The Last Huzzah of Summer

Derek came to pick up the kids on August 20th so we went to the Renaissance Festival on the 21st. We all had a blast. It was a beautiful day.
Daevius made a wand.

We met lots of mythical creatures.

The kids went to church with me the following day for one more visit, and they went home on Monday=(

Let's get caught up.

September is nearly over and I am just getting around to recording some of what this summer was like. The phrase that keeps running through my mind is "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. A little melodramatic, I suppose, but it seems to fit. We had a wonderful time. Having Xavey and Daevius with us gave us an opportunity to get to know them in a way that isn't possible in the brief visits we have had up to this point. I discovered that I am not as patient as I thought I was, but the kids got to do many, many fun things. I had them attend Adventures Plus (a school age day care program) while I taught summer school.
I actually about broke even on it financially, but the kids made friends and had 2 field trips a week. They went to 2 water parks, the Elm Creek Park Reserve playground, the Minnesota Zoo, Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America, a Lynx game, Brunswick Bowling, Maple Grove pool, Stillwater Boat tour, Cinema Grill, and Circus Juventas.

4th of July - We had our annual 4th of July party. Monte paid the Xavey and Daevius a dollar a bucket for picking up pine cones so that the kids could run around barefoot getting wet and playing.

It was a wonderful day. The weather was just warm enough to make it worth putting out the wading pool and the slip and slide for the kids.

We put up the awnings and cooked some brats and hamburgers. Everyone brought something. As usual the food was great and the company was better.

As for it being "the worst of times". One of my favorite men, Monte's brother Bill, passed away in

August. I have probably spoken before (but not often enough) about how much I admire the men in Monte's family. Let me say that Bill was the epitome of what it means to be a loving father and worthy priesthood holder. Bill was the most welcoming and generous person. When Monte and I got married I suddenly had a big brother. Someone who was ALWAYS available if someone in the family needed something. I miss him a lot! My son, Bill and his wife and baby drove to Minnesota for the funeral. While they were here we visited Elm Creek Park.

Summer 2009

Okay, despite the novelty of journaling electronically and (wonder of wonders) having someone interested in reading it, I have fallen into old habits.  I have kept a journal since I was eleven years old but have a tendency to write faithfully for several months and then forget about it for several months, sometimes years.  I always think I have a lot to say.  I enjoy expressing myself in writing so why am I so scatterbrained about it?  I don’t have the answer other than to say that I am only consistent about things I have actually made into habit.  Ah well, the following is a summary of my very busy summer so far:

Trip to Texas 

At the end of May, we attended a wedding in Texas.  Monte’s brother and his wife (Scott and Sue), who live in Flower Mound, Texas invited us to attend the wedding celebrations for their daughter, Megan, and her fiancé’ 

Marc.  These people really know how to throw a party.  It was SO much fun.  We shopped and played for a day, there was a shower for Megan at her mother’s sister’s house.  The couple was sealed in the Dallas temple after which we had a wonderful lunch and went back to the hotel for a short rest.  That evening the reception was held at the clubhouse of the golf course near (almost beside) Scott & Sue’s home.  The clubhouse was very nice and the decorations were great.  The thing I liked the most was that the families of both bride and groom had compiled some family pictures and memorabilia for several generations and organized these cherished mementos on tables.  The message was clear – this marriage is forever.  During that trip, Monte and I celebrated our 16^th wedding anniversary.  It seemed like a perfect way to celebrate.

End of the year at Madison and Riverview

I was able to conclude my time at Riverview Elementary with a minimum of stress.  There is always a flurry of work with students being identified for services late in the year, some students invariably move in at that time of the year, particularly in my field.  As the stress of finishing one grade and moving into the uncertainty of summer begins to show on the students, those who have minimal coping skills generally act out and often parents go looking for a “new” environment to give the student a new start.  Hence, EBD students are a little more likely than the average to switch schools at the end of the year.  We were lucky this year.  Any of the students who added at the last minute did so by the end of May so we had time to write plans for them. June 11^th was the last day for student and the 12^th was a work day.

Grandkids

 Arrival/Derek, Stan and Anna’s visit

            June 14^th my daughter Anna and her friend Stan came to visit.  Their plan was to fly into Minneapolis, visit for a few days (Stan has friends in Minnesota) and then drive home with Derek.  My son in law, Derek, and two grandchildren, Xavey and Daevius, arrived about 3 AM the following morning.  We had a great time playing on Monday the 15^th despite the fact that I tried to find a city park that did not actually exist.  We had lunch and did find the Saint Anthony Falls.  We scurried home, made dinner, and then went to Monte’s softball game.  They kicked “fanny” so it was really fun to watch.  Then, Tuesday morning, Derek, Anna, and Stan left and Xavey and Daevius and I unpacked their stuff and began to get to know one another.

Setting up for Summer school

On Wednesday, June 17^th I was required to be at Oxbow Elementary to set up for summer school.  Xavey and Daevius came along and were bored senseless.  They watched a movie on my little DVD player, played on the playground and ate their lunches all before 11 AM.  I met the two ladies who would be my assistants in summer school and was very impressed at how professional and hard working these women are.  In subsequent weeks, I have come to be very grateful for these women.  We are having a wonderful summer even though the students I’ve been assigned to are more severely handicapped than I usually work with.  (More about that later)  When I had to go back on Thursday to finish setting up for the summer I discovered that the Adventures Plus summer program opened that day so I dropped the kids off there.  They had a great day and I got a LOT more done.

Visit to Bakken Museum

            On Friday, June 18^th we went to the Bakken Museum with my sister-in-law, Beth, and her twins, Wyatt and Willa.  It was a great trip.  The museum is housed in the former home of the inventor of the first cardiac pacemaker and co-founder of Medtronics.  The home is amazing with a collection of electricity based exhibits.  We had lunch by lake Calhoun and went back up to the museum to be sure we hadn’t missed anything.  Daevius was most impressed with the “brain wave” machine; any kind of “video” game being his first love.