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1. This will be my 4th weekend in a row to facilitate a wedding at church. After tomorrow, I have two more in October and then I am done for the year! So far it has been rather uneventful – no one has screamed at me on the phone or to my face, no bridesmaid has gone running back to the bathroom because her period started and she wasn’t wearing panties to avoid panty lines, no groomsmen threatened to punch me because I caught him drinking in the sacristy instead of escorting guests, and no one has passed out or required medical assistance. All of those things have happened to me in years past. The worst thing that happened this year was a flower girl dropped a glass vase that she carried up full of rose pedals, and it made a loud crash during mass. IF that’s the worst thing that happens, I consider the season a success!
2. Noah runs his second college meet this weekend. I can’t go because of the above mentioned wedding.
He runs every day for practice. On Wednesdays he drives to school at 6 a.m. to make a 6:30 practice that includes running and circuit work of arms and abs. Even on his day off he runs 8 to 10 miles.
Running like this is a labor of love because it is hard work with very little tangible reward. This year, I think is particularly hard for Noah, because last year he was running varsity and was one of the strongest runners on the team, and this year he is at the bottom of the barrel again.
He’ll improve. He always does.
College running has a different feel to it though. When I say Noah is slow I mean he is running a five mile race in 30 minutes – something we mere mortals could never conceive of as being “slow.” So at the meet when you see the slow competitors come in, they’re still pretty dang fast!
On the plus side, he is making friends on the team, he respects his coach, and he is marveling at his own times. There is something to be said for pushing yourself and finding your limits.
Photo credit – Dave Reimund via Shutterfly – who was kind enough to make me a member of the site so that I could get pictures of Noah even when I couldn’t make it in time for the meet!
3. I’ve been reading books about getting college scholarships. The best book I have read on the subject basically said – forget scholarships, buy real estate, and use that to fund your education.
So that makes me feel better about the flip house – I just wish we could spend more time on getting the renovations done and getting it on the market.
I did find one interesting scholarship that gives between $200 and $500 away to descendents of civil war veterans. I know Noah has at least three such ancestors, but getting the documentation is going to be difficult. Still, this particular scholarship kind of fascinates me and I think we should try for it just because it would be kind of neat to say, “I got a scholarship because my great-great-great grandfather fought for the Union army in the Civil War.
4. Even though my son is commuting to college, it does feel weird around here without him. Izzy doesn’t drive yet, so all the driving Noah did for me last year, is up to me again this year. Taking care of the dog is also on us, although I honestly think she makes it outside more under our care, because three people are taking her outside all of the time!
5. My granddaughter had a great summer! We went to the lake every Monday, the library movie every Tuesday, a library show every Thursday, and then various parks or splash pads on Friday.
But with school starting in earnest, I don’t have the time to do those types of things every day – and consequently she is not tired enough to take a nap every day!
I was wracking my brain thinking of things to do with her to have fun and wear her out and then yesterday I discovered an easy solution by accident! We put her to bed, surrounded her with books, and she wore herself out looking at them!
I suspect the trick is going to be keeping the books interesting and new!
Luckily, I own a lot of picture books!.
6. Izzy read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and has a renewed interest in the Harry Potter series. So we were thrilled to discover these small books by J. K. Rowling, based on different characters in the series that gives a lot of back story and are fun and fast to read!
7. Mr. Pete is in the middle of the busiest season of the year for him – marching band season – where everyone needs their horns repaired and back before the football games on Friday night! He leaves the house at 6 a.m. and gets back around 8 p.m. I rarely see him.
He is pretty pleased with himself this year – he is NOT renting musical instruments out. Last year he did rentals and a few people quit paying him, or their cards started declining payment, and then the people with the instruments just disappeared and Mr. Pete doesn’t have time to track them down.
But selling good used instruments at a bargain price seems to be working out much better and he’s already sold quite a few.
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