got to be in the local parade.  They didn't win many games but it was a good experience for her and dad.  Although I'm not sure about my kids competing in competitive leagues.  It is really intense and we only had a month and a half of it.  I'm not saying kids shouldn't do it.  I just don't know if it is for our family.  It is a lot of time spent on one activity.  That being said, Annie enjoyed it.

*Parades- I mentioned that Annie was in the local parade but so was Finn.  He participated in a summer marching band where he got to carry a suzaphone in two local parades.  He's not so sure he wants to do this again, but if he does he is considering switching to a much lighter instrument like a flute!

*"Call Me Maybe" car dance- Yes, this does refer to the song by Carly Rae Jeppsen.  Eric showed my girls the Youtube video of the Harvard baseball team lip syncing and doing a car dance to this song and my girls loved it.  So whenever the song came on in the car, they would sing at the top of their lungs and try to recreate the dance.  There is even a rumor of Eric doing it as well with the girls one day on the way home from a softball game but he has yet to do it for me.  I guess he is shy!
*20 year reunions- Both Eric and I had our 20 year reunions this summer.  We both attended them- Eric's was here in town and mine was back in Georgia. It was so fun reconnecting with old friends.  We have both kept in contact with several friends over the years, but there were some we hadn't seen since high school.  I was especially sad when we left Georgia because there were some people that were a big part of my growing up that I will probably never see again- because I don't really plan on going back to anymore reunions.  But it was funny because when we were getting ready to go to Eric's reunion, which was after mine, Finn said, "Why do we have all these reunions? Don't we do this every year?"  Uh-no!  Pretty sure a 20 year high school reunion only happens once!  Here are some pictures from Eric's reunion. 

 

 

And here are some from my reunion.  And in case you are wondering, yes I did wait until after my 20 year reunion to chop all my hair off.  I am that vain!

 

 

 

This is my favorite one of my friend Lara and I dancing.  Eric did video me bustin' a move but until he learns how to upload video onto my blog, those will remain private.  I'm not embarrassed when I am out on the dance floor but after I watch the videos I realize I really should be!

 



Funny side story from our trip back to Atlanta.  On the way back to the airport we stopped at a gas station in downtown to fill our rental car up before we returned it.  It was a part of Atlanta that I would not want to be in at night but I felt okay because Eric was with me.  When Eric got out of the car to fill up the tank, this big, black, toothless man came up to him.  He was real friendly and chatty with Eric.  In the course of the conversation the man mentioned that he had size 15 feet.  This remark of course caused Eric to look down at his feet and when he did he saw one black toe sticking out of a worn out flap that should have been the top of a shoe.  When eric looked back up the man smiled sheepishly and said, "Yeah- I could use a new pair of shoes.  You think you could help me out with that?"  So Eric gave the tooth and nearly toe-less man a few bucks.  When he got back in the car I asked him why he gave him money- since he usually doesn't give money to people on the street.  He replied, "Are you kidding me?  That show was worth a couple of bucks!"
*After a year and a half of pretending like I was going to have to go back to work- I actually got a job.  At the end of the June I was offered a job teaching part-time kindergarten at a school about 10 minutes away. When the principal called she asked, "So would you be interested in this position?"  I'm pretty sure I answered, "Yes?" because I was secretly hoping I couldn't find a job and then I could say,"Well I tried but the field is just too saturated so I guess I will just be a stay-at-home mom for another year."  Or something like that.  But the universe had other plans for me because I'm pretty sure this is what I am suppose to be doing and where I am suppose to be- much to my chagrin!  So I spent the summer trying to prepare and buying things I thought I would need for kindergarten and came to find out that about 75% of what I had bought was already stocked in my classroom.  Some of it I can take back and some I can't because I bought it from a lady who was quitting teaching kindergarten to stay home.  So my new mantra isn't "Be Prepared" like the Boy Scouts, but rather "Being prepared is for suckers.  Live in the moment!"  Although I say that a little tongue in cheek because I think kindergarteners would eat me alive if I wasn't somewhat prepared!
*Making money!  Both Finn and Annie started some summer time money making ventures.  Finn and a neighbor kid mowed a few neighbor's lawns and Annie and some friends started a weekly babysitting club for kids under 8.  Both were fairly successful although Finn isn't quite sure if he wants to mow lawns next year because spending 2-3 hours a week mowing lawns seriously cut into his watching every episode of "Survivor man" and "Myth Busters" time.  But I'm hoping the lure of the almighty dollar might persuade him again next year.  He was able to buy some golf clubs with his hard-earned cash.

And Annie learned some great lessons about babysitting and I think she definitely wants to babysit again next summer because she already understands the lure of money.  That girl loves to buy things!  She has had to start over saving for contacts many times because she keeps finding things she just can't live without.
*Pass of all Passes- Yes we were like many thousands of other people and bought the Pass of all Passes.  I thought it would be a nightmare trying to use it and that we would be at the same places everyone else in the Salt Lake Valley were.  But it was surprisingly not too bad and we were definitely able to make them worth my parents' money- cause they were actually the ones who bought them for us.  We went to the Tracy Aviary once and to Seven Peaks about 7 times.  Of course we had grand plans to use them at least once a week but 8 times isn't too bad.  And I feel bad because I only took pictures at the Aviary.  I forgot to do it everytime we went to Seven Peaks.  Oh well- "Live in the Moment"- right?!?

*Olympics- Not only did we love watching the Olympics on TV this summer but the kids participated in their own Olympics up in Park City with cousins where they won medals for things like treading water in a hot tub, synchronized diving and hiking with a good attitude.  These Olympics weren't sponsored by McDonalds but rather by Grandpa and Grandma.

The medal stand with three proud recipients

 

All the participants!

 

Here is Annie, Katie and our cousin Jacob showing how they medaled in the pencil dive!

Well those are some highlights from our Summer of 2012.  It was a great summer and we are sad to see it end.  Here's to a new school year and new adventures for us all!