Here I am. My very own blog.

My friend Jennifer got me hooked on blogging. She and her family (including our twin godsons) recently moved to TN. She blogs every day and I have found that it helps me not feel quite so far away from them. I can't wait to see them in September. I thought that if she can go to school, raise twin boys, cope with three dogs and run many miles every week, I should be able to do this too. I am hoping that close friends and family will find this as rewarding as I do.

I suppose there is no better place to start than the here and now.

We all started school once again this week. The house was so very quiet. I didn't teach my private violin students and I actually cleaned my carpets. I had time for reflection, cleaning the house, and missing my girls. Laura went to Middle School on Monday and I cried like I did when she went to Kindergarten. I can't believe how grown up she is. Becca went off to third grade. I found myself being very grateful that I still have one child left in elementary school, but it was bittersweet as I realize that in just three short years, Laura is off to High School and Becca will be in Middle School.

Next week, I will begin real life. I am booked to substitute at Becca's school for three days and will begin teaching my 23 private students. In the meantime, I am up everyday at 5:30 preparing for a 5k run on September 9. Carol and I run together. This is our fifth week of training and we are feeling better and better about what we are doing. We don't always enjoy running while we are doing it, but we like how running makes us feel when we are done.

Tom, my husband, has been dreaming of barbecue the last couple of weeks. Last weekend he competed in Dillan,CO at the "BBQ at the Summit". He entered BBQ sauce and took 12th out of 44. We were so very proud of him. He is dreaming of next year as he wants to "go for it all". I think we, and everybody around us, will be eating a lot of BBQ this year as he will be experimenting for just the right recipes for next years contests. Here is a picture of Laura chowing down at the contest last weekend. Becca is sitting next to her.

My daughter, Laura, just started middle school last week. She finds it a bit overwhelming and tells me that the best part of school is "the egg rolls for lunch". We made three trips to the music store last week ( the clerk started recognizing my husband) as Laura can't quite get the band stuff together yet. She plays percussion and her instrument case consisted of a set of bells, a snare, a practice pad, mallets, and her band book. She weighs less than 100 pounds, so this was too much stuff for her to carry. Her case was on wheels, but there was no ramp to roll it down to get it into the band room. We went to the store the first time to trade in this set for a smaller bell set. She forgot to bring her practice pad, so we couldn't turn the old one in. The next day we went back with the pad in hand, and traded her old stuff in for new, lighter stuff. When my husband got home, Laura informed us that she also needed a new band book. Of course, the store was out of them. We made a third trip to the store yesterday. I think it is all taken care of now, but Middle School has been an adjustment for all of us. Laura was bummed as she didn't make it into the swim club. It was a lottery and she was not chosen. I think she is going to be in the art club at school. Pictured is a piece of her work that she did in 5th grade. She won the green ribbon for use of texture at a city contest.

Becca is in third grade. We just love the teacher she got this year. Becca took reading tests on Thursday and did really well. The hardest part of her first week at school was having to go to bed earlier and getting up earlier. I have to pick Laura up at Becca's school in the afternoon, as this is her bus stop, so Becca is enjoying not having to ride the bus in the afternoons. Becca plays the violin and the piano. She has had piano lessons for over a year and likes to play piano more than violin. She is my "little lady". If her clothes don't fit just as she thinks they should, out they go!!! Once this week, we were both in tears and she couldn't find just the right pink pants to go with the right pink shirt. This was after she had layed her clothes out the night before. (I am in such trouble when she gets to be a teenager). Here is a picture of Becca on her way to third grade.

That's all for now. Gonna go get ready for dinner with friends tonight. More later........

Shari