summertime, and the livin' is easy

It is the first week of my blessed summer!!!
I have not worked a bit, no siree! ;-P
Just cleaned the main part of the house from top to bottom- laundry room, playroom, family room, ad my bedroom. And all my paper clutter and piles of files, mail, bills, finances, and what-not are G-O-N-E.

The month of May was a blur for sure! So many days, packed to the brim with activity and busy-ness. Graduation for CIAS's fifteenth graduating class went off with precision and little-to-no drama. We chose to "go smaller" with the after-reception, and that worked out very well. Twenty-one seniors this year...time flies on. This year's end-of-school activity was a trip to Adventure Island in Orange Beach. We all had amped-up fun with arcades, laser tag, go carts, and bumper boats. The kids had a blast, judging from their numerous FB posts!

All this spring, I have been gardening and getting more active. And in the meantime, I have lost 15 pounds!!! I have great energy and stamina, and am sleeping well and keeping up with household activities with renewed vigor. And I had my hair trimmed almost five inches, but it is still pretty long comparatively. I like the feel of the shorter length, thickness, and bounce. :-D

I finished my education degree in May; that was a looooong road that I was glad to see finish...since 2007 it was! Summa Cum Laude, Phi Theta Kappa, Kappa Delta Pi, & two Scholastic Achievement Awards later, I am exhausted. I was accepted at Regent U in March (YAY!!!), and all my registration and paperwork is completed. All that is left is the final stages of student loans and promissory notes. I am taking some Bible classes right off the bat. I think that I am out of my mind as well.

Sarah and I are busy beavers in regards to weekends and bakery wedding cakes. We did two wedding cakes last weekend, have two to do this coming weekend, and one next week. It's a blur of beauty that never slows or stops. I will be glad once July heat hits, and we will get a reprieve from the pellmell of cakes. :-)

Marie Brunner is getting married tomorrow to her Amos, and I am missing it due to previous cake obligations. :-( I have known her for over 20 years now, it's hard to believe. So many of my former students are getting married this year...I just received an invitation for Graeson's wedding for later this month!


MOVIES
Last Saturday, after our workday was done, we went to see my first theatre movie of the year, "Snow White and the Huntsman." It was a ethereal and sinister take on the story, with brilliant digital and blue suit work...kind of a cross between Peter Jackson's work in "Lord of the Rings" and a medieval "Robinhood." Really enjoyed it! Besides, the "man candy" was nice! ;-)

Now that all our favorite tv shows are on hiatus (Castles, The Mentalist, NCIS, NCIS: LA), I have been rifling through our movie stash and watching one every night. Last night it was "Tuck Everlasting" and tonight the modern version of "Pride and Prejudice."


And BOOKS!!!
Now that it is summer, and I am not in college classes, I have been reading in earnest. First was Todd Burpo's Heaven is for Real, about his son's experiences in heaven during a short surgery interval. I am finishing Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts this weekend. SUCH a good and challenging book!!! I have been doing her 1000 Gifts challenge on this blog this year, in a haphazard fashion.

Next up is Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Francis Chan's trilogy of Crazy Love/Forgotten God/Erasing Hell, and to finish Randy Alcorn's Heaven.

And Fall Break begins...

So my first day of Fall Break went well, unlike the first day of Spring Break earlier this year (my beloved English springer spaniel Hershey died in my arms). It's hard to believe that it has been seven months now. I miss my dear boy!

I slept late (woohoo!), read a little, helped Trish tidy up the house a bit, did laundry, and got a two-hour Young Living oils massage from my friend Melanie. What a wonderful belated birthday gift that was!!! Thanks, Melanie...may Jesus bless you for blessing me! Class afterwards, then grocery shopping with Mom, dinner at home with Tricia, "Castle" and Lie to Me," and more reading before bed.

Mom brewed a pot of coffee this morning and left me a cup. Yum! :-) I feel quite reclusive today. I've been studying for both classes and working on a book report presentation. And I am blogging. :-)

So, the two south end bathrooms at Mom's house are "no more." Daniel cracked and bashed and sawed and hauled and demolished them. He is off on a bike ride to GA right now, so we are (im)patiently waiting for work to commence. There is a great deal of electrical, plumbing, and cement work to be done that is daunting. In the meantime, I am eager to get our new laundry room completely set up (Sarah's old bedroom). It is in working order, but is still cluttered with storage items, furniture, etc. Two weeks ago, I tackled the linen closet "clean and pitch," so while I have off this week, I am going to attempt the laundry room "empty and move." :-)

Saturday we attended Katie Callow and Jeremy Empie's wedding (it was also the wedding day of Luke Dove, Abigail Paul, Josh Showalter and Mrs. McWha). I guess 10/9/10 & 10/10/10 were busy wedding days around the country. Here are some of my pics from the day...

goin' to the chapel

Marisa & Dusty were married on Saturday. The ceremony was at the picturesque Gonzales United Methodist Church, a beautiful structure. Sarah and I iced and decorated their wedding cake early in the morning. I got to wear my new pink & green dress. :-) I pray that they would center their marriage in You, Lord, and be blessed with many happy years together!

2010 has certainly been THE WEDDING YEAR for my former students...the first was Sarah Stevens in March, then Marisa. Next will be Rachel Strehlow, Katie Callow, and Lucas Dove.

It has been a nice weekend. I've been cooking, doing laundry, swimming, reading, cleaning, and budgeting. Now I am off to finish payroll taxes and mop the kitchen, two things that I hate! :-(

I pray for God's peace to reign in our home...no fears or worries- financial, relational, or otherwise. Less of me, Lord, and more of You!