It's THAT time of Year Again

Football season.

This year we decided to try the Assembly of God program, which isn't a true league--instead they have multiple small teams that play against each other. The focus is on skill building and learning the game--they'll even stop the scrimmages for the flag players and do mini-lessons as they go.

It's still time-consuming. I still feel like all I do is work, laundry, and football. But the kids are definitely enjoying this group and it's not as expensive as the other programs, so I'm calling it worth it.

Life changes so fast around here, it makes my head spin. Chris starts a new job as a cable installer this week--a career change he initiated and which should earn more than his previous job which had a better job title, but we weren't making it on the pay. It may even reimburse him for some of his cell phone costs.

I'm working on a Geometry project. The first two lessons were really kicking my tush, but I'm finally picking up speed and feeling better about the project. I really enjoy the math part of the project, but I'm rusty at 11th grade Geometry, and coming up with pages and pages of additional practice problems is harder than you might think when you're reviewing the math right there along with the imaginary "students."

Last week we spent the whole week in Upstate New York with my parents and two out of three siblings and their spouses. It was a great trip, very relaxing, and we couldn't be more thankful to my parents who made it all happen. And to my siblings who spent their own money coming out to meet us there. There was canoing, swimming, walking, hot tubbing, eating, synchronized Olympics watching, and napping. What more could you ask for?

Next weekend Chris and Max are staying here, but the twins and I are hitting the road to go see Granny (age 97 years young) and two out of three of the Aunts and one Uncle. My mother will kill me as she has been after me to go see her in Columbus with the kids for ages and I've put her off because of the cost of gas, so all I will say is, "Mom, I swear, not right away, but sometime this year, we will make it there." But Granny doesn't travel much (at all) any more and going to Michigan is half the distance that going to the other end of Indiana is from here, so when I got the sudden invite, it really was never a question of not going, but more a question of how to make it happen. Things fell into place. So the twinks and I will be road-tripping with all the drunken Labor Day drivers. Please pray for a safe travel for us. It's the only part I'm worried about.

School won't start for another 10 days here. We haven't back-to-school shopped--that's not true--we got the first grade list done for school supplies. But the boys still need clothes and sneakers. We need to do the seventh-grade list for school supplies and get Max shirts and sneakers. The twins also need new lunch boxes. So sometime this week, we'll get to that.

We couldn't be busier. New work, Chris as Scoutmaster, me in Relief Society (kinda like Women's Sunday school, for the non-LDS out there), school volunteering (Yes, we're both still doing that this year, plus I'm still Chair of the PAC), piano twice a week for Max (for financial reasons, the twins are taking a break for a year with that), and football through the end of October. But this year is our 14th year of marriage. Our fourth year living in the same place. Our third year with the same school. We're feeling hopeful.

And that's all the news around here.