School is IN!

We all went back to school really early this year...August 5. Well I can't say "we" because I didn't start back until August 17, and I'm not the student this time :) I'm teaching a Dual Enrollment class at a local high school and I'm loving it. These seniors get the opportunity to take a college level class when they are in high school. How cool is that? I am also teaching developmental writing again. I really enjoy that because of the people with whom I work. Reading the college English versus the Writing papers is a HUGE difference, so I'm staying on my toes. My students were surprised to find out that I play Pokemon. I've even had one come by league to say hi (or maybe she was just checking to see if I really was that nerdy). I do it for my kids, not to mention its a lot of fun! Speaking of the kids, all are doing well with their new schools and teachers. My son has even picked up a second instrument...now he plays trumpet and is learning saxophone. He is also quite a miser lately on the computer, making a new movie of his own Pokemon-ish characters.

All this returning to school and work has me worn out. I hope that I can find the strength and energy to get used to it all before I totally crap out!

St. Louis

Ok. So this is a little bit late, but the pictures are now available. Our vacation this summer was to St. Louis, Missouri. The National Pokemon Tournament was there this year, so we decided to go for the whole week and make a trip out of it. We had a lot of fun except for the hellacious hotness and humidity. It almost felt like we were still in Tennessee. We went to the St. Louis Science Center where Kyle built a Lego robot that beat all the competition. We also saw a cool sky show in their planetarium and now the kids watch the stars at night hoping to see one of the constellations they had learned. We also went to the Six Flags park one day and the water park another day. We stayed in a campground really close to the parks, so it was rather convenient. Our cousin Taylor came on Thursday and went with us to the park...she and Evan rode pretty much every rollercoaster in the park - in the FRONT car - and had a blast. The Six Flags old man on the commercials is hilarious; at the park, he is kind of freaky.

The rest of the weekend was devoted to the Pokemon tournament. Kyle actually got into the Video Game Championship again, so he didn't play the card game. He was in a flight of 5, with the top 4 going on to the finals...and of course he was #5. It was disappointing, but he handled it very well. Dad judged and had a great time doing that, but the other three of us actually played in the tournament. We didn't win anything, but we all had a great time meeting folks from all around the U.S. Everyone was very friendly and it is a great family fun event. Needless to say, we were exhausted (at least Dad and I were) when it was time to head home. Everyone had a great time and can't wait to go back next year...although I'm hoping we just go a couple of days and actually vacation somewhere near a beach and lots of water :)