Is It Really October Already?

Hello friends! I've got the urge to blog, but there's not a whole lot that is new to update you about!  The school year is in full swing and the weeks are flying by.  Brendan traveled with his volleyball team this weekend to St. Michael and will return tomorrow, hopefully with a couple of wins to share!  The new uniforms arrived just in time and the kids were psyched and ready to go.

Winter is trying hard to make its appearance...we've had several snow flurries and the ground is just about frozen.  The sun is holding its own and our afternoon walks home have supplied us with plenty of Vitamin D.

As busy as we've been, we've had a little more down time this year. Wedding planning is a huge time filler, but we have found ourselves missing the comforts of home more so than we did last year.

Things I am sad about and missing:

My mom's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk...and my mom in general. This year's walk was especially hard to miss as my mom is once again fighting the breast cancer battle.  I wish, more than anything, that I could be closer to her.

Jordan's first pregnancy.  My best friend is expecting her first baby!  Even though she has two sisters, I plan on being the coolest pseudo-aunt out there and can't wait to spoil the little nugget rotten.  However, if the next time I see Jordan, she has a child, I don't think I'm going to believe that she actually gave birth to it.  We're going to have to make an in-person Christmas visit happen.

Jessie's 18th Birthday.  Not sure how this is possible.  Can't talk about it without crying. Moving on.

Sampson.  Our poor puppy finally lost his manhood last week, and the pathetic cone pictures are absolutely breaking my heart.

Movie rentals that don't take 15 hours.  Since B is traveling this weekend, I decided it was my chance to rent some chick flicks.  I rented "What to Expect" from iTunes....it started downloading at 7:30 Friday morning and I was able to start watching it at about 10 that evening.  I would say it was worth the wait, but I couldn't stay awake to finish it, so it's still to be determined.

Starbucks.  With all of these snow flurries and big gusts of wind...I would pretty much do anything for a caramel soy latte....mmmmm. Sigh.

TV Shows. The least of my worries but still somewhat aggravating. I'm pretty much cool with not owning a TV but I also have not been completely deprived from the few that I watch since I've been up here.  Seriously, what is up with hulu not showing the new episodes the next day?  It's probably for the best...Grey's Anatomy and Parenthood have only made me cry so far.

If you know us, you know that we don't spend all of our time wallowing about the things that we miss.

Things I am seriously excited about:

My kids wrote a compare/contrast essay in one class period. ONE. That's 90 minutes.  A complete, five-paragraph essay.  I'm pretty darn proud.

Battle of the Books.  I'm coaching the high-schoolers this year and have read three of the books so far that the kids will be reading. I'm pretty excited about kids being excited to read. (AFTER school.)

Brendan shares some of his sister's talent.  We spent last Sunday evening dying my hair...even though the kids love to take credit for my grays...it was time.  B did a wonderful job--thanks for the tools and the tips, Meg!

Mail.  We had a great week for mail, including some new movies and an amazing box from Hawaii with lots of yummy coffee and Macadamia nuts.  Thanks, Dana...it made us feel like we were on a different island for a little while! :o)

A Christmas Carol.  The next book on the curriculum list.  HOORAY!!!

Well, I apologize for the lack of pictures.  Trust me, I'm used to the "WHERE ARE THE PICTURES?" demand every time I introduce a new book to my students. We will try to be more aware of it and capture some memories this week.  We might be counting the days until Christmas break, but we're also making the most of where we are.  We're hoping for some more Northern Lights and a winning volleyball season! 

Have a great week!