We are one month back into the flow of school, sports and the many activities that seem to come along with the beginning of the school year. Combine that with Deb taking a much-deserved girls’ trip and my continued training for the Grand Canyon hike in September, there is a lot to put into this month’s blog post.
Deb took her first girls’ trip since 2014 and enjoyed a fun trip to Tybee Island with friends. From the stories and pictures I’ve seen, they had plenty of laughs and good times. They had a little bit of travel issues on their way home but at least their flights weren’t cancelled and they made it home, just a few hours delayed. The girls were very well behaved while Deb was gone which made things much easier for me. Beth came over on Friday evening for a few beers and we went to the Watkins house on Saturday for an afternoon pool party.
Earlier in the month, we took a trip to Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN. We left on a Wednesday morning and drove straight to the park. We enjoyed riding several rides and the water park. I found that I’m simply too old for wooden roller coasters anymore, so I had to let Allison ride those on her own. The water park was very impressive and was probably the highlight of the trip. We stayed the night and went back for a second day which was cut short due to rain. The girls seemed to really like it, as we simply confirmed that Allison has no fear when it comes to rides and the rest of us are OK if we just hang out in the lazy river.
Both girls were excited to go back to school. Sarah is starting 4th grade and Allison is in 6th grade, which is the first year of middle school. Allison is excited about her locker and switching classes. She has really figured it out pretty well and had very little issues adapting. Sarah has the same teacher that Allison had in 4th grade so that is exciting. During August, Deb helped manage another successful used uniform sale and I helped manage the KG thru 3rdgrade basketball clinic. During the last weekend before school started, we all participated in the CKS 5K as part of the kickoff to the school year.
Sarah’s Things of the Month
Sarah has been enjoying playing kickball with her friends this year along with starting her fall softball season. She went to Alexa’s birthday party and had a great time with many of her classmates and enjoyed going over to the Wamsley’s after school for some lemonade and playing in their backyard.
Allison’s Thing of the Month
Allison has had a tough kickball season as they are struggling against their competition. The coaches are doing a great job trying to keep the girls positive, but it is tough when you are likely to lose most games. She is also doing cross-country and seems to be doing better and showing improvement. Allison also played in a pre-CYO basketball league at Chatard which helped her get back in the gym and have some fun with her friends. She has also started babysitting in the neighborhood and for us for a few hours at a time.
A few more items from this month:
- Deb and I went with the Bassetts and Sniadeckis to the Jack White concert downtown. It was a great show and good times with friends.
- My mom fell and hurt her ankle. She is doing OK and Pete and Laura are doing a great job taking care of her and getting her to and from her appointments. She has surgery in September and her recovery will take 2-3 months.
- The Bassett’s hosted a cookout at their house during the month. It was an impromptu Smokefest that is usually at the Steffey’s house but they are doing a project in their backyard so it had to be moved this year.
- Debbie joined Orangetheory this month and has enjoyed the workouts.
- As I continue to prepare for the hike in the Grand Canyon in September, I’ve had some additional hikes that have taken a lot of time. The longest hike I’ve one was about 19 miles and it took over 7 hours.
- We got a chance to see Frank and Jan while they were in town for an evening at Beth’s house. It was a good time and we were also able to see Mark and Chris.
- Deb and I ended the month by going to the BCHS Annual Fund Dinner. We were invited by the Bultincks and it was a very impressive evening and we had a great time seeing so many people.
