Ah...Summer!

Summer goes by quickly, but I wouldn't trade it! Still celebrating summer (yes, celebrating!) at my age is one of the perks of being a public educator. Besides being off of work for two months (although I have been working part-time teaching ESL and Spanish classes this summer for adults--FUN! :)), I love getting to spend time with family and friends at my leisure. And, it's been especially nice this summer to have Chris at home, although he may think differently. :) He works from home, so from my perspective it seems that someone else is on summer vacation, too! ;)

Chris and I went to Austin at the end of June to visit Chris' Dad, Dolph, his Aunt Frances and sister Katie. Dolph took us to Hamilton Pool (not the kind of pool you're thinking--check out the pics!) and then we ate at The Oasis on Lake Austin. Fun! Another bonus was that Dolph had baby birdies nesting on his front porch and they were learning to fly! Unfortunately, they didn't pose for photos very well. :/

At the end of July, family came in from San Marcos and San Antonio, as they have for many years, for our Annual Astros Tradition. And in keeping with Astros tradition, they got killed by the Reds. Fortunately, we didn't let that hamper our fun! We celebrated Perry's 47th (what?!) birthday that weekend, too!

For the last of our summer travels, Chris and I went to New Mexico for the Johns Family Camping Trip. Despite the rain, we still had our share of sunshine and mountains, fly fishing and photo-taking, campfires and s'mores, beautiful views and shooting stars. And, Chris came home with a new title--"Rookie of the Year" :)

I'm never anxious for the end of summer, but I sure like the beginning of a new school year. There are few other jobs that offer an annual fresh start, and part of me is looking forward to it. But, for a few more days at least, I'll stay up too late, and sleep in too long, and go jogging at the park in the middle of the day, just because I can. Here's to summer! :)